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6 Holiday Marketing Tips for Tour Operators this Season

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The holidays — especially those at the end of the year — are some of the most profitable times of year for businesses, and as a business owner it is important to put some of your focus on your holiday marketing strategy. It’s never too early to start planning your holiday campaigns. Follow this guide to prepare for holiday marketing on your website, pay-per-click ads, social media, and beyond! 

Depending on your location, you may have a variety of holidays throughout the year that you can plan your marketing campaigns around. In general, the end of the year tends to be packed with holidays. For example, Black Friday through Cyber Monday has become, arguably, the most popular weekend of deals for goods, tours, activities and more!

Once you’ve decided on the holidays you want to focus on for your marketing campaigns, it’s time to start planning your strategy. 

Create a Festive Mood on Your Website

Your holiday promotions and discounts should be front and center for shoppers to see on your website. You can also add a few holiday-specific edits to your website. Create a festive mood by updating your photos and featuring your seasonal activities, for instance a sleigh ride. This will get your customers in the holiday spirit and make them excited to book your timely activities. 

Share Valuable Resources on Your Blog

Have you ever felt at a loss for gift ideas or holiday activities and turned to the web for some inspiration? Plenty of potential customers will be doing the same around the holidays. This is a great opportunity for your business to be discovered by new customers! Plan some holiday-themed blog content, such as exciting holiday activities in your area, to try to increase traffic to your site.

Remember to promote your offerings naturally in your blog, such as including your holiday cooking class in a round-up on fun things to do in your area this season. 

Get Merry on Social Media

Holidays are all about the visuals — fireworks for Fourth of July, spiderwebs for Halloween, snowflakes for the winter holidays. And social media platforms are the perfect place to lean into holiday imagery to get customers excited about what you have to offer. 

Like all marketing campaigns, a little planning will go a long way. You don’t want to be scrambling to put something together a week before a major holiday. Setting a small budget to boost a social media post and increase conversions or gathering user-generated content to enhance engagement are simple, yet effective ways to spark holiday sales!

Nurture Existing Customers with Email

Repeat customers are one of your most important audiences because they already know your brand and are more likely to book with you again. Email is the perfect way to nurture this relationship and promote your holiday specials. You can use emails around the holidays to tell customers about seasonal activities, give them first access to a promo code, or share your holiday-themed blogs!

Reach New Customers with PPC Ads

While email allows you to get in touch with existing customers, pay-per-click (PPC) ads give you the chance to reach new audiences who are searching for keywords related to your offerings. If you don’t have the budget to run ads all year-long, save it for the holidays and run seasonal ads just in time to catch holiday travelers and shoppers with your specials and promotions.

Optimize for Seasonal Local SEO

Optimizing your website and Google My Business (GMB) listing is important all year-round. But if you haven’t revised your local SEO strategy in a while, be sure to do so in time for the holidays. 

Update your GMB if you have seasonal hours and ensure that your address and contact information are up to date.  If you’re targeting any holiday-specific keywords such as “holiday light tours,” be sure to incorporate them on GMB (like in your company description) as well as your website. 

It’s now time to spread that holiday cheer! We recognize that this is a long list, and that’s because there are a lot of moving parts to a successful holiday marketing campaign. However, with a little forward planning and an organized calendar, you’ll be well on your way to making the most of this profitable time of year. Simplify the process with this checklist to promote your tours and activities during the holidays. 

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