While a rise in vaccination rates around the world had many Americans confident that they would soon be able to resume international travel, a sudden spike in cases of the Omicron variant has changed the outlook for travel in 2022. But while international trips may still be curbed in the coming year, it’s likely that 2022 will see a rise in tourism similar to that seen in 2021, as more and more people are eager to get back to traveling.
As tourism numbers return to pre-pandemic levels, it’s more important than ever before to make sure that your hotel, vacation rental, or other tourism-focused business is working to stand out from the crowd and connect with potential customers. This means staying ahead of the latest trends in marketing.
If you’re ready to help your business succeed in 2022, check out these marketing trends to watch in the new year.
Short-Form Video Marketing Continues to Shine
In 2021, the popular social media site TikTok achieved an incredible feat; it overtook Google as the most visited website of the year. Considering one is a social media site for sharing videos and the other is the go-to search engine used for everything from online shopping to running searches, this was an accomplishment that most didn’t see coming.
If there’s one thing you should learn from this news it’s that the popularity of short-form videos that pack an entertainment punch continues to rise. They are great for capturing busy, bored users’ attention. When done correctly, they can hold users’ short attention spans. They’re also easily shareable.
For businesses, this is great news. Short reels are easy to produce and can be low-cost. But if you want to make sure that potential customers aren’t swiping before your video is over, they need to pack a punch with entertainment, stunning views, or quirky audio. Often, this is as easy as scrolling through TikTok to check out trending audio voice-overs and choosing ones that can be applied to your business.
Influencers Continue to Drive Sales and Bookings
Another thing that the popularity of TikTok tells us is that customers aren’t only going to Google and other search engines to get information. This means that their inspiration for their next vacation could come from a TikTok reel or Instagram post just as often as it does from a Google search.
With this trend comes the continued success of influencer marketing. Influencers on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok can help to drive new consumer markets to your brand. And this is a trend that’s here to stay; today’s teens report trusting influencers more than traditional celebrities. Nearly half of all consumers today depend on influencer recommendations when making purchases or bookings.
The key to influencer marketing is connecting with the right influencers. You don’t need to have the ability to pay a top influencer to cash in on this trend. An influencer with a smaller following that fits your target demographic perfectly can have just as big of an impact.
Organic SEO Drives is Still Important
While social media is an important tool, don’t overlook building traffic to your website. The use of TikTok still trends young, and search engines continue to be a popular tool for planning and booking travel.
Internet users today value authentic content. They continue to favor organic content over paid ads; organic search drives more than half of all traffic, while paid and social traffic split the remainder. One of the best ways to drive organic traffic to your site is with the addition of a blog. High-quality content and topics that are relevant to your customers can draw in traffic and help to convert visitors into happy, paying customers. Quality, as well as the proper use of SEO tactics, is key to the success of a blog.
Make it Mobile
Just a couple of decades ago, the average internet user turned to a desktop or laptop computer to access the web. As recently as 2011, just under 7 percent of all web traffic came from mobile phones, while the rest was relegated to desktops, laptops, tablets, and other devices. Today, more than half of all web traffic comes from smartphones, and that figure is rising every day.
To ensure that you’re keeping up with this growing trend, it’s important to make sure that your business’ website is not only mobile-friendly but mobile intuitive as well. Users shouldn’t be left frustrated trying to navigate your site on a small smartphone screen. Invest in improving your site and making sure that it’s easy to scroll and navigate from any size device.
Putting These Marketing Trends to Work in 2022
Staying ahead of the latest marketing trends is the best way to ensure that your business stands out as tourism numbers continue to rebound. If you’re ready to ensure your business is set to succeed in 2022, we’re here to help. From business development to marketing to SEO, our team is here to create a customized approach to connecting with your target customers, improving your brand, and helping you grow.
Connect with us today to learn how we can help you make these marketing trends work for you in 2022.