Travel Copywriting & Tourism Marketing Roundup (July 2)

Marketing your hotel, travel agency or other hospitality business is not a race to the finish line: it’s a slow, steady power walk. This week marks the very first travel copywriting & tourism marketing roundup at The Travel Copywriter. I hope you’ll find something (or somethings) to inspire and fuel your efforts this week.

Top 5: Travel Copywriting

1. You know your travel copy should tell a story, but do you know how to tell that story? Amy Harrison does, and she dishes up three tips + a video on how to tell your brand’s story.
2. And speaking of brand storytelling, Ricardo Bueno and Bernadette Jiwa have a 26-minute recording on how to differentiate your business by telling a better story.
3. As always, Copyblogger comes through with excellent copywriting advice, and Henneke Duistermaat clues us into 6 simple steps to creating seductive web copy. Pay close attention to the tip on benefits vs. features; too many travel websites focus on features and not the incredible experiences (benefits) derived from those features.
4. Have you ever wondered how to create content that your guests actually want to read? (We’re talking about your website, your blog, your brochures – your anything.) Jeff Bullas has seven answers in his key elements for viral content marketing.
5. And in that same vein, the Content Marketing Institute’s Jay Baer enlightens with a great post on why creating content your visitors want isn’t enough – you have to market your marketing so it actually reaches your past and future guests.

Top 5: Tourism Marketing

1. Travel marketers are all about inspiring photos, and this week Tnooz guest-blogger Maddy Fuller highlights how hotels can use Instagram effectively. Hint: it’s not all about you – it’s a comprehensive approach to the area, the restaurants and the activities that make your hotel the best choice.
2. E-Marketing Associates has a great take on how you can incorporate website design (hint: think great photography!), hotel reviews and snail mail to generate more direct bookings.
3. abouTourism gives us a rundown of the recent Amadeus study into big data and its impact on the travel industry. The takeaway: big data has the ability to change hospitality marketing – to craft a more personalized, smarter traveler experience.
4. eMarketer discusses the importance of online hotel reviews – and how travel marketers need to change their approach to managing negative ones.
5. Finally, I’d like to bring your attention to Oyster’s travel blog. Oyster always does great, visual hotel marketing, and this is a great example of their genius: 5 of the Most Uber-Luxurious Suites in Las Vegas that showcase glamour and sophistication, not just Vegas bling.