The Zen of Travel Blogging Series

Apr 24 2014

The Zen of Travel Content Marketing, Part 6: 11 Essential Elements of Travel Content Marketing

Editor’s Note: This is part six of The Zen of Travel Content Marketing series on building an inspired (and inspirational) content strategy for your hospitality or tourism business. (Still not convinced you need content or a blog? You do.) As I publish each new installment, I’ll link it at the bottom of this post.

You have all the tools you need to make the leap into successful travel content marketing

No more teasing, no more waiting: you’ve made it! Over the past few months, you’ve fleshed out your travel personas; developed your hotel or travel content strategy; chosen the best travel content delivery channels; run an audit on your current content; and had a look at some exceptional examples of travel content marketing. You’ve been patient (thanks for that!) and now it’s finally time.

Yes, it’s now time to create compelling, actionable travel content. It’s time to use your words to paint vivid mental pictures with brushstrokes so bold, they’re almost fluorescent. And it’s time to leverage the principles of travel copywriting to guide your site visitors to click, to sign up, to book, to call – whatever it is you want travelers to do, it’s time to get them doing it.

But before I release you into the writing wilds, I’ll leave you with this travel content marketing checklist – 11 essential elements to include in every piece of your content marketing:

[Read more…]

Mar 20 2014

The Zen of Travel Content Marketing, Part 5: 9 Examples of Exceptional (but Doable) Travel & Hotel Content Marketing

Editor’s Note: This is part five of The Zen of Travel Content Marketing series on building an inspired (and inspirational) content strategy for your hospitality or tourism business. (Still not convinced you need content or a blog? You do.) As I publish each new installment, I’ll link it at the bottom of this post.

Travel content marketing makes magic, but there's no actual magic involved. — Travel content marketing makes magic, but there’s no actual magic involved.

They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. And while I wouldn’t recommend copying or duplicating your favorite travel content marketing, you can certainly take inspiration from others. After all, travelers like what they like: they click and share and follow for epic photos and awesome checklists and free content so good, they probably would have paid for it. (Stuck for inspiration? Here are 26 travel content ideas to get your creative juices flowing.)

Because here’s the secret: content marketing isn’t magic. It isn’t as hard to understand as SEO. And it certainly isn’t new: companies have been using content to market themselves for more than a century. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel; you just have to decorate the wheel with your own brand of creativity.

One of the best parts of my job is digging up sparkling gems of content marketing from around the globe. In Part 3 we discussed travel content channels, so I thought I’d showcase some of my personal favorites in travel blogging, free guides, and downloadable ebooks. These companies are kicking butt and taking names. Call them my content marketing crushes.

And did I mention I saved the best part part for last: scale. The following aren’t examples of pricey, over-complicated campaigns that require a team of marketers, writers, designers and publishers. No; this is simple, effective travel content marketing that you can replicate – in your own way, of course – for under $1,000 a month. So get started on getting inspired – and please share your favorites in the comments!

[Read more…]

Feb 27 2014

The Zen of Travel Content Marketing, Part 4: Run a Content Audit

Editor’s Note: This is part four of The Zen of Travel Content Marketing series on building an inspired (and inspirational) content strategy for your hospitality or tourism business. (Still not convinced you need content or a blog? You do.) As I publish each new installment, I’ll link it at the bottom of this post.

Almost there! But not quite – a content audit comes before content creation — Almost there! But not quite: a content audit comes before content creation

Well, you’ve done it! You’ve developed your travel content strategy. You’ve dug deep to develop your guest personas. And you’ve discovered where travelers congregate online. Believe it or not, it’s time to actually talk content.

Exciting, I know! But just a hot second. Close that blog prompt. Step way from Twitter. We’re not to content creation quite yet. Before you write one new word, you must first review everything you’ve already written – your existing content. Because unless your company is brand new, chances are you have some good content already floating around – brochures, newsletters, attraction information, and other text just begging for some attention.

This is the week of the content audit: the week you sort through all your raw materials and evaluate each on its performance and effectiveness. This is the week of repackaging, reworking and rewriting the best of the best. This is the week your content marketing team puts their heads together. And this is the week you ask yourselves:

Does our content speak to travelers’ pain and passion points?
How engaging is our content?
Is our content sharable?

[Read more…]

Feb 13 2014

The Zen of Travel Content Marketing, Part 3: Choosing Your Content Channels

Editor’s Note: This is part three of The Zen of Travel Content Marketing series on building an inspired (and inspirational) content strategy for your hospitality or tourism business. (Still not convinced you need content or a blog? You do.) As I publish each new installment, I’ll link it at the bottom of this post.

By now, you know your audience. You’ve started developing your travel content strategy. So it’s time to talk content types and distribution channels. We’re getting close – so very, very close! – to actually writing, snapping photos and shooting video. I promise.

First things first: You absolutely, positively must keep your content goals in mind throughout this process. What is the purpose of your content marketing? One of them must be to build your email database. Remember that with social media accounts and even RSS followers (if you still have any), you don’t own your follower list. You don’t have access to their direct email addresses or phone numbers. But with an opt-in database – say, when customers exchange their emails for travel guides or their phone numbers for customized itineraries – you slowly build this incredible, amazing business asset: a list of warm leads from travelers who have sought you out.

The second thing to always keep in mind is that your content strategy for each channel is a miniturized version of your overall travel content strategy. Before you launch (or revamp) your blog, your newsletter, your travel guides or any other content channel, ask yourself these questions:

[Read more…]

Jan 30 2014

The Zen of Travel Content Marketing, Part 2: Define Your Travel or Hotel Content Strategy

Editor’s Note: This is part two of The Zen of Travel Content Marketing series on building an inspired (and inspirational) content strategy for your hospitality or tourism business. (Still not convinced you need content or a blog? You do.) As I publish each new installment, I’ll link it at the bottom of this post.

It's important to balance your content goals with content implementation — It’s important to balance your content goals with content implementation

If you think this is the week we gallop into content creation, whoa there. I hate to disappoint, but the truth is, developing a thoughtful – and successful – content strategy for your travel biz takes time. And not the kind of time you can squeeze into the commercial breaks during your favorite shows: I’m talking hours, days and probably weeks of brainstorming, refining and consideration.

But it’s worth it. I promise.

This week, we’re delving into the details of your content strategy. Not content marketing, but content strategy. (Say what? Is there a difference?) Mais oui, there is!

Content strategy is not the same as content marketing. Think of it like an orchard: every seed you plant is the promise of a future harvest. If you sow haphazardly, your orchard will grow up to be a crowded, poor producer. But if you plan your orchard carefully and nurture it along the way, you can create a space – big or small, depending on your goals – that is fruitful for years to come. The way you plan your seed-sowing and and nurturing is content strategy; how you use the fruits of your well-tended orchard is content marketing. So let’s get into it:

[Read more…]