Using video to showcase your destination – next big thing on the Internet
We each discovered the Internet only a few short years ago. Many jumped in; more held back. Today, most businesses (including those in the tourism industry) have embraced the use of it to promote and market their wares, either with a website, an online Yellow Pages listing, and/or have taken yet another step into the paid advertising world. The travel industry was early to embrace it knowing that showing sells faster than telling.
The future of travel advertising on the Internet will include video because getting customer buy-in is predicated on helping someone experience the destination (virtually) before they get there. Travelers compare and contrast transportation options, accommodations, entertainment, shopping and tours. Doing so with images has been the norm but coming in the future is the upgrade to video as the preferred way to explore a destination before travel.
Why video? The answer lies in human’s love for stimulation in multiple modalities. In fact, research proves that memory is better when multiple sensory input is received. For example, seeing a brand in a one dimensional image is not as memorable as the same image presented in movement with audio such as voice and/or music.
Video online has now earned some interesting marks – having demonstrated through a couple of years of research that videos are increasing “click-through rates” by 3.34% (eLocal Listings). Brownbook.net’s research shows that response rates to video are 5-9 times greater than text ads with conversions doubling. The bottom line, video says it better than any text or image advertising and the rise in video online will be akin to the enormous growth of the Internet over the last 10 years.
So, given that video is at the cusp of explosion – how do you get involved, as a tourist destination? There should be a multi-pronged approach:
- Hire a company to professionally produce a high quality video of your establishment
- Identify places to post it including YouTube, MetaCafe, Vimeo, Revver, Motionbox, etc.
- Collaborate with others in the travel industry to lower the cost of distribution and increase brand awareness in relation with others – example: Funtastic Travel Show (they promise 1 million views)
- Get your video included in your listings across the web
- Post the video to your site using a high quality player (preferably HD since the market is going there now)
Finally, make sure you script your video carefully realizing that people don’t like advertising. Make your video informative, interesting, and fun – don’t focus on features, advantages and benefits – but instead why a person will visit with you and return again – because they love your distination. Also remember you have about 20 seconds to engage them – so get that done and end your ad at no longer than a minute.
Contact us for more information: info@funtastictravelshow.com
