Marketing for reopening
Marketing for reopening
It’s the news that we have all been waiting for. Hospitality and Tourism businesses are set to reopen from the 02nd of June in Ireland. After a long stressful 5 months thwarted by restrictions, businesses are hoping that this time they can open- and stay open. However, international visitors will not be back in Ireland for a while so hospitality and tourism businesses will all be trying to attract domestic visitors. So what can you offer that your competitors can’t? Its time to put on the thinking caps and start marketing for reopening.
Last summer some businesses were happy with the level of business they received from the Irish market. Others were disappointed and face another summer of competing against accommodation providers that are closer to the coast, have more outdoor facilities or are just better at getting their message out there. Hospitality and tourism businesses need to spend this time concentrating on their USP and finding a way of getting their offerings out to the domestic visitor.
Here are our top tips on how to organise your marketing for reopening
- Contact all of your cancellations first.
If you haven’t started doing this already then start now. The visitors that had already taken the time to book bedrooms, events or tickets with you are the people that you should market to first. Send them an email telling them that you can’t wait to welcome them. Pick up the phone and give them a call. These are the people that are already aware of your business so it’s a no brainer that you should contact them first.
- Create packages for all of your target markets.
Don’t just go out there with a generic summer package that may be of no interest to a couple wanting a weekend away. Make a list of all of your target segments- Families, couples, over 50’s, multi generational families etc. Failte Ireland have a great document that sets out the main domestic segments. You can find a copy here. Once you know what segment you want to target- build a package for each of them and market through the channels that they use. For example- you wouldn’t run a Tik Tok ad for the over 50’s market.
- Offer Value
Rip off Ireland has been trending a lot recently. People want value when they go on a holiday or a weekend away. Would you rather a business full of people paying a decent rate and eating and drinking in your hotel or a hotel half full where people feel they can get food and beverages at a better price up the street? A lot of consideration should be given when pricing your offerings this year. Offer value by creating value packages with dinner, prosecco on arrival etc. Look at your competitors and make sure you are not pricing yourself out of the market.
- Collaborate
For those of you who read the blogs from Back Office Marketing, you know that we are always preaching about collaboration. Another way to add value to your offering, support local business and have another business market yours is by teaming up with your neighbours. Tourism activity providers can team up with the local accommodation provider to offer over night stay packages. Team up with the local restaurant, coffee shop, beauty salon, nail bar, farm experience etc.
- Showcase your destination
Covid has brought a new trend of wanting to be in the outdoors. People want to be able to visit a park, go for a walk along the river or a forest trail. They want to be entertained without being in a setting where there are lots of people. Showcase your destination as best you can. Contact your local tourism authority and ask them to send you on information on the local outdoor destinations. Sometimes we need to show people why they need to visit your business- they may not know about that beautiful walk that is just on your doorstep. We love the video from Caravogue House in trim above.
The Covid 19 pandemic has changed the way we will market our hospitality and tourism businesses forever. Peoples motivations and expectations have changed so we need to change with them. Remember, Ireland has come through crisis after crisis in the past- none of them as damaging as this pandemic, but we will come back stronger than ever.
For help with your preopening marketing activities or some advice on marketing for reopening please contact Helen on info@backofficems.ie
