Drive Bookings in Slow Months: Off Season Marketing Tips for Tours & Activities

It’s natural for things to slow down after your busiest season has run its course.

But you don’t have to sit still, waiting for next season to come around.

What you can do is spend time marketing your tour or activity so you can prepare for an even busier peak season.

1. Build up the hype

While things are busy, it’s easy to let marketing tasks fall behind. That’s why off season is the perfect time to…

Get more online reviews

After going on your tour, all of your customers should have received an automated email from your online booking system asking them to leave a review on TripAdvisor, at the very least.

Making sure this email is sent a day or so after the tour is crucial. You want their reviews while the memories are fresh in their minds, and they have authentic photos to accompany it.

Make sure you build up your profile on these three review sites.

Create content

Just because they can’t necessarily buy your product right now (eg. it’s not whale watching season yet) doesn’t mean they won’t be interested in the educational information about whales that you have to share.

Blogging tips:

• Offer to write guest blog posts on relevant external blogs. Does your local visitor centre or tourist board have a blog? Perhaps there is a online magazine for your type of tour or activity. Contact them and offer to write some blog content for them.
• Use your blog to illustrate your passion and excitement about what you do. Use it to inspire people to want to “give it a go.”
• Provide ‘behind the scenes’ content to show the human side of your business
• Share customer stories (preferably with accompanying photos & videos)
• Write ‘how-to’ articles about your speciality area
• Write about news and trends in your market area
• Provide commentary on industry news

If you have a list of contacts, send this awesome and informative content out to them.

2. Target specific audiences

Low season is the perfect time to run special offers to target audiences.

Locals

Try to build loyalty with the locals during off season. After all, they’re there all year round and can  give you tons of repeat business and word of mouth.

Some ideas:

• Off season discounts
• Early bird deals
• Buy one get one free
• Family discounts
• Retiree promotions

Remember to adapt your products to fit their budget.

MICE market

Meetings, incentives conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) is a great target audience for you in low season. A medium sized group can fill your seats faster than independent travelers will!

Partner with corporate travel agents, and invite event organisers for a famil to spread word of your product.

3. Partner with distribution channels

Expanding your distribution network is the key to growth – whether it’s through online or offline agents.

Before working with an agent, make sure you ask them these key questions:

• What kind of traffic does your business get?
• What markets do you have access to?
• How do you run your business (resources, booking management, track record)?
• What’s your product mix?
• What’s your marketing strategy?

If you’re looking for a place to start, join Rezdy Community. Suppliers and agents can find each other, resell each other’s products, and get paid for it – all managed by Rezdy.

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