When marketing a tourism product you need to stop thinking like you and start thinking like your customers. Thinking that your customers are like you is a common mistake which often results in tourism business owners thinking that website optimisation doesn't work or marketing in general is total fluff and doesn't get results.
Classic Case
We were working with a gorgeous "B&B" just north of Auckland that was owned by a lovely German couple. They desperately wanted to tap into the Auckland weekend getaway market and felt that they had done everything possible to get it. They optimised their website, offered a weekend package on their site and did Google Ad Words but to no avail. They were convinced that online marketing didn't work and came to us for other...
As the recent 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, it was Social Media that we turned to, getting messages and information out to family and friends across the globe within a matter of seconds. The online sentiment felt worldwide was one of tremendous pain; and messages of sympathy and hope for those affected blanketed our twitter feeds, our facebooks and youtube accounts.
An earthquake of this magnitude touches all facets of a community's economy and lives, and as Christchurch is one of New Zealand's key tourism destinations this will be a significant blow to "Christchuch" as a brand. Our strategic partner Dr. Mathew McDougall, CEO for the China based firm SinoTech Group, is a South Islander himself, and one of the global experts on Social Media Strategy and Analytics.
