Marketing & Promotion in a Tourist Market
This article is based on the information from our 2021 Webinar with the former Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce and Tourism.
Tourists to the Peterborough & Kawartha area spend an average of $365 million in our local economy each year. With the peek tourist season just around the corner, we thought it would be a great time to share some information to help local businesses get their share of this very large pie! If you are interested in working with us on your marketing and promotion throughout this busy season check out our special summer services offer!
Tell People Where You Are.
The most important thing is for people to be able to find you, so you need to tell them where you are! Not necessarily your exact address but general area or town you serve. Are you a restaurant serving those visiting Peterborough or would you like to serve those also visiting the Kawartha Lakes region? The answer to this question will give you some guidance to help you with your site copywriting as well as any location targeted ad campaigns you may run. This will also help you when someone searches for ”location your type of business”
Tell People What You Offer.
There is a joke where an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) copywriter walks into a bar, grill, pub, public house, Irish, bartender, drinks, beer, wine, liquor...
You want to make sure you describe what you offer on your home page. This will help with your Search Engine Optimization. When a search engine reviews your site it is looking for a few things, keywords, content, how recently the site was updated, users reactions as well as the searchers location and device type. The only thing I advise my clients on if they are writing their own copy is to make sure it sounds natural. Google will penalize you if you look like you are trying to stuff keywords in there in an unnatural way. You can fit more keywords in in a more natural way for your industry by using something like a blog on your site which we will talk about coming up. Lastly, if you are known for something like huge slice of pizza or were awarded Peterborough’s Best Coffee Shop don’t forget to share that! That will help you when someone searches ”best item in city”.
Get a Google Business Profile.
Getting or Claiming your Google Business Profile is important for a number of reasons. Businesses with active Google Business Profiles perform better in search, even organically. This is because Google would rather keep a visitor on its services and make any ad revenue it can, even if you're not necessarily running a campaign with them.
Who Are Your Influencers In Real Life?
You may have heard of the term ”influencer” when it comes to marketing, especially social media marketing. In marketing an influencer is “a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media.” You may or may not have experience working with social media influencers but take a minute to think about who could be an influencer in real life or IRL? These influencers are just as important because on top of google searches many tourists will ask locals for recommendations on places to eat, shop or stay. In the Kawartha region especially in towns right along the Trent-Severn Waterway there are two major IRL influencers you can target, lock staff and marina staff. Think about how you could promote your business to these people because if they come into your business and have a great experience then chances are good they will remember your business and recommend your business when asked.
If you are interested in working with OmniWorx Design for your summer marketing needs or have any questions please feel free to connect with us for an information meeting. This information was first presented as a webinar, you can find the full presentation here.
About the Author - Jack C. Henry
A graduate of OCAD University’s Graphic Design program, Jack blends art with real-world business strategy. The result? Creative solutions that add value to your business. Jack has designed for a wide range of industries including restaurants, retail stores, health care, community organizations and charities. As well as helping companies develop their brand, he creates beautiful marketing materials and signage.
About OmniWorx Design.
OmniWorx Design is a boutique design firm providing graphic design, branding, marketing services to individuals, small & mid-sized businesses. More...