We all know that video content drives stronger engagement and builds an emotional connection. A video becomes an essential part of the strategy in travel and online tourism marketing which helps to attract more visitors. In today’s surplus of online travel content, consumers are savvy in making choices and discretionary when it comes to absorbing information. The responsibility of travel brands now lies in their flexibility, connecting with consumers wherever they are on-the-go. Getting that digestible, exclusive and mobile-friendly content into their hands will remain a goal for travel brands, one that they must evolve to keep up to terms with.
Be it airlines, hotels, destinations, tourism bodies, traveller comparison websites or Airbnb properties, they are all aware of the consumer’s purchasing cycle prone to change. This change is as much as their social media habits and content preferences.
Given this constant fluctuation, travel brands need to reconsider their marketing strategy and pump resources into interactive channels. Today, social channels are the default space where people ask for recommendations, chat with live chatbots, look at social posts of a place and watch dynamic videos. Video gives the opportunity to bring the destination to life and showcase perfectly what destinations and travel industry have to offer with an eye-catching way.
Tapping touch points
Travellers are happiest when they are planning and researching their vacation as opposed to when while travelling. Ever wondered what the tipping point at which travellers become compelled to make a booking is? Personalisation is the pillar of consumer responsiveness and is a final leap for many luxury travellers as they seek something distinct and of speciality. From luxurious resorts to fine dining restaurants and bespoke travel agents, personalised details in a customised experience is what the segment that commands spending power is after. That means their decision-making and emotional contagion is most promising before departure. Interactive videos allow to target travellers during the planning and research stage – the visual impact is useful at conveying a point of view and triggering an emotion-driven action. Forbes conducted a study revealing how people react strongly to emotions, and emotion-driven storytelling is most likely to engage broader audiences.
- 66% viewed videos when thinking about taking a trip
- 65% saw videos when choosing a destination
- 54% viewed videos when choosing accommodations
- 63% viewed videos when looking for activities to do at a destination
- 42% of travellers are inspired by YouTube content
In our following examples, we will show you the most effective ways of creating videos with a compelling story. These videos feature memorable takeaways, inspire curiosity and anticipation, make your potential customers feel significant and engage with their everyday life.
Storytelling that drives emotions will engage well
Destination videos are not just about selling an Instagram-styled dreamy lifestyle filled with places to be “seen and heard” and yawning landscapes. By having a relatable aspiration and believable storyline, audiences enter a “safe zone” where they are more likely to share your story and be an ambassador of the experience. Countries brand themselves with videos that showcase their depth and diversity. The art of storytelling lies in being true to yourself and slowing down to absorb surroundings. Be it exquisite nature, the peace of calm reflection or high-intensity adventure, travellers want to be able to let their emotions be captured, a point of view mirrored and have the story speak to them.
Adopting travel influencers as your “point person” with a point of view. Lending a credible and compelling point of view to your travel video may not come naturally without the right voice so you’ll want to have travel influencers do it for you. Enabling an authentic, personalised first-person view experience of a destination is a considerable boost when it comes to enhancing audience decision making. Malaysian Airlines Penang is entertaining and humorous, following a young people’s around Malaysian destination having fun, discovering adventure and charm of local culture. Airlines targeted millennials and showcase beauty and adventures in the Penang region, to attract young people to experience the region. Simple yet very attractive and speaking directly to the needs of a young audience.
Create impact and calls to action through integration
You don’t want a seamless and visually appealing piece of content flattering. Make sure your viewers aren’t dropping off and respond with the right call to action with a substantial implementation plan. Combine integration, placement and messaging to see an increase in demand from passengers, drive bookings and comparisons as well as develop awareness of your product variants. Combination of passions, aspiration and independent decisions can make video strategy one worth following!
Catering to intention
Figure out what exactly your audience desires most so you can craft a story that drives a huge relevance to users with strong persuasion and emotional connectivity. Is it inspiration, freedom, education, practical advice or the latest news?
Image source: ThinkWithGoogle
Image source: ThinkWithGoogle
Connecting the loop of emotional connectivity to a personal interest in their actions is the next wave to audience engagement. Rather than merely giving comments or liking a video, your video will need to have a well-crafted call-to-action that gives them the ability to act.
Make purchase points accessible and interactive
Interactivity drives the human touch which bumps engagement and connects with real-time ease. Having interactive elements in your travel video allow you to focus on the unique and conversational – be it a locally known expertise or product to an iconic attraction. The bonus of interaction will allow content that stands out and resonates with your audience. Wootag has seen more than 15% of viewers interact with products and services due to their relevance which leads to engagements within the video for booking and travel planning.
More purposeful and personalised campaigns with the help of video
With a video that’s more personalised, visitors can look forward to receiving content that is more contextualised and purpose-driven. Each site or campaign visit offers a unique experience and users feel contented that they are able to consume the right content that identifies with their thoughts and matches their interests. Turn everyday spending to travel around with your family – Cebu Airline campaign GetGo is showing a lifestyle reward program which allows you to spend money and earn points to fulfil dreams of future holidays.
Feature interviews/dialogue with locals
Travellers appreciate having an insider tip or opinion in the video they consume. Be it insider knowledge, special traveller tips or a meaningful conversation, these videos will have stories that will be shared both on social media and by word of mouth to other travellers.
Create storylines
Travelling can at times be frustrating and frantic, an aspect which many videos and commercials fail to capture. By weaving practical know-how and essential trip preparation in a novel and exciting way, your video is likely to see many social shares and have people leave comments and ask questions. According to the New Road to Happiness Study, the following situations are ones that create the most stress in travellers, and your video should articulate concerns and provide tips on these topics:
- Wasting time figuring things (28%)
- Being unfamiliar with the destination (25%)
- Managing transportation (21%)
- Driving curiosity and anticipation leads to engagement (20%)
Statistics say that users turn to the web early on in their travel process to look for inspirations. Gain new customers, and retain current ones. Convince viewers that your destination is the best place for a vacation and help them make easy choices. ANA polled its customers’ curiosity about Japan. Showcasing dream destination just in one tap away from travellers. ANA used video interaction to display information about popular travel destination in Japan to create curiosity and allow viewers to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of Japan.
Videos with powerful stories increase the likelihood of viewers sharing them as they wish to let others connect. As humans are curious beings with a need to aspire and relate to others, the impact of seeing a place through the eyes of a real person will stir in viewers emotions that translate to distinct calls to action. By creating stories with education and awareness that viewers find meaningful, you’re set for a viewer following that will look out for your storytelling and engage with the relevant actions.
Travel consumers want to feel a sense of belonging and a feeling of control when it comes to designing their personal journey. The more immersive and interactive the user experience, the better the traveller can be connected to your message be it striking an emotional chord or prompting them to reflect and act on something.
Be it requesting made-to-measure information or gaining access to additional content, there is a need for travel videos to go beyond a mere click. By tracking user data, travel advertisers are also able to serve the needs of travel consumers better, providing bespoke information across screens as they evolve in their customer journey from initial travel aspiration, research and planning to the final purchase.
Applying video content to your marketing strategies, it’s already a major win. Airlines industry is one of the best examples which is doing a great job in all stages of consumer journey from awareness, engagement to advocacy. Experiment with your video content, be creative and make use of examples of how airlines execute video marketing to inform, entertain and inspire customers.
