Capitalize on a Crisis
Despite the physical separation that has been forced on us at the moment, our ability to communicate with one another online remains available and – as it has always been – the key to securing your business’ future and enabling it to flourish when current restrictions are lifted.
Your guests will be hugely relieved to be able to get out there and enjoy some freedom and so, in preparation for then, you can work now to improve the very thing that represents you and can deliver continued value: your content.
You need to think about the two groups of guests you are looking to reach out to:
Your first group comprises regional residents who still might be allowed to go outdoors and be active, even whilst other opportunities to fill their leisure time are slowly being shut down. This group needs up-to-date content and information on whether your local trails and accommodation are open or closed and if restaurants and other facilities are still operating.
The other group is made up of the individuals who are currently confined to their homes. View them as your future guests, who you can inspire with your content to come and experience your destination in person once they can travel again. Give them something to dream with and plan for by providing them with content that captures the essence and the best of your destination.
“Content is king, quality is queen.”
Content as such might be easily written. However, it is the quality of the content that sparks the light.
Quality content marketing, should be the cornerstone of any marketing communications strategy and integral to any investment in destination marketing. You should focus on five basic characteristics of your content to make sure it is:
- well-written
- interesting
- informative
- positive
- relevant
Uploaded quality content on your website will drive more traffic, which in turn will give you the opportunity to cross-market other features of your destination. This will then give you higher visibility in search engines and a better domain authority.
Concentrating on quality content provides you with more referrals. This can result in higher levels of social traffic- likes, shares, followers and/or subscribers. Applying this increased activity to your conversion ratios should help you develop an increased volume of inquiries. Indirectly, this will help you to enlarge your database organically. With this increased database you can focus on marketing activities which can generate additional revenue and reach new markets.
However, above all else, quality content marketing will improve your brand recall, convey a positive image and reputation during this crisis, which will lead to a much closer relationship to your guests.
With hope into the future
Depending on how your target markets manage economically during this crisis, many experts agree that there could be a massive build-up of market demand. So, how you convey your content now, will have a huge bearing on how your communication efforts are perceived, when all of the social restrictions have been lifted and life does return to normal.
Content Ranking – A means of assessing Content Performance
It seems like the right moment to remind you of how your content is ranked on Outdooractive Business. The rank is determined not purely by the amount of content you have uploaded, but also by its quality, which is reflected in the community’s response to it through comments, ratings etc. The level of detail in your profile also plays a role. The breakdown is as follows:
25 % how complete your profile is, which should include:
- A preview picture
- A background picture
- Pictures in the gallery
- A description
- Physical addresses
- Web & Email addresses
- Social media links
- Telephone numbers
- …
25 % the overall amount of content you publish, focusing on such things as:
- POIs
- Accommodations
- Restaurants
- Trails & Tracks
- …
50 % the quality of your content – This is represented by the community’s interactions with your content, through comments and ratings.
The algorithms crunch the data to produce a final ranking score. If this score is over 67, congratulations you are at the level of being the Explorers Choice and have earned your badge. The badge is clearly visible on your page and is also displayed whenever you are the author of content, such as content detail pages or snippets.
The distinction of Explorers Choice gives you the chance to win one of the three Outdooractive Awards for exceptional content work that are given out each year and demonstrate to your guests your commitment to giving them the most reliable and useful information.
Make preparations for your future by starting to update your content today. Convert this time of crisis into working for you and your guests in a positive way.