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How to use coupons to market your leisure, travel and tourism business

On May 1, 2010, in Tourism Marketing, by Matt

In earlier columns on converting tourist center visitors into clients, I covered the cost involved to have brochures distributed at the Maine Visitor Informational Centers, creating rack card distribution campaigns based on the three tourist subseasons, and how to allocate brochure distribution to the different Maine Visitor Informational Centers. Now here’s a marketing strategy: Run [...]

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In earlier columns on converting tourist center visitors into clients, I covered the cost involved to have brochures distributed at the Maine Visitor Informational Centers, creating rack card distribution campaigns based on the three tourist subseasons, and how to allocate brochure distribution to the different Maine Visitor Informational Centers.

Now here’s a marketing strategy: Run a multiseasonal brochure-rack card campaign using discount coupons and tear-off specials. Distribute to the Maine Visitor Information Centers, placing the perforated tear-off coupon on the top of the brochure-rack card so it’s the first thing a vacationer will see.

Order rack cards that have tear-offs or what they call in the printing business perforation tabs. I prefer a rack card that has the perforation at the top rather than the bottom. The idea is to advertise a coupon or discount special and add this onto the coupon or in the tear-off area.

Most marketers will add the coupon to the bottom of the rack card. This is a mistake in my view. Remember, visitors in the centers are scanning the tops of the rack cards, making a 1- or 2-second glance, then turning to the next offering. The visitors in the center will view the coupon and see the discount immediately.

Create an offering that entices the visitor to want to pick up your brochure, take it with them, then force them to make a buying decision with your business in favor. An offering can be a discount off your product for the first 100 visitors, a dollar discount or percentage off your product for using the coupon (add a coupon code for tracking purposes), two-for-one deals or buy one get one free.

Change offerings in each of the three campaigns to adjust to the subseasons, as I am sure that prices fluctuate as the tourist season goes forward. (In a recent column, I discussed creating multiple campaigns based on the three subseasons). At the end of the tourist season in November, you’ll know what offer worked better over the others, so in the second year you can adjust and implement the offer that generated the most sales into all subseason offers.

You can become creative here and try different types of print campaigns. The bottom line is results in any way they come.

Another idea would be to have a different offering at each center. The May-June early season campaign would have three rack cards, one for each center.

Millions of visitors will be coming to Maine in 2010. The bottom line is that to get out in front of the crowd, your business needs to be different from everyone else. Your coupon-generated rack card will get attention and separate your business from most of the others that will continue to print up the same brochure year after year.

Travelers in this value-driven economy are looking for deals, specials and discounts. The coupon rack card in 2010 may be your best strategy to acquire sales from tourists this season.

This article first printed at the Bangor Daily News by Matt Zito.

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How to convert tourist center visitors into paying clients.

On April 30, 2010, in Tourism Marketing, by Matt

In my previous column on converting tourist center visitors into clients, I covered the cost involved to have your brochures distributed at the state visitor information centers. You can read that column online at the Bangor Daily News Web site. I would also like to mention that in addition to the seven Maine Tourism Association [...]

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In my previous column on converting tourist center visitors into clients, I covered the cost involved to have your brochures distributed at the state visitor information centers. You can read that column online at the Bangor Daily News Web site. I would also like to mention that in addition to the seven Maine Tourism Association visitor centers, there is a privately owned visitor center: the Maine Coast Welcome Center in Belfast.

There are basically three subseasons within the Maine tourist season. The shoulder seasons are generally referred to as May-June and September-October. Prime time is July and August. An argument can be made about seasons, but for this example I break it down into three. Your business may be different, so apply my strategy based on your business seasons.

Here’s a marketing strategy: Run a multiseasonal, brochure-rack card campaign using discount coupons and tear-off offer specials. Run three different campaigns, so you’ll have three different printings throughout the year. Print in April for the first shoulder season, May and June; print again in June for the prime time July-August season; and print a third time in August for the September-October season.

I realize that some businesses will be unable financially to run three campaigns. This is fine. Just run one campaign and one printing as you traditionally have. The discount coupon and tear-off offer strategy will work with only one campaign and one print run.

By creating multiple print runs, you can test your rack card offering and see which specials, coupons and pricing work and which do not. You can adjust your rates based on your current reservations, availability and sales. The idea is to avoid being static, to be constantly moving and adapting your pricing and offerings based on what the marketplace is telling you as you move through the season.

If you are in a pinch for cash, try these online printing companies. I am a proponent of buying local and buying Maine-made products, so try your local printing company first. If you don’t have any luck, you can try these: www.psprint.com, www.uprinting.com, www.overnightprints.com, www.48hourprint.com, or www.vistaprint.com.

These online companies print inexpensive rack cards, and you can choose the number of rack cards you want printed. You can generate print runs in the hundreds to the thousands, and the online printers ship within 24 to 72 hours. I suggest you use a rack card size 4-by-9 inches. Please check with the Maine Tourism Association regarding the shelf sizes at the centers because you should make sure the top of your rack card is visible to the perusing visitor.

Each visitor center accepts 100 to 150 rack cards-brochures per business. If you are distributing to three centers, you can print 500-800 rack cards for each of your three campaigns during the season. Knowing how many to print is a tough decision. I recommend that you call the Maine Tourism Association or the centers directly and ask them to provide guidance on print runs.

There is most likely a trend in July and August of brochures flying off the shelves, so adjust accordingly.

Once a center goes through close to all 100-150 rack cards, the Maine Tourism Association will either call you requesting more or send you a postcard. It’s best to have at least 100-300 available and ready to ship. You can ship these to the Maine Tourism Association, and it will store your rack cards, then send them on directly to the centers when your brochures run out.

My next column will talk about creating the perforated or tear-off coupon as the sales offering or marketing message on your rack card. The coupon will offer a special or discount to the traveler.

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Maine Tourism to increase in 2010 by Matt Zito.

On April 20, 2010, in Travel Marketing, by Matt

In early January 2009, I e-mailed my travel and tourism colleagues and warned, “Be prepared that your gross sales will be down by a minimum of 7 to 12 percent in 2009.” I wanted to give my friends and colleagues a third-party, nonbiased view of what was possible so they could start preparing and not [...]

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In early January 2009, I e-mailed my travel and tourism colleagues and warned, “Be prepared that your gross sales will be down by a minimum of 7 to 12 percent in 2009.” I wanted to give my friends and colleagues a third-party, nonbiased view of what was possible so they could start preparing and not be in a state of shock six months down the road.

I pretty much nailed it on the head, judging from the final 2009 figures as they come in from travel industry research companies and Maine’s official state numbers. The Maine Revenue Services declared 2009 the worst tourism season on record.

Yes, 2009 was a bad year. We all know that. But guess what? The 2010 summer tourist season is coming right around the corner.

What is going to happen?

Will the tourists show up or will they continue to slow their pace in visiting the great Vacationland?

What can you do now to stop the bleeding?

How can you stabilize your revenue so it won’t keep going down?

How can you counter the pundits and actually grow your business in 2010?

My name is Matt Zito and I am a veteran travel business entrepreneur and a small-business consultant in the travel and tourism industry. I have built and sold two travel and tourism businesses. CollegeSkiTrips.com was one of the largest online youth ski and snowboard travel agencies in North America and is now owned by the largest ski tour operator in the country, Ski.com. The Yellow Breeches House B&B and Fly Fishing Lodge was a nationally renowned lodging property in Boiling Springs, Pa. In my early 20s I was an Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing guide. I am also a published author with the top business publisher in the country, John Wiley & Sons of New York.

My goal for this column is simple: to provide you with a combination of new, 21st century sales and marketing strategies and old school, tried-and-true marketing techniques you can implement in 2010 to help you grow and build your business. I will cover marketing, advertising and sales strategies, online marketing, online advertising, e-mail marketing, business development strategy, new product development, social media, search engine and Web 2.0 strategy, and online technology tools for your travel- and tourism-based business. I will pull from more than 15 years of knowledge and experience in the travel and tourism business combined with my active consulting and entrepreneurial travel business endeavors.

I will spend a large portion of the columns discussing Internet and Web site strategies, as travel is now the No. 1 product purchased on the Internet. I have experience online not only as a marketer and advertiser of travel but as a Web site developer of travel as well. I have built a handful of Web sites and understand the underlying technology that is being used today. Web site technology and how you can use Web-based technology tools to improve sales and efficiency in your business will be discussed.

The format of this column will include one strategy, followed by three question and answers at the end of the column. My goal is to publish one article two times a month or every 14 days. It is my intent to answer reader questions about the business of travel and tourism and create interaction between readers and this column. I believe a Q&A section will be a valuable component for you.

If your business derives any portion of its income from the travel and tourism industry in Maine, this column will give you strategies and ideas you can use to help start and-or scale up your business in 2010. Small businesses that will benefit from this column include, hotels, motels, B&Bs, lodging properties, resorts, tour guides, guides, tour operators, travel agencies, restaurants and retail shops in destination and tourist areas, marketing directors of travel and tourism businesses and companies that sell products and services to companies in the travel and tourism business in Maine.

Travel and tourism is the No. 1 industry in Maine. There are thousands of businesses involved directly or indirectly with the travel and tourism industry. It is my intent to help these small businesses in this industry to grow and prosper by reading my column. I look forward to writing this column and getting to know many of you.

This article was first printed in the Bangor Daily News.

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© 2011 Travel Business Profits, Matt Zito