Four Travel Marketing Trends Heading Into 2020
Due to the ever-increasing competition for attention, for marketers heading into 2020, the bar has never been higher. For the travel industry specifically, there is some uneasiness heading into next year. It’s a U.S. election year, Brexit is all but confirmed, and industry professionals have thrown the R-word (recession) around more times than Mariah Carey gets played on Spotify in December.
All of this means that 2020 will be a pivotal year for travel marketers. Now more than ever, it is imperative that travel brands increase the quality and creativity of their marketing campaigns. To do this, marketers must stay on top of current trends, be nimble, and adapt to an ever-changing landscape.
Below are four travel marketing trends that we’re paying close attention to at TourRadar as we jump into 2020.
The Delicate Balancing Act of Personalization vs Privacy
According to a study in 2018 by Epsilon, 80% of consumers appreciate personalization where benefits and incentives are tailored to them. We see this trend continuing as it helps brands cut through the noise and speak to their audiences. At the same time, consumers are increasingly more protective over how and where their data is being shared. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has made brands put safeguards in place to ensure they comply. 2020 feels like it will be a turning point and a referendum on balancing personalized marketing while protecting consumers’ information.
The Death of Email
The death of email has been predicted and exaggerated many times — I infamously predicted its demise back in 1998 after seeing the movie You’ve Got Mail. In reality, email is not going away anytime soon, but the fact is that email is not converting as well as it used to. Industry analysts have noted that email open rates are staying the same, but click rates are going down. For this reason, brands will have [an opportunity] to leverage alternative communication channels, think Chatbots, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger.
Which brings me to my next trend…
The Rise of Niche Social Platforms
Facebook is still the king, but not only are niche platforms catching up to Facebook — they are also allowing marketers to target a specific demographic and often at a cheaper cost. TikTok is no longer something that only Captain Hook shudders at — it’s becoming the platform to target if you want to reach your younger audience. Just as LinkedIn is the platform to target your B2B customers, marketers can find less expensive ways to adapt their campaigns using more niche platforms.
Video Taking The Throne
YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world behind Google, and video content continues to dominate every other creative, especially in the travel industry. Try showcasing an entire destination and all the incredible experiences that can be had in a single image, difficult right? According to a study by Cisco, by 2022, 82% of all online content will be video. Brands are starting to tailor their videos to the way they are consumed rather than focusing on the medium.
Final Words
Now is a great time to evaluate current marketing strategies to understand where tweaks can be made to incorporate these new trends to stay ahead of the curve. I hope that, apart from a few bad jokes, I’ve provided you with some food for thought for what’s shaping up to be an interesting year for travel marketers!
Ready to take your marketing strategy to the next level in 2020? Get in touch with TourRadar’s Marketing Solutions Team to give your brand an edge in the year ahead! — http://bit.ly/2tfGVCw
