Word of Mouth Most Trusted for Travel Advertising and Tourism Marketing Says Nielsen
92% of Consumers Trust “Word of Mouth” Most. The Best Travel Advertising Uses “Social Proof” to Help Tourism Businesses Increase Bookings & Thrive
The voice of fellow travel consumers is still the #1 & #2 influence when it comes to the most trusted forms of travel advertising.
According to a important Nielsen report, which surveyed more than 28,000 Internet respondents in 56 countries, 92 percent of consumers say they trust recommendations from friends and family above all other forms of advertising – an increase of 18 percent. Online consumer reviews (i.e. TripAdvisor, Yelp, Foursquare and Facebook, etc.) rank as the second most trusted source, with 70 percent of global consumers surveyed online indicating they trust messages on this platform, an increase of 15 percent in four years.
Word of Mouth Travel Advertising = “Social Proof”
Travel Advertising That Works!
Word of mouth travel advertising is the “social Proof” that consumers will rely on more and more. Social media is no more than 100’s of millions of people sharing their recommendations and opinions. When you actively pursue endorsements, reviews and testimonials in your marketing strategy and communications, you are providing “social proof” and getting your clients selling for you.
For over 20 years I have helped global independent tourism professionals increase sales, arrivals and profits with an emphasis all forms of active and outdoor tourism. I have seen it time and time again that getting their clients selling for them with testimonials, review and recommendations on their website and in social media sites, radically increases prospects, sales conversion, reduces time spent selling, reduces over all marketing costs and increases profits.
Here is a recent Facebook comment (social proof) from Doreen Toller an Alaskan tour operator and a customer who learned about how to use the power of “social proof” tourism marketing from my Tourism Marketing Success Online program This increase has been worth an additional US$192,000 in increased sales in less then 2 years. And what makes it really awesome, this big increase was during a challenged economy and with very strong competition.
“a 45% increase in sales in 2011.“
Doreen Toller
Reply · 2 · Like · Follow Post · Monday at 12:37pm
So why would any travel professional not more actively integrated tourism social proof marketing and get their best clients selling for them? Confusion? No time? Stuck in the old marketing patterns of last century?
Wake up. If you want to survive and thrive in the the 21st century, you must actively integrate all forms of social proof into your travel advertising tourism marketing.
Key Take-a-ways for Tourism Marketers
- Word of mouth remains most credible
- Learn how to get your best clients selling for you
- Trust in traditional paid advertising messages declines
- “Social proof” tourism marketing rocks!
If you want to learn more secrets of today’s most successful travel & hospitality marketing gurus and how they attract more inquiries, bookings, and arrivals in any economy … and how you can profit too, check out what many tourism professionals like you have to say about my Tourism Marketing Success program.
What do You Think? How Are You Using “Social Proof” in Your Tourism Marketing?
Please add your thoughts and suggestions in the comments box below.
Thank you, but what is “social proof”. We know about Social Networking, but Social Proof.
Thanks Carolyn for reading and your great question on “what is “social proof”?
“Social proof” is when someone other than yourself shares their recommendations and opinion about your tours. When these recommendations are in a conversation or between friends and family, it is often called “word of mouth advertising”.
When you actively combine the proven power of word of mouth advertising with your copy writing, technology, social media, and several other key elements found in my Tourism Marketing Success Online course, that create trust and influence fast in your cool American West tours , then you are using “social Proof” to sell more tours. This has been one of the secrets I teach that converts 10 X more travel shoppers into buyers better than anything else you are doing.
This how Doreen with Alaskan Tour Guides made and additional $190,000 in sales during a recession and very tough competition.
One super important aspect of marketing travel and hospitality – especially on your website – is that you have 10 seconds or less to communicate trust and credibility which is how you convert travel shoppers into buyers. Did you have a web visitor tracking program like Google Analytics on your travel website to see how long people usually stay? For the majority of tour operators, the average length of time is 1 minute – OR LESS. How can you possibly convince someone you are experienced and run great trips in so little time? This is why you must use “social proof” to grab a web visitor and convert them into a prospect and ultimately a new booking.
I went to your website and you lack really obvious social proof on your home page. Your impressive certifications are only a start to communicate your experience… You need to have endorsements, reviews, social media ratings, testimonials and more throughout your website marketing and in ALL your marketing communications. Then you are providing “social proof” and getting your clients selling for you.
You and Duncan have put a lot of effort, time and money to get your guide certifications. Now you need to invest in your tour marketing knowledge and application if you want Back Story Tours to survive and thrive in today’s market.
Please let me know if this was helpful and what you are going to actively do to improve your tour marketing education and communications?
To your success, Tourism Tim
PS Thanks for “Liking”, tweeting and sharing this with fellow guides and associates.
PPS I cannot overstress the importance of you learning how to better market your tours if you want to avoid years of business struggle and really pursue your dream. Get my Tourism Marketing Success Online course. It will save you tons of time and will help you radically increase your inquiries, sales, referrals and “word of mouth” advertising. 🙂
Hi Tim, First of all congrats on you amazing videos and the way you help people.
I’m the owner of a very small company in South Africa, we offer Tours & Safaris all around the country. It’s basically one men job, im the guide, translator, driver…. you know.
I open my company last year in July and i spend some money in Google ads but didn’t saw any results, we had some day tours but not much and now im really struggling and running out of options in how to get more traffic to our website and bookings.
I would really appreciate some tips and your opinion on what needs to be done to turn things around.
Best Regards, Alex Freire
Thanks Alex for your kind words and encouragement. It is helpful because I work hard to guide, inspire and connect tour professionals just like you to realize their dreams.
Those that take action on my suggestion thrive. Most who don’t, struggle and fail.
Did you see interview I did with Barcelona tour operator JJ Fourie who went from near failure to a 200% increase in sales in 2011 plus had Expedia pursue him to increase sales? He is South African and just like you in so many ways in his tour business.
Watch it here now. Learn and prosper.
I totally understand the 1 man shop wearing all hats, not sure what to do to increase business. I have been there with my brother and have helped 100’s survive this critical start up stage of the tour business.
Just got an email this AM from tour operator Doreen in Alaska who was a lot like you, but is now having record sales. Read her comments below.
Website Conversion is 10 times More Important than Traffic
Google Adwords CAN be great IF you have a website that communicates in seconds that you are a great choice and captures leads.
Sorry Alex, your site is missing all the essential core credibility tools that influence web visitors to consider becoming prospects and bookings with you.
If you do not have a website (and all your marketing communications) that turn “strangers into friends and friends into customers over time”, no matter how awesome your tours and country is or how pretty your website is, you will not survive.
Here’s my Tips and Opinion
If you are willing to take action, invest a little time and money and do something different, I can help you get more booking, and traffic too. You can either:
hire me as a consultant starting at US$4500,
monthly coach @ US$1,200 a month
or get my Tourism Marketing Success Online Course for only US$297 or US$49 for 7 months and start improving your business now.
You choose.
If I were you, I would get the course today and you could be learning how to turn around your business starting tonight.
Ask yourself these questions:
* How many new tours would you have to sell to more than pay for the course? LESS THAN 1.
* What would it be worth to you if you increased your sales by just 1 –2 more trips every month?
I can help you, but you have to take the next step. Check out my step by step course guaranteed to help you increase your tour inquiries and sales.
Here’s the email I just got from Doreen and why I am 1000% confident my course will help you – when you take action.
“Tim,
I was a little worried you’d take too long of a break… saw the last email and was glad you used our testimonial. The truth is powerful and the truth is after a 45% increase last year, I expected to be happy with just maintaining that level of sales this season.
We are already at a 20% increase over last year this time so… it’s better than expected!
I am absolutely certain that the improvements we have made on our website have helped with this growth. We do offer a great service and the word of mouth advertising has been great but, I never would have thought “word of mouth” or testimonials on the website would garner so much notice and have so much weight in a persons decision to call.
I might have even been worried when my competitor called in a panic earlier this year because their booking were down by 50% but, we already had our calendar filling up!
Thank YOU so very much for your mentorship and don’t give up on what you do because you do it so well and there’s people like me who NEED your help.
Feel free to use anything I say in a testimonial. I want others to know… these small steps to improvement DO yield big results if they stay the course, or in this case… purchase the Course!”
Our very best regards, Doreen (and Bob) Toller
Alaskan Tour Guides, Inc.
Hope you take to heart my advice Alex. I am not trying to be a hard ass or sell you something, just give you an encouraging kick in the butt 🙂
To your success, Tourism Tim