Lights, camera, interaction: Illuminating the light of nights’ marketing potential
In tour marketing, the saying “even popular destinations have room to grow” holds true. Consider Nights of Lights, a highly popular holiday tour in St. Augustine, Florida. Despite its widespread appeal, not every tour was reaching full capacity, signaling a prime opportunity to maximize marketing and holiday advertising. Overcoming this challenge is a common one faced by many popular tourism brands: Third-party resellers aggressively sell tickets and vie for Google Ads. The snag? Each ticket sold through third-party resellers comes with a commission as much as 30%, impacting both profits and our direct connection with the brand. At BlackDog, we tackle this challenge head-on by seizing control of Google ads, allowing us to spend significantly less than the steep third-party reseller commission. What’s more, our strategy encourages customers to make direct purchases, bypassing third-party resellers. This isn’t just about boosting sales; it’s about elevating our overall brand strategy, fostering growth, and optimizing profits for a stronger, more direct connection with your audience.
Shining brighter together: BlackDog's strategic goals for Nights of Lights
BlackDog Advertising’s goals with Nights of Lights were to elevate the brand’s performance through holiday marketing designed to enhance the overall customer experience. First, we wanted to ensure the complete sellout of tour times, even during the less family-friendly hours of the night. By maximizing marketing efforts, we sought to create a buzz and urgency around Nights of Lights, enticing a broader audience to participate in the experience. These were our primary objectives:
- Increase website sales
- Increase ad clicks
- Increase ad impressions
Furthermore, our focus extended beyond merely increasing sales; we aimed to redirect the purchasing flow by encouraging more customers to bypass online resellers and buy directly from the website. This shift not only streamlined the booking process but also allowed us to establish a more direct connection with the audience — which is essential for effective holiday advertising.
Crafting enchantment: Nights of Lights strategy in focus
In pursuit of our vision for Nights of Lights, BlackDog Advertising implemented a multifaceted holiday marketing strategy to ensure this enchanting experience not only captured attention but became an unmissable highlight. Let’s delve into the specific actions we took:
1. Maximized marketing investment
Strategic Google ads boost:
Specially, we upped the budget for Google ads, securing top positions to outshine resellers and ensure our potential guests saw our ads first. This approach directly addressed the concerns of tourists, guiding them away from third-party platforms and toward our website for hassle-free bookings.
Social media buzz creation:
We also used Facebook and Instagram to create excitement and urgency, pushing potential visitors to purchase tickets promptly. Recognizing the influence of social media, this initiative met our audience where they were, sparking interest and prompting immediate action.
2. Tailored creative development
We crafted unique content for each tour, emphasizing limited-time opportunities to create a sense of urgency. This personalized approach aimed to resonate with various audience interests, making Nights of Lights a must-see attraction for different customer segments.
3. Enhanced organic brand communication
We stepped up our game across organic channels: targeted emails, updated SEO landing pages, monthly Google Business Listing promos, and upgraded organic social media posts. This comprehensive approach aimed to establish a genuine connection, providing engaging content directly through preferred channels while reinforcing the exclusivity and popularity of Nights of Lights.
