An Online Marketing Guide for Ecotourism Companies
You’ve done your homework and all signs are pointing to ecotourism being the next big thing in the tourism industry (need a refresher on ecotourism? See here for our blog that discusses this trend). How on earth do you get to the next step of marketing it? Whether you’re a novice in the field, or someone wanting to step up in their game in the tourism industry, we have a useful guide to help formulate your ecotourism business’s marketing plan.
Tip #1: Build a Community Using Social Media
The ecotourism business model can best source their clientele by creating an online community using social media. Ecotourism companies often try to emphasise a commitment to conserving the environment and observing nature. Because of this, it is important to highlight an authentic travelling experience by blending the client’s experience and the destination’s culture. According to the Canadian Nature Conservancy, “[a] big part of ecotourism is integrating with communities”. Instead of using traditional outlets to advertise, such as newspapers and physical pamphlets, social media virtually bridges the gap between your prospective clients and everything there is to know about their next destination by creating an interactive platform that enables questions to be asked, pictures to be shared, and therefore, an informed community to be fostered.
Not social media savvy? No worries. Tiny Planet Digital offers services such as Social Media Strategy Formulation and Social media management. We have a plethora of experience serving our many impact focused clients, and you can count on us to come up with a marketing online strategy that is guaranteed to set you up for success.
Tip #2: Voice Support for Local & Regional Initiatives/Businesses
Another example of an effective marketing online strategy is using your platform to support your destination’s local and regional initiatives. According to this source, at heart, ecotourism “is a type of tourism that offers experiences for people to discover and enjoy natural habitats while supporting organisations that prioritise sustainability and conservation”. By supporting and promoting local businesses, your travelling agency fulfils the tourist’s goal of bonding and blending in with local culture, as well as engaging with local conservation efforts.
These partnerships can be fostered with the help of social media: interested local initiatives/businesses can easily find your travelling agency to reach out to if your online presence is strong and well-known to other businesses. Social media is inherently a very communicative form of digital marketing, so make sure your branding compliments and supports your commitment to the local community.
Tip #3: Demonstrate What Makes Your Business Stand Out
Competition is an inherent part of doing business, but having a strong and unique selling proposition can make you excel in any industry! In addition, it is of paramount importance that you must clearly communicate what differentiates your offerings from the rest of the market. This is when the golden rule in writing can be applied to your advertisements: show, don’t tell.
Ecotourists are people who are up for a challenge and want to champion positive change with every visit (source). This is where having a strong community online, and a plethora of connections with local initiatives and businesses becomes very important. Your online community should convince your clients of the positive impact their actions could have through your travelling agency- combining these tips can help you reach new heights and with that, achieve even greater change.
Have Questions?
Still not sure how to go about marketing your ecotourism company? Tiny Planet Digital would be more than happy to help! We have a dedicated team of digital marketing experts who specialise in hotel marketing. We are here to help you build a tailored marketing online strategy for all of your ecotourism marketing needs. Don’t hesitate to book a free consultation today, and we will connect you with our in-house hotel marketing experts!
In the meantime, check out our other blogs:
- Unveiling Success: An Exclusive Interview with Julie Wang, BC Business 30 Under 30 Winner and Founder of Tiny Planet Digital
- Tiny Planet Digital Wrapped 2023
- Elevate Your Email Marketing Campaigns in 2023
This blog post was written by Celina Fu; updated by Pauline Lexanova.
