Adding a new tour or activity to an existing tourism business is often a great growth opportunity. There’s a lot that could be written about the strategic and operational aspects of the process—such as how to select the right new tour or activity, how to keep it on-brand, how to set the right price, etc. But this post narrowly focuses on the communication and promotion part of a new tour/activity launch. We’re using a specific example to walk through the tactics, so it’s not a comprehensive article. For example, there’s nothing in this story about a soft launch, which is a potentially crucial part of any new tour or activity.
On to the example from Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures…
A climbing tower has been in the works for quite some time, and after some delays (aren’t there always?), this experience was ready for the public. We were excited to help the Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures team integrate this offering into their marketing and business strategy.
Understanding the Product
Before we begin our marketing processes, our first step is always to understand the product as much as we can. At minimum, we needed to know:
Why are we offering this product?
- Expand the audience.
- Offer families something that kids ages 4+ can do (a younger group than previously covered).
- Give people looking for a quicker activity something to do.
- Increase revenue per customer. Offer participants including team building groups an easy adventure to add on to their experience.
- Increase repeat visits. Give previous customers a reason to come back.
How will the product make money?
- Primarily through people adding it onto their existing experience (as individuals or groups)
- Draw new customers with younger kids.
- Draw new customers looking for something quick to do while on vacation in Lake Geneva.
Who is the primary audience for this product?
- Families
- Groups
How will we measure success?
- What percent of customers (all customers and large groups) add the climbing tower to their experience?
- What is the conversion rate of the new landing page?
Launching the Product
A combination of comprehensive rollout and timing is essential when launching a new product. We ensure that the product is represented in all the right places, and that the timing of each of these activities maximizes the engagement of the new product.
Photo & Video Shoot
We built a shot list and conducted a full-day photo/video shoot to capture the new experience.
Verbal & Visual Expression
Before we began work implementing the new product on the website, into advertising, etc., we took time to develop our verbal and visual expression for the product, following the brand guidelines and overall style we had previously developed.
As part of the verbal expression work, we named each side of the tower and developed descriptions for each. We also created the overall description and headlines/taglines for the product.
Integrating the Product Into the Website
When integrating a new tour or activity into a website, we consider a lot more than just a new tour or activity page.
- How does this tour or activity impact our packages?
- Does the navigation already support this tour or activity? Are we simply adding to the navigation, or do we need to rework it?
- Are there videos that we need to integrate new footage into?
- Do we need to represent this product on the homepage? If so, how prominently?
- How should we integrate this into additional placements such as group or party pages?
After thinking through these questions and others, we set out to comprehensively rollout the climbing tower experience onto the website. Here are a few of the updates we made:
Summer Giveaway
A giveaway was being used to kick off the summer season, so we intentionally integrated the climbing tower into the giveaway package.
Facebook Post Email Newsletter
Visit Lake Geneva Display Advertising
We rolled out new creative onto one of the primary tourism websites used by Lake Geneva travelers.
Digital Billboard
We integrated photography of the climbing tower into one variation of our digital billboard, which is placed one of the main highways between Lake Geneva and Chicago.
Digital Ad Campaign
What’s Next for Your Business?
Whether you’re expanding your existing tour or activity, adding a brand new experience to your product set, or shifting your product offerings for the shoulder season, we’d love to hear about it! Chat us, or send us an email at hello@blend.travel, and we’ll connect with you.
