Create the Ultimate Guest Journey: Inspiration Phase
As a recreation entrepreneur, your main goal is often simple: to provide guests with an unforgettable experience. When they leave your park satisfied, you've done your job. An automated guest journey plays a crucial role in ensuring this satisfaction. In this blog series, we’ll guide you through how to create the ultimate guest journey. In this part, we focus on Phase 1: Inspiration.
Inspire Your Future Guests to Book a Vacation with You
To create satisfied guests, the first step is to inspire the right people to book a vacation with you. How do you get people to realize they need a vacation? And how do you make sure your park or accommodation becomes their first choice? During the Inspiration Phase, guests aren’t actively searching for a vacation just yet, but through targeted marketing strategies and regional promotion, you can craft an irresistible image that makes them think, “This is where I want to go.”
Marketing for Your Organization
1. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a fantastic way to broaden your reach. By partnering with platforms and influencers that align with your target audience, you can promote your offerings without doing all the work yourself. These “affiliates” showcase the unique aspects of your park, such as luxury accommodations, family-friendly amenities, or the tranquility of nature. Affiliates earn a commission on bookings made through their channels, allowing you to benefit from their promotion.
You can sign up with affiliate platforms like TradeTracker. Through these platforms, affiliates can easily promote your offer, with real-time availability automatically sent to them—ensuring that your offer is always up-to-date.
Popular affiliates in the Netherlands include Parkvakanties.nl, Bungalowparkoverzicht.nl, and Kampeermeneer.nl.
2. Social Advertising
Social media is a powerful tool for inspiring potential guests. Strategically placed ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow you to reach and captivate your specific target groups. Use engaging imagery like aerial shots of your park, family-friendly moments in nature, or videos that bring the vacation experience to life.
Tailor your ads by using smart targeting options like:
- Interests (e.g., adventure, nature, family travel)
- Location (target local or nearby audiences)
- Demographics (age, family size, etc.)
By personalizing and targeting your social ads, you can spark the curiosity of future guests and get them thinking about your park.
Regional Marketing
In addition to promoting your park, actively marketing the region in which you’re located can significantly benefit your business. Take Visit Veluwe, for example, a regional marketing organization that positions the Veluwe as a premier Dutch vacation destination. By highlighting your region’s unique attributes, you attract visitors who are naturally drawn to the area and see your park as an essential part of their vacation plan.
1. The Importance of Collaboration
Collaborating with local businesses—such as nearby attractions, restaurants, and nature organizations—can amplify your park’s appeal. By organizing joint regional campaigns, like emphasizing “The Veluwe as the largest nature reserve in the Netherlands,” you can attract guests who want to experience the unique offerings of the region. Your park then becomes a natural extension of the guest’s travel plans.
2. Let Your Location Do the Talking
Guests aren’t only drawn to what you offer—they’re also attracted to where you are. If you’re located in a breathtaking area, like a vacation park in the heart of the Veluwe surrounded by forests, moors, and wildlife, your location speaks for itself. By positioning your park as a gateway to these natural treasures, you provide added value to your guests’ experience.
Use storytelling to highlight your location's uniqueness. Inspire guests by painting a picture of them staying in the middle of nature, waking up to the sounds of birds, and enjoying the surrounding landscape. This connection with the land makes your park more appealing.
3. Inspire Visually and Narratively
Let the visuals of your region tell a compelling story. Think of images like:
- The setting sun over vast moors
- A family biking through the woods
- Wild boars wandering along scenic trails
Combine these powerful visuals with stories from past guests who have reveled in the beauty and tranquility of the area. Tap into the power of imagination. When your guests see themselves in these situations, they’ll be more likely to envision a stay at your park.
Did You Inspire Your Guests?
If you’ve successfully sparked the curiosity of your future guests, they’ll move on to the next phase: Orientation. At this stage, they’ll start to actively search for the best destination and accommodations. But before that, make sure you’ve created a compelling and irresistible image of your park that resonates with them.
Need help with the Inspiration Phase?
Our Booking Boosters are experts in helping you inspire your guests! Get in touch, and we'll show you how to create an irresistible marketing strategy for your park.