It’s all about the experience!
It is a natural and understandable tendency for business owners to want to talk about the things that make their products better, different and unique. After all, business owners are generally experts in their chosen field or product line.
But no information about a particular product or service is really meaningful to a consumer until it is communicated as a benefit that the customer will enjoy upon purchasing your product or service. In marketing a business or destination to travelers, that means the message must be about the positive experience they will enjoy upon visiting.
In tourism marketing, this means conveying to the traveler what it’s like to visit a particular business or destination. Language used in advertising must focus on the senses and the various aspects of the overall experience. Images should show not simply tourism assets, but travelers enjoying those assets.
Here are some examples of how to use this principle in your own advertising.
If you’re a fishing-related business, you shouldn’t simply show images of Lake Winnebago in your marketing materials. Instead, you should show happy anglers fishing from a boat or holding a stringer of hefty walleye.
If you’re a restaurant, you shouldn’t just show plates of food, but rather, people enjoying that food in your restaurant’s dining room.
And, if you’re a shop, you cannot simply show pictures of merchandise. Instead, show shoppers looking through the store or purchasing items.
If this sounds basic, it is. But, a quick perusal of the websites of many Wisconsin lodging properties, restaurants and attractions shows a lack of understanding of this principle.
So, if you’ve been showcasing your wares instead of conveying an experience, it’s time you re-evaluate your marketing message. Start by showing your customers enjoying the things your business does best. Start selling the experience and giving visitors—and all your customers—clear and powerful reasons to choose your product or service.
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