For many tourism businesses, the customer experience now begins long before a visitor arrives at a destination.
Potential guests are often researching accommodation, attractions and experiences online, with social media becoming one of the first touchpoints between a business and a potential customer.
Whitney Barnes, founder of Moreton Bay-based social media and content marketing agency The Social Blend, believes many regional tourism operators are missing opportunities because their digital presence does not reflect the quality of the experience they offer.
“Some of the most successful tourism businesses already have incredible stories to tell,” Whitney told Moreton Daily Business.
The challenge is that what guests experience in person often isn’t reflected online. There can be a disconnect between the quality of the experience and the way the business presents itself digitally.”
Whitney said this was particularly common among regional operators, who are often balancing customer service, operations, staffing and administration while managing their own marketing.
“Most business owners are wearing multiple hats every day,” she said.
Social media can easily become an afterthought, but for many potential visitors it’s the first interaction they have with a business.”
According to Whitney, tourism operators are often sitting on valuable content opportunities that larger brands spend significant resources trying to create.
“They already have the landscape, the changing seasons, the people behind the business and the story of how the business came to be,” Whitney said.
“Those are the things that help people connect with a brand before they’ve even made a booking.”
She pointed to the example of a vineyard business that was still years away from producing its first harvest but successfully built an audience by documenting its journey.
“There was no wine to sell and no finished tourism product,” Whitney explained. “But people became invested in the story because they could follow the journey and connect with the people building the business.”
Turning experiences into digital engagement
Whitney said operators should focus less on posting more content and more on communicating the experience behind their business.
“Your social media feed is often the first version of your business a potential guest will experience,” she said.
“The businesses that do this well don’t necessarily have bigger budgets or better cameras. They’ve simply worked out how to communicate the story, atmosphere and personality of what they’ve built.”
Whitney said operators should consider whether their online presence reflects what visitors actually experience when they arrive.
“If somebody discovered your business today through social media alone, would they understand what makes it special?” she said.
“When your content starts reflecting the real experience, that’s when you tend to see stronger engagement, enquiries and bookings.”
As the City of Moreton Bay continues to strengthen its visitor economy, Whitney believes digital storytelling will become increasingly important for tourism and hospitality operators looking to attract visitors and build stronger connections with potential customers.
Whitney Barnes is the founder of Moreton Bay-based social media and content marketing agency The Social Blend, which works with regional tourism, hospitality and lifestyle businesses to develop social media and content marketing strategies.
