Imagine an attraction marketing campaign that performed so well that you needed more attractions to satisfy the increased awareness, attention, and foot traffic? When your marketing campaign checks off all the right boxes it can deliver incredible results.
Our agency works on some of the largest attraction marketing campaigns for popular attractions all over the country. While there will always be a level of personalization and customization specific to the particular attraction and its target audience, there are some tips that we can share that are part of every strong marketing foundation.
Let’s review some of the basic components of an attraction marketing strategy designed to drive more consumer attention to your attractions. These will help you build a solid campaign that will deliver measurable results, allowing you to scale your marketing effort accordingly.
Designing an Attraction Marketing Campaign
Attraction marketing requires you to step back and evaluate the particular attraction and its target audience. This is going to determine how a large percentage of your marketing campaign is mapped out.
For example, a large theme park with a target age demographic of 16 to 28 is going to want to leverage social media, namely TikTok and Instagram, to deliver its marketing message. Short video clips that showcase the fun, excitement, thrills, etc. will connect with that audience.
A historical monument with an older target age demographic of 54 and up is going to want to focus on Facebook for social media and then go heavily with SEO, as that demographic is more likely to turn to Google when seeking information about the attraction.
However, some tips apply to all attraction marketing campaigns, and we are going to highlight each, and explain why they are so important. These are the bare minimum, for any attraction advertising and marketing campaign, and a great place to begin if you are just beginning.
Attraction Web Design
Attractions become labeled and classified as being attractions due to their appeal, and a lot of word-of-mouth between friends, family, and even complete strangers can elevate a place of business or a specific destination as such.
It’s not a label that is self-given. While any business can refer to itself as an attraction, it’s a designation that is earned and grows alongside its popularity. When something is referred to as an attraction is leads to consumers seeking out information about it, whether that is basic information, hours of operation, special deals and offers, or directions.
The destination most will arrive at is its website, which makes attraction web design so important. It’s a first impression opportunity and the first chance to “sell” the consumer on the appeal of a particular attraction.
The website design for an attraction needs to be visually appealing and do a good job of “selling” its strong points visually. For example, a state park with a popular waterfall attraction would want to include incredible images as well as video content of the waterfall and showcase it in the most visually stunning way possible.
The main appeal of the particular attraction is what needs to be emphasized visually. From there, the website needs to act as an information portal, helping those interested in the attraction either secure admission or directions, depending on whether or not it’s a public attraction or a private attraction requiring an entrance ticket.
Be sure to also take mobile usability into account, as many consumers will be searching for attraction information while on the go, via their mobile devices.
Attraction SEO
Attraction search engine optimization can position a business at the top of Google’s organic results nationwide, as well as the Maps results for searches being performed in proximity to the attraction.
Most attractions will want to focus on traditional SEO, ranking blog content and internal pages for searches and keywords directly related to their specific attraction, as well as a local SEO effort focused on ranking its Google My Business profile in the Maps results.
Some attraction SEO key points to focus on when targeting out-of-area consumers:
- Publish a blog that targets the most relevant and popular search terms and selling points related to your particular attraction. Most attractions have unique features that consumers relate to, which they use when searching for information online.
- Make sure all of your blog content includes a call-to-action, whether it’s to pull up driving directions or to secure admission.
- Rank for the low competition terms first and use the momentum you build – and the revenue generated – to then target the more competitive keywords.
Now let’s review some important attraction local SEO key points to help rank locally in the Google Maps results:
- Claim and complete your Google My Business profile thoroughly, and then optimize your description for your attraction’s main keyword and your location. Use descriptive sentences and take advantage of all 750 available characters in your description box.
- Focus on securing as many reviews as possible on your GMB profile. These play a key role in the local algorithm, as well as directly effective your conversion rate. Consumers always read previous reviews from other attraction visitors.
- List your attraction’s website on local business directories, being sure to include a link to your website when available. Be sure that the address found on your website matches all of your citations online, down to the exact formatting of your street address abbreviations.
Attraction PPC
Dominating the organic search results is great, but there is still some highly valuable real estate on Google that can be achieved through pay-per-click advertising. The top of the results – both national and local – are paid ads.
If you are already ranking on top of the organic results this just gives your attraction more exposure to those seeking for it specifically, or something similar. If your attraction SEO campaign is new, PPC allows you to be found on the top almost instantly, as long as your bidding and budget are optimized according to current market demand.
It’s a good idea to always bid on your attraction’s name as a keyword. Many competitors will bid on similar attractions, local to them if the original isn’t showing up in the paid results and snipe potential customers. Avoid this by always ensuring your attraction is the top PPC result for its name.
It’s also a good idea to create a negative keyword list – terms you do not want to show up for. For example, if you are a historic attraction there will be many people searching for images of it. By including keywords that include ‘images,’ ‘photos,’ etc., you will not deplete your budget on clicks that don’t have the intent to visit your attraction. Instead, let them discover your website in the organic search results, where there isn’t an immediate direct cost for the click.
Final Thoughts
All of the above attraction marketing tips are designed to position your business as the most appealing attraction in the area, and you need a website that not only highlights the attraction, or attractions but also works as a 24/7 sales rep, driving consumers to your physical location.
Attraction search engine optimization can get you found by those specifically looking online for an attraction similar to your offering, and constantly drive qualified traffic to your website. The same approach is used for a paid ads campaign – both attraction PPC through Google Ads and paid ads on Facebook can be used to attract local customers.
If you are interested in learning more about the attraction marketing services our agency provides, or have any questions related to the tips and strategies outlined above, contact us today to speak with one of our team members. We will be more than happy to answer your questions and discuss the attraction marketing strategies that we use to help our clients drive consumers to their attractions.
See More Helpful Tips