The Novel Coronavirus has left very few industries unscathed. The travel industry is among those hit the hardest. As closed borders and canceled flights become a global trend, many businesses operating in hospitality and tourism spaces are left wondering how they’ll stay afloat. We’re here to tell you that COVID-19 doesn’t have to spell disaster for your hotel, bed and breakfast, or vacation rental company. Employing a wide range of unique COVID-19 marketing initiatives, our team of digital marketing professionals is—against all odds—helping clients around the world turn a period of economic uncertainty into one of increased revenue growth! How did we do it? Find out below!
Unique Marketing Initiatives Despite COVID-19
An Inauspicious Outlook
70 percent of the British Cayman Islands’ GDP comes from tourism. As COVID-19 widened its reach, the fear of catching the virus wasn’t the only thing the island’s inhabitants had to worry about. Economic uncertainty is far less of a threat than a life-threatening illness, but it is still worrisome nonetheless.
That worry became reality in early April when government officials announced that all foreign traffic into the island would be barred until September. It makes sense. The number one priority for any government is to protect its citizens, and preventing an influx of tourists from bringing the virus to the island is a sure-fire way to do just that. But the choice to close borders also left many of the island’s hotels and vacation rental services wondering where they’ll earn their income.
A Unique COVID-19 Strategy Can Save the Day
Grand Cayman Villas & Condos—a vacation rental company with homes dotting some of the world’s most spectacular beaches—was among those who feared the uncertainty of running and marketing a business during COVID-19. The outlook, as mentioned, was grim, but we had a plan.
With lockdown orders in effect, island residents (like much of the world) were getting restless. A weekend retreat for locals would never have been a promising business proposition under normal circumstances, but these are far from normal times. Grand Cayman Villas & Condos approached us about this unusual, new consumer base, and together we developed a robust plan to market to Cayman Island locals. To give the island’s inhabitants what they desperately needed, they created a new promotion with solid discounts for Island residents and started spreading the word locally. Q4Launch rolled out a paid advertising campaign targeting domestic travelers looking for a weekend retreat rather than the typical tourist looking for a week-long getaway.
An Instant Success
By geo-targeting island residents for shortened “staycations” with paid advertisements, our client has been able to make it through COVID-19, and see some of the best PPC performance they have ever seen.
The campaign generated over 12,000 clicks and lifted eCommerce transactions from Google Ads by 583% year over year. Website traffic soared by 30 percent, transaction volume tripled, and revenue doubled its year-over-year benchmark at 116 percent. COVID-19 doesn’t mean your marketing efforts should stop, it just means you have to think a bit differently about who you’re targeting and how you target them. Our team can help!
Is Your COVID-19 Marketing Strategy Working for You?
If you’re struggling to hold your audience’s attention and fill your rooms during COVID-19, let our expert team of digital-marketing designers, content specialists, and SEO strategists turn your business’ trajectory around. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you might have when it comes to getting through this difficult period in your business’ history. Additionally, if you want to receive a quick overview of how your website is performing, check out our Hospitality SEO Website Grader and get a free report sent straight to your inbox.