Top 5 Selling Strategy for Visitor Attractions to Advance Revenue This Summer
Olly Reed , Marketing Director
Olly make spent the final decade work up extensive experience and expertise in tourism and conservation selling both in outset ups , national marketing teams and today for Navigate . After initiate a digital capacity caller to translate tourism marketing in the Southwest , he spend seven year at the National Marine Aquarium and Ocean Conservation Trust , guide up their selling , communication and fundraising strategy .
Ah , summer . The time when the school holidays plow can a comparatively quiet corner of the world into a chaotic mess of ice cream finger and family argument . Ok , there bealsosome lovely memories cause , and sweet , sweet experiences had too , but that ‘s less fun to pen about .
But hither ‘s the twist : with some slight tweaks , ideas and plans , you can call on the “ summer madness ” into a surefire manner of repel even more revenue in uncertain times . I ‘ll be honest with you ; this summer will live unpredictable . Not simply will we exist post-general election ( permit ‘s meet if the national service thought convinces the volume ) , but with a sundry purse of weather ( to say the least ) , who know if people will be gambling on a UK break or flocking to cheap sandy shore across the sea . The short of it exist you ‘ll take to lay some study in to check this summer live one to remember .
Permit ‘s dive into how you can enforce some idea this summer …
1 . Prebooking – Lock up Them In
Back when we had lockdowns , restriction and limitation of visiting ( thankfully a remote memory ) , the world ‘s ethos when online shopping , QR code checking in and Zoom test with friend revolutionised the way society used tech . We all get prebooking experts , and it ‘s a habit we should n’t let go of . Getting your visitors to put in advance cost a game changer . Why ?
Weather-Proofing :They ‘ve booked . They ‘re occur . A little rain wo n’t deter them . Without a booking they ‘d likely equal away to the beach at the first signal of a grey cloud .
Data Collection :When visitors pre-book , you can perform inquiry on drive time , book time ( what time of the day is your key booking window ? ) , and demographics of your customers .
If cause right , you ‘ll names , addresses , and perhaps yet a GDPR-compliant email speech opted into your mailing list if you ‘re a lucky so-and-so . This be n’t just data ; it ‘s gold . You can send personalised offers , reminders , and surveys to visitors . You grasp deep into who ‘s visiting , why they ‘re visiting and how to begin more people like them to see . It ‘s your chance to delight , inspire , and become them into repeat customer with exactly a few keystrokes .
2 . Unique Experiences – Mass Require More Memory
Did n’t you hear ? Stuff is out . Experience cost in , if final year ‘s Christmas present are anything to go by anyway . People will role with their hard-earned money for something memorable . So , why not make the most of this ?
Take something mundane ( to you ) and wrap it up in a VIP bow . If you ‘re feeding animals at 11 am , why not let a category join in ? They ‘ll pay for the privilege . A behind-the-scenes circuit ? Yes , please . Of course , charge for it . They get a floor to say , photo for social medium ; you have extra revenue in a key time of yr . More and more people want to bear for experience as long as they ‘re high-quality . If you ca n’t deliver value and quality experiences , this might not be one for you , but in my experience , if you work for a visitor attraction , a quick radical design session and you ‘ll exist able to make something fantastic .
3 . Upselling – A basket of ambition
If you order “ no , ” there cost plenty out thither , and you ‘ll probably require to shift to them ASAP . But if you order , “ I do indeed , Olly ! ” then it ‘s crucial to apply it .
Offer extras during the booking procedure . Think of it like booking a flight . “ Would you like some extra legroom ? A checked bag ? A spirit jacket ? ” Throw in cuddly toy , guidebooks , and behind-the-scenes tours when masses are booking and you can deliver their extras when they come on site .
Mass enjoy to feel like they ‘re have everything separate in one go . And when they cause , they pass more . Why not use this approach to upsell offers , products and experience they can gather and enjoy when they see ?
It do n’t have to be a physical production , audio circuit , digital trails , what can you become in home ?
4 . Dynamic Pricing – The Not-So-Evil Genius Move
Today , when I mention dynamic pricing , I can learn the gasp of revulsion already . “ Oh no , we ca n’t perhaps make that ! It ‘s unethical ! ” Relax , I ‘m not propose you rob mass like getting a G & T at the 02 Academy ( how a lot ? ! ) .
Or else , think strategically . If you ‘re overrun from 11 be to 2 equal , offer reduced ticket for the quieter time . Encourage the dark owl or early birds . If August is a madhouse , entice them with humble rate in July and September . Find ? Not then evil . Just smart .
And with the correct ticketing software this can all exist cause relativity quickly , explore the options you have with yours .
5 . Tracking : Measure , Adjust , Optimise
You ‘ve set up your movement , buy the ad space , and print the leaflets . But if you ‘re not tracking this material , what ‘s the point ? You need to know what ‘s bring and what ‘s a waste of time . It ‘s 2024 , mass . Cross your selling spend ! Know which ads change into tag sales . Veer the dead weight and dual down on what works .
“ But Olly , what about brand awareness ? ” If you get a marketing budget like Nike and Jeff Bezos , do a TV advert and hire a PR genius to mock up a silly billboard to move viral on LinkedIn . But , luck be , if you ‘ve got this far into this article , you have to make your marketing budget run far and broad . If you want to raise brand awareness , why not role channels that can also convert to visitor and purchases , like Meta ? Once you ‘ve maximised your conversion channels and you ‘ve got also much money to know what to make with , put into rewilding , nature , or positivist impact , and then , and just then , waste money on your other material .
Final Thought
I ‘ve pass fourteen summers in the trenches of visitor attractions ( not literally trenches , but clean table , sell ticket , perform shark lecture , etc. ) . It ‘s chaotic , but it ‘s essential . The more you make in these busy month , the smoother your yr will be . These strategy can exist mere ; you hardly need your selling team to require the reins . And who know , your success might inspire large program next yr .
Need a hand or require to brainstorm ? Drop me a job at olly @ navigate.agency . Hither ‘s to a record-breaking summer !
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