Vanquish Corporation was recently commissioned to undertake a competitive analysis of the travel industry and to provide high level strategies around digital marketing.
Some of our findings are below:
Market Size – In 2011, mobile travel bookings in the U.S. accounted for a little over $2 billion, or 2% of all online bookings. Fast-forward two years, and that number has moved into the neighbourhood of $US13 billion, with that number expected to increase to nearly $US40 billion — or more than a quarter of online bookings — by 2015.
Customers viewpoint – where do you go?
Competitive Grouping:
Website Traffic (US Territory Sites Only)
There are many niche competitor features. Google is laying the foundation to be a major threat in the Meta search Travel Industry.
- Suggested online bid rates for ‘longtail’ SEO phrases are extremely expensive.
- Competition is also fierce for organic search.
- Search of course should not just be associated with desktop / laptop devices. 48% of users on mobile devices start on search engines.
Trust Flow and Metrics. Content Marketing Strategies needed for most Meta Search Travel websites. Google however already has the traffic, making them ‘potentially’ the biggest player in this space over the coming years.
Native App Mobile Explosion:
Digital Marketing Strategy > #1 App Installs:
- Primary call to action across all marketing channel messaging
- PR / Social / Advertising / Search
- Consider Sweepstake incentives to drive installs
- Be mindful of wasting Cost Per Install and customize ad copy / messaging for existing users (Consider acquiring new users at the right time of year to maximize usage / ongoing interactions.
Digital Marketing Strategy > #2 CRM
- Retention of Existing Customers is Paramount.
- Random Acts of Kindness….Gifts….Offers…
- Mindful & Protective Interactions (Classic CRM)
- Recommend a Friend Incentives
Growth by Acquisition & Strategic Partnerships > #3
- Consider comparable networks & competitors for acquisition and / or strategic partnership (traffic / loyal audience) by:
- Revenue
- Active Customers
- App Installs / Interaction
- Market Share & Accessibility
- New Tech
Content Strategy to Increase back links from authoritative Domains> #4
Targeting Topical Trust Sectors i.e. Regional. For example there are approx. 3000+ counties in the US. Each one has a <Visit> <County name>.org website, such as: http://www.visitgaston.org/ . Each City / State also has the equivalent – eg: http://www.charlottesgotalot.com/
Drive Social Engagement & Loyalty > #5
Adopt new App Platform Features to gain coverage in the App Stores > #6
Contact Vanquish Corporation if you would further information around this report.
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