The Big Marketing Guide an Introductory Guide for Queensland Tourism Businesses
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INTRODUCTION | WRITING YOUR MARKETING PLAN The Big Marketing Guide An introductory guide for Queensland tourism businesses teq.queensland.com/bigmarketingguide The BIG Marketing Guide 1 Section 1 Introduction 1 Contents Writing your marketing plan Section 2 Experience Development 22 Delivering world-class experiences Section 3 Branding 36 Brand development to build business Including target markets and imagery Section 4 Domestic Marketing 47 Becoming domestic ready Including packaging, price, distribution and promotion Section 5 Digital Marketing 74 Making the most of your online marketing Section 6 International Marketing 101 Setting your sight on the global stage Section 7 Trade and Media Familiarisations 119 Familiarity creates buyers and bookings Section 8 Media and Publicity 127 Making media work for you Section 9 Working With Events 149 How working with events can benefit your business Section 10 Low-Cost Marketing Ideas 159 Great promotional ideas on a budget Section 11 Tourism Industry Terms 165 Section 12 References 169 Introduction Writing Your Marketing Plan Takeaways • Understanding of the tourism network in Australia • Why you need a marketing plan and how to prepare one • Why accessing the right research is invaluable to your business The BIG Marketing Guide 1 INTRODUCTION | WRITING YOUR MARKETING PLAN Introduction As a Queensland tourism operator, you’re part of one of the state’s largest and most diverse industries. Our industry is vibrant and dynamic and its strength lies in the success of operators like you. How you develop and market your business is important, not only to you personally, but to the government and industry bodies that represent your interests. As your state tourism office, Tourism and Events Queensland provides industry support, information and resources to help you make the most of tourism business opportunities. We do this in many ways and one example is the development of this Big Marketing Guide. This guide contains essential marketing information and resources to assist you in establishing your business to successfully compete in the marketplace. In addition, the guide also offers practical marketing advice, information, handy tips and web links to help you plan for a long and prosperous future in the tourism industry. Tourism Business Accreditation The benefits of being accredited Why should tourism businesses can include: become accredited? Establishing a competitive advantage • Increased visitor recognition as a quality operator, Tourism consumer expectations have changed. helping you stand out Travellers are now expecting that well-run and • Developing a competitive advantage against professional tourism operators should also adhere to businesses who are not accredited responsible business practices and maintain a level of • Providing confidence to potential visitors that your quality. As a participant in a recognised accreditation business offers a professional and reliable experience or quality-rating scheme, and successfully promoting • For businesses seeking eco-certification, being this status in your business marketing, you are accredited removes consumer doubt about providing customers with the confidence to make a greenwashing by verifying that all environmental booking safe in the knowledge that your service or and social claims made are genuine. experience is of a guaranteed quality. Being accredited also allows your customers and Improved business processes and operation industry partners to see that your business is • Assisting with the improvement of business committed to delivering a professional tourism strategies and management systems that could experience, backed up by high-quality business lead to improved profitability practices, systems and standards. Quality and • A tool to improve your visitor experience leading consistency in service and product provision are to improved visitor satisfaction, repeat visits and essential to ensuring that customer expectations are positive referrals met and they do not go away disappointed. • Support for continuous business improvement Accreditation schemes cover many aspects of against recognised industry benchmarks business practice, ranging from assessment of overall • Helping your business deliver improved bottom- experiences through to sector-specific schemes and line results programs which focus on particular topics such as • Aiding you to identify business risks and the sustainability and environmental performance. actions to resolve them • Providing a context for reviewing operational, administrative and training procedures The BIG Marketing Guide 2 INTRODUCTION | WRITING YOUR MARKETING PLAN Improved industry recognition • Enabling access to accredited-only opportunities, such as eligibility for the Queensland Tourism Awards • A means of improving industry recognition of your commitment to a high-quality standard of operation • Providing a pathway to grow your credibility as a business with travel trade and investment partners • Building assurance among industry colleagues and staff on your business commitment to quality and standards A wide range of accreditation schemes covering quality assurance and service delivery are available to tourism businesses. Further information can be found via the QTIC Grants Gateway website. Please note, these accreditation programs are distinct to the licenses and accreditations that are legally required to operate your business. nsering te question does certification actually imroe erformance Griffith University’s Institute for Tourism (GIFT) recently reviewed the historical benchmarking data and average operational improvement rates of over 1,000 hotel properties across the globe. Each property was reviewed over a seven-year period, with data provided by one of the world’s leading sustainability certification programs, EarthCheck. Observations revealed through the review indicated that: 1. Resource costs (electricity, water and waste) for accommodation businesses are substantial, adding up to annual costs in the order of $500,000 to a million, or more for some businesses. 2. Financial savings made by businesses participating in the certification program were in the order of several tens of thousands of dollars per annum. 3. Overall, businesses included in the review managed to reduce resources use annually by as much as 4% (water), 6% (electricity) and 7% (waste). Overall, the study found that there were measurable cost savings for the majority of certification participants each year – enough to more than cover the cost of the program itself. The BIG Marketing Guide 3 INTRODUCTION | WRITING YOUR MARKETING PLAN Understanding the tourism network Another important facet to your planning is having a good understanding of the external environment and how the tourism industry works. It’s not just about understanding it, but becoming actively involved. As a tourism operator, you are an integral part of a tourism network which exists to develop tourism at a national, state and local level. Each level has its specific roles and responsibilities, and collectively, they are a powerful force in driving consumer demand for our tourism product. Knowing how the system operates and tapping into the various agencies and industry bodies as need or opportunity arises can substantially enhance the effectiveness of your business marketing. The knowledge, networks and relationships gained through these and other professional affiliations can also lead to exciting and unexpected benefits as well as lifelong friendships. Below is the overview of the tourism network, the key players and their various roles and responsibilities. Tourism Australia (TA) Tourism Australia is the Australian Government agency responsible for attracting international visitors to Australia, both for leisure and business events. Activities include advertising, public relations and media programs, trade shows and industry programs, consumer promotions, online communications and consumer research. For more information visit: tourism.australia.com Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) Austrade is the Federal agency responsible for helping Australian business, education institutions and tourism operators gain entry into international markets through programs such as the Export Market Development Grants scheme. It also has responsibility for tourism policies, programs and research, and works with governments and industry in implementing the national tourism strategy, Tourism 2020. For more information visit: austrade.gov.au Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) ATEC is the industry development body that represents the interests of more than 800 tourism export businesses throughout Australia. ATEC is a membership-based organisation that currently represents inbound tourism operators (ITOs), online operators, Australian tourism product suppliers and service providers around Australia. For more information visit: atec.net.au The BIG Marketing Guide 4 INTRODUCTION | WRITING YOUR MARKETING PLAN Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) Tourism and Events Queensland is a statutory body of the Queensland Government and the state’s lead marketing, destination and experience development, and major events agency. Tourism and Events Queensland, in partnership with government, regional tourism organisations, industry and commercial stakeholders, aims to build Queensland’s tourism and events industry to foster innovation, drive industry growth and boost visitor expenditure. For more information visit: teq.queensland.com Department of Tourism, Major