Step 7: Marketing Magic: How Destinations Can Woo Food-Loving Travelers
Welcome to my new 10 step series about what destination marketing organizations need to do to develop a strategy to woo food- and beverage-loving travelers. This is an excerpt — Step 7 of our 10-Step Guide — from our full report which you can download here.
Now that your products are developed, how will you promote them? We see a lot of destinations print visitor guides, or they might have a culinary section on their website. Other destinations will sample their area’s food and drink products at trade or consumer travel shows. While these can all have some beneficial impact, the most effective and least expensive kind of promotion is, wait for it, word of mouth!
And how does your area get positive word of mouth? Here are some suggestions:
a. Visitors who return home with satisfying food/drink experiences. Turn happy visitors into your area’s culinary brand ambassadors.
b. Speaking of ambassadors, have you thought about creating a network of food champions in your area? These are people that represent an area, even as small as a neighborhood, but they are the face of that area. They know everybody who is anybody, know all the area’s resources, and are happy to give freely of their knowledge so others can share the local experience.
c. Recruit influencers. Yes, it’s worth inviting influencers, but do not just ask an influencer to share a post or like your article. Before you can even think about asking for any favors, develop a relationship organically with the influencers whose style you like. Maybe you enjoy the topics they write about. Maybe you like the places they visit. Like their posts, comment on them and share them. Then, and only then, will you have earned the right to reach out and ask for a favor. It takes time to nurture relationships! If you need a quick turnaround, do not pursue this choice.
d. Create compelling stories. Stories sell! Who will be the hero in your story — a chef, a winemaker, a cheesemaker?
What are your thoughts about food tourism planning, strategies and action plans? Write your comments below OR reach out to me via Twitter or email.
