As you may remember, back in April we talked a bit about the ad credits Google would be issuing to small- and medium-sized businesses. Just last week, some of these credits started hitting Google Ads accounts in New Zealand so we’re hopeful that credits will start rolling out soon in North America and the rest of the world. While we anxiously wait to see who will get a piece of that 340 million dollars, we can start strategizing about how destination marketing organizations (DMOs) could make use of that money, such as with:
- Video
Using video is a great way for DMOs to showcase their destination and everything it has to offer. Now that people are slowly starting to plan trips again and actually travel, running a YouTube campaign could be a valuable way to attract potential travelers excited about your destination and bring them back into the purchase funnel.
- Partner referrals
Increasing “heads in beds” will be critical for nearly all DMOs. Running paid search campaigns that drive traffic to your listings pages is a great way to generate extra visibility for hotel partners, or any of your partners for that matter.
- Remarketing
This is always an important piece of any marketing strategy, but it’s even more important now. Make sure that you have a Google Ads pixel on all of your site pages so that you’re building up your remarketing audience, and then create dedicated campaigns that speak to those audiences. With fewer people planning trips right now, you want to be absolutely sure that you’re staying top of mind with those who have recently shown an interest in your destination.
- Drive markets
We’re seeing this market picking up the fastest, so if your budget is limited, focus on those looking for a quick day trip or weekend getaway. You’ll see a much better ROI if you focus on markets that have already started to bounce back.
No matter what you do with these ad credits, make sure that you set clear goals and then build campaigns to support those KPIs. And as always, Simpleview is here to help.
