Regardless of whether you have a digital advertising campaign on your tourism website or not, you do have a listing. That alone is a digital advertisement you have as part of your membership or simply because your business is part of the landscape. If you’ve decided to supplement your online presence with a Destination Travel Network digital advertising campaign, you’ve got even more skin in the game.
So what does your listing say? What will your ad highlight? How do you make sure your listing and your advertisements get the clicks? You use your sweet spot, or spots.
Sweet Spot became a common term through sports and is defined as the point or area on a bat, club, or racket at which it makes most effective contact with the ball. In advertising, it’s the place in the consumer’s mind where you make a connection between consumer insights (what they want) and a brand insight (what your business offers).
No one knows your business better than you do. So all you need is some time to sit down and examine what you offer and who wants it while identifying how you are different from your competitors. With this information, you can clearly communicate why website visitors need to learn more about you, resulting in the coveted click and hopefully a sale.
If you broke out in a light sweat as your mind races wondering just how you are going to figure this out—don’t panic! Destination Travel Network is here to help. In two steps, we’ll walk you through finding your sweet spot or spots and writing effectively to share this with your customer.
Step 1: What’s Your Sweet Spot?
We must go back to move forward. In the early 1940s, the unique selling proposition (USP) theory was developed to explain a pattern in successful advertising campaigns. The theory showed that those businesses that made unique propositions to customers convinced them to switch brands. They made sales!
The USP theory is still used today. Once you find your unique selling proposition, you can use those insights to get website visitors to come to you. Grab a pencil and answer these four questions:
1. Who is your target audience? (Identify the people who buy your product or service. Think of demographics like gender, age, marital status and income, as well as psychographics such as healthy eater, tech-savvy or outdoor enthusiast.)
2. Explain the problem you solve.
3. List the biggest distinctive benefits of your business. (What sets you apart from similar businesses—is it equipment, your location, your longevity, etc.)
4. Define your promise. (What are you going to give to your customers?)
Using the answers to these questions, draft simple statements highlighting your unique selling proposition. Keep these handy to reference anytime you’re working on messaging or communications related to your business. In step two, we’ll look at how to write copy using your new intel.
Step 2: Write About Your Sweet Spot
Now we’re going to put your hard work into action. The answers to these questions are your framework to craft effective copy for your digital advertisements and listings. The consumer insights (your customer) + the brand insights (your business) = your sweet spot.
Once you identify your sweet spot or spots, you need to use them! You’ve got limited space to catch the eye of a website user. And if they’re mobile, maybe even less. Your sweet spot has to go first. What follows depends on your USP.
Keeping your demographic in mind, write clearly to solve their problem or share your distinctive benefits. Use descriptive words to paint a picture of your business and don’t forget to include locators, especially if you are in a desirable spot in the destination.
Before you begin writing, be sure to look at the listing or advertisement styles on a desktop, a mobile phone and a tablet so you can see how the words will display. Typically you’ll have three lines of copy in a listing that will trail off to “read more”. The most important details need to be right at the start, and be mindful of how the words wrap so you can use punctuation to entice a user to click through and find out more.
If you have a Destination Travel Network Spotlight Text Link, you’ll usually have about seven to 10 words to get that click through. For Mobile Banners, Page Sponsors and Run of Site Banners, you have those same words plus a four or five word title. Each of these ad styles will click through to your website. From here your landing page needs to seal the deal.
If you already have digital advertisements or listings online, take a minute to audit your ads. Make sure they are hitting your sweet spot and delivering clicks. And don’t be afraid to change them up! Seasonal messages, timely events and your own offerings can trigger new sweet spots for specific timeframes.
The beauty of digital advertising is the ease of updates. Business listings can be updated through your local convention and visitor bureau membership department.
