Video Content Insights  That will Give Travel and Tourism Marketers The Competitive Edge 6

Digital video consumption is on the rise among the tourism customer, and marketers are taking notice. But travel marketers have not adopted digital video as quickly as consumers have, according to a new eMarketer report.

Today, two of three consumers watch online travel videos when they’re planning or thinking about taking a trip.

Video is a powerful way for travel marketers and advertisers to convey excitement about a destination, product, service or brand.

So to ensure you don’t get left behind, here are 6 top tips that will give your video content the competitive edge …

Source: The US Travel Industry 2014, Euromonitor

Branded videos are more popular than videos and trip reviews produced by experts, regular travelers and even friends and family.

While travel watchers on You Tube are interested in community-generated content, the majority of travel-related views (67 %) are for brand or professionally released videos.

PROFESSIONALLY PRODUCED VIDEO CONTENT IS A WINNER! 1

Source: The US Travel Industry 2014,

Euromonitor

Not sure what keywords you should be embedding into your travel and tourism video?

Recent YouTube data shows average views of videos with the following keywords in their title:

‘Best Rollercoaster’ 30K views‘Disneyland’ 18K views‘How to Pack’ 18K views‘Disney’ 18K views‘Cruise ship’ 9k views‘Best beach’ 10K views‘Amusement park’ 13K views

USE THE RIGHT KEYWORDS TO IMPROVE YOUR SEO2

Source: Reel SEO Feb 2014

A study carried out by the online travel business Expedia noted that mobile phones are not merely a device to be used ahead of a trip, in order to both research and book travel, but travellers engage in a wide variety of mobile activities while on a trip.

The most popular is still e-mailing and messaging, but this is closely followed by photography and video recording, which was engaged in regularly by 50 % of the travellers surveyed. Mobile and social media cannot be underestimated, and digital travel marketers should pay close heed to this trend.

MAKE SURE YOUR CONTENT IS MOBILE FRIENDLY3

Source: 2014 Expedia/Egencia Mobile Index

Travellers want to do more than just watch videos on YouTube; they want to connect with creators and brands. In 2014, subscriptions to top travel channels on YouTube have increased 106 % YoY. And these subscribers watch 86 % longer per view than non-subscribers do.

They’re also extremely interested in hearing real-life stories. Nearly half of the travel subscriptions are to vlogs (video blogs) that feature personal travel experiences.

BUILD A COMMUNITY WITH YOUR VIDEO CONTENT 4

Source: You Tube Data, March 2014

People of all ages subscribe to YouTube travel content. 50 % of travel channel subscribers are aged 25 to 64, while 38 % fall in the 18 to 24 age range. The younger audience tends to favour travel vlogs, suggesting they have more of an interest in “authentic” content.

The 25-to-64-year-olds seem to be interested in a broader range of content relevant to frequent travellers. Often these are videos associated with decisions further down the travel purchase path, such as brand information, reviews and tips.

ADAPT YOUR VIDEO CONTENT TO DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS5

Source: You Tube Data, March 2014

While a viral video can rack up millions of views (if you’re lucky), views are just one measure of a video’s success. Shares, subscribers and other online actions are important as well.  As travel marketers work to define a clear video strategy, newer video-ready social platforms such Vine, Twitter and particularly Instagram, are offering opportunities and new opportunities. A recent analysis by Skift.com of more than 450 travel brands on Instagram found 70 % had already used it to publish video.

According to an August 2014 study by Shareablee on travel video engagement across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, Instagram was second only to Facebook, with a little over a quarter of all engagement share.

LOOK BEYOND YOU TUBE6

THINK > CREATE > PLAY

We hope you found this guide has equipped you with even more knowledge on how to create compelling video content to grab even more share of the much in demand travel and tourism spending power! 

Love to know how you too can get your share of the market?

Call Colin, OCP’s creative director on 01803 295959

or email on colin@originalconcept.tv

www.originalconcept.tv