Facebook has fast become king of the online marketing sphere. No matter your industry, some form of presence on the network is a must if you want to make a success of your digital marketing efforts. If you’re in the destination, travel or tourism industry, however, a very special flavour of Facebook marketing is open to you- the ‘dynamically generated’ Facebook ad. Is it a gimmick, or something worth investing your marketing budget in? Zebra 360 Online Marketing takes a look.

What is a dynamic travel ad, and how does it help the travel and destination industry?

Facebook has recently simplified the ‘dynamic ads for travel’ category into plain old ‘travel ads’. Regardless of the name simplification, it’s still a smart way for marketers to show ads across the Facebook network (so Facebook itself, Instagram and the Audience Network) to viewers already identified as interested in taking a trip with them. In short, it’s a subcategory of the ‘dynamic ad’ niche, specifically tailored for the unique needs of the travel and destination industry.

In other worse, these are ads that harness the power of data analytics to push you to prominence among those who’ve identified themselves as in need of a break. Maybe they browsed destination info, but didn’t book a flight. Maybe they’ve been staring at hotel pages, but there’s no record of them booking. Whatever the deal, you know they’re interested in getting away from the daily grind, and your products have caught their attention already. Taking it a step further, you can even choose to target these ads based on destinations browsed, dates used and other details.

Obviously, this is a tool with a lot of power. You might be able to close a booking with people who you know are already interested in travel (prospecting). Perhaps you can present a complementary offer or two to those who have already booked (cross- or up-sell). Or maybe you can just tempt someone who is sitting on the fence (retargeting).

The ads themselves work like just about every other Facebook ad campaign. You create an ad, goal and audience, and then get creative with your visible copy. Once you’re happy with the way it looks, send it live, and don’t forget to use the insights and statistics the campaign gives you to help the next round of advertising be even better.

Will it really help my travel and destination marketing efforts?

The short answer? Yes. Facebook has come to occupy a huge quadrant of the digital marketing space, so a presence here pays. Unlike other ad forms, this specific travel-focused marketing allows for a smarter ad spend and more impact per dollar you use.

Retargeting interested travellers to gain a lead conversion is a sound strategy, after all, and certainly more likely to yield ROI then random adverts. There’s a few more ‘sophisticated’ aspects to the opportunities it offers, too. You can easily keep pricing and specials fully up to date and dynamic, something not always offered by more static booking sites or advertising platforms. Upsell and cross-sell allow you to expose more relevant products to interested customers, prompting a greater net spend and, of course, higher ROI. And you gain valuable data into where, and how, consumers interact with your booking funnel, and what prompts them to progress to a completed booking.

Creating creative, effective travel ads that sell

The magic lies in what happens next. If you’ve created compelling campaigns, you should be able to net yourself ROI and conversions from an audience you know were already interested. What can you do to boost your advert to the top of the list?

  • Attract interest: Unlike ‘traditional’ ads, Facebook ads mostly appear integrated into the feed and environment. Don’t be afraid to make your ad stand out with bold and bright colours. From an image perspective, steer away from the cliche aspects of your destination, and find something unusual and interesting to showcase. Do you offer a luxury spa experience? Do you have a striking landmark on-site, or a service no one else does? Images are the first thing to catch human attention, so use them well. Remember, you only have a split second to attract them as they scroll- push the best aspects of the deal forward, be it discounts, rates or the opportunity to upgrade. Make that call to Action unmissable!
  • Personalisation is still key: Personalisation in marketing is a trend that’s not going away. If you’re targeting potential customers who’ve already visited your site once, use that information to re-engage with them meaningfully. It’s the whole point of the dynamic travel ad, after all! You can showcase the exact aspect of your packages they were already looking at, but add extra features to help create a feeling of urgency and need.
  • Video dominates: Video content is riding an all-time high. Use video smartly to showcase what makes you stand out from the crowd.

Trying to balance a dynamic travel ad for destinations can seem overwhelming, but it’s a powerful tool to have in your marketing arsenal. If you’d rather focus on the core of your business, why not let Zebra 360 Online Marketing handle the travel marketing nitty-gritty for you, instead? The results will speak for themselves.