We think destination management organizations (DMOs) produce some of the best content marketing out there. We regularly turn to them for inspiration and to see what’s trending in both the content marketing and hospitality industries. Here, we highlight how each of these four DMOs are excelling and provide takeaways for hotel and other destination marketers.
Best Social: Visit Greenland
Visit Greenland’s social presence is anchored by their hashtags #GreenlandPioneer and #VisitGreenland. Over 76,020 posts have been shared to Instagram using these hashtags. Businesses often try to get too clever with their hashtags, making it hard to promote them on offline channels. Unwieldy hashtags also significantly decrease the likelihood that followers will actually use them. #GreenlandPioneer is easy to remember and true to the country’s adventuring spirit. Their social channels also offer unique value by sharing content tailored to each respective platform. Finally, Visit Greenland understands the importance of video in social media marketing as well. This short video they shared generated a whopping 1.2K reactions and more than 35,000 views.
Takeaway for Hotel and Destination Marketers
If UGC (user-generated content) is going to be a core part of your social strategy, make sure you choose the right hashtag. It should honor the feel of your property or destination but still be easy to remember and use. Also, incorporate video whenever you can!
Best Trending Content: Visit Philadelphia
Diverse, useful content is at the heart of Visit Philadelphia’s marketing strategy. They focus on what people are searching for and respond with engaging articles, maps, listicles, and more. Their goal is to serve as a resource for anyone looking to plan a trip to Philly. Since they invest heavily in their content, they also want to make sure they get the most bang for their buck. So, they come up with creative ways to repurpose the content across channels while carefully measuring reader engagement and feedback.
Takeaway for Hotel and Destination Marketers
Dig into what kind of information your prospective guests are craving via tools like Google Trends and SEMrush (or, even better work with a destination marketing agency that will do the heavy lifting for you). Then, deliver it to your audience in a variety of easy-to-consume formats.
Best Website: Visit Idaho
While Idaho may not come to mind when you think of family vacations, Visit Idaho is aiming to change that. The clear and iconic navigation makes finding what you want easy with menu items like “Things to Do,” “Places to Stay,” “Travel Tips,” and a “Regional Map.” Each adventure page (like this one for Lava Hot Springs) has everything you need, including the current weather. The coolest part about Visit Idaho’s website may be the “Backpack” feature, which lets users add adventures and tips to their personal “backpack” to revisit later.
Takeaway for Hotel and Destination Marketers
Design your website around the things that people are looking for. Then, deliver so much value that they see your site as the go-to resource on their trip, even if they’re not immediately planning to visit.
Best Print Publication: San Diego Magazine
San Diego Magazine combines attention-stealing photos with compelling content. With wit and creativity, they deliver a publication that’s as entertaining as it is informative. While the over 35 million tourists “California’s Beach City” attracts every year may expect a standard travel guide, San Diego Magazine exceeds those expectations.
Takeaway for Hotel and Destination Marketers
For hotel marketers, print is a fantastic option as custom magazines can engage readers at the perfect place and time – during their stay, when they’re looking for things to do. DMOs should consider taking another look at their tourism and travel guides to make sure they’re as creative and compelling as possible. Print should be a key component of any strong hotel or destination marketing strategy.