January 24, 2013 jon

Why Video-Marketing Increases Travel Sales for Companies like Orbitz

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If you’re a hotel, leisure facility or a tourist board, your marketing has to make a compelling argument to persuade customers to choose you. And with the presence of multiple travel forums such as Trip Advisor, customers want more than just advertising.

Travel customers want an honest picture of their future holiday.

Reviews, referrals and photos are very persuasive.

But smart travel companies are using video-marketing campaigns to show travellers and tourist whet they can expect when they arrive on their holiday or business trip. With video-marketing it is much easier for your customer to imagine themselves spending time at your resort or facility.

Travel Bookings Increased 45% and 74%

Travel company Orbitz are investing in a series of videos which show off their destinations including Ireland, the Cayman Islands and most recently upstate New York.

And the investment is worth it.

Their numbers show that 45% of leisure travellers and 74% of affluent travellers book travel after viewing online videos.

Orbitz is just one company that is following the increasing trend to add video marketing into their digital content marketing campaigns.

So why does video marketing work so well for travel companies and tourism boards?

Video Marketing Brings Subtle Beauty to Life

Cinematic-quality videos (like the ones we make at fly creative 🙂 ) capture so many more subtle selling points that are harder to explain to potential customers verbally or in a brochure or leaflet.

A great sales representative might be able to describe the peace and tranquility of a visit to upstate New York, but a sweeping panoramic shot of a lake, or the dramatic qualities of a local street festival actively transports your customers there.

A Faster Emotional Connection

Within seconds a video can have a physical and emotional reaction on your viewer. That ability to capture and keep attention is why corporate companies like Orbitz (and others) are investing in video-marketing campaigns.

The corporate videos planned by Orbitz are designed so that customers are encouraged to have an emotional reaction.

These videos are not about simply providing the facts of the resort or location, they are shot to encourage travellers to feel something. For example:

  • Calm and tranquil
  • Excited by potential adventures
  • Excited about escaping the grind
  • Hope and optimistic about the upcoming trip

In brochures, copywriting and image placement are used to evoke these kinds of reactions.

But you’re counting on people to read all of your text.

With a corporate travel video you can have your audience emotionally hooked within the first second.

Repetition Reinforces and Anchors Customer Desire

Visuals are powerful motivators. People will often keep photos of a car they want to own, a holiday destination they’d like to visit, or clothes they’d like to buy.

This visual stimulation reinforces our desire for that object. It keeps us focused on what we want and reminds us of how we imagine we will feel when we own it or when we travel to that place.

Video multiplies that effect.

The best corporate videos or branded video-content, are designed so that your customer WANTS to watch the video again and again.

That’s one of the reasons video-marketing campaigns for the travel industry are so successful. Each time they watch your corporate video they are  become more emotionally attached, their desire for the experience increases and you’re more likely to experience an increase in enquiries and booking as Orbitz has found.

At Mustard, we can design, produce and deliver this style of corporate video for you. If you want to chat more about how video can help your digital-marketing campaigns, please get in touch!