Effective Tourism Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses
Understanding the roles of public relations and publicity in tourism marketing for small businesses is crucial for seeking media opportunities and achieving positive editorial coverage. Public relations involves strategic communication to enhance relationships with stakeholders, while publicity seeking aims to attract media attention through interesting story angles. Small tourism businesses can benefit from maintaining positive relationships with staff, customers, and the local community, even with fewer publics compared to larger organizations.
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Presentation Transcript
Tourism Marketing for small businesses Tourism Marketing for small businesses
Chapter learning aims Chapter learning aims To enhance your understanding of: the distinction between the roles of public relations and publicity seeking the key advantages of media publicity publicity seeking opportunities for small tourism businesses
Key terms Key terms Public relations A strategic two-way communication process to enhance the relationships between an organisation and its various publics (stakeholders). Publicity Publicity seeking is one aspect of public relations, involving non-paid communications aimed at achieving positive media editorial for the organisation, in a way that reaches the right people with the right message. Story angle Publicity seeking necessitates having an interesting story angle. The story angle is the main idea to be conveyed, which will attract the media s attention as being of interest to their audience.
Public Relations (PR) Public Relations (PR) PR is more than seeking free publicity A strategic process of managing an organisation s relationships with its various publics (stakeholders). This is a planned effort to evaluate public attitudes, and develop two-way communications that foster mutually beneficial understanding and acceptance. Most cited definition is by Broom (2009, p. 25): Public relations is the management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends.
Publics Publics PR is a communication process (stakeholders), whereas publicity is a communication medium (media) Publics represent stakeholders/audiences Internal and external to the organisation A stakeholder is anyone who can impact on, or be impacted by the organisation Some stakeholders will be quite active, while others are passive. The latter might only become active over a topical issue, or never at all.
PR for small businesses PR for small businesses Small tourism businesses have less publics than the larger organisations Still a case for maintaining positive and mutually beneficial relationships with staff, customers, and the local community. This is often an informal process involving a common sense approach to fostering positive relationships, to be recognised as, a good employer, good neighbour, and good corporate citizen.
Engaging with the local community Engaging with the local community Sponsorship of a local school Supporting a personal cause of the local government representative Set up a monthly networking breakfast for local businesses Develop a monthly newsletter of neighbourhood news Join a local service club such as Rotary or Lions International Look for opportunities to provide contra prizes to a local media for their competitions The key to successful networking is to seek to benefit someone else first
Media publicity Media publicity The main PR activity for small businesses Publicity represents free media editorial Is any publicity good publicity? The key is to reinforce the brand identity by reaching the right people with the right message
The appeal of publicity The appeal of publicity Relative to other forms of promotion: 1. Greater cost-efficiency Lower cost/free publicity News stories are oxygen to the media Disruption in traditional media has created more opportunities for well-crafted press releases 2. Higher credibility Media editorial is more believable than advertising Perceived to be written by an independent source Advertising is what you pay for editorial is what you pray for! (Trout & Rivkin, 1995).
Disadvantages Disadvantages This is not buying media space to present a controlled message No control over whether there will be any publicity when it might occur whether it will be positive whether it is noticed by our target audience Pike (2016)
Attracting attention Attracting attention Gordon Ramsay famous for using one word 2011 he was mentioned 521 times in Australian newspapers...225 mentioned food...338 mentioned swearing!
Story angle Story angle Publicity seeking necessitates having an interesting story angle This is the main idea to be conveyed, which will attract the media s attention as being of interest to their audience. Why is what we have to say of interest to the media? When is their deadline for accepting a media release? What format does the media require?
Story angle opportunities Story angle opportunities A unique offering What have you got that I cant get anywhere else? Being the first to offer a particular service An eccentric character Eg New York s naked cowboy, Mad Hatter Caf owner in UK, Australia Zoo s Crocodile hunter A different event eg Rodeo wild cow milking An interesting slice of history Unusual/bad service https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo1LPf9mnyU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB8RTflZ0UA
Media release tips Media release tips MEDIA RELEASE should be printed boldly at the top. Include the date. Think about a short creative headline that will stand out from all the other media releases the reporter will receive that day. Hook the reader in the most important first paragraph, with a succinct (around 30 words) summary of why this is news (if its not news it wont be used), stating the who, what, where, how and why. Keep the release to one page, using short sentences and short paragraphs (remember however that a paragraph is more than one sentence). Make use of white space, so it is easy on the reader s eye. Write in the third person, as you would envisage it in the publication. Make it easy for the reporter to not have to edit much.
Media release tips Media release tips Offer a few quotes the media can use, to humanise the story. The release should be no more than one page, and have a professional appearance. Avoid using unnecessary symbols such as !!! , graphics such as smiley faces , abbreviations, and industry jargon. Be truthful, and not make wild claims that cant be supported. Proofread. No typos or grammar errors. End the release with details of who the media can contact for further information. When emailing the release, paste it into the body of the message rather than attachment.
Working with the DMO Working with the DMO Small businesses have a range of opportunities to get involved with DMO publicity initiatives: Visiting media programme Story ideas and quality images for the DMO s digital library Product database listing Contra prizes
Publicity stunts Publicity stunts Staging a promotional event in a public place to attract attention Potential to attract media attention Potential for onlookers to share virally Aim to get onlookers to start conversation, through 6 buttons of buzz: Taboo issues, the unusual, the outrageous, the hilarious, the remarkable, the secret National Geographic s Best tourism gimmicks of all time http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/features/the-best-tourism-board- gimmicks-of-all-time/
Publicity stunts Publicity stunts While stunts need to be entertaining they must link to the narrative of the brand s marketing. Resist the urge to kill the photo/video opportunity for the audience and media by bombarding them with business logos. Great campaigns stimulate people to want to know who did this, and why? Sometimes its easier to join an existing conversation, by tapping into the media news cycle for topical events. Be audacious, original and brave. The greater the risk the bigger the return. Look for ways to involve the audience with interactivity. Interrogate the idea what could go wrong? Deliver something smart and entertaining that the media can be sure will delight their readers. Herring (2016)
Negative publicity Negative publicity Not all publicity is good publicity There is no guarantee that media editorial from a press release, journalist visit, or publicity stunt will be positive In cases of accidents or other negative events, be honest with the media Never offer no comment Be prepared for negative events
Discussion questions Discussion questions What is a story angle, and why is it critical in publicity seeking? Is any publicity good publicity? Explain your answer. What is good publicity? Summarise the ways in which a small tourism business could take advantage of the DMO s Visiting Media Programme.
