Welcome, everyone! I will embark on a journey into Content Marketing in the Travel Industry today. Today, we investigate the transformative power of Blogs, Videos, E-books, and Podcasts.
Blogs
Kiersten Rich, the visionary behind The Blonde Abroad, transformed her passion for travel into a thriving platform, focusing on solo female travel. Years of hard work on personal branding and mastering skills like SEO and photography have paid off, now one of the biggest travel platforms in the world with over 1 million monthly page views and 400,000 unique monthly readers.
Award-winning Anywhere We Roam, created by Paul & Mark, offers a unique perspective on travel, catering to adventurers seeking experiences off the beaten track, and building a blog with a community of like-minded travellers. Their content is rich and engaging, but the shift towards a text-based blog loses the instant visual appeal that modern audiences crave.
(APL Media, 2021)
Best Practices: Kiersten’s approach highlights the importance of a strong personal brand,
in-depth knowledge of her audience, and a commitment to quality content.
A well-defined branding, with the use of multimedia, has elevated this blog to global recognition.
Videos
Videos have become an important part of a marketing strategy, videos can improve SEO, and increase page quality and the time spent on the page.
Nadine Sykora, of Hey Nadine, personifies travel vlogging, blending informative content with a relatable persona. Her ability to maintain a genuine connection with her audience, offering travel tips, hacks, and personal insights that engage and inspire, led her to 510,000 subscribers and 848 YouTube videos. (Jones, 2019)
The Four Seasons Hotel on the other hand is renowned for its luxury hotels and resorts all around the world, built with its approach of providing what is valued and important to its customers making sure guests’ experiences are memorable, all of this by applying their core values of Quality, Service, Culture and Brand. (Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, 2024)
Best Practices: The Four Seasons stands out, creating immersive experiences that capture the luxury and exclusivity of the brand. They are demonstrating how well-crafted videos can significantly enhance the customer experience and brand perception.
Hey Nadine has many great videos, but I think it is confusing with so much content, and not as easy to navigate.
E-books
Looking at E-Books, Lonely Planet well known for traditional guidebooks has now transitioned to digital formats, they have harnessed the power of user-generated content, leveraging valuable insights and feedback from its passionate community of travellers through forums, social media, and its website.
Lonely Planet focuses on enhancing user experience this is done by employing data analytics, conducting A/B testing, and tracking key performance indicators like bounce rate and visit duration to understand user preferences better. (Talbot, 2019)
Hey Nadine’s e-book “How to Travel” covers virtually all you need to know when going on your travels, from planning and picking accommodation to travel insurance, her extensive travel knowledge with a practical, user-friendly format, offers readers a comprehensive guide to globe-trotting.
Best Practices: Hey Nadine’s approach, is mainly centred around delivering content directly from her experiences, compared to Lonely Planet’s detailed, reliable e-books showcasing the importance of thorough research, and user engagement, ensuring that their content remains an indispensable resource for travellers worldwide.
Podcasts
The Travel Diaries hosted by journalist Holly Rubenstein reaches over 35,000 weekly listeners across 165 countries worldwide. Holly works with organisations including The Times and Conde Nast Traveller also reporting for Reuters, the BBC and ITV.
With her work connections, Holly created the Travel Diaries talking to high-profile travellers, including the likes of Dame Joanna Lumley and Sir Micheal Palin, just a couple from 11 series.
Laura Sanders’ True Travel Podcast brings fresh perspectives and in-depth discussions on travel, professional insights, and quality storytelling. Laura’s background in travel journalism includes work for publications like Conde Nast Traveller, and Lonely Planet, her podcast has international audiences in over 40 countries.
Despite its quality content, it doesn’t quite match the broad appeal and established following of The Travel Diaries.
Best Practices: The Travel Diaries demonstrates the impact of utilizing notable guests and a wide array of topics, proving that a diverse range of content can attract a more extensive listener base and cultivate a deeper connection with the audience.
Conclusion
In summary, our journey through the realms of Blogs, Videos, E-books, and Podcasts reveals that the key to impactful content marketing lies in authenticity, strategic storytelling, and adapting to audience preferences. Thank you for your time in this exploration of content marketing.
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References
Meet the team behind Travel Media Awards 2020 blogger/vlogger of the Year winner, anywhere we roam (2021) APL Media. APL Media. Available at:
https://aplmedia.co.uk/meet-the-team-behind-travel-media-awards-2020-blogger-vlogger-of-the-year-winner-anywhere-we-roam/ (Accessed: April 11, 2023).
Jones, D. (2019) Hey Nadine, Travel Sites – Best Travel Sites List of 2023 for Cheap Vacations! Available at: https://travelsites.com/hey-nadine/
(Accessed: October 7, 2022).
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts (2024) The story of four seasons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keYkRUD6Xgs.
Talbot, P. (2019) Inside lonely planet’s marketing strategy, Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultalbot/2019/08/29/inside-lonely-planets-marketing-strategy/?sh=67eb7b3757d3 (Accessed: 20 September 2022).
YouTube Video Presentation
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