Why Your Tour Business Needs a Blog

If your tour business doesn't have a blog yet, or you already have a blog but are looking for ways to improve it - then this is for you!

You might have already heard why blogging is worthwhile and how it works. But with millions of content published every day, it's hard to set your content apart and get it on top of the noise.

So aside from knowing why it is important and how it works, this article will delve into another aspect of why your tour business needs a blog.

Together, let's uncover blogging's history and purpose. You may be surprised how much blogging has changed over the years, and how this change impacts how we blog today. You'll see more of this below. We promise it's worth reading!

Everyone may tell you what you already know- that blogging helps you market, earn more, and likens you to other competitors. But no! Blogging isn't all about marketing. Trust me, it's effective and Google loves it.

So at the end of this article, you will have a new approach to blogging. We hope you will learn something here that you have not learned from AI-generated articles and blog posts. Throughout, we promise to be authentic.

Let's first discuss blogging history.

What is blogging and when did it start?

You may be surprised (as I was), that blogging started in the late 1990s—a period when no Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok existed yet.

It was first called a "weblog" by Jorn Barger on December 17, 1997. Eventually shortened to "blog" by Peter Merholz in 1999.

Why did people blog in the 90s?

For a reason, they want to share their lives.

I can well recall my grandmother keeping a well-kept and maintained diary. And I saw it as relevant to blogging. Blogging was originally intended for sharing personal stories online.

Early blogs were primarily personal in nature. This is where people share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences online. Like a diary in notebooks or journals.

• Let individuals express themselves
• Led to the development of online communities through commenting systems
• The online gateway to sharing personal knowledge, advice, and insights

It changed in nature in the 2000s

Blogs have changed in nature as the web has evolved. There may still be people who blog for personal expressions but most do it for selling and for Google's algorithms.

What's brewing in 2024?

Blogging that leads to sales.

Everyone does this. Nothing wrong with it.

But, if you are too focused on "selling", and not "storytelling" - which is what people want from a blog - you are losing blogging.

In fact, 70% of consumers feel closer to a company after reading blogs. But how can you develop that feeling of 'closeness' when you are being too sales-sy?

Customers prefer to connect with people, not brands. So your audience needs to see you as a person (as a group of people), just like them. Like you, you get excited, feel sad and anxious, and enjoy the little things as much as you can.

Once you have the connection, it's easier to sell. People now trust you better. And they may be more willing to learn more about your services - just because they trust you!

So what's the point? Blogging for the purpose of selling is great, but we should not lose sight of what people want - building connections.

Reasons why your tour business needs a blog

Now that we have touched on what blogging is and how it started, let us discuss the reasons why you should have one for your tour business website.

Let's make this quick and get to the nitty-gritty:

• Let your customers get to know you better. Blogging helps your visitors get to know you as a person in addition to knowing you as a tour company.
• Subtle marketing. Offers a quick sneak peek at your tours and services, thus sparking curiosity.
• Saves you from high marketing costs. Blogging costs 62% less than traditional marketing! Yes, it saves you thousands of bucks.
• Sets you apart from competitors. Many tours like yours may offer the same kind of tours, but not everyone has the same voice as you do.
• Grow your tourism expertise. Share your insights, tips, and knowledge - customers know your tours are good. Why? Because you know what you sell.
• Long-term marketing investment. SEO-wise, blogging is one of the finest ways to grow your organic reach. If you have evergreen content, and people love them, you will appear on search engines not just in a year, but for years.
• Give the customers their voice. In the comments section, you have an open wall. In it, you can get to know your customers better - what they like about your tour, what they're expecting, and at which points they need better services.

Blogging is seriously healthy for SEO

We will get this straight. Having a blog is extremely beneficial for search engine optimization (SEO).

The more you write about your expertise, the more Google (and search engines) perceive you as an authority. But of course, this all comes with high-quality, authentic, and relevant content.

Word of caution in content marketing

Be careful, though, AI is used quite a bit nowadays for content. Plainly, for the sake of content. This may have worked before, but Google is constantly updating its algorithm and favors more human content- helpful, genuine, and relevant.

This is why we have connected the fact of how blogging started. Its main purpose is to build relationships through personal experiences, expertise, and advice. However, with the increase in competition online, many turn to AI and fail to produce real content.

On a side note, we are not against AI or any tool. AI has saved us tons of time. But, when solely used for building connections, it fails. Simply because it is no human.

Why not combine AI with human intelligence? Better results with real connections.

Healthy SEO = More website traffic

This is serious! HubSpot report says that companies that blog produce 67% more leads per month than those that don't. Since 2020, attractions have sold half of their tickets directly from their own websites. That is 7% growth since 2019, with only a year gap. In the same report by PhocusWire, 2 out of 5 bookings are sold directly in tours and activities.

A lot. Isn't it?

The best part? The better your SEO health is, the more traffic you get to your website. This means better exposure for potential customers which hopefully leads to more sales!

Takeaway: Own travel booking website + Travel blogs + SEO = More Exposure, More Conversions

Do blogging the right way

Given that blogging is extremely beneficial for tour companies, is mere blogging enough?

The direct answer is NO. So how do you do it the right way?

• Take website design seriously. Invest in a well-designed website, optimized for seamless user experiences. Reserve serious funds for web designers and developers' expertise. As an online storefront, your website deserves its best aesthetics. It is your customers' first impression, make it last!
• Be human in writing your content. Your goal is to build relationships and trust. Don't let a robot do it solely for you. Share behind-the-scenes business with your tour guides. Write about how you design your tours. Tell the world how your tours stand out by your expertise. Be passionate, people can feel it.
• Be helpful, address their concerns. Assume questions people usually ask when booking and during tours. Write about them and be as helpful as possible. When people comment, make sure to respond promptly.
• Place the 'Book Now' buttons strategically. Simplify guests' booking experience by placing call-to-action texts and buttons conveniently around your site. If possible, let them see what they want in no more than 3 clicks.
• Master local SEO. 1.5 billion users search for 'near-me' queries every month. Imagine that vast market! These people are determined to take action since they're near you. They're different from those who only window-shop online; they are searching for a reason, for a transaction.
• Know how SEO works. For your blog to be visible, optimize it for the top results. To do this, do keyword research, optimize alt-image attributes, do competition analysis, and create a blog distribution strategy. You may start with newsletter campaigns, social media sites, or guest posting.
• Do TikTok, Use hashtags wisely. With more than a billion active monthly users, you can never go wrong with TikTok. Hashtags like #tiktoktravel have 46 billion views, #travelgoals with 1.3 billion views, and #travelbucketlist with 9.5 billion views. Here's an idea: why not share a quick video of your tour and direct it to your blog or booking website? Or what if every time you create content, you take a quick scene of your tours or guests and direct it to your recent blog post? There's a lot you can do, your imagination is the limit.
• Only publish quality content. Have someone expert to edit and proofread your blog post. Well-written blog posts matter. Correctness is next to trust.

Take these as examples

Our team has curated a list of travel businesses that rightly do blogging. Let's see what can we learn from their blog content marketing strategy.

Adventure Aquarium's Blog

What we like:

• Strategic marketing of products and services. Since they published this during the holiday season, the idea of giving off 'gift ideas' is pretty smart. What's smarter is that most of what they're promoting are their own products and services- animal adoption, aquarium membership, and merchandise items.
• Easy website navigation. When you visit their website, it's easy to go through tickets and bookings, a list of attractions, and the CTA button- membership offer. This is a plus in user experience!
• Builds customer connections. The aquarium company offers newsletter subscriptions. By doing so, every time they publish new content or post a new update and promotions for their tours, they update their members right away. Smart!

Nashville Zoo's Blog

What we like:

• Strategic off-season marketing. Winter is a zoo's off-peak season. But what Nashville did is they highlighted that if they visit during the cold weather, they can have 'long quiet walks' with an exceptional zoo experience with animals who are more active during cold seasons.
• Being helpful. They specified that if a guest is hoping to see a particular animal during their visit, they may contact the zoo in advance.

What this blog can improve more on:

• Improvement in website design. Maybe making the website more aesthetically pleasing and exciting can make a difference. Since it is about zoos, guests think of adventure, thrills, and experiences. So perhaps colors that speak to these emotions can better capture interest.
• CTA buttons are missing. Although this is a blog page, a subtle and modest 'Book Now' button/s can do. This way, readers can easily navigate through bookings.

City Sightseeing's Blog

What we like:

• The topic itself is helpful. Who hates travel anyway? The keywords "save money" can hook a reader in a glimpse. Lesson? Write topics that interest guests- "Saving tips", "travel tips", and "cheapest to travel". Could it be a promo you are running or a new tour feature, choose the right words that attract.
• Easy navigation with a table of contents. Online readers skim, and not read. This is why this feature is best for SEO too! This way, a site visitor can easily go through the topic that piques his interest best without scrolling through the whole page.
• CTA buttons. Links directing to newsletter subscription, social media channels, and membership area - they're all visible right beside the blog page.

What this blog can improve more on:

• Use original and not stock photos. Since you are a travel company, make use of your tour pictures and use them. But of course, it is best to have professionally taken photos with high resolution. Avoid using stock photos if you can.

Takeaways

• There is no hard rule in writing blogs. But still, be mindful of SEO.
• Be helpful when writing. Address what your customers need. Publish at the right time. Be there for them.
• Invest in user experience. Take the expertise of web designers. They can help you simplify your guest's experience online.

Conclusion

So what did we learn? Businesses, especially tour and activity businesses, can seriously consider having a blog if they still don't have one; and to further improve if they've already have one.

The reasons are plainly simple:

• Blogs help you connect and build relationships with customers. The more they trust you, the more they'll choose you over competitors.
• 62% less expensive with long-term results, when done right.
• To do it right, be helpful, don't fully trust AI, and be human.

Hope you learned something. Happy blogging!