Swimming with dolphins: how to use inbound marketing to attract tourists
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2024 8:16 am
Swimming with dolphins has become a dream for many people today. It is one of the most important tourist activities in Mexico, among other countries.
This means that competition between the companies behind these attractions is really fierce, and positioning yourself digitally is quite a challenge. Swimming with dolphins in Playa del Carmen (in Punta Maroma), for example, yields more than 180,000 results on Google.
How to stand out among the many options? Perhaps an Inbound Marketing strategy can work. That is what we will discuss in this article.
Swimming with dolphins, case study: Dolphin Discovery
Dolphin Discovery is a company dedicated to providing unique and exciting experiences of swimming with dolphins in different tourist destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean and other places around the world. In addition to swimming with dolphins, they also offer activities in Playa del Carmen , as well as other adventures in the water and in nature, such as snorkeling, boat rides, whale watching and visits to aquatic theme parks.
The company has been recognized for its commitment to the conservation and protection of dolphins and their natural habitat, as well as for its work in educating the public about the importance of marine biodiversity.
The challenge: increasing visibility and positioning
Amidst fierce competition to attract tourists, the company faces the challenge of increasing brand visibility and improving the positioning of its website in search engines. This is where an Inbound Marketing strategy can help achieve this.
Looking a little more closely, these could be the objectives to be set in this strategy:
Increase brand visibility and recognition : One of the main objectives of the Inbound Marketing strategy is to make the Dolphin Discovery brand known to a wider audience and thus increase its recognition in the international market.
Generate web traffic : A central aspect of the goal is to attract more visits to the company's website. This can be achieved through the creation of relevant and useful content for users and SEO optimization to position the site in search results.
Converting visitors into leads : In this case, what we call “leads” in the methodology are tourists or travelers. The Inbound Marketing strategy seeks to transform website visitors into leads, that is, people who are interested in the company’s dolphin swimming services and who provide their contact information to receive additional information.
Retaining existing customers : Another important goal within an ideal Inbound strategy is to maintain constant communication with customers who have enjoyed Dolphin Discovery's experiences and to retain them through email marketing campaigns, promotions and special discounts for future visits. Who wouldn't like a rewarding experience at a good price?
Increase reservations for swimming with dolphins : Finally, the Inbound Marketing strategy seeks to increase reservations for the tourist attraction and improve the profitability of the business through an increase in sales. This can be achieved through the implementation of effective digital marketing actions that manage to attract - and enamor - more clients interested in swimming with dolphins and turn them into loyal customers of the brand. It is at this point that digital advertising actions, offers and promotions for swimming with dolphins in Playa del Carmen can be effective.
Inbound strategy actions
Although a digital marketing strategy is not a recipe, and always depends on factors such as the buyer persona, market research and brand characteristics, there are actions and elements that should not be missing. These can be:
Define the ideal client or Buyer Persona:
The first thing is to understand our ideal client. That is, those people who would be interested in swimming with dolphins or acquiring said service. To do this, we can make a list of the characteristics of our ideal client, such as their age, gender, interests, income, among others. If you want to know more about how to make a buyer persona, visit this link .
Create engaging content:
Once we know our ideal client, we must create content that they find interesting and valuable. This element is crucial and is perhaps where the greatest amount of effort is concentrated in an inbound strategy. For example, we could create educational content on a blog about dolphins and their habitat, tips for swimming with dolphins, testimonials from people who have experienced it before, among others. This is where creativity has all the possibilities to connect with our ideal client, from the emotions linked to swimming with dolphins. Attracting or enchanting is the key.
Using social media:
Social media is a fundamental tool in an Inbound gambling data indonesia Marketing strategy. We can create profiles on social media that are relevant to our business and share the content we have created. For our Dolphin Discovery example, it seems that the best social channels could naturally be TikTok and Instagram, due to the potential of Reels and the video format.
But keep in mind that before you start being on all the social networks, it is ideal to investigate which of them your potential tourists or travelers are actually on. And with that in mind, you can begin to create a community around aquatic activities, dolphins and similar interests. We can also interact with users through social networks to answer questions or comments that have to do with everything related to the activities.
Create an email list:
Believe it or not, millions of people still check their email inboxes every day. So it is one of the most important channels within an Inbound strategy. It is important to have an email list of people who are interested in our business. We can offer a free download, such as an eBook about dolphins, in exchange for their email. There are many other ideas that can be developed in a similar way. Such as receiving discounts on future trips or for referring other people.
Using online advertising:
It is also possible—and even necessary—to use online advertising to reach people who are interested in swimming with dolphins. While it is true that millions of people use social media every day to connect with friends and family, it is also true that the so-called organic reach on these platforms has been reduced to zero. This means that the platforms want us to invest in paid advertising, in order to have a reach with our messages. To amplify our reach to new potential customers, we can create ads on Google Ads (targeted to searches) or on the main social networks where our buyer persona is located.
Create a unique experience:
The experience of swimming with dolphins is unique and we need to make sure our customers have a memorable one. From a marketing point of view, we can offer extras, such as photos with the dolphins or a guided tour of the habitat, to make the experience even more special. This point is particularly important to create loyalty from an emotional and genuine perspective.
Tracking and loyalty:
Once customers have swum with the dolphins, it is important to keep in touch with them and build loyalty. In the inbound methodology, we call this: delighting the customer. To achieve this, we can send follow-up emails, ask for comments and opinions, and offer special discounts for a future visit. The key is to delight customers with our content, promotions, and service, so that they in turn help us attract other people thanks to a simple but powerful characteristic that we humans have: word of mouth.
Word of mouth is the basis for recommendations. Many customers visit destinations or tourist attractions simply because of a recommendation from a friend or family member. This is where the Inbound Marketing cycle is complete, when people help us attract new potential customers to our business. Delighting is an action that all tourism companies should do to the maximum, every day.
Now it's your turn.
It is important to note that for an Inbound Marketing strategy to be successful it must be recurring and long-term. If implemented correctly, it will bear fruit in the medium term and even for a long time, whether or not you are actively promoting it.
By using digital marketing tools, it will be possible to increase brand visibility and recognition, attract web traffic, convert visitors into leads, retain existing customers and—in our example—increase bookings for swimming with dolphins, with the consequent impact on sales.
To achieve these objectives, the strategy must focus on creating relevant and useful content for users, SEO optimization, implementing email marketing campaigns, using social media, and creating special promotions and discounts to attract and retain customers.
Furthermore, the strategy should also take into account the importance of conserving and protecting dolphins and their natural habitat, and focusing on educating the public about the importance of marine biodiversity.
In short, the Inbound Marketing strategy seeks to offer a complete and quality experience for customers interested in the dolphin swimming service, while promoting the conservation and protection of these beautiful marine animals.
This means that competition between the companies behind these attractions is really fierce, and positioning yourself digitally is quite a challenge. Swimming with dolphins in Playa del Carmen (in Punta Maroma), for example, yields more than 180,000 results on Google.
How to stand out among the many options? Perhaps an Inbound Marketing strategy can work. That is what we will discuss in this article.
Swimming with dolphins, case study: Dolphin Discovery
Dolphin Discovery is a company dedicated to providing unique and exciting experiences of swimming with dolphins in different tourist destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean and other places around the world. In addition to swimming with dolphins, they also offer activities in Playa del Carmen , as well as other adventures in the water and in nature, such as snorkeling, boat rides, whale watching and visits to aquatic theme parks.
The company has been recognized for its commitment to the conservation and protection of dolphins and their natural habitat, as well as for its work in educating the public about the importance of marine biodiversity.
The challenge: increasing visibility and positioning
Amidst fierce competition to attract tourists, the company faces the challenge of increasing brand visibility and improving the positioning of its website in search engines. This is where an Inbound Marketing strategy can help achieve this.
Looking a little more closely, these could be the objectives to be set in this strategy:
Increase brand visibility and recognition : One of the main objectives of the Inbound Marketing strategy is to make the Dolphin Discovery brand known to a wider audience and thus increase its recognition in the international market.
Generate web traffic : A central aspect of the goal is to attract more visits to the company's website. This can be achieved through the creation of relevant and useful content for users and SEO optimization to position the site in search results.
Converting visitors into leads : In this case, what we call “leads” in the methodology are tourists or travelers. The Inbound Marketing strategy seeks to transform website visitors into leads, that is, people who are interested in the company’s dolphin swimming services and who provide their contact information to receive additional information.
Retaining existing customers : Another important goal within an ideal Inbound strategy is to maintain constant communication with customers who have enjoyed Dolphin Discovery's experiences and to retain them through email marketing campaigns, promotions and special discounts for future visits. Who wouldn't like a rewarding experience at a good price?
Increase reservations for swimming with dolphins : Finally, the Inbound Marketing strategy seeks to increase reservations for the tourist attraction and improve the profitability of the business through an increase in sales. This can be achieved through the implementation of effective digital marketing actions that manage to attract - and enamor - more clients interested in swimming with dolphins and turn them into loyal customers of the brand. It is at this point that digital advertising actions, offers and promotions for swimming with dolphins in Playa del Carmen can be effective.
Inbound strategy actions
Although a digital marketing strategy is not a recipe, and always depends on factors such as the buyer persona, market research and brand characteristics, there are actions and elements that should not be missing. These can be:
Define the ideal client or Buyer Persona:
The first thing is to understand our ideal client. That is, those people who would be interested in swimming with dolphins or acquiring said service. To do this, we can make a list of the characteristics of our ideal client, such as their age, gender, interests, income, among others. If you want to know more about how to make a buyer persona, visit this link .
Create engaging content:
Once we know our ideal client, we must create content that they find interesting and valuable. This element is crucial and is perhaps where the greatest amount of effort is concentrated in an inbound strategy. For example, we could create educational content on a blog about dolphins and their habitat, tips for swimming with dolphins, testimonials from people who have experienced it before, among others. This is where creativity has all the possibilities to connect with our ideal client, from the emotions linked to swimming with dolphins. Attracting or enchanting is the key.
Using social media:
Social media is a fundamental tool in an Inbound gambling data indonesia Marketing strategy. We can create profiles on social media that are relevant to our business and share the content we have created. For our Dolphin Discovery example, it seems that the best social channels could naturally be TikTok and Instagram, due to the potential of Reels and the video format.
But keep in mind that before you start being on all the social networks, it is ideal to investigate which of them your potential tourists or travelers are actually on. And with that in mind, you can begin to create a community around aquatic activities, dolphins and similar interests. We can also interact with users through social networks to answer questions or comments that have to do with everything related to the activities.
Create an email list:
Believe it or not, millions of people still check their email inboxes every day. So it is one of the most important channels within an Inbound strategy. It is important to have an email list of people who are interested in our business. We can offer a free download, such as an eBook about dolphins, in exchange for their email. There are many other ideas that can be developed in a similar way. Such as receiving discounts on future trips or for referring other people.
Using online advertising:
It is also possible—and even necessary—to use online advertising to reach people who are interested in swimming with dolphins. While it is true that millions of people use social media every day to connect with friends and family, it is also true that the so-called organic reach on these platforms has been reduced to zero. This means that the platforms want us to invest in paid advertising, in order to have a reach with our messages. To amplify our reach to new potential customers, we can create ads on Google Ads (targeted to searches) or on the main social networks where our buyer persona is located.
Create a unique experience:
The experience of swimming with dolphins is unique and we need to make sure our customers have a memorable one. From a marketing point of view, we can offer extras, such as photos with the dolphins or a guided tour of the habitat, to make the experience even more special. This point is particularly important to create loyalty from an emotional and genuine perspective.
Tracking and loyalty:
Once customers have swum with the dolphins, it is important to keep in touch with them and build loyalty. In the inbound methodology, we call this: delighting the customer. To achieve this, we can send follow-up emails, ask for comments and opinions, and offer special discounts for a future visit. The key is to delight customers with our content, promotions, and service, so that they in turn help us attract other people thanks to a simple but powerful characteristic that we humans have: word of mouth.
Word of mouth is the basis for recommendations. Many customers visit destinations or tourist attractions simply because of a recommendation from a friend or family member. This is where the Inbound Marketing cycle is complete, when people help us attract new potential customers to our business. Delighting is an action that all tourism companies should do to the maximum, every day.
Now it's your turn.
It is important to note that for an Inbound Marketing strategy to be successful it must be recurring and long-term. If implemented correctly, it will bear fruit in the medium term and even for a long time, whether or not you are actively promoting it.
By using digital marketing tools, it will be possible to increase brand visibility and recognition, attract web traffic, convert visitors into leads, retain existing customers and—in our example—increase bookings for swimming with dolphins, with the consequent impact on sales.
To achieve these objectives, the strategy must focus on creating relevant and useful content for users, SEO optimization, implementing email marketing campaigns, using social media, and creating special promotions and discounts to attract and retain customers.
Furthermore, the strategy should also take into account the importance of conserving and protecting dolphins and their natural habitat, and focusing on educating the public about the importance of marine biodiversity.
In short, the Inbound Marketing strategy seeks to offer a complete and quality experience for customers interested in the dolphin swimming service, while promoting the conservation and protection of these beautiful marine animals.