The Importance of Video Advertising in the Travel & Tourism Industry

Video advertising has become an undeniable powerhouse in the realm of digital marketing, with the US investing a staggering $55.34 billion in 2021, a figure anticipated to soar to $78.5 billion by 2023. While various industries can reap the rewards of this dynamic medium, its impact on travel and tourism operators is especially noteworthy.

In this blog, we’ll explore the main benefits of investing in video advertising and share our top tips on how travel and tourism businesses can best leverage the power of video advertising on platforms like Meta Ads and YouTube.

Benefits of Video Advertising in the Travel and Tourism Industry

If you’re unsure whether you should invest in video advertising, here are some benefits:

• Improved Brand Awareness: By creating captivating videos that showcase your business’s destination, unique experiences, and exceptional services, travel and tourism operators can leave a lasting impression on viewers, fostering a memorable and emotional connection with their brand.
• Storytelling and Personalization: Video ads allow travel and tourism operators to tell compelling stories. By incorporating storytelling elements, businesses can drive viewers to action such increased bookings site visits.
• Measurable Performance and Insights: Meta and YouTube allow you to track the performance of your video ads, including views, clicks, and conversions. This data helps advertisers optimize their ad campaigns, allowing businesses to refine their targeting and messaging for better results overtime.
• Wider Audience Reach: Platforms like Meta and YouTube have massive user bases, making them ideal platforms for reaching a broad and diverse audience. Travel and tourism businesses can leverage the reach of these platforms to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviours, ensuring their ads reach audiences who are more likely to be interested in their offerings.

How to Leverage Video Ads to Drive Growth

If you’re a business in the travel and tourism industry that wants to run video ads on Meta or YouTube, here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Keep Videos Concise: Always remember that you only have 10 seconds to grab your customer’s attention if you want them to stick around. If you have a longer video, cut it into several smaller videos to make the whole experience more consumable. There is a significant attention drop-off between two and three minutes of viewing time, so every second counts.
• Tell Authentic and Relatable Stories: Video ads can be a great way to tell authentic and relatable stories, such as sharing real customer testimonials, personal experiences of travelers, or behind the scenes glimpses of how your team ensures amazing travel experiences for your customers. Authentic storytelling allows potential customers to envision themselves as part of the experience, increasing the likelihood of them taking action.
• Showcase Your Destination: Destination marketing is an essential part of any marketing strategy for travel and tourism operators, and video ads are a great way to promote both the beauty of and experiences available at your destination.
• Add a Clear Call to Action: Don’t forget to include a clear and compelling CTA that prompts viewers to take action. Whether it’s “Book Now” or “Learn More,” a strong CTA encourages potential customers to engage further with your brand.
• Leverage Targeting and A/B Testing: Take advantage of Meta and YouTube’s advanced targeting options to reach specific demographics and interests relevant to your business’s offerings. We also recommend conducting A/B testing with different ad formats, visuals, and CTAs to identify what resonates best with your audience and refine your video ad strategy accordingly.

Need help creating and managing video advertising campaigns? Foundery has extensive experience developing and managing video advertising campaigns that drive growth for travel and tour operators.