Experience Driven Ad-Copy for Travel

Have you ever noticed that when you search for travel online everyone seems to be saying the same thing? It’s always, “SAVE X% when you book with us” or “Lowest Prices Guaranteed”, etc… This is the commonly used and accepted approach for pretty much all companies that use Google Ads in most industries, especially in travel. I call this the “Savings Mindset Approach”.

The problem with advertising with the “Savings Mindset Approach” is that you are competing on price against all of your competition. That may work for large chains and bargain brands, but for the vast majority of companies in travel (whether you are a hotel, cruise, resort and so-on) you’ll find that there is always going to be someone with an offer cheaper than yours. This leads to you spending money on bringing customers to your site, but not converting them.

But what if I told you there was a better way?

That better way is “Experience Driven Ad-copy”. The concept is similar to other industries that focus on “Features & Benefits”. However travel is much more experiential than most industries. When someone is considering where they want to go for their yearly vacation they have an image in their minds. A vision of their dream vacation. Your ad-copy should be a partial reflection of that vision. A small window that they can see their future selves in. Draw them to your website based on the experience they are looking for rather than on price.

The first step towards doing this starts before you even get in front of your computer. Sit down and really think about who you are and what makes you special. Why would someone choose to stay at your location? Do you have a historic hotel near a winery? Perhaps you are a resort with white sand beaches and waiters that bring local beers to your guests as they sun bathe on the beach. Or maybe you are a golf resort with one of the top 10 highest rated golf courses in the world? You need to identify what it is that makes your location unique compared to your competitors.

Next you have to think about who your ideal customer is. What language would appeal to them? Are they young adventure-minded people that will return to your hotel after a long day of mountain-biking? Are they recent retirees looking to treat themselves to the beautiful vacation they never made time for while they were working full time? Perhaps even something more exotic? Whatever the case, you need to know who you are speaking to when you are putting this ad-copy together.

Once you know what makes you special and who you can uniquely satisfy with your offering, you can start crafting your message. Will they enjoy “white sand beaches”? Then tell them. Will they relax after a long day of deep sea fishing? Let them know.

I’ve been personally working on Google Ads accounts in the travel space for the better part of the last 10 years and I have seen greater success by far with the “Experience Driven” approach to ad-copy. Combine this copy with a website that ties into your message and you will see your CPC’s (Cost-Per-Click) decrease as well as see a lift in conversions (bookings, purchases, etc…). Between the cost reduction and increase in conversion rate we have seen ROI improvements of over 25% in many cases.

Start testing “experience” driven ad-copy against your “savings mindset” ad-copy and you’ll likely be impressed with the results!

At Search Site Marketing, we specialize in working with travel related Google Ads Campaigns. Our team is comprised of individuals that have worked on travel industry brands both large and small. If you are interested in getting the most out of your Search Engine Marketing (Google Ads, Bing Ads, Yahoo Gemini), reach out to us today.

Either visit our website at www.searchsitemarketing.com or message me directly on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/seangough/).