Maximising Marketing Channels Workshop - Naomi Waite
it really is lovely to see you on such a crisp morning it's absolutely gorgeous and talking about marketing sure what could be better um as Julie said I'm n w and I have the privilege to be the director of marketing at tourism ni um I'm conscious today there's lots of different types of businesses represented there there's councils there's large businesses there's small businesses accommodation providers attractions experience providers um but I think whatever the size of your budget whatever the type and sector of your business the fundamental principles of marketing remain the same know your Market lean into their motivations and tailor your offer and I hope as we go through this morning you'll get a sense of how we try to do that in tourism Northern and our marketing both in campaigns and throughout the year and our always on activity and hopefully there's some tips that you can take away whatever the size of your budget your team Etc if you're just starting out or if you're well-honed marketing professionals to actually work through what does that mean for your business we'll be about today too of course um to chat over lunch as well so this morning um I'm going to give you an overview of the spring campaign um look at how you can ensure your media choices reach each of the segments that Julie took you through um some tips on what we find works on our channel so if you're sending content Etc through to us um you know what is likely to work really well and then just a summary of The Wider marketing opportunities within turism Northern Ireland so as Julie said our spring campaign is live at the minute across the is land and we're really quite excited about it as we have a whole new suite of fresh creative and some really new Innovative media formats to reach the active maximizers that Julie told you about and we need that because that really helps us create standout and the Republic of Ireland Market which has huge potential for us for growth we've seen terrific growth over the last few years um and what we are hoping to do is Showcase all of Northern Ireland but the great value for money that you can get right across and hopefully Inspire that interest Drive awareness for you to convert into sales and revenue and most importantly profit so um it's not that we don't want all and every visitors of course we do but you have to focus your efforts on who your best prospects for Success are it's very easy whatever the size of your marketing budget to Fritter it away turn around and it's gone and you can go what did I achieve so you really have to think about who are your best prospects we do that through our research and insights and we'll cover it again it there's a whole wealth of information on touris ani.com and I really would say it's time well spent I know you're all busy a lot of things to do but it is well worth taking some time out to read that through because there's really good guidance there um and that under ends the thinking behind all of our campaigns so our spring campaign has been running since the 20th of January and will run right through until the 31st of March to really kickart the season for 2025 and drive momentum Easter is on 20th of April this year so we really want to get a good push and drive awareness and bookings over that period And as to say we'll be focusing on those people who are most likely to take a short break in Northern Ireland over the next few months as I say it's not that we don't want everyone of course we do but these according to our research are our best prospects in Northern Ireland and the domestic Market therefore we'll be targeting our aspiring families from the 20th of January right through to the end of March and the social instagramers from the middle of February onwards and in the South we'll be focusing on those active maximizers who love to get out and a bite and squeeze a whole lot in as possible and the indulgent relaxers who actually want to do the opposite they want to unwind and treat themselves over the last few years in particular we've welcomed a huge number of visitors from the south they've never been before and we know from our research that they really enjoyed themselves from all of the great experiences that you provided them so not only do we want to attract more people from the South who haven't been up before but we also want to get those people back and experiencing more of Northern Ireland for one giant Venture after another of course the campaign is great it's huge we have across the island over 210 million opportunities to see hear and digital Impressions right across radio TV outdoor Press online PR but campaigns aren't the only show in time and I think it's really important to remember this from your own marketing perspective there are 52 weeks in every year 52 weeks of opportunity to drive Revenue profit and talkability so our always on channels are just as important as our campaigns we use a number of different formats so our always on digital content is our ongoing social media throughout the year both paid and organic I'm sure Emma is going to be telling you how to maximize all of that but PR as well High We integ at that and our influencer marketing too that's of course live during the campaign activity but also as well throughout the year we use Google search as well to make sure we're driving all of that additional traffic to discover Northern island.com for popular search queries and we keep an eye on those and I would suggest you do too what people are looking for because that really allows you to TA your content we know for example those aspiring families are increasingly looking for for free things to do so if you're an accommodation provider dial that up what there is free to do in your area if you're looking um to create offers Etc always reassure the value for money as well um we also support the search with lead generation data capture ads and Facebook and Instagram to email um increase our email subscribers and that is proving always incredibly successful so something we'll continue to do um PR and influencer activity are really important Arsenal because third party endorsement from people you know and trust and follow is worth so much it it has an increased value Beyond paid advertising so again not only do we do that through the campaigns but also throughout the year and as I say always on email marketing do not underestimate the power of your database but going back to the campaign first of all um looking at the Republic of Ireland Market um we have two million admart TV Impressions on both virgin media and Sky they're targeting our otive maximizers and again um we're looking at Peak spots in Virgin Media like love Island All Stars living with Lucy Anon de Saturday night takeway gives you a flavor they're really again targeting our media very closely so there's no wastage um so if you recall what the act maximizers like they like to get out and B squeeze Lots in one giant Venture after another so if you bear with me and hope the clicker Works um I'm going to take you through a couple of our campaigns e and because there's so much to show we have another as well so that that shows how we've I hope um not only reflected the beauty the outdoors the landscape of Northern Ireland the variety of things that you can do but for the active maximizers gives them reassurance there's lots they can squeeze in this of course um whilst it's the TV and I suppose the hero asset in any campaign is just the tip of a much wider much deeper campaign with many many different layers and opportunities to Showcase businesses right across the country um I talked about the importance of thirdparty endorsement we have two travel editorial segments um with the morning breakfast show on Virgin Media and Ireland am so again that gives us access to another 196 half thousand viewers daily and then the six o00 show with another 150,000 viewers so again really good opportunity to tell people about the wide variety of things there are to see and do and then of course TV you could be led into thinking well sure who watches TV I don't have surely active Max maximizers don't watch TV well they do and they use RTE player quite a lot to do so because they're out so busy during the day doing what they need to do and what they love to do but actually RT player RTE player is the most popular video on demand player in the South with 8 to 10 million streams a month so that shows you the reach that it has and almost half 47% of active maximizers view content in RTE player every week so it is a huge um efficient way of reaching this audience in particular so we've sponsored their top stream dama box set content for the month of February again 800,000 10 second stings positioned at the start of all box set content again directing them back to discover norn ireland.com and all of your listings Etc
there the active maximizers get out and about quite a bit too as um you may guess so out of home and Outdoor Advertising really showcases our landscapes in a way that no other format can do um but also it's a great way of reaching this audience and again we'll have a significant outdoor presence across the population Center of Greater Dublin that'll reach about 87,000 pairs of eyes but again you can see the content it's about excitement energy freshness the three biggest motivators for people on the island to take a short break in Northern Ireland are to relax unwind and have fun so I think our challenge is always to ask ourselves which of those are we leaning into in every single aspect of our marketing is it the fun element and the energy is it relaxation how to unwind disconnect and everything we say and do should be leaning into those otherwise what's the point you're not going to convince anyone in the South print and radio are still very strong media choices so we're lots of content showcasing Northern Ireland and the leading titles the Irish Times the independent and the Irish Daily maal and of course they also have strong online presence to in their website and we know in the south in particular we need to build up people's knowledge of what there is to see and do not just the the big attractions and the well-known honey pots and this longer form of content that you get in press allows us week by week to introduce them to another part of Northern Ireland and in the campaign to Kit we'll talk about you can see how the campaign moves right across um Northern Ireland and that lies them to get an idea of how they can plan their tinies and give them ideas and what they can see or do if not in their next trip the one after because we know the great thing about print is people hold on to it as well um we are also because it's the active maximizers as well um targeting um audio X the largest dig digital audio supplier in the ROI market so bigger than Spotify so just think about that um and again we've Live host streets on Today FM and News Talk podcast for that third party endorsement on our social uh and digital Facebook and Instagram by for outway any channels um with over 85 million combined Impressions and again Google Display Network and YouTube because video is so essential I'm sure Emma um will will be um reinforcing that so that's the Republic of Ireland Market um as say some nice New Media formats one thing coming on um shortly is we'll be looking at user generated content and influencer content but in the Northern Ireland domestic Market our aspiring families are the biggest segment and here's just a reminder of the TV ad if by some mystery you've been living on a rock and and haven't seen it yet few familiar spots I think right AC across Northern Ireland um the aspiring families are different from the act of maximizers in the SI the act of maximizers in the South half of them have children but they don't plan their short break around them they want something that everyone can do so it needs to work for everyone but it is more a mindset you know that sense of when you first have kids and you think nothing's going to change and your house is going to stay lovely and you're going to keep up all your routines and then reality hits well the active maximizers are still sort of in that bubble they still like to get out and about they'll bring the kids with them um but they still have that mindset of squeeze it all in and it's all about the experiences these spying families plan their break around their kids and they do like to plan and they like value for money as well so not necessarily cheap but good value but we do see with cost of living that this segment is impacted by that so again anything you can do that demonstrates how good value your offer is is really important again um multiformat outdoor campaigns that you can see there the likes of Grand Central lanon Station and again over 21 million combined Impressions on Facebook Instagram Google Display Network and YouTube um video content is key to some extent so again partnering with Belfast live and K FM their spring giant Adventures on radio now there some lovely fresh content there some of which you haven't seen because it's been um in the Scythe in particular but the good news is that um through our content pool you can download a lot of this for free um we've created some social templates as well so if you are not already registered for the content pool I suggest you do so and if you look up here if I can get this to work you see a little featured collections spit on it again if you log in you click in the featured selections you can see all the spring assets but it is a brilliant resource you can search for things across themes across counties Etc um so there's several thousand assets there that you can use to promote your business and your wider destination for free and also I suppose the important thing is to say that content pull is also shared with tourism Ireland so again if you have created some beautiful content send it through to us and if the rights are there we'll also share it with tourism iseland so not only do we use it potentially in our marketing activity but also Partners can use it including tourism iseland and their International promotion so um as I say that is hopefully a really beneficial tool that can save you a lot of money but more importantly allows you to tie in to The Wider campaign and get the hillo effects of it so um that is some of the content but looking at how do you reach and I don't want to go into the digital side of this too much because I know Emma's going to be focusing on this but I thought it would be worthwhile just looking around um the ROI Mar Market in in particular and how do we reach people because I'm conscious people have lots of different budgets again you know they prefer to watch TV on demand and catch up like K player and Virgin Media Player and sky video on demand um it's no surprise over 60% of them are on Facebook Instagram every week and they favor a combination of Youth bias stations so the likes of iRadio and spin FM as well as those digital audio platforms and as I say they're out and about so out of home is um great exposure um because these guys are out and about socially and at their work life and commutes as well so transport Hub City Center locations reach these guys they can be quite hard to reach you know effectively so if you have a smaller budget not to 5K again I'd focus on the social side of things first organic paid and um and owned and earned email and um PR as well a 10K budget again looking at some paid Facebook Instagram then adding on YouTube if you have access to 20,000 and you do not need it necessarily you know if you don't that's okay focus on these opportunities that we can give you but if you do have it again then you could think about radio digital audio and very often if you work with the radi radio stations they will do the production they will make the ads for you um and again owned and earned never lose sight of what you have already the open-minded explorers are the older segments so they will certainly be a focus of our Autumn campaign we can't forget about them they like TV like virgin media and 34s of them 70% watch RTE one every week um around a third live in Sky households so Sky add smart targeting it can be a very efficient way to reach these guys and 45% watch the RT player every week and 2third tune into their favorite radio stations every week so again maybe a radio competition price is the way to go for you and again anything from a classified ad to the Irish Times and the Irish independent in print um and online can work wonders for business so I'm not going to go through all of these not but we will be sharing these um and you can have a read through and have a think about you know what are the opportunities and I suppose the important takeout in this is and jie referred to the community it is when we all work together our content is so much more impactful and it creates a wonderful positive Snowball Effect in the marketplace um at this time of year um you can see the big travel companies the international tour operators are all out advertising promoting Brakes in the sun um businesses from the south so it really is important that we all work together to get the maximum cut through in the marketplace and get really noticed in a good way and use that momentum to drive business um so I would say download the tool kit on tourism.com because there's great ways there and tips as to how you can reflect the brand um and Assets in there to allow you to do so um another great source of information on tur ey.com is all of that wealth of research and insights to say we use it to plan our own campaigns um but there's everything there from information on who the segments are what they're looking for when when they plan to travel the sorts of breaks they're looking for and the longer term market trends so please please do have a look at it read through it um and I'm sure the research and insights team will be delighted to know that's um going to good use because it is a wealth of information our social media and our own channels um are also a valuable content platform for promotion of your businesses and you can see there you know we have roughly 300,000 combined followers ready willing and more than able um to promote every type of business uh across Northern Ireland's tourism industry so what makes good content timely relevant and adding value and I think again whatever size your business whatever size your budget those are always good questions to ask ourselves in our marketing activity you know is it current is it relevant to what people are looking for and does it add value in their life or will they just scroll by because it really needs to this um piece of content on the left and I'll only play an extractor will be here all day there's so many lovely videos I'll stop it there um but I can see a few toes taen so that's always a a good sign um that is one of our most successful pieces of content and Instagram as a really created to to promote the new arly train service from Dublin to Belfast um to dat that's had I think over 440,000 views um released three 3 days after the launch of the service when there was a lot of public dialogue surrounding the route so again think about what visitors want to know about your place think about the logistics and the Practical stuff they may not know because they don't know Northern Island as well as the inspiration as to why they would want to find out more so is your content timely is it relevant is there a topic that's already growing in popularity and you can provide your own take on it um can you respond quickly to Trends by creating content of your own and I suppose can you give that mix of inspiration and information that is really of genuine value to your target audience other things that we have found worked on on our channels again are so what we find is professional imagery and video content doesn't perform as well when we post it organically social media users by their very nature and the active maximizers are probably and the social Instagrams probably the most ruthless scrutineers of your content they want authentic content that showcases the genuine experience of location so we use a lot of user generated photography and video content for ours that's what performs well on our channels and again shotting a phone phone video content still needs to be good quality or again people won't pay attention but um doesn't need to be big budget cameras um and again trending signs have performed well anything that you can use to capture attention and again um text on screen what we've also find works very well is um to build our audiences who are engaged with a Content you need to allow people to interact with it so ask your questions host polls run contents create a contest create a two-way conversation that's why it's called social media and it's Unique as a channel in that way so again as your engagement grows your organic reach will grow and where it's possible tag other people or businesses to encourage that sharing work within your destination and your partners again organize collaboration posts to widen your reach together this all sounds great and principle it's just taking that moment to stop and think how can we maximize that and again whatever size your business it's always worthwhile stopping to think about that because it's one of those things you can get so caught up in your own content and your own marketing that you know it's really important to stop and think about that and again remember sometimes it's just the luck of the algorithm in terms of what works um what gains traction quickly um and the best thing you can do is just keep consistently posting that content that's value and interest to your audience that one was determined to get through um I've going to skip through some of these cuz I I'm conscious Emma is coming on too and um we have um quite a bit to get through we've worked in close partnership with a lot of stakeholders including the the councils to create a 12 Monon thematic content calendar and I suppose that gives you inspiration about the types of content we'll be publishing on our social media channels and website throughout the year so again you can download that calendar now and again think about how you could create content both on your own channels but to share with us so we use paid social and digital Facebook Instagram YouTube Google search and Google display and two-thirds of our digital and social budget this year went to Facebook and Instagram so again we'd recommend starting out with those um and again meta products so you can see seamlessly create run manage your ads again video and how we use that is something that where we see the highest level of AD engagement coming through and again this short video here reached um over 127,000 clicks so again huge opportunity e e content goes that's quite long but you can see from the numbers there that I got high levels of Engagement shot in a phone by one of our team in house so it doesn't take big budgets to be highly effective and you can see that point of view style that very natural authentic can work really well in showing people who don't know Northern Ireland what there is to offer but also help them navigate through um we use video assets obviously and prioritize that but we also use stat Carousel ads as well and again um I'm sure Emma's going to take you through how to maximize those so I'm not going to um spend a huge amount of time on that now um we have invested in Creative which Taps into those key themes and interests of our Target segments and again that these are just examples show how we Flex those across different formats as well um so typically Carousel format we find those work really well um on our channels and get high levels of Engagement so again um we find they give an opportunity to showcase not just one experience but different aspects of Northern Ireland and again you know remarketing really allows you to drive content that inspires enhances booking intentions and actually for people who have already shown an interest it can just push them over the line to convert um and again what we have found is highlighting those specific offers and value for money works really well and again you know this is from our Autumn campaign where we used Carousel ads to Showcase a range of offers and we saw really high levels of conversion um influencers also provide a really good level of authenticity love them or hate them their followers absolutely do and again that allows us to widen our reach or organically and they can be lower cost um in terms of production compared to some other more traditional marketing methods but the important point is that consumers and their followers trust their recommendations I'm not going to show all the content today I'd love to but I I'm conscious of time so I'm going to skip on through the highlights sa Anna skillin and again you know what's new in our latest campaign is we started using that influencer content and putting it into our paid ads so from the 20th of February onwards we're going to be targeting the social instagrammers Etc using influencer content on our Billboards on our outside Digital Light of home that's new for influencers right across the island um and it's new for us but we know it's going to appeal to the segment um so again I suppose the the thought is don't be afraid to test new ideas new formats and ways to reach you have to try these things and see but if you are doing that really really follow look at your research look at your insights anything you can find to see that you're placing your budget where it's going to have the Maximum Impact so I'm going to skip through all of this um on influencers because of time so email marketing build and grow your own database again um you know use incentives competitions to promote signups um we also run lead generation ads as well as part of our always on acquisition strategy and as say they are very um successful but also think about your segments don't broadcast to everyone talking about everything it'll just get scrolled past hit delete so again think about your audience how can you groups them align to the segments and again you know focus on quality over quantity people are busy they will value it and more likely to open it next time if there's something they find useful so think about the time of year what are people looking for and again use your insights to find what's working and do more of that um discover norn ireland.com is our consumer website and it gets about 3.8
million visits annually um and again you know if you want to be promoted by ni.com it really is the starting point of that journey and we host on our listings content outputs um events seasonal offers so it really is important to make sure your listings up to date um and again we'd recommend updating it twice a year um add event listings too if you're hosting events again we use this um as a starting point for our marketing channels we'd recommend n up to 9 photographs you're listing but thinking about that content as well you know people don't just want to see a bed they want to see it in context of where they will be staying as well and again in the description of your experience or your offer think about how you can lean into to what those audiences want to see what they need to know and again align with our segments if you can think about the practicalities they'll want to know about parking they'll want to know about transport support available any of those tips that's what they need and again the basics all the contact information and check Google search for frequently asked questions because it surprises you sometimes what people are looking for and it can be so easy to address so um just to summarize then discover norn ireland.com is I suppose the engine room that everything comes from so make sure that you have your your listings and your content up to date um use our content pull if you're not already registered do so for that because there's over 7,000 assets here that you can use um we're all bigger and stronger together under a breast of giant spur so please do download the toolkit and there is a spring marketing toolkit on tn.com which gives you some more detail on the campaign and the segments um always lean into the latest research and insight and again use the content calendar and feel free to get in touch with Victoria contact details are there for promotion on tourism an and PR so um that was a Whistle Stop T I'm conscious there was a lot there so um feel free um to have a chat at lunchtime thank you very much thank you [Applause]
2025-03-01 11:41
