The best marketing actions in order of importance

I was recently asked, “If a small tourism business has a limited marketing budget and not very much time, what marketing activities are most worth doing, in order of importance?”

Here’s my answer in brief. I’ve ranked a list of marketing tools in order of importance/success, with the most important first.

1 - Good website - because it acts as a reference point for other marketing too, and can help to build trust and confidence in what you do. This needs to be combined with an updated Google Profile and good search engine optimisation (nothing technical - I can quickly teach you how to do it).

2 - Social media, especially facebook and instagram - because they can help to retain and remind existing visitors, and are a good way to attract new visitors. Facebook is particularly good for this.

3 - A strong mailing list, consistent mailings with good content - because you’ll always have control over your mailing list and it’s a good way to build loyalty and remind people to return.

4 - Some kind of talk trigger to encourage word of mouth recommendations - because you shouldn’t just hope for them, when you can increase the chances of them happening.

5 - Press releases and features (unpaid) media coverage - because they offer an external endorsement, attract new visitors and can even positively impact on your search engine rankings.

6 - Leaflets and posters to remind locals - because for some people tangible print still works, but it’s not worth spending a fortune on this and not essential for everyone.

7 - Paid advertising only when really carefully considered. Never advertise with an organisation you’ve never heard of. Research it really carefully.