Experiential Marketing in tourism: translation at the heart of it all

Society is changing, consumption and tourism are evolving with it. Experiential marketing in tourism (and in many other sectors) is becoming essential. In this sector, experiences are offered, which we must convey as soon as the customer arrives.

The tourism sector has to adapt to new types of consumers, and experiential marketing offers us the tools to convince them. Of course, guests are international, so it is not enough to remain in our own national context or in our own language.

What is experiential marketing?

Experiential marketing is a type of marketing that focuses on the customer rather than the product: it focuses on the benefits to be gained from consuming (and before consuming), rather than on the qualities of what is being offered.

When defining experience marketing, we cannot forget that it connects with the customer on an emotional level: it offers them a link with the brand, expectations prior to purchase, which must be satisfied afterwards.

 

Experiential marketing: examples

To fully understand the concept, it is best to see it in action. Here are some examples of experiential marketing:

• Create a real event that interacts with the product or service and involves the potential consumer (as, for example, in this LG campaign, a brilliant example of experiential and sensory marketing).
• Actively engage the customer, such as when we run a competition on social media.
• Creating an effective communication that links the customer to the brand, some storytelling that makes the customer align with the values it conveys, can also be considered as a type of experiential marketing. Feelings are also experiences, and a good message can make them work.

 

How can this type of marketing be applied to tourism?

As we said, the tourism sector already sells experiences, so it may seem that experiential marketing has no place in this sector. Nothing could be further from the truth. One thing is the product you sell (yes, experiences) and another how you sell it (indeed, it can also be done through experiences).

In the tourism sector, the client has also changed. People are now looking for a different way of travelling, and experiential marketing is very useful to adapt to this fact.

The new traveller is no longer just looking for beautiful surroundings, relaxation or comfort. They are looking for a unique experience, and through a good story, we can convince them to experience it with us. Customer service begins before the customer is a customer, and these are some of the actions we can take:

• A good content marketing strategy. A blog that provides useful information to the customer is a good example of a simple and useful experiential marketing strategy.
• A coherent brand voice, with a convincing brand story. We can talk about our company in a simple way, or we can do it in a literary and precise way: through videos, testimonials, stories… from people who have already lived that experience, for example, or from those who make it possible.
• Interaction on social networks. A previous conversation is a real experience. Do you want to generate feelings and bonds with your customers? Then get them to interact with you: games, contests, live streams, influencer marketing etc. on social media are good experiential marketing ideas.

 

How do translation and experience marketing relate to each other?

It is obvious. The tourism sector is targeting an increasingly international audience, with more and more people interested in visiting us. International marketing therefore takes on special relevance. We cannot overlook the fact that all this change we are talking about is also taking place outside our borders.

Therefore, translating your brand story and your discourse becomes essential. Experiential marketing must be made international, and the most accessible way is the translation of the content providing added value (blog, social networks…).

International customers also want to feel part of your brand!

Your experiential marketing campaigns in tourism cannot remain in your own language. What’s more, they can’t even be in your own culture. What is touching in one country goes unnoticed in another, and usages that are common among teenagers in one place are more common among middle-aged people in another.

Partner with translation and/or internationalisation experts who know how to advise you on these issues!

 

Adapt your tourism marketing, inside and outside our borders.

Narrating the benefits of our service is no longer enough.

Now, it is time to make the customer feel that they are part of y our brand before they decide to choose it. We must make a difference through experience marketing! Even in a sector like tourism, where we have a tremendously wide range of international clients.

How can you do this? Simple, generate quality content and translate it by adapting it to the context.