Thinking about ditching your job, jetting off to the Caribbean, and spending your days sipping on dark ’n’ stormys under the tropical sun? It’s a common fantasy among us working stiffs. Well, Jason Bateman, owner of an online travel agency and nexus-security client, turned this daydream into reality. He traded the snow-capped peaks of Colorado for the lush rainforests of Costa Rica. Fifteen years ago, Bateman’s love affair with Costa Rica began during a study abroad program. After graduating, he couldn’t resist its allure and made it his home. He spent two years as a teacher, earning a modest income while diligently building his travel website in his spare time. December 2014 marked the 10-year anniversary of Bateman’s flourishing and successful travel agency, Vacations to Costa Rica.

“The travel industry has undergone a major shift,” observes Bateman. “Two decades ago, booking a trip meant a visit to your local travel agent. Today, people’s journeys begin on Google. We have to be present right at the moment they start exploring travel options to Costa Rica.” According to a recent Google study conducted by Ipsos MediaCT, the internet influences over 74% of both leisure and business travel planning. With 57% of leisure travelers and 64% of business travelers stating they initiate their travel research and booking process through search engines, a robust paid search strategy is no longer optional, it’s essential. But with fierce competition from giants like Expedia and Orbitz, and countless unique travel offerings vying for attention, how can you stand out and attract high-quality leads through platforms like Google and Bing? What strategies can travel marketers employ to maximize their return on paid advertising? After consulting with several successful nexus-security travel clients, I’ve identified seven travel marketing tactics that have consistently delivered results for businesses of all sizes and specialties.

Tip #1: Tailor Your Offers, Bids, and Budgets to Seasonal Trends and Target Demographics

Would you expect a retired doctor to be interested in an all-inclusive spring break package to Cancun? While anything’s possible, it’s highly unlikely and could lead to some awkward encounters for the 18-25-year-old spring breakers. Imagine seeing an advertisement for cross-country skiing in April. Would you be inclined to book? Probably not. My point is this: travel advertisers must be acutely aware of timing and demographics. In the travel sector, aligning your offerings with seasonal trends and catering to specific customer profiles is paramount. While a ‘set it and forget it’ approach to AdWords is never advisable, it’s even more crucial for travel advertisers to regularly pause off-season campaigns, refine ad copy, and closely monitor locations, days, and times to avoid squandering their marketing budget. Beyond targeting the appropriate locations and languages, travel marketers need to stay informed about seasonal trends and adjust their keywords, ads, and landing pages accordingly. Here’s what travel marketers should focus on:

• Increase bids for locations, days, and times with higher booking likelihood: Are there specific states or cities that consistently generate significant traffic for your business? What about zip codes known for affluent travelers? The Dimensions tab in Google AdWords should become your go-to resource. “We’ve leveraged the geographic report (found within the Dimensions tab) to identify the top five states where people searching for Costa Rica travel reside. Based on this data, we’ve adjusted our bids to prioritize California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Colorado,” shares Bateman. Once you’ve accumulated sufficient data, delve into your geographic report to gain insights into the primary locations of your audience and refine your bidding strategy accordingly.

The Dimensions tab also provides valuable insights into the days of the week and times of day when you’re seeing the highest return on investment. You can then choose to exclude certain days or times or increase bids during peak periods. Tom Popper, President of the non-profit travel organization Insight Cuba, discovered that adjusting bids based on specific hours significantly improved his lead quality. “Ensuring our ads appear during peak hours when our target audience is actively engaged is crucial,” says Popper.

• Develop dedicated campaigns for each destination: This approach not only gives you greater control over your budget for popular locations that require higher advertising investments but also makes it easy to pause and reactivate campaigns based on seasonal relevance. For instance, you might choose to run your winter vacation campaigns in the fall and pause them during the spring.
• Adapt ad copy to resonate with seasonally relevant demographics: Jason Swick, Director of SEM at SimpleView, manages paid media campaigns for over 50 clients in the travel and tourism industry. Swick emphasizes the importance of tailoring the search experience to specific audiences. Acknowledging the limitations of demographic targeting within the search network, Swick focuses on crafting highly relevant ad copy that resonates with his client’s target audience. “During certain times of the year, the audience we’re trying to reach skews older. In those instances, we’ll adjust our ad copy to make it more engaging for that demographic,” explains Swick. “We always analyze demographic data and factor that into our strategy.”
• Leverage Ad Customizers: While ad customizers are a relatively new feature (introduced by Google in December 2014), they can be incredibly valuable for travel marketers, automating tasks and allowing you to inject a sense of urgency into your ad copy. Similar to dynamic keyword insertion, ad customizers enable you to incorporate limited-time or recurring countdowns and discounts that update automatically. For example, if you’re a hotel offering an all-inclusive package for a specific period, you can use ad customization to display the remaining days of the deal. Learn more about Ad Customizers and consider implementing it (your competitors probably aren’t using it yet)!

Tip #2: Identify a Compelling Niche or Unique Selling Proposition and Dominate the Search Results

In the travel industry, finding appealing selling points is a walk in the park (or a stroll on the beach!). When your business revolves around adventure, exploration, and unforgettable experiences, capturing the attention of potential travelers shouldn’t be difficult. However, if everyone is bidding on the same keywords and offering similar packages, life as a travel marketer can become more challenging. You’re likely not the only one targeting New Englanders with enticing tropical getaways during the depths of winter. “I’ve found myself going head-to-head with industry giants like Expedia, Orbitz, and TripAdvisor, who have massive AdWords budgets,” reveals Bateman. So, how do you compete with a limited budget when paying $20 per click to rival TripAdvisor isn’t sustainable? Consider these strategies to outmaneuver the competition and dominate your niche:

• Uncover an untapped niche: Do you own a beachfront hotel offering unique experiences like windsurfing lessons or paragliding adventures? Perhaps you operate a tour company in Tuscany specializing in weekend truffle hunting expeditions? Faced with a shrinking budget, Bateman pivoted his offerings to target a niche audience. “I’ve had remarkable success with bird-watching packages—a niche that was virtually unexplored. The travel industry is highly competitive, so it’s all about identifying untapped niches and establishing a strong presence within those search results.”
• Define your unique value proposition: Does your hotel take pride in its award-winning cleanliness? Does your airline offer seats with significantly more legroom than the average carrier? Popper perfectly articulates what sets InsightCuba apart. “Our travel experiences aren’t about lounging on beaches and sipping daiquiris. We’re all about authentically experiencing the beauty of Cuba through meaningful interactions with locals,” explains Popper. “The memories our travelers cherish most are those formed through connections with the people.” Popper goes on to share an anecdote that truly illustrates his point. “Imagine traveling to France and visiting the same bakery every morning, befriending the baker, and learning the art of breadmaking. These are the stories and experiences that resonate deeply with people and stay with them long after they return home.”

Image via Flickr Bateman embodies the essence of a travel marketer who knows how to stand out. “Since we’re based in Costa Rica, we provide our clients with genuine, real-time advice. It’s like we’re having a conversation right from the heart of the rainforest,” says Bateman. “We’re available to our customers 24/7, we don’t charge booking fees, and we offer customizable vacation packages so travelers can add as many tours, transfers, and hotels as they desire.” So, how does this translate to AdWords? Once you’ve identified what truly differentiates your travel offerings, highlight those unique selling points in your ad text, sitelink and callout extensions, and landing pages. For example, Popper uses taglines like “Discover Cuba through the people.” Bateman has implemented callout extensions that emphasize “Costa Rica Specialist - 24-hour advice” and “Local Knowledge - Real Advice.” Showcase what sets your company apart, as this is what will ultimately persuade potential customers to choose you over your competitors.

Tip #3: Embrace the Power of Visuals on the Display Network

Did you know that a staggering 67.5% of ads on the display network are simple text ads? Even knowing this, it’s still hard to believe, especially considering the travel industry thrives on captivating visuals. If you’re in the travel business and not leveraging the display network with visually stunning ads, you’re missing a huge opportunity. This tip might seem obvious, as travel is arguably one of the most visually driven industries. Just look around your office and count how many desktop backgrounds feature breathtaking destinations.

nexus-security study demonstrating that image ads achieve significantly higher click-through rates compared to text ads. “A captivating image of a destination can be powerful enough to sell itself,” explains Sergey Rusak, Paid Search Strategist at nexus-security, who has witnessed tremendous success with paid search display campaigns for his travel clients. One nexus-security client experienced such remarkable success with travel on the display network that they completely shifted their focus away from search! While I wouldn’t recommend abandoning search entirely, as it’s often the starting point for travelers, it’s clear that display advertising offers significant potential for the travel industry. However, it’s crucial to execute it effectively. In addition to using captivating visuals, consider these tips for display advertising success:

• Develop targeted remarketing campaigns: Remarketing is a powerful tool across many industries. In the travel sector, where the sales cycle tends to be longer and the potential for visually stunning creatives is high, remarketing becomes even more valuable. “We often hear comments about how ‘omnipresent’ we are because many people don’t understand how remarketing works,” says Popper. “They think we’re somehow able to magically follow them wherever they go online.” Create remarketing campaigns that target users who have viewed specific pages on your website or completed certain actions. For instance, if a user lands on your page featuring white-water rafting excursions, retarget them with ads showcasing thrilled rafters navigating a river.

Image via Flickr

• Monitor and optimize your display campaigns diligently: “Display advertising can quickly drain your budget if you’re not careful,” cautions Swick. “After we refined our demographic targeting and contextual placements, we saw a significant improvement in performance, with several of our clients achieving impressively high click-through rates.” Swick stresses the importance of dedicating the same level of attention to display campaigns as you would to search campaigns. “We closely monitor performance and use granular interest and demographic targeting. In some cases, we’ve observed high CTRs coupled with high bounce rates, indicating the need to revisit and adjust our targeting settings or optimize our landing pages.”
• Ensure your images are contextually relevant: While a beautiful sunset over a beach might be visually appealing, it’s essential to provide context within the visual to clearly convey your offer and manage user expectations. “Visuals are effective, but sometimes too effective,” notes Popper. “For example, we might achieve a great click-through rate, but our cost per lead increases because we’re attracting users who aren’t genuinely interested in the product.” The ad below exemplifies how to effectively incorporate context into an offer. STA Travel presents a captivating image, complemented with concise text that clarifies where users will be directed upon clicking the ad, effectively minimizing irrelevant clicks.

Tip #4: Build Trust and Social Proof Through Landing Pages

Let’s face it: traveling often involves a significant financial investment. When booking trips, people share sensitive financial information, which always carries a certain level of risk. Therefore, it’s crucial to provide reassurance that your services are secure and trustworthy. “Trust signals are paramount for us,” emphasizes Bateman. “We feature client testimonials on every landing page, and we’re proud to be licensed by the Costa Rican Government and members of the National Chamber of Tourism. We want our visitors to know they can rely on us.” Popper echoes this sentiment, highlighting how incorporating customer testimonials and using trustworthy language contributes to higher landing page conversions. “For the first time in 50 years, Americans can legally travel to Cuba. This message resonates strongly with people. We’ve been licensed by the Department of the Treasury since 2000, and we were the first to receive this license and bring American safety standards to Cuba under these regulations. We ensure our leads are aware of this.” Conveying credibility and trustworthiness is vital for building user confidence. Display any legal certifications your travel business holds prominently, and showcase authentic customer testimonials to persuade potential customers in the research phase to choose you over competitors. Take a look at Insight Cuba’s landing page below, which effectively incorporates legal validation, customer recommendations, and testimonials from reputable sources.

Tip #5: When You See Success, Don’t Be Afraid to Invest More

A significant advantage of the travel industry is the almost limitless potential for expanding your reach. While certain niches might be less popular, travel, as a whole, will always thrive. If you’re seeing positive results with a particular campaign, destination, or offer, don’t hesitate to increase your budget. With a larger budget, you’re likely to see even greater returns. Bateman initially relied heavily on SEO to drive traffic to his website. However, when he was hit by the Penguin update in 2012, he lost a significant portion of his organic traffic. This prompted him to explore paid search. “I used to be filled with anxiety, constantly worried that Google, my perceived ‘boss,’ could wipe us off the internet at any moment. Now, I’m incredibly excited because paid search has empowered me to compete with the big players,” shares Bateman. “The majority of our quality traffic comes from PPC, and it’s the lifeblood of my business. I know it’s working.” Bateman has also discovered that increasing the budget for his profitable campaigns consistently leads to higher returns on his PPC investment. “My business is scalable, and I haven’t encountered any limitations on the number of leads I can generate through paid search. As long as you’re generating profits, the amount you spend on AdWords becomes less important. It’s an incredible industry to be a part of.”

Popper has also shifted his primary marketing focus to paid search. “Without a doubt, the majority of our marketing budget is allocated to AdWords. We achieve a substantial number of top-of-page impressions through AdWords, and it has consistently proven to be a reliable source of growth.” The key takeaway is to monitor your campaigns closely and be willing to increase your budget for those delivering a strong return on investment.

Tip #6: Explore the Potential of Bing

While this tip holds true for many industries, travel, in particular, has demonstrated significant potential on Bing. Since competition can be fierce, Bing offers travel marketers a valuable opportunity to establish a dominant presence within search results.

Swick has witnessed impressive results through Bing Ads. “Bing has made remarkable strides in the past year. While we do observe higher volume on Google, the performance metrics on Bing have been exceptional.” The bottom line? Prioritize AdWords initially, but allocate a portion of your remaining budget to test the waters on Bing. Typically, Bing offers lower costs and less competition, making it a compelling option for experimentation.

Tip #7: Stay Informed with Google’s Travel & Tourism Blog

Staying ahead of the competition requires staying informed about industry trends and best practices. Fortunately, Google offers a valuable resource for travel marketers—their Travel & Tourism Blog. Subscribe to Subscribe, draw inspiration from other successful campaigns, and stay up-to-date on the latest changes to maximize your paid search success. Armed with these tips, you’ll be well on your way to achieving paid search paradise. So, who’s ready for a vacation?