Technology has changed the world. From apps on your phone to software programs, it’s constantly changing and evolving. One area that has seen a lot of change is travel. With all of these changes come new ways for travelers to plan their trips. But still, marketers face hurdles in the promotion of travel apps.
Why are you struggling to get people on board with your travel app? It’s true that traveling is one of our biggest pleasures and everyone loves going places. But, in order for an application or service like this one to be successful, it needs customers with the right promotional strategy.
This post will be exploring what you can do to promote travel apps. We’ll cover some of the essential aspects, and if you have a great travel app idea but are not sure how to get it out there, this post is for you.
Table of Contents
Business Model
Let’s kick off the things by spying on the other travel apps on both app markets to determine the right and successful business models. We noticed some popular apps in the top positions on the Apple app store and Google Play Store.
Among those popular apps, Yelp and Airbnb were the most downloaded on the Apple App Store and also on the Google Play Store.
It also means that users prefer to use one particular app which offers them a comprehensive experience and meets all their needs. Though we will discuss them in detail later in this read.
On the other hand, we noticed that the users also appreciate traveling apps that focus on certain communities or user groups.
Among such apps, HappyCow was in the top position on both platforms. The app is great and looks after vegetarians and meets all of their needs even though the app is paid. Now, take a look at your mobile app. Does it provide a mixed adventure, or is it suitable for a particular community or group of travelers?
Best Way to Promote Travel Apps
Below we have compiled a comprehensive list of processes that you can use to promote your new travel app. Let’s discuss these processes in detail, and by the end, you will know the best way to promote your end.
Information
For app owners, information is their power. And for customers, it’s no different! Take advantage of this by gathering as much data about your users that you can get your hands on; be careful not to ask questions too soon in the process, but when there are occasions, save preferences and build up profiles step by step.
By doing so, you can provide the relevant and right content as per their specific needs. Your customers will be delighted when your app will help them to overcome certain and challenging situations such as flight delays, long lines at various spots, and so on, so forth.
For this purpose, we will advise you to utilize in-app messages and push notifications as they will significantly help you in achieving your targets.
The point is to ensure that your users save money and time while using your new travel apps. Try to make your app a perfect travel companion for users. Think and look at how TripAdvisor does that for its users.
Localization
In line with the previous section, localization has become a necessity in this modern era. Location-based services are much more preferred these days. Things have gone beyond maps and navigation apps when it comes to travel apps. You have to provide your users complete information and connect with them to the most exciting places in particular areas when they visit.
Your app must answer the questions like which is the best restaurant or a hotel room with excellent customer reviews? At the same time, you need to consider user choices.
Remember that most of us love to taste local food items and flavors, and they also love to feel like their home when they are away from home. Finding a perfect balance is the key to success here.
Apart from it, you can also think about collaborating with other relevant apps to provide your users an unforgettable experience. Personalization is key to ensuring that a user’s experience with your app will be enjoyable and fun. Consider adding features designed around their needs, such as an easy-to-navigate layout or frequent updates for new content.
HotelTonight is an ideal example in this case as it allows people to create traveling plans as per preferences and resources.
Socialization
The travel industry is all about sharing. Whether it’s thoughts on Instagram or Snapchat, travelers love nothing more than bragging about their journeys and showing off where they’ve been to others who are looking for a new adventure.
Use these social networks as an opportunity not only to get your app noticed but engage with potential customers in discussions by posting information that will entice them into the app. If you want to ensure your travel app’s success, ensure that the tone of voice in all communications is engaging.
If users find what they need for their next adventure from a single place and do not get lost among other sites on the internet or apps, it will be more accessible than ever before, and it will be great for your app’s promotion.
You can also use social media to tell the story of your app. You should encourage users to upload snippets from their expeditions and post them on your social channels. So you will not be just posting links but content that will engage people.
Fulfilling this request is important because there’s a chance more customers might see and react to these posts than the promotional material. You can’t afford to forget about YouTube or social media ads. You need an excellent strategy for capturing your users’ attention online and then making sure they stay with you in the future!
Be sure not only to create content around what people want; listen to users closely so that it’s tailored just right – no one wants another generic company advertisement either (even if those are still effective). This is the story behind the success of Airbnb if you remember.
Incentivization
When you create customer loyalty programs or offer some special bonuses, your app is more likely to get used repeatedly. When customers take long vacations, they will need the service just once a year, so don’t wait that long!
When creating promotional strategies for retaining users through retention-focused marketing campaigns such as offering extra incentives in exchange for frequent visits. It’s essential to focus on how often someone uses our product and consider what motivates him/her when using these types of travel apps.
With the increasing competition from other apps, it’s more important than ever that your travel app stands out. Do you know what people appreciate most in an excellent service? If they say the price is on top of their preferences, then show them some offers for city breaks and weekends away.
This allows you to get and retain users with high lifetime value, and this is what every app owner needs in the first place, isn’t it right?
Skyscanner is the perfect example as it assists people in finding the cheapest flights or hotels.
Abandoned Cart Engagement Campaigns
In comparison with the other types of apps, cart abandonment campaigns are more beneficial for travel apps, with a success rate of over 80%.
It’s always a challenge to get users back into your app. The best way is by making sure they have an engaging experience with it, and you can do this through effective user engagement campaigns.
You can send personalized push notifications that will get your users’ attention and prompt them to complete their booking within the prescribed window of engagement. To keep customers happy, the store offers discounts and other perks. The goal is to provide enough incentives and discounts to encourage them to use your app.
Post-Purchase Engagement Campaigns
It’s not easy to convert new users, but you’ve managed it! You should be proud of yourself. It takes time and effort for sure — keeps up the good work now so that they can continue coming back over the long term as well.
A customer is not a first-time user until they become your repeat client. To convert them, you need to engage in different ways than with the initial outreach and conversion techniques that will get people on board for their first purchase or signup process.
Suggest your user’s personalized travel destinations and send destination-specific info to them through your app, such as weather forecasts, packing lists, attractions, top dining places, etc. In short, improve their travel experience via your travel app, and it will give your app more downloads.
You can also use in-app notifications and emails to convey all the valuable information. Lastly, this also helps to build user loyalty and improves retention rate.
For inspiration, you can analyze Expedia that offers timely travel updates and notifications to its users.
Location-Specific Engagement Campaigns
Another way to promote your travel app is to raise your user engagement game. You can create rich media campaigns according to the user’s destination. Offer them relevant information about popular tourist attractions, restaurants, cultural festivals, and shopping venues.
For example, a person traveling to Madrid from New York, can highlight details about the best attractions like the Prado National Museum and the Semana Santa festivals.
Your travel app must give users enough details so that they can visualize themselves at these places. Once again, we will advise you to consider Expedia that provides users the opportunity to find and book location-specific interest within the app.
Reward-Based Engagement Campaigns
One of the best ways to get more downloads on your app is by giving away discounts and other incentives. Early-bird offers, purchase rewards programs like points for purchases, or longer-lasting perks such as freebies with certain in-app items can increase customer loyalty.
Again we recommend you to observe Expedia that gives its users reward points on every purchase and booking.
Feedback-Based Engagement Campaigns
Giving a voice to the customer is one of the best ways you can know what users want. The easiest way? Ask them.
It would be best to get feedback from your users about the quality of their experience by asking them to rate and review your travel app. You can do so through in-app notifications and emails once they’ve made three bookings or personalized push messages tailored to each guest’s needs.
You can take user feedback through various aspects such as their flight and travel details, hotel accommodations, etc. Furthermore, you can also ask them what they think about the entire booking process, the app’s interface, and ease of use.
As an example, we recommend observing how Virgin Atlantic sends an email to its users who are looking for cheap flights but leave the process without completing it. The app will ask for their feedback immediately by email.
When communicating with your users, the most important thing to do is make them feel like the brand cares for their needs. This can be done in many ways by providing a great experience and leaving positive comments on social media or reviews from past guests who have used your app before.
Final Thoughts
We can go on and on about traveling, especially about travel apps, but it is time to go back to the beginning. Remember that you should know how your travel app works and understand who will use it and what it delivers to an audience. This way, you can create a better marketing strategy for your application.
Hopefully, by following these promotional methods, you will be able to promote your travel app in the best, and soon it will be among the best travel apps.