When to Start your Summer Destination Ad Campaigns

Summer, for most, is the time to kick back and take a load off. Maybe jet-set to a far-off destination to rejuvenate and come back with a clean slate for the rest of the year’s happenings. If you’re in the travel industry, your business depends on these periods of rejuvenation and carefully planned getaways. But when is a good time to start planning for and budgeting for your summer destination ad campaign?

First, let us assure you that for the Travel and Leisure sector of the business world especially, their clients are much more mindful of online travel ads than any other form of marketing, according to a recent analysis conducted by MediaMind.

It seems that’s user engagement levels start to ascend in February, as users tire of the cold months and are searching for other places to travel in the next few months leading into summer. The other extremely heightened time of year for travel searches is in December. Whether people are planning their holiday getaways or their upcoming vacations, both of these periods boast increased click-through-rates and positive site behaviours.

Time your Message for your Audience

So, when is the best time to bring out the massive marketing plan for summer destinations? Assuming you’ve got a fairly consistent marketing plan year-round that reminds users of your brand and your top destinations, bringing out the bazookas for your summer campaign in May. Though you don’t want May to come along and find your team is still buried in the conceptualizing stages—you want May to be the month that all of your carefully and thoughtfully crafted digital assets come to life on user’s screens everywhere!

Overall, the most effective months throughout the year in which to promote your summer destination ad campaign are December, May, June, and July. But even though users are actively seeking out travel information, you still have to make your advertisements stand out from the myriads of other travel information they’re bound to come across.

One way to do that is to offer exclusive deals. Whether they’re available only from your company, or through your digital marketing ads, ensuring that the user feels as if they’re getting the best deal they can, and maybe even a little better than the usual deal, will help to get that user clicking through to your site and purchasing the deal.

Travelling can be a bit of a worry for some people. Often times, plans change, availabilities shift, or vacations suddenly become no-longer feasible. It is in anticipation of these times that users need to feel that though they are booking a deal, often months early, that there will still be an emphasis on customer loyalty and contingency plans.

Choosing where you want to go, who you want to go with, and when you want to be there is a major decision! One that, for lots of users, can span months at a time and undergo many changes. Often times, the best part of a summer destination ad campaign is the remarketing strategies that are utilized. Remarketing banner ads or other aspects of digital media can yield more click-throughs and higher returns when utilized alongside a campaign that is targeted at an appropriate audience.

According to travel industry research, nearly 70% of family vacation ideas are researched by women, who also account for 69% of the clicks on travel advertisement and links. Overall, travel-related searches are done by women 59% of the time.

When to Speak to your Audience

There are four crucial moments that your company needs to interact with the searching users, as identified by Google:

Dreaming – these are the users who are looking for inspiration of where to go and what to do while they’re there

Organizing – these users know where they want to go and are now considering smaller details such as accommodations, airlines, and timings.

Booking – these users are making their reservations at hotels, restaurants, and other vendors

Experiencing – these people have booked their trip, and are even part way through it and in need of good local restaurant and activity suggestions

Launching a summer destination ad campaign can take a lot of coordination, planning, and foresight. Properly executed and targeted, these campaigns have the potential to bring in high returns, especially when paired with an effective retargeting campaign.

We’ve helped a lot of businesses in the Hotel and Hospitality sector launch effective summer destination ad campaigns, as well as a myriad of other travel campaigns!