How to Create Killer Video Content for Travel Industry (with Video Ideas)
Travelers watch videos before visiting a new place more than ever, increasing the importance of video marketing strategies for travel brands.
According to Think with Google, views of travel-related videos increased 41% in August and September 2018 compared to 2017. In all industries, we know that video is one of the most demanded content types, which makes YouTube the second biggest search engine, according to Alexa. So, it would be fair to say the numbers are much higher now.
Travel is not only a matter of planning but also of emotions, relationships, and passion. Travel video marketing combines these elements and encourages people to experience adventure, nature, and different cultures.
Travel Video Content Strategies
Video marketing strategies for travel brands provide access to massive audiences. Here, we open up some basic strategies to enhance your travel marketing videos for travel brands:
1. Attract audiences with compelling videos
2. Try influencer marketing
3. Create travelers’ compilations
4. Specific contents for particular traveler groups
5. Find a catchy headword
6. Utilize the power of storytelling
7. Increase social awareness
8. Educate people with your travel videos
9. Use a full-scale perspective
10. Find the perfect timing
11. Make travel accessible
12. Share authentic testimonies
1. Attract audiences with compelling videos
The tone of your videos can change the whole meaning of the content. Compelling travel marketing videos should include surprising and interesting features. You can use natural beauties, cultural festivals, sports activities, and artistic opportunities.
Let’s see a successful travel video example that opens with natural beauties to captivate the audience in spite of their short attention span. (With over 4.2 million views, it serves as a testament to our suggestion!)
2. Try influencer marketing
Social media influencers have significant weight in travel video marketing with a large audience. You can collaborate with celebrity influencers as well as local influencers in their marketing videos.
Collaboration with influencers may vary:
- You can ask them to share your business’ features and services,
- They can produce content about their travels: how they feel, what they experience, where they are most excited, and which features they are more impressed with and make a connection with your brand.
Always keep in mind that influencer marketing strengthens the travel brand’s connection with audiences and arouses curiosity about the brand!
3. Create travelers’ compilations
Video marketing is a powerful channel for people to share their personal experiences. You can create magnetic video content with the help of travelers’ videos, photos, and impressions. They will also be happy to share their own stories with a larger audience than their personal circle.
As a travel brand, you can start a social media campaign to invite people to share their live videos, Instagram stories, TikTok videos, and posts with your brand’s hashtags.
4. Specific contents for particular traveler groups
A killer video for me may not be so killer for you. Appreciate and accept the diversity in your audience (or address only one persona).
Different groups demand various peculiar features from a trip. Their expectations are not common, and their priorities vary. Hence, travel marketing videos targeting particular categories of travel customers are essential for travel brands. A video targeting families with kids will not attract solo backpackers. Personalized content in travel marketing videos catches audiences.
5. Find a catchy headword
It may be a hashtag, a slogan, or just a phrase to repeat in your travel marketing videos for the brands. So, you will create a branded experience with different videos. Then, when people see these headwords, they will know it’s your video.
For example, British Airlines is known for its slogan: “To fly. To serve”:
Do not forget to share your travel videos with your catchy slogans, and then travelers will be heartened to use them!
6. Utilize the power of storytelling
Storytelling is the rising star of the marketing world, and it just keeps shining. Travel is a sensational activity. People usually choose emotionally where and how to travel. For this reason, there must be authentic narratives in videos about the destination, the travel brand, or specific features of the brand.
Storytelling is the most impressive and notable way to create a video. These authentic stories attract travelers and draw attention to the brand and destination.
Let’s see an example of the use of storytelling to attract more people to travel:
In this advertisement, Qatar Airways targets a sense of longing to sell more tickets and bring more people together.
7. Increase social awareness
Social issues are significant for some travelers. They want to learn about the historical background of the place where they will travel. Therefore, if there are notable social issues about that destination, travel marketing videos should touch on them.
This will increase the awareness of the customers about the social situation of the destination and bring that issue into travelers’ agendas. Moreover, this strategy will show your sensitivity to social issues. In a world where consumers expect brands to be involved in social acts, that’s a great opportunity for your business in addition to being a responsibility.
8. Educate people with your travel videos
Realizing the expertise of the travel brand impresses customers. The helpful travel videos for content marketing about the location, the routes, the transportation, and essential cultural information guide travelers through their future plans.
This type of marketing video also builds trust between your audience and your brand. Customers will be clear and feel safe traveling with you after watching your sophisticated videos.
9. Use a full-scale perspective
Introducing a taste of the location and the activities they may attain there may help customers imagine what they will experience when they travel to that location. This arouses interest in the very nature of the location, including restaurants, museums, streets, and natural beauties. So, the potential travelers can experience the aura of the location beforehand.
To capture this sense, 360-degree videos and drone filming exhibit the whole landscape of a particular destination for customers. Videos taken with drones are rocking the travel video world nowadays. Also, check out the Applications of Virtual Reality in Tourism Marketing Strategy article for further reading.
10. Find the perfect timing
Sharing your video content in prime time is significant for travel brands to reach customers. The seasons for travel endure all the year, but you must promote particular periods earlier. You need to release some videos at the right time.
The summer vacation, the skiing season, the festival dates, and such plans require traveling in a limited period of time. These periods vary for the customers and the locations. Thus, finding out the exact timing for your customers is necessary before releasing your travel video content.
11. Make travel accessible
Most people want to travel the world, but they may see this idea as an unreachable dream. Travel video content highlighting the travelers who achieved this dream makes customers relate to these people.
Showing how traveling may be accessible for everyone and offering ways to reach that dream motivates customers and supports their bond with the travel brand.
12. Share authentic testimonies
The experiences of previous travelers influence target customers. Short interviews with these travelers, hearing their personal adventures, commendations about the travel brand, and feeling an emotional connection with them fascinate customers.
Plus, if this traveler is someone whom your target customers identify with, you will establish a more effective connection between your brand and customers.
How to Create Travel Videos
To create travel videos, we recommend starting by identifying your destination and researching the most interesting and unique attractions, activities, and landmarks to feature in your video.
For instance, you can consider the theme or message you want to convey, such as adventure, culture, or relaxation, and think about how you can showcase this through your footage. Also, brainstorming different shots and angles you can capture to make your video visually engaging and entertaining can pave the way to success.
Tone and style are also crucial in travel video marketing to ensure that you target your audience and that the content you generate resonates well.
By putting thought and effort into planning your travel video, you can definitely generate a content calendar full of gripping video ideas!
Let’s look at some video ideas to make your travel content more engaging and unique:
- Time-lapse Journeys: The shorter, the better for our attention spans!
- Cinematic Travel Montages: Capture the essence of your travel experiences in a condensed and artistic manner. (Who can say no to see a social media post in Wes Anderson’s style?)
- Adventure Travel: Showcase the adrenaline-pumping moments and share the excitement with your viewers, invite them to become your adventurous travel buddy!
- Food Exploration: Create videos that delve into the local cuisine of different destinations. Showcase unique dishes, street food, and traditional cooking methods.
The key to creativity is to think outside the box and find unique ways to showcase your travel experiences. Combine different video styles, experiment with editing techniques, and embrace your own creative vision to develop a solid digital marketing strategy for travel agencies, we believe that that’s what you are looking for!
Creative Travel Video Ideas
With countless stunning destinations and incredible experiences out there, the possibilities are endless. From jaw-dropping landscapes to immersing in local cultures and capturing adrenaline-pumping adventures, travel videos have the power to transport viewers to new horizons. Get ready to explore travel video ideas and examples that will fuel your imagination and travel video marketing strategy!
“The Most Perfect Country on the Planet | Switzerland” – Brett Conti
Opening with the pretentious idea highlighted in the title, “Switzerland is perfect”, this video of Brett Conti is an important example to look at. The use of natural beauty and mesmerizing landscapes, mood boosting background music choices, and tons of useful information about the country explain why it has gotten millions of views!
“12 Days all around TURKEY!” – Mark Harrison
Right from the beginning, Mark Harrison grabs our attention with a surprising twist. Picture this: a guy selling tasers on the street! It’s a shocking (pun intended) way to kick off our expedition and symbolize the electrifying adventures that await the audience.
“How to Spend 14 Days in Japan – A Japan Travel Itinerary” – Allan Su
“Japan, the land of the rising sun!” Allan Su says at the very first moment of the video and absorbs the viewer into exploring Japan more.
The video takes the viewer on a captivating journey, from the bustling metropolis of Tokyo to the serene mountainous beauty of the Japanese Alps, showcasing the perfect blend of adventure and tranquility. You can get inspiration from this video and start crafting a video to become an ultimate guide for a specific country.
Well-established video marketing strategies for travel brands compound the visibility of the brands and create an authentic emotional bond with customers. If you still have doubts regarding how to create the best video content for your travel company’s marketing plan, the best travel and tourism marketing agencies in the United States can help.
Written by: Rachel Hardy