Welcome to How to Make Money as a Content Creator, the course that covers everything you need to start earning money online doing what you love. I’m James Caran, content creator at WayAway and Travelpayouts. In this video, we’ll focus on the travel niche and how to keep the 4 stages of the customer travel journey in mind while planning your content.
So many people look forward to traveling, but there are usually lots of steps involved before taking the leap and booking a flight. Choosing a destination, comparing flight options, and planning activities to book – there’s a lot to sort through before the adventure begins!
In our previous lesson, we talked about creating great content with search intent in mind. And today, when we talk about the 4 stages of the customer journey in the travel niche, we can think of it in a similar way. In a nutshell, a customer journey is the entire experience a customer has while communicating with a brand. We can look at the 4 stages of the travel customer journey as a funnel. The top is the widest area and as you move down the funnel it gets thinner as it reaches the final stage.
At the top, your audience isn’t ready to purchase anything yet, they’re looking for information. As they move down the funnel, they get closer to their destination, and they’re ready to buy. For each stage you should ask the following questions: what does this customer need, what are they looking for and what is their user search intent?
Let’s start with stage 1 — the Dreaming Stage. This is the top of the funnel — you can think of this as your introduction phase. Give people more information and help them narrow down their choices. Some of the best content ideas for this stage in the customer travel journey are listicles and engaging video content. For example, you can write a blog about the 15 Best Countries to Visit with Kids in 2022. Be sure to include images, links and make sure it’s formatted for easy reading! Or maybe create an exciting video about 5 Budget-Friendly European Vacations.
The second stage is the Planning Stage. Here, customers have decided on their destination. They may be searching for
The best types of content at this stage become more specific, helping people plan their trips and make informed decisions. For example, you can write blog listicles about the Top 5 Hotels for Couples in Mexico or Flights from the USA to Estonia for under $300!
Here, you could benefit from using a tool like hotel or flight search forms from Travelpayouts. By adding search forms to your content, you can help users find up-to-date and relevant information on prices and schedules.
Onto stage 3 of the customer journey in the travel niche: the Booking Stage, travelers have read your tips and tricks, are well-informed, and ready to book! So, content at this stage should be even more specific and should simplify the booking processes or reduce the customers’ buying anxieties. You can share refund information, review some specific hotels or services, create information on “hot deals” or compare hotel prices in a specific destination. Since users are in the buying mindset here, it’s a great time to think about how to make money on your content! One of the best ways to do this is by promoting high-quality offers on your page with affiliate marketing! We’ll get more into this in our 4th module where we cover everything to know about monetizing your content, don’t miss it.
Our 4th and final stage is: the Experiencing Stage! Here, customers have booked their trips, but now they’re even more excited to start planning what they’ll do during their vacation. Think of content that shares money saving hacks, places to eat, local attractions, or the best ways to get around the city! Help your customers make the most of their trip, and remember — they’re still in buying mode, so you can benefit from promoting things like tours and activities, car rentals, city passes, and more! Customers are most actively sharing your content in this final stage. So be sure to take advantage of that and engage with them! Create e-books, contests, and bonus prizes to promote social shares and mentions!
No matter what stage of the customer journey you’re focused on, always think of how you can make your content mobile-friendly, since many people do their searching on the go! There’s a great article by MOZ in our resources section to learn more about how to optimize your content for mobile!
Let’s do a quick recap on today’s lesson. We covered the best ways to tailor your content for each stage of the customer journey in the travel niche. Those stages are:
In the next lesson, we talk about creating a Content Plan…it’s one of my favorites, don’t miss it! Have 2 minutes? Start the next lesson!
