Five ways to keep your marketing on track when things feel like they’re going off the rails

Travel’s unique vulnerability to external forces has been exposed already this year in the form of fires closing airports and even entire cities. Positive reports of robust demand and industry confidence are tempered by various dark mutterings about another summer of disruption. Add in to that a looming trade war sparked by the sweeping imposition of tariffs on a range of goods and services by President Trump – the burden of which it is generally accepted will be felt primarily by consumers via higher prices, which could in turn drive up inflation – and anyone responsible for marketing a discretionary purchase like a holiday is faced with a delicate balancing act to negotiate. How do you maintain customer confidence and demand momentum when the world seems determined to disrupt?

The answer lies in building agility and resilience into your marketing strategy, and here’s five ways you can do that now.

1. Encourage cross-channel collaboration

Marketing is at its most effective – and efficient – when it’s working towards a common goal. That means breaking down silos between channels, whether its social media or email, PR or PPC, so that everyone involved can share and act on insights, analytics, and developments.

2. Move at speed, but review often

Channels and teams which are working in sync work faster, and can course correct with greater speed as a situation evolves. Now might not be the time for that monolithic campaign you’ve been working on for months – consider how you can break your plan down in to shorter bursts of activity, testing, learning and optimising assets as you go.

3. Learn from your data

Marketers can access reams of data that can help them to make informed decisions about what is or isn’t working. At times of flux, and when facts can be distorted by opinion, data provides objective insights that can help you to adapt a campaign to maximise its impact.

4. Customer-centricity is key

A particular selling point of travel agents is the trusted status in which they can be held by their customers. At times when those customers might be uncertain about the financial commitment they will be making by booking, that trust becomes invaluable. Trust is rooted in open communication, so be transparent, gather feedback, and be ready to adapt your marketing based on what they’re telling you.

5. Remain true to your brand

To build resilience, stay true to your brand’s purpose and values by proactively addressing potential risks. Consumers seek authentic experiences aligned with ethical considerations, such as sustainability or community impact. Brands that consistently deliver on their purpose, with their values at their core, will inspire trust and navigate uncertainty successfully.

The only certainty on which travel marketers and agents can rely is that they need to be prepared to operate in an uncertain environment. Report after report indicate that consumers want to travel, and are prepared to forego other discretionary expenditure to protect their holidays. As an industry, there’s a limit to what we can do to prevent electrical substations bursting into flames or wildfires starting, and how much we can influence a capritious administration. But agents and marketers can control how they respond. Injecting some agility and resilience in your marketing can mean that whether it’s tariffs, natural or manufactured disasters, or some other unforeseen disruption, it’s to you that they turn when they’re ready to book.