Repeat customers for your tours and activities mean you have a loyal customer base. Their raving reviews and word-of-mouth can bring in new customers and more business to you, keeping your customer acquisition cost very low.
How do you get these repeat customers? Well, the simple answer is to provide them with a stellar experience. If they are blown away by your product, they will come back again.
However, it may not be that simple. As guests return to their busy schedules, they may forget those good times. Even the customers who had the best experience may need a little nudge or a reminder about the fantastic experience.
So, here are a few tips and tricks for you to ensure that you have customers who keep coming back.
Incentivize Guests
The oldest trick in the marketing book is still the most effective one. Rewarding loyal customers is a surefire way to tempt them to make a booking again and earn repeat business. You could also make exclusive offers to your existing customers during the off-season to keep the revenue coming.
- Returning customer discount: 10% off for your next booking! Who doesn’t like to hear that! If customers already had a memorable experience, they will be sure to come back at a discounted price and this time, with more friends. Extend the offer to their family and friends, which brings you more referral business.
- Promo codes: Similar to discounts, offering them a promo code for a future tour can persuade them to come back for another experience. Learn more about promo codes here!
- Personalize packages: Now you know your customers and their interests, try to create a special package for them, including a complementary activity or tour. If you have just one tour or activity to offer, explore local partnerships to create an exciting travel bundle for a unique travel experience for your customers.
You can offer them these discounts and promo codes right when they finish the tour or activity. If you send them a thank-you note or review request email (which is highly recommended), add information about these returning customer offers. In case they haven’t used it already, do not hesitate to send them again on their travel anniversary. Remind them of the beautiful memories they made with their photos from the tour (Fotaflo, one of the popular photo marketing platforms, can help you use the photos to gain more business. Find out how.).
Keep Them in the Loop
Constant, proactive communication is the first step toward building trust and long-lasting relationships with your customers. They always buy from brands they know well or emotionally connect with.
Keep them updated about your new products, offers, or your achievements. Did a new guide join your operation? Did you receive an appreciation award from travellers, local, or national organizations? Share your success with your existing customers. So, how can you do that?
- Social Media: Request your customers to follow you on social media immediately after tours. Be active on social media and use the platform to reach out to your customers.
- Emails: Get your customers’ contacts and create a mailing list for marketing purposes with their permission. Emails can be used to create a targeted campaign where you can have content just for your returning customers. Make sure your email content is interesting; otherwise, they will unsubscribe without second thoughts.
Stay Active on Review Sites
The importance of staying active on review sites cannot be overstated. Review sites are another platform where you have the opportunity to interact with customers and establish trust and credibility.
Thank them personally when they leave a good review. What about bad reviews? Let them know you are sorry. Inform them of steps you took to rectify mistakes if there were any on your side, and invite them for a visit again. Genuine responses may tempt the customers to come back, and they may even write a wonderful review, which will be a great win for your business!
Worried about getting negative reviews? It’s okay to be worried, but it shouldn’t stop you from asking for more reviews. If you need help, here is our blog on How to Ask Guests to Leave a Tour Review and How to Respond to Bad Reviews?
Also, rely on personal customer surveys. This is not going to have a direct impact on your repeat business. But using these surveys and hearing your customers’ feedback about your products will definitely give you insights into improving your business and keeping it best-in-class. And that will help you get more guests in the future and repeat customers in the long run.
Top-notch Customer Service
Guests remember negative experiences more vividly than anything else. Exceptional customer service plays a huge role in keeping them happy and creating a loyal customer base.
It begins with making tour details easily accessible and always being available to answer their queries. It may not be humanly possible to attend phone calls 24/7. Be sure to use tools such as AI chatbots on your website to cater to more tech-savvy clients.
Learn how ZipTrek Ecotours, a leading zipline tour provider based in Queenstown, New Zealand and a Zaui customer powered up their customer care by integrating with Yonder, a marketing platform. Zippy, its AI Chatbot, helps customers 24/7 by answering their queries about weight restrictions, the minimum age required, and cancellation policy.
Avoiding ambiguous information is key in delivering top-notch customer service. Adopt well-thought-out ways to handle your customers’ queries, especially the most frequent ones. Display your cancellation and refund policies clearly on your website and add that information to every booking made.
Make it easy for customers to cancel or change the trip details. For example, Zaui enables its clients to deliver hassle-free cancellation and customer credit experiences with Zaui’s Customer Credit Balance. The feature is used to offer guests the option of customer credit or complementary credit for future bookings and purchases (if they are willing). This comes in handy when issuing credit to guests who want to defer travel and redeem their already-purchased tour or activity at a future date.
Self-edit booking feature from Zaui is another tool that enhances the customer experience. It allows guests to directly retrieve their booking, edit simple booking details, and process additional payments and refunds. The self-manage feature provides guests with more flexibility, and they don’t have to go through loops of emails and phone calls to make simple edits to their bookings.
Finally, don’t forget to make your brand memorable. That is best achieved through unforgettable tours, activities, and experiences. But, pay attention to the details. Remember, your guests may have booked through an online travel agency (OTAs) or through an outside sales agent. They may not be familiar with your brand. So, take the opportunity when your customers are in front of you to remind them of your company name and brand experience. The more they remember your company, the better brand advocates they can be.
Final Word
Everything boils down to keeping your customers satisfied. Happy customers will be repeat customers or great ambassadors for new customers. They often come back, most of the time with their friends or families.
Creating a loyal customer base drives more bookings for you. Even if every customer may not come back, positive reviews from them will get you more new guests. And the best thing about repeat and referral business is that the cost of acquisition for these customers is very low.
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