Between digital and offline channels, today's marketing ecosystem is more complex than ever. The bottom line is that you need to reach your target customers at key points in their research, decision-making, and buying journeys.The challenge that you're likely facing, however, is that you have limited time to manage—and perfect your approach—to the many different marketing channels required to reach, engage, and interact with your customer base. We've rounded up the following 5 tools to help.

1. Tour Builder by Google

Type of Marketing Tool: Storytelling Platform

Cost: Free

Why We Picked This Tool: Originally designed for traveling military and veterans, this tool allows people to share stories about the places they're visiting. Tour and activity merchants can take advantage of this resource by encouraging customers to share stories about their experiences—information that can later be repurposed into testimonials and other customer stories.Storytelling is important for every tour and activity merchant, as consumers will often want to understand what an experience will be like—before they commit to making a purchase decision. The best way to share what your business is like will be through the lens of your customers themselves.See Also: Want More Bookings? 7 Proven Ways to Boost Conversions

2. Canva

Type of Marketing Tool: Design

Cost: Free

Why We Picked This Tool: Great design is a powerful tool for making a strong first impression—but it's also both time consuming and expensive to create. It's challenging to create flyers, brochures, and advertisements that look beautiful if you don't have a design background—especially if you're a busy small business owner who spends the majority of your time on the ground and growing your customer base.With pre-made templates, layouts, and guides for beautiful design, Canva simplifies this pain point by making it possible to create your own designs at a low cost. Rather than hiring a designer, you or someone on your team can DIY and create beautiful visuals at no cost beyond your time.

With pre-made templates, layouts, and guides for beautiful design, Canva simplifies creating well designed flyers, brochures, and advertisements

3. Edgar

Type of Marketing Tool: Social Media Management and Scheduling

Cost: $49-$99/month

Why We Picked This Tool: Tour and activity merchants know that platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram are important for customer acquisition and engagement, but often lack the resources to build and manage a dedicated social media strategy. Edgar simplifies this pain point by making it easier for business owners to curate, organize, and schedule status updates.Unlike other available tools, Edgar will let you group your social media updates into categories that you can track over time. As you continue to share status updates, photos, and articles, you'll develop a clear view of what's performing well and why. Instead of casting your net wide and relying on guesswork to build your social media strategy, you can focus your energy and investment on the types of posts that are driving results for your company.

4. BuzzStream

Type of Marketing Tool: PR

Cost: $29-$249/month

Why We Picked This Tool: Word of mouth is a powerful marketing engine, and media mentions have the potential to enhance your business's credibility. The challenge, however, is that PR takes time to build—if you want journalists to review and write about your tour and activity business, you'll need to conduct at least some level of outreach to build relationships with your community.BuzzStream makes this relationship-building process earlier by helping business owners and marketing reps conduct searches, track emails, and learn about their recipients based on contact details. You can optimize, streamline, and focus your PR activity based on the information that you track and analyze with this tool.

5. LeadPages

Type of Marketing Tool: Landing Page Design

Cost: $25-$67/month

Why We Picked This Tool: Let's say that you're running a special offer, promotion, or targeted marketing campaign—like for a seasonal opening event or summer promotion, for instance. You'll likely want to create a series of custom landing pages to give your audiences the most targeted, relevant, and personalized experiences possible.The challenge with creating custom landing pages, however, is that the process can be resource-intensive when you're creating marketing assets—especially ones that integrate with other tools—from scratch. LeadPages can help with readymade templates and integrations. You can create the landing pages that you need within minutes, without relying on costly web development and IT resources to get up and running.

Final thoughts

As a small business owner, you need tools and resources that help you make more out of your limited time. These marketing resources can help you create stronger audience experiences with less effort.We're looking forward to your perspectives as well. What marketing tools have been instrumental for growing your business? Share your thoughts and nominees in the comments section below.

Whether you're a seasonal tour operator or run a business that offers activities year-round, you may not have a lot of time or resources to focus on marketing—especially during peak season. While you may be able to generate more revenue by hiring more guides, expanding your line, or offering premium services to a niche market, there are other ways to make extra money on the side while supporting your core business efforts.Here are seven ways tour and activity operators can make more money—in any season:

#1: Sell instant digital photos.

Many tour and activity merchants already sell photo packages as part of the experience. But you could take it further by offering instant downloads of professional images that the customer can purchase on a per-photo basis to upload to Facebook, Instagram, or other social sites with ease.Creating the option to buy a single image at a time can speed up the checkout process and reduce buyer hesitation. Consider that many customers may be eager to pay $0.99 or $1.99 for a single high-quality image that captures a great moment right now—instead of going through an entire album later.Give your customers full access to the gallery of images immediately after the experience is over so they can review it on their smartphones, make their selection, and upload the captured moment to their favorite social sites right away. It's a fun way to share their experience with friends and family, and can help you generate a quick sale with little effort.New Zealand bungee company AJ Hackett, for example, has a station of computer monitors at their office for customers to view their photos right after their jump. Customers simply enter a special photo code to view the images, and since they all have to return to the office to pick up their bags before they leave, the timing is perfect. Customers can also view their photos online if they decide to order later.

#2: Maintain a blog

Even though you're in the business of selling and delivering interesting, unique, and unforgettable experiences to your customers, you can maintain their interest or pique a potential customer's interest with high-quality content on your website. Make an extended effort to develop content about different locations that your tour guides are experts in, and illustrate the experience a customer may have with high-quality digital images that you post. The goal is to tell interesting stories surrounding the experiences you already offer.Play with a theme, like the content on www.12hrs.net, where visitors can go on an in-depth, 12-hour virtual tour with carefully-curated photographs and commentary about different destinations along the way. Or keep things simple with a blog that talks about how to make the most of an experience.Fortunately, you don't need any web development or design experience to launch a blog. Western Prince Cruises keeps a simple one about whale-watching, filled with pictures and behind-the-scenes experiences from various trips. Navitat also has a site about its zip line tours, along with industry news.You can also sell digital products like podcasts, e-books, or downloadable guides directly from the site.Wayde's World Hawaii has uploaded free podcasts on its website, but a business could certainly sell its own content. As your readership grows, you may even be able to earn residual income by running ads.

#3: Self-publish books.

Tour and activity operators have valuable insider knowledge about particular destinations and sites they work in. Consider publishing e-books that provide useful information such as travel tips and seasonal activities that a traveler can access on their smartphone or tablet. These shorter mini-guides can be priced much lower than other books on the market for a quick download. Look at these Kindle travel guides for inspiration.Take advantage of self-publishing tools like Amazon's CreateSpace. These tools can help you create and upload books to print-on-demand and places them for sale on Amazon's network, where you'll earn a percentage of each sale. Whether you publish a single book or a whole series, these books can provide detailed maps, resources for travelers, photographs, and insider tips about a particular destination. Promote these on your website and take advantage of Amazon's marketing services to help generate passive income in any season.

#4: Partner with local businesses.

When it's slow season and you have more time to shift your focus on branding and marketing, consider reaching out to local businesses that complement yours to co-market various tours. Since partnering with bigger chains and brands have challenging approval processes, target smaller businesses instead.

To avoid challenging approval processes, target smaller businesses to partner with

Reach out to some of the busier boutique hotels and independently-owned properties, including bed and breakfasts, vacation home rental companies, and smaller motels to see if they're interested in referring business to you. In return, you could offer to recommend them to your customers, or even add their name and logo to your marketing materials as a "preferred" hotel. Some businesses could be interested in sharing a percentage of revenue for each referred customer that gets booked, and you could offer a similar deal to them. At the very least, stay in touch with the concierges on staff so they can recommend your business to their guests.

#5: Host workshops and events.

You're likely an expert in your activity, so establish yourself as an authority in your industry with educational events geared toward aspiring tour and activity operators, or other hospitality professionals.Hosting a seminar onsite can also be a great way to introduce more industry professionals to your business. You could sponsor training events for aspiring tour guides or activity operators, create workshops on how to build a tour business, and participate in other informational sessions that can expand your network.Even though some attendees may be your competitors, the information you share doesn't need to be tied to your core business operations. Focus more on general tips and insights about the industry and talk about co-marketing ideas to encourage dialogue at the event.

#6: Offer immediate discounts on future bookings.

Encouraging satisfied customers to book their next experience on the same day of their visit can help you book up that calendar—much faster than trying to reach out to the customer at a later date. Consider offering an attractive discount on all bookings confirmed that same day so that you can generate repeat business with very little effort.Remember that the customer is already in a positive and comfortable mindset after completing the activity. This is a perfect time to encourage them to come back. Think about different ways to pitch this idea to your customer, like sending an email with the information shortly after the tour is complete, or simply encouraging guides to mention the discount as the experience comes to an end.

#7: Sell packaged content.

If you have specialized knowledge about a certain destination that would be valuable to fellow tour operators or high-quality photographs that could be used as stock photos, consider selling packaged material in the form of digital content like e-books, downloadable PDFs, or MP3s. There may be a hungry market for podcasts and virtual tours that you haven't tapped into yet, whether they're prospective customers or armchair travelers. You could develop content in a variety of formats to entertain and educate while also marketing your business.For example, a museum tour guide might sell a walking tour podcast of a certain museum, or a zip line tour operator may offer high-quality digital images of various shots around a popular destination. An experienced boat tour operator could publish an e-book on starting a boating tour business, or downloadable guides about maintaining and repairing boats.There are countless ways to create revenue streams outside of just direct bookings. Use these tips as a guide to find new ways to help generate more revenue each season.Looking for more ways to effortlessly drive revenue? Check out Peek Pro here.

According to the U.S. Dept. of Commerce 2015 Travel Forecast, international travel and tourism to the U.S. is forecasted to increase 3.8 to 4.6 percent by 2020, as part of President Obama's National Travel and Tourism Strategy. The more than 100 million visitors are expected to spend $250 billion. For tour and activity businesses, this could mean opportunities for expansion and offer a chance to capture market share of a highly competitive industry.Recently, we spoke with Grace Della, founder of Miami Culinary Tours about the success of her business' expansion. Grace launched her business in 2010, which started as a food tour in the multicultural neighborhood of Little Havana. Since then, her company has become a favorite among locals and visitors alike—now serving thousands of people monthly, 60 percent of whom are non-locals. She has successfully expanded into Miami's trendiest neighborhoods including South Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, and abroad, opening in her hometown of Buenos Aires.Grace, like many small business tour operators, did not rely on the resources of big marketing firms and research teams to guide her decisions to expand into vertical markets. She needed to first build a robust understanding of her local markets, which she did with the help of her local Visitor's Bureau and by immersing herself within each community and forging relationships with other business owners.How did you select the restaurants for each tour you offer?I have a strong team of [eight] local foodies who understand the diversity of food in Miami and are able to communicate their knowledge to large groups. We handpick each restaurant. And, we now use what we call 'Quick Quality Standards.' We seek only the best representation for our tour guests in terms of quality and service, so restaurants have to pass our Quick Quality Standards checklist. We not only look for quality food, but for restaurants using authentic ingredients. We're also checking for a nice ambiance, spaces that are well suited to cater to groups, and good customer service.What was your first market and how did you first expand into vertical markets?Little Havana was the first in 2010, followed by South Beach a few months later. After the success of Little Havana, it felt like a natural choice since SoBe is the city's most popular area and attracts visitors from everywhere. Two years after that, we launched the Wynwood tour, once the area had grown enough. Followed by Fort Lauderdale and Buenos Aires, where I am originally from. Before starting Miami Culinary Tours, I ran my mother's food tour business in Argentina.What were some of your key considerations for expansion?To bring a superior experience of food and culture to Miami. I'm an online marketer. I saw an opportunity because no one was doing anything like this in Miami. I used my online marketing skills to do research, launch my website and my blog, and promote my business. I also created an affiliate program. I now have hundreds of affiliates that help market my business and sell our tours.What information and/or resources did you have that indicated market demand?I'm a member of the Visitor's Bureau, where I have access to critical data and statistical reports for Miami's emerging neighborhoods. I used that information to generate potential profit reports. I saw where I could make a profit and create a timeline for my expansions. From there, I spent time in each area sampling the cuisines and developing relationships with restaurateurs, while carefully pulling together and training a team of local foodies.Is there anything you learned from your first expansion that helped during later expansions and anything you wish you had known before?How to better handle relationships with partners. In the beginning, I did not have the proper systems in place to manage the relationships I have with affiliates, vendors, employees, and restaurants. It's a lot of paperwork, but it's important to manage it all properly. Having the right software, creating your own Quick Quality Standards, and anything else that will help streamline your business operations is very important.

Having the right software, creating your own Quick Quality Standards, and anything else that will help streamline your business operations is very important

You're a popular food blogger. Would you say blogging, a common marketing strategy, helped you as you expanded your business?The blogging helps to create authority within the industry. Now, I'm frequently invited to judge food events and for television appearances, which gains significant recognition for my business.On your website, you reference creating a 'unique experience.' How do you go about creating that for your local customers?We go beyond serving food. There is value in learning about different cultures and their uniqueness. I teach guides to communicate the authenticity of the foods, from textures to tastes and smells. We talk about the preparation techniques, the ingredients. Most of the guides are from Miami. Having culturally diverse backgrounds themselves, they inject their own personalities into the tours. We go from five star gourmet restaurants to hole-in-the-wall delicious. And we do not promote the restaurants, our focus is on creating a quality experienceAny best practices or tips?Understand that customer service is number one. If I call a major company right now, I may be told to send an email. But, if someone calls my company at 6 a.m., I will answer the phone. Not all small business owners will have an intuitive ability for discovering trends nor feel confident acting on them. If you're considering expansion, seek out the resources of your local Visitor's and Tourism Bureau. They can help you identify markets and create an action plan.Need help attracting high-quality customers in new markets? Call 855-PEEK-PRO (855-733-5776) to learn how you can feature your business on the peek.com marketplace.

Selling more tours through your website is probably one of your primary marketing goals as a tour and activity operator, so don't overlook the wealth of opportunities that can attract more high-quality traffic season after season. As more of your customers turn to their smartphones to book travel or seek out information via social media there are numerous ways to reach out to this responsive market. You can also take advantage of a few proven strategies and methods that will sell more bookings and help you build a loyal customer base.

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Here are 10 easy ways to sell more tours online:

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1. Update Your Blog Regularly with Direct Links to Tours and Activities

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Generate more interest in your site and develop a stronger online presence by updating your blog regularly with fresh content. But, you don't have to limit yourself to a blog with posts that promote discounted tour and activities or special packages for the season.

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How to do it:

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Develop a series of blog posts about your destination or a particular activity that many of your customers have lots of questions about or you get inquiry calls about. Publish informational, educational, and even inspiring blog posts that include a direct link to a particular tour or activity — this is good for the search engines and can also prompt an immediate booking.

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2. Run an Email-Only Special Offer

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Tap into your existing subscriber list by sending out an exclusive email offer to drive more traffic back to your site. This could be anything from 50 percent off bookings for the next 24 or 48 hours to 2-for-1 deals on certain tours or activities. The goal is to generate immediate interest and encourage the recipient to take advantage of an exclusive offer that is only available for a limited time. This strategy can be especially effective during a slow month when you need to stimulate sales.

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How to do it:

Create a sense of urgency with your offer and emphasize that the recipient is receiving an invitation-only offer. Make sure to outline the terms and conditions of the offer clearly at the bottom of the message and verify all links to your site work properly for a fast booking.

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3. Host a Contest

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Running a contest for a free tour package or a new activity you are offering in the upcoming season can generate some quick interest in your business which in turn may encourage some new bookings. You can build your subscriber list by running this type of contest year round or during a slow season. EF Tours runs a "choose your dream holiday" contest where travelers must upload their best travel photo, share a few words about their experience, and provide contact information. This can help you build your customer list and encourage prospective customers to learn more about you.

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How to do it:

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Offer a free package of tours or let the traveler choose their "dream" tour or activity for the giveaway. Construct an entry form that requires the entrant to provide their full name, email address, and phone number so that you can add them to your database.

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4. Develop a YouTube Presence

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Many travelers will simply be intrigued by what your company does, what types of tours and experiences you sell, and what types of destinations they get to explore. Host your own YouTube channel as a "discovery" component of your business. Establishing a YouTube presence can make your business more relatable and provides some 'insider' information. Vietnam Motorbike Ride, a tour operator offering motorcycle and dirt bike tours around Indochina, has published a series of YouTube videos not only about the biking experience but also about the fascinating sites around Vietnam.

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How to do it:

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Release a set of informational videos about different tours and activities, or destination guides covering things to do and enjoy in a particular location. Make sure to include links to your website and any social media handles so that the viewer can contact you or stay in touch.

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Establishing a YouTube presence can make your business more relatable and provides "insider" information

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5. Make Sure Your Tour and Activity Site is Mobile-Friendly

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Have you considered what your site looks like and what the booking experience feels like on a smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device? Make sure the mobile version of your site allows for a simple and streamlined booking and checkout process to capture this market.

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How to do it:

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Walk through the mobile booking experience by putting yourself in the customer's shoes. Condense content on the mobile site to make the experience quick, efficient, and more user-friendly. Run the Mobile-Friendly Test from Google to find out what needs to be improved. Clickz.com also recommends optimizing and resizing your images so they appear on mobile devices and using standard font sizes and styles.

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6. Take Advantage of Dynamic Remarketing with Online Ads

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If you're already investing some of your online advertising dollars towards display ads, consider a dynamic remarketing campaign to ensure more prospective customers see your ads when surfing the web. Remarketing is a process where customers see your ads more frequently when surfing the web on their desktop computer or mobile device because they have visited your site before. Hotel Urbano, a Brazilian online travel agency that sells travel packages, invests millions of dollars in digital advertising each year but only recently shifted gears with its dynamic remarking efforts with Google Display Network ads. This case study from Think with Google shows that once it was fully implemented, the new ad spend drove 415 percent more revenue and a 38 percent higher return.

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How to do it:

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Change your ad design and optimize your target market for ads by reviewing customer demographics and creating categories of different customer groups, such as young parents, single professionals, and seniors. You could also show display ads on multiple channels, such as YouTube, mobile devices, and Twitter.

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7. Cross-Sell with Area Hotels and Resorts

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Sell more tours with less direct marketing efforts by partnering up with hotels and resorts in the area that can list your company as part of their "recommended activities" on their website or refer more business to you through their concierge. Even something as simple as placing your logo or a small ad on the hotel or resort's website can generate more traffic and a direct booking.

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How to do it:

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Reach out to hotel and resort owners or managers to discuss co-marketing ideas and insist on having an ad or direct link placed somewhere on their website. If you want to offer a discount for referrals, set up a promo code specifically for the hotel or resort guest that you can honor at checkout.

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8. Strengthen Your Facebook Presence

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Selling more tours online requires opening up as many channels as possible for customers to get to know more about your business, stay up-to-date on new offerings and specials, and keep you at the "top of mind" when making a booking decision. Stay active on sites like Facebook so that you can communicate directly with prospective travelers while showcasing your business in creative ways. You can also encourage customers to send in photos or testimonials of their experience for you to promote on Facebook. This type of content provides some "social proof"— a valuable asset for any independent company or small business looking to attract new customers or build their online presence.

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Boggy Creek Airboat Rides in Kissimmee, Florida, maintains an active Facebook page with a following of more than 32,000 fans. The tour operator posts everything from videos from the captain to random shots of animal encounters during a tour. Paradise Boat Tours in Sarasota, Florida, does something similar but takes things one step further by offering one-click online bookings directly through its Facebook page.

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How to do it:

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Install a booking app on your Facebook page for easy bookings and update your Facebook page regularly with fresh content, customer reviews, and photos sent from customers capturing fun experiences or memories. Be sure to tag any customers that provide content you share so that the content appears in their Facebook News Feed upon publishing.

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9. Develop and Promote Custom Tours for a Specific Market

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From shopping tours for a girl's weekend getaway to fishing tours on Father's Day, consider putting together themed packages at a discount to cater to the needs of a very specific market. Create individual ad campaigns for these packages as part of your display ads online marketing strategy and promote the special packages across your website, in blog posts, and with links in any offline marketing materials that you distribute regularly. For example, Captain Lou Fleet Fishing in Freeport, New York, runs a Father's Day fishing trip special and 4th of July trips at a discounted rate.

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How to do it:

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Think about different customer segments that may benefit from a specialty tour or custom package of tours you offer and promote these tours across all of your online marketing channels. Make sure to include direct booking links to the tour package for fast bookings.

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10. Invite Local Celebrities to Share their Experience Online

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Local celebrities are rarely shy about sharing new experiences and may be more than willing to promote their experience with your company on their social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, or in a blog post. This can be a simple and effective way to generate some interest around your company and encourage people to book a similar experience.

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A reporter from Fox 26 Houston Morning News tried the Sky Trail experience and posted it on Facebook. The post generated more than 170 likes and 90 shares. Videos like these can be very valuable for any tour business and can generate instant attention around your business — and traffic to your website.

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How to do it:

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Invite radio hosts, local news station anchors and reporters, community leaders, and other local celebrities to experience one of your tours or activities free of charge. Ask them for a video testimonial or online review that you can share in your online marketing materials, and make sure to include a link to landing pages to complete a booking.

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And finally, you can effortlessly sell more tours online by using an online booking software like Peek Pro that guarantees new customers. Peek puts your business in front of millions of passionate and active customers who are looking for tours to book.

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Read about Dylan's Tours and how they became one of the largest operators in San Francisco

[et_pb_section fb_built="1" admin_label="section" _builder_version="3.0.47"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" _builder_version="3.0.47" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="3.0.47" parallax="off" parallax_method="on"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" _builder_version="3.0.47" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat"]Your website is one of the most the most important marketing tool for any tour & activity business. Most Peek operators see the majority of their revenue through online bookings. But are you leaving money on the table? I analyzed 50 tour operator websites on 40 different criteria of mistakes they could be making (yup, 40!). Throughout my analysis I found out 2 things:

1. There are a lot of amazing tours out there, and I am dying to do them all
2. There’s a lot of mistakes operators are making on their websites that are super easy to fix

I decided to focus this post on the second point, and give you a list of the top 10 most common website mistakes tour operators are making, and tell you how to fix them. Check out the following countdown of mistakes, and see what improvements you can make to your website!

Mistake #10: No location listed and/or difficult to contact

19 out of 50 websites had no location listed // 12 out of 50 were difficult to contact

Where are you? Listing your location proves to your customer that you really exist. Simply adding your address to your website earns you that little bit of credibility that might make the difference for a customer to book. Think about it - would YOU book with a company that has no physical location listed?Also, make it as easy as possible for your customer to contact you. If you are using a contact form on your website, remove unnecessary required items. If someone wants to know if your tour is wheelchair accessible, they shouldn’t have to select a date just to ask such a simple question. Make it easy! The only required information should be the customer’s email address, and their question.The Solution: Add your address and remove unnecessary required fields in your “Contact Us” widget

Mistake #9: Have a slider on your homepage

28 out of 50 websites had a slider on their homepage

I’m begging you all to stop using sliders. A slider is a slideshow integrated into your website. What’s wrong with it? They are distracting, and can frustrate the customer who was just looking at that picture, and then it changes. I get it. It seems like a great idea. Doesn’t it allow you to show off more pictures or options? But take a look at this website's slider:

What's the problem with it? It slides, the problem is right there in the name! The movement is distracting, and doesn’t give you control over what the customer’s first impression of your website is. Sliders also take a lot longer to load, especially on mobile and having a big black box in the middle of your website is not very impressive.The Solution: Take out the slider and add an awesome, eye-catching photo instead (with a clear headline).

Mistake #8: Not enough details in your descriptions

28 out of 50 websites didn’t provide enough details in their tour and activity descriptions

Your tour and activity descriptions are your sales pitches to potential customers. Make them strong! Though ordinarily I’d advise you not to bog down your customers with too much information, your tour descriptions are the exception. Lay it out for them. An awesome method to follow is the B.E.T.T.E.R. method. When you’re done reading this, check out this blog post by TourismTiger which explains this method in detail. Owner of TourismTiger and the author of that post, Mat Newton, writes on tour descriptions: “You need to write with detail and follow the principle of ‘more is more’“. So! Fill your customers up with tons of (well-structured) information and then end it off with a testimonial about how great that tour is (and a big, book now button).The Solution: Add every detail you can think of into your tour/activity descriptions. I highly recommend using the B.E.T.T.E.R method.

Mistake #7: No Picture or Description of the Employees

30 out of 50 websites didn’t have a picture of their employees

Your website gives you an opportunity to begin building a relationship with your customers. Showing off your employees begins that relationship. Plus if your customers recognize their guide from your website, they will feel a stronger personal connection from the start. Is that important? Watch what Chris Torres, expert in tourism marketing with 25 years of experience, says about personal connections:

The Solution: Add a picture of your employees and use their description as an opportunity to convey your company’s tone. Each employee’s description can be used to highlight your expertise (more about that later).

Mistake #6: Costs and Dates of Tours or Activities aren’t clear

31 out of 50 websites had unclear costs and dates of their tours/activities

These are are the two things your customers are going to ask themselves when they are looking at your tours:

1. When is it?
2. How much is it?

Your customer’s booking experience should be as simple as possible. Listing the costs and dates at the top of descriptions helps each customer decide which tour works for them. Not putting this information at the top wastes customer’s time, by forcing them to search how much the tour is, and if it is available when they are. The Solution: Add the costs and dates of your tours and activities to the top of each description. Your customers will appreciate having clear, transparent information. Check out how Felix in Hollywood Tours lists his tour. On the left hand side of his tour page, there is a clear schedule with the cost of his tour underneath it!

Mistake #5: No Testimonials

31 out of 50 websites didn’t have testimonials in their tour descriptions24 out of 50 didn’t have them on their website at all

What! 24 didn’t have testimonials at all?! It’s soo easy to get testimonials (especially with Peek Pro’s Smart Review tool), and the pay-off is huge. They earn you major credibility, and they provide a look into your tours from the customer’s perspective. They also set realistic expectations for your tours, which deters bad reviews and ensures great experiences. AND they encourage potential customers to stay on your website a little longer, which could increase your bookings. Have I said enough? The Solution: You should have testimonials located in more than one place on your website; at least on your homepage and in your tour descriptions. Like I’ve said, your tour descriptions are your sales pitches to your customers, and showing a testimonial within them is your evidence that your customer will have a great experience.

Testimonials provide credibility and instill trust in your customers

Mistake #4: Unclear Headline

33 out of 50 websites had an unclear headline

Every website I visited was for an operator I had never heard of or used. Which means I could easily tell how clear each website’s headline was. Your headline should immediately show what you offer and where you offer it. If not, your bounce rate will go up. If the customer isn’t sure that you offer what they are looking for, they will leave. No one wants to waste their time trying to figure out what you do, especially on a slow internet connection in their hotel. The Solution: Take a look at your headline and think about if someone organically came to your site. Would they know immediately what you offer and where you are offering it? If not, change it.

Mistake #3: Expertise not highlighted

36 out of 50 websites didn’t highlight their expertise in their tour descriptions20 out of 50 didn’t highlight their expertise at all

It is easy to differentiate yourself by showcasing your expertise in your field. So why aren’t you all doing it? Read the following tour description examples, and think about which tour you would book:Tour 1: Join us on a 2 hour tour through our brewery in Portland, Oregon. Learn how brewing has changed over the last 50 years and finish the tour with a flight of three tasters.Tour 2: Join our Brew Master, John, on a 2 hour tour through our state of the art brewery in Portland, Oregon. John will explain to you how brewing beer has changed over the last 50 years...20 of which he has been brewing! End the tour with a flight of three of our most award-winning beers.Though the two descriptions have the same information, one showcases the experience of the guide and of the brewery, while the other just explains the tour. I’m willing to bet, given the choice of the two, you’d book tour 2 over over tour 1. The Solution: Take the time to explain your expertise. Include it in your employee’s descriptions, in your “About Us” page, and in your tour descriptions. I’m repeating myself now, but your tour descriptions are your sales pitches. Make it a strong pitch by showing off why you’re the best!

Mistake #2: No reason to book right now

42 out of 50 websites don’t offer promotions or display how many people booked their tours

Offering a promotion, discount, or displaying how many people have booked one of your tours will create urgency in your potential customers to book now. Our Partner, Sourced Adventures, does this really well because:

• When you first visit their website, a pop-up appears offering a $10 discount to your first tour.
• They utilize Proof to show how many people are viewing their website and booking their tours.

Not only does this provide credibility to their business, it helps the customer envision themselves on their activities. The Solution: Think about the benefit of offering a discount to your customers, and consider what you can afford. If you offer multiple tours, maybe it’s worth it to offer 10% off the first tour someone books with you. Or if you have a significant slow season, advertise a promotion for customers to book during this time. Easiest of all, see if using Proof works for you.

Mistake #1: No Guarantee Offered

42 out of 50 websites aren’t offering a guarantee

Alright. We made it! The #1 most common website mistake that 42 out of 50 operators have made: Not offering a guarantee. I’m not suggesting you tell potential customers that you’ll offer a full refund if they cancel their tour 20 minutes before the start time. However, offering some type of guarantee instills confidence in your customers, and will in turn provide you with more bookings. The Solution: A guarantee can be as simple as offering a rescheduled tour in the event that their plans change, or where a cancellation is caused by bad weather. This shows your potential customers that you care about providing them the best experience, and you will make sure they receive what they paid for!Applying even just a few of these solutions will improve your website and increase your bookings. Remember that often your website is your customer's first impression of your business. It is definitely worth the time and effort to make it perfect![/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

[et_pb_section fb_built="1" _builder_version="3.0.47"][et_pb_row _builder_version="3.0.47" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="3.0.47" parallax="off" parallax_method="on"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.47" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat"]As a tour and activity operator, your booking website may be the very first thing customers see, so it's important to make a great first impression. Johnnie Manzari, one of Apple's early lead designers, shares some simple tips on how to turn website visitors into customers.

Here are three key takeaways from Johnnie Manzari:

1. Put yourself in the customer's shoes

Consider what the customer's motives are for coming to the website and how they are getting there—are they coming through a mobile device or on a desktop computer? These are important considerations because the user experience can be completely different across different devices. When you're designing for both desktop and mobile experiences, you may need to use different fonts, graphics, and layouts to optimize the user experience.Manzari says to step back and test the site on different devices to ensure everything goes smoothly. "Putting yourself in the customer's shoes" can help determine whether the customer will be enjoying a smooth and seamless process.As a tour or activity operator, this can also help determine what the typical user experience is like for your customers, and make it easier to identify how they behave. It may be useful to simply ask customers how they're booking their trips and how their experience with the process has been. Are they using a smartphone, or booking from a desktop computer at home or in the office? Determining how these customers are making the decision to book can help you create the best possible user experience.

2. Use mobile technology to figure out what's most important

Prioritizing the key components of the mobile experience is also important when designing the site. Manzari suggests to "think about it on a small screen." It can be tricky to format the layout and make sure important features are more prominent than less-important ones. Working on the small screen can help you eliminate certain types of content, layer the information, and pave the way for a better user experience. This type of constraint can actually make it easier to prioritize what information and features need to appear as soon as the user logs on to your mobile site.A good user experience is about giving the customer what they want, and figuring out what they're most responsive to. Some customers may be more responsive to a layout that includes lots of photos, but other budget-conscious customers may be more interested in seeing a pricing breakdown within a few screen taps.

A good user experience is about giving the customer what they want, and figuring out what they're most responsive to

3. Invest and iterate

It's important to remember that great design is never done. If we approach design as something that's a living thing which grows and transforms over time, it makes the design process much easier. Manzari recommends treating the project as if it's always evolving, and can be improved and modified at any point. If the site needs to be updated often, that can be an opportunity to try new things.For a tour or an activity booking site, this could involve updating the site regularly with fresh content, such as activity descriptions, news, and current photographs. It could also involve changing the layout to accommodate different types of content, like videos and podcasts that provide details about your tours and activities.

Audience Q+A

Q: What are some good design resources out there for business owners to reference for best practices?

A: For tactical changes, such as how to set up the pages of the site, how to manage call to action buttons, and other key layout features, Manzari recommends "Don't Make Me Think," by Steve Krug. And "Creative Confidence," by David and Tom Kelly, covers creativity and problem-solving.

Q: What's the best way for business owners to tell their story through an About page?

A: Manzari recommends "being authentic" and focusing on authenticity throughout the site. He says to refrain from using content that doesn't authentically represent the business or company because it's important to express the personality and voice of the service. Your customers will appreciate it!

Q: If there's one thing I can do today in less than 30 minutes to boost online checkouts, what should I do?

A: Manzari recommends having a friend load up your site on a mobile browser and see how they're navigating the site. You'll be able to get unique insights on a user experience from a device that you may not have or may have overlooked.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]