The shortest distance between your product content and new clients is through the cloud. Whether they access it on your brand’s website, social media platforms, via content aggregators or online sales and marketing material, good content is front of mind among travellers and takes hours of work out of your hands. Having identified how preferable cloud-based content is to paper, we now delve a bit deeper into the practical side of effective content.

Content on cloud 9

It’s effective if it’s everywhere at once. Regardless of geography and time zone, who or where you are in the travel and tourism ecosystem, the cloud can reach you with several touch points.

Content is happiest when it’s accessible any time of day, and the cloud, along with good Internet connection, makes that dream come true.

Content is a speed-freak: it’s instantaneous with the click of a mouse on a link.

Older may be wiser in the human race, but in the race for relevance, up-to-date beats old travel content – the cloud keeps it fresh. Content that’s shared more efficiently among a staff and trade partners, enable more effective collaboration. This works precisely because the cloud keeps content safe and easy to recover. The cloud is generous but green: there’s room for plenty more content with less burden on the environment. From a time, cost and labour point of view, the cloud ticks all the boxes for effective travel content.

But it’s techy in the cloud..🤯

The fear of technology can be crippling, which is unfortunate and sad, yet unnecessary. No threat to manpower, it’s not going to steal jobs. In fact, it serves and enhances the work of travel professionals. Two great motivators are at work here: the trade has become progressively more digital, putting a lot more faith in cloud-based tech. This creates a disconnect with trade partners who still operate primarily in the paper league. An equally pertinent factor is that travel consumers increasingly have a tech expectation to guide their purchasing journey.

In a recent study on traveller expectations of connecting with brands, among over 8,000 respondents from Canada, France, Germany, India, USA and UK, the majority considered their experience of a company as important as products and services.

..customers expect companies to use new technologies to boost the experience according to 75% of survey participants.

PhocusWright

Often it’s simply fear of change that inhibits us; the tech isn’t even that complicated. Understanding how it works to make content more effective, helps us appreciate the tech sustained in the cloud. So let’s look at 6 cloud hacks making sense of the disparate content of the past.

6️⃣The cloud starts by hosting content in a curated imagery and information bank

Where else can you keep your product content safe and simultaneously make access easy for whomever you mean to share it with? For suppliers of accommodation, activities, restaurants and day tours, it’s a single database that makes the work of content management and internal collaborations easier and cost-effective. For trade partners it’s a user-friendly location to quickly find and use what they need without bugging anyone for the latest, best content available.

5️⃣Widgets tap into the cloud and transport content onto web or 3rd party sites

What’s the easiest, most cost-effective way to ensure your content is displayed consistently everywhere? For suppliers it’s a simple, efficient way to repurpose content and save time. A simple code links content in the cloud to online sites, quick to copy, easy to paste on a website or on Facebook. Trade partners can access these codes and embed imagery and info directly from the cloud onto whatever site they wish to display. More channels to share your up-to-date content.

4️⃣The cloud enables seamless collaboration between digital content and sales collateral

What’s the quickest, easiest way to get your content into global sales, directly to the public and through the trade? From centrally-managed content to a beautifully presented digital brochure in a few simple strokes. It’s a multi-media, visually-rich format that showcases a brand with the option to book directly. The cloud serves up a buffet of up-to-date content to tour operators, travel agents and DMCs in a format they can easily insert into digital itineraries and catalogues.

3️⃣The cloud is cool with branding because versatile content is effective content

What’s the most convenient way for re-sellers and agents to market your products on their sites or directly to their clients? Your own branding on your content is a mark of pride. Without doing a stitch of extra work, the cloud allows your content and digital brochures to be unbranded and rebranded, making it easier for trade partners to use it for their digital catalogues or websites. All content changes update instantly.

2️⃣Rock your marketing campaigns with multi-media content from the cloud

What’s the best source of imagery and info for your personalised email and direct marketing campaigns? Choose a theme for your campaign and download the right photographs, videos, virtual tours and UGC for the right client from your gallery in the cloud. Add some apt activity descriptions and tweak your messaging to suit the market segment. Quick, painless and up-to-date content on tap.

1️⃣The cloud rains inspiration onto travellers and allows them to reward the experience

What’s the most persuasive form of content to inspire travellers to take action? Visual, interactive travel content that enables users to access more info on the items that interest them. If it’s in the cloud, it’s easily downloaded and shared, which means the client can brag about experiences they’ve had or advocate for your brand if they’re impressed by posting your imagery on social sharing platforms.

The common winning denominators

The cloud covers the travel brand’s needs for exposure, time- and labour-saving tools, and cost-effective content. How else do you respond to a global travelling community that expects seamless digital experiences? As for the health of the tourism industry: how you service the trade with content holds the power to change the game. The potential residing in the cloud by far outweighs the fear of tech – it scores in 6 out of 6 instances for truly effective content.

🎁Boxes ticked: reach✔ access✔ speed✔ age✔ ease✔ storage✔ size✔ environment✔

Call it the Information Age or the age of technology, either way it’s got everyone scurrying to provide, access or distribute great content quickly. This is one time when having your head in the cloud is a win-win strategy.

Sharing is caring...