Why is internet marketing important to small tourism operators?

Internet marketing is a business imperative because the Internet is an irrevocable and unstoppable trend.

Even though you have a traditional "brick-and-mortar" tourism business or a concession within a resort, you'll lose valuable customers without an online presence. People routinely search for goods and services especially in travel with their computers instead of visiting travel agents. If your tourism business isn't on the Web, customers will likely choose another company to do business with.

Also, online advertising is cheap. Adverting in the magazines or a trade show is seriously expensive, especially if you want an ad that has any presence on the page. An ad in an Internet directory is generally free, and you can put links directing customers to your Web site for more information. And because you can provide customers with a wealth of information, they no longer have to pick up the phone to get their questions answered.

Although you don't need a Web site to register your site in an online directory, your marketing efforts will be much more effective if you have your own site. The first thing to do is register a domain name. The name of your business was usually seen as a good place to start because it can help build your brand and will be easy for customers to remember. However in reality keywords from the tourism industry are more important, especially if you don't yet have a recognizable brand.

Before you commit, give your domain name serious consideration; the name you choose will be your company's online identity for years to come.

If you haven't already, you'll need to build a professional Web site. You can use templates provided by your Web host, hire a Web designer to develop your site, or use software to design it your self.

The difficult part is rising above the crowd and differentiating yourself from your competition. This is where a well thought out Internet marketing plan can help. Here are the main components of any good online marketing plan:

Registering your site with search engines and directories

Optimizing your site for search engines

Sponsoring search engine keywords

Building a database of customer email addresses

Sending email newsletters

Buying online ads

If all of this still seems like mumbo jumbo, you should be reading more! Alternatively drop me a line here in Fiji and I can explain some of the ways this can be done step by step.