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In travel affiliate marketing, staying relevant with your target audience requires a keen eye for the latest trends and insights. From our recent Path to Purchase report, we know that nearly 25% of travellers are initially inspired to take a trip because of a special event.* Whether it’s a sporting event or live music tour, many travellers are compelled to see their favourite athletes and performers live.
Let’s look into how you can tailor your affiliate marketing strategy to engage with travellers who are eager to travel to events and encourage them to book through your affiliate links.
Research event-driven travel opportunities
Special events and celebrations inspire people to travel, creating lasting memories. As an affiliate marketer or influencer, research the timing and unique appeal of specific events across various locations and interests to create content and promotions that resonate with your audience throughout the year.
For example, if you specialise in adventure travel, you might focus your content on events like outdoor festivals or sports competitions. Take time to understand who hosts the event, if there are additional activities or opportunities and what a participant could expect when attending. Keep a pulse on news relevant to the event and position yourself as a trusted resource for travellers who are seeking these experiences. This proactive approach can lead to a stronger following and higher conversion rate.
Tailor content for special events
Once you’ve identified the event you want to market, the next step is to create personalised content specific for the event to engage your target audience. Our research shows that travellers consume over five hours of travel content before booking. This is an opportunity to use your blog and social channels to cater to your live-event travellers who are early in their booking journey and influence them to book through your affiliate links.
For example, if you’re creating content for travellers attending a major concert in your city, fill your Instagram and TikTok feeds with eye-catching visual content that covers ‘know before you go’ travel hacks, guiding followers on everything from what to wear and what they can bring into the venue to the optimal time to arrive for the concert. You can even go the extra mile, offering insights on seating choices and the best spots for grabbing a pre-show meal or having a post-show get-together.
Plan for future event seasons
If you’re tailoring your content for upcoming events and experiences, research upcoming events in your area that are likely to generate high demand. Ask yourself what big events are trending, what tours were recently announced and are they coming to your city, or what are the annual events that bring people into your market? By being proactive and focusing on finding the right events that will drive demand, you’ll position yourself as a go-to resource for your audience.
Calendars are a useful tool for planning for future events. Consider creating a detailed content calendar that outlines key event dates, content themes, content creation lead times and publishing schedules, months in advance. For example, if you specialise in health and fitness travel events, use a well-structured content calendar focusing on upcoming events like popular marathons or triathlons. Promoting races well before they take place builds anticipation and excitement while also strengthening affiliate partnerships with event organisers.
When you take these steps, you can position yourself as a reliable resource, offering travellers the information they need for unforgettable event experiences. Whether it’s for a sporting event, cultural festival or concert, the potential to engage event-driven travellers is vast, and the rewards in conversions can be substantial.
For more insights and resources to help inform your strategies, including how to best tap into current travel trends and monetise your content, apply for or sign into our affiliate programme today.
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*All on-page data sourced from: Expedia Group, The Path to Purchase, 2023