With the constant changes in the economy, companies and their brands must be prepared to move forward in an unstable environment. The only option is to plan strategically across every department.
In marketing and communications specifically, strategic planning for travel brands helps identify objectives, actions and audiences, as well as the most suitable action plans in terms of investment and results.
Bad strategic decisions put companies in serious trouble because they have a direct impact on the marketing budget and on expected revenue, in a domino effect.
According to Graham Kenny, managing director of Strategic Factors, an Australian strategy consultancy, “the key to strategy is the positioning of a business among others […] But what exactly is positioning? It is identifying the strategic factors relevant to each key group.” Strategic factors, then, are the ones that truly help position a brand within an industry and with consumers, such as price, availability and safety, among others.
Strategic planning
For travel brands today, strategic planning has become a critical exercise that must be carried out with full knowledge of the market. Discovering the strategic factors is the backbone of successful marketing plans, and it shows up in sales.
Beyond identifying strategic factors, strategic planning for travel brands must consider everything that matters to the business, from inspiring travelers to visit and use its services to making the experience satisfying enough to be recommended.
Marketing and communications agencies advise brands along the way, that is, on how to reach their key audiences. A good part of our contribution comes from experience and from not being inside our clients’ companies: we can offer a comprehensive outside view of the business and the industry, which pays off in creativity and in implementing new strategies and tactics.
From a communications agency’s point of view, strategic planning for travel brands means working to build a culture of planning, not only within the organization but in every interaction with the client: getting closer, researching, asking, surveying and designing plans that are fully focused on achieving objectives while staying relevant to the business.
Originally published in Spanish in August 2019: Planeación estratégica para empresas y marcas turísticas.
