The Digital Communication Plan for Tourism – Part XII: Measurements of the digital communication plan

KPI Key Performance Indicator by fauziEv8

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are used by organizations of all sizes to measure their marketing or business results. KPIs are measurable values that business decision-makers use to evaluate the success of the company. In the context of digital communication, there are specific KPIs to monitor the effectiveness of the actions outlined in the communication plan and to improve areas where results fall below expectations.
For instance, the most common KPIs in Social Media Marketing include likes, followers, comments, and shares, but this is by no means an exhaustive list. The list of KPIs, if it were to encompass all possibilities, would exceed hundreds of items because each organization determines its own set of KPIs. Having too many KPIs does not lead to better control of communication but rather makes it difficult, if not impossible, to read performance reports. It is crucial to find the right number of KPIs that only provide measurements of the parameters that matter.
As a general guideline, having 20-30 KPIs can be sufficient to keep the situation under control. According to Karola Karlson from scoro.com [Karlson K., 2022], KPIs for digital communication can be divided into five main categories:

  1. Lead generation
  2. Website & traffic metrics
  3. SEO optimization
  4. Paid advertising
  5. Social media tracking

Karola Karlson identifies 37 possible KPIs to use within these five categories. Here are some examples.


Lead generation:

  • Monthly new leads/prospects
  • Qualified leads per month
  • Cost-per-lead generated
  • Cost per conversion
  • Average time of conversion
  • Retention rate
  • Attrition rate
  • Net promoter score

Website & traffic metrics:

  • Returning vs. new visitors
  • Visits per channel
  • Average time on page
  • Website conversion rate
  • The conversion rate for call-to-action content
  • Click-through rate (CTR) on web pages
  • Pages per visit

SEO optimization:

  • Inbound links to a website
  • Traffic from organic search
  • New leads from organic search
  • Conversions from organic search
  • Page authority
  • Google PageRank
  • Keywords in the top 10 SERP
  • Rank increase of target keywords
  • Conversion rate per keyword
  • Number of unique keywords that drive traffic
  • Volume of traffic from video content

Paid advertising:

  • Leads & conversions from paid advertising
  • Cost per acquisition (CPA) & cost per conversion
  • Click-through rate on PPC advertising

Social media tracking:

  • Traffic from social media
  • Leads and conversions from social media
  • Conversion rate
  • Managed audience size
  • Engagement rate
  • Mentions
  • Social media ROI

These 37 KPIs provided by Karola Kalrson are examples, and each organization will need to decide which KPIs are relevant to their specific case. Some of the KPIs on this list are easily understood, while others may be more complex.

Click here for Part I ; Click here for Part II ; Click here for part III; Click here for Part IV

Click here for Part V ; Click here for Part VI ; Click here for Part VII ; Click here for Part VIII

Click here for Part IX ; Click here for Part X ; Click here for Part XI

Sources:

#Measurements; #digitalcommunicationplan; #KPIs; #marketingresults; #businessresults; #effectiveness; #communicationplan; #improvement; #SocialMediaMarketing; #likes; #followers; #comments; #shares; #KPIlist; #control; #parameters; #leadgeneration; #websitetrafficmetrics; #SEOoptimization; #paidadvertising; #socialmediatracking; #leadgeneration; #monthlynewleads; #qualifiedleads; #costperlead; #costperconversion; #averagetimeofconversion; #retentionrate; #attritionrate; #netpromoterscore; #websitetrafficmetrics; #monthlywebsitetraffic; #returningvsnewvisitors; #visitsperchannel; #averagetimeonpage; #websiteconversionrate; #conversionrate; #clickthroughrate; #pagespervisit; #SEOoptimization; #inboundlinks; #trafficfromorganicsearch; #newleadsfromorganicsearch; #conversionsfromorganicsearch; #pageauthority; #GooglePageRank; #keywordstop10SERP; #rankincreaseoftargetkeywords; #conversionrateperkeyword; #numberofuniquekeywords; #volumeoftrafficfromvideocontent; #paidadvertising; #leadsandconversions; #costperacquisition; #clickthroughrate; #socialmediatracking; #trafficfromsocialmedia; #leadsandconversionsfromsocialmedia; #conversionrate; #managedaudiencesize; #engagementrate; #mentions; #socialmediaROI

Contact me

The Digital Communication Plan for Tourism – Part XI: Actions for maximizing impact and effectiveness

Idea, Plan, Action by Tatiana_Mara

The digital communication plan is a strategic document that requires careful planning and precise management to achieve positive results. Not only does it define the actions to be taken over time, but it also fulfills a crucial role in honoring the commitment to the destination’s stakeholders by adhering to a specific course of action..

However, it is important to note that the editorial plan must be executed punctually unless unexpected events occur that, depending on their severity, may require partial or total revision of the plan. For example, the recent Covid-19 pandemic has forced many to rethink and adapt previously defined plans.

Regardless of the circumstances, the fundamental principles of good project management applied to digital communication include a precise understanding of timing, costs, and expected quality, as well as the flexibility to make changes during the implementation of the plan. It is also essential to periodically evaluate the results achieved in order to make necessary adjustments and improvements.

Following the planning flow described in this series of posts provides a solid foundation for optimally managing digital communication activities. However, it is important to emphasize that the success of the plan will also depend on adaptability and responsiveness to the changing dynamics of the digital context. Maintaining constant attention to trends, new opportunities, and stakeholder needs is essential to maximize the overall impact and effectiveness of the digital communication plan.

Click here for Part I ; Click here for Part II ; Click here for part III; Click here for Part IV

Click here for Part V ; Click here for Part VI ; Click here for Part VII ; Click here for Part VIII

Click here for Part IX ; Click here for Part X

Sources:

#digitalcommunication; #timing; #costs; #expectedquality; #flexibility; #changes; #implementation; #results; #planningflow; #adaptability; #responsiveness; #digitalcontext; #attention; #trends; #newopportunities; #stakeholderneeds; #impact; #effectiveness

Contact me

The Digital Communication Plan for Tourism – Part X: Budget

Budget by formatoriginal

Any communication activity entails a series of economic costs and human resources that need to be estimated during the planning phase to ensure that the necessary resources are available to carry out the activity.

There is no one-size-fits-all communication budget template, but the main items typically include:

  • Human resources costs (organizational structure, agencies, and external collaborators)
  • Costs for content creation (text, translations, photos, videos, printed materials, etc.)
  • Expenses for hospitality and transportation for press, operators, influencers
  • Costs for ICT services
  • Advertising campaigns and special communication projects
  • (if applicable) Costs for info points and tourists assistance activities in the area

Click here for Part I ; Click here for Part II ; Click here for part III; Click here for Part IV

Click here for Part V ; Click here for Part VI ; Click here for Part VII ; Click here for Part VIII

Click here for Part IX

Sources:

#Budget; #CommunicationCosts; #HumanResources; #ContentCreation; #HospitalityExpenses; #TransportationExpenses; #ICTServices; #AdvertisingCampaigns; #CommunicationProjects; #TouristsAssistanceCosts; #InformationActivities

Contact me

The Digital Communication Plan for Tourism – Part IX: Timing

Gantt chart By leungchopan

The aspect of timing is of fundamental importance in the implementation of the digital communication plan and must be addressed from different perspectives:

  • Phase of the customer journey
  • Seasonality and events
  • Booking window

The phases of the customer journey are those seen in this post (Dreaming, Researching, Booking, Experiencing, Sharing), and for each of these phases, it is crucial to convey the most appropriate message and distribute it where tourists obtain their information.

The most important phase, as tourists have not yet chosen a destination and therefore where we have the most influence, is the Dreaming phase. It is crucial to understand when and where our tourist audiences seek inspiration for their vacations.

A second aspect of timing choices concerns the communication of seasons, events, and recurring occasions. The communication plan must therefore gather information related to these moments to plan effective communication campaigns well in advance.

The third aspect of timing to consider in communication is the useful booking window, which varies from one geographic market to another and from one target audience to another (for example, vacation planning). This is based on factors such as age, family size, lifestyle, and other factors.

Click here for Part I ; Click here for Part II ; Click here for part III; Click here for Part IV

Click here for Part V ; Click here for Part VI ; Click here for Part VII ; Click here for Part VIII

Sources:

#Timing; #CustomerJourney; #Seasonality; #Events; #BookingWindow; #DigitalCommunication; #Influence; #Inspiration; #CommunicationPlan; #EffectiveCampaigns; #GeographicMarket; #TargetAudience; #VacationPlanning

Contact me

The Digital Communication Plan for Tourism – Part VIII: Channels

Media By wanaktek

The destination or operator can choose whether and what to communicate directly (e.g., through their own website and blog) and what to communicate using other media (e.g., professional bloggers, online magazines, customers, residents, etc.).

In the digital world, there are numerous channels for communication. A classification, called the PESO™ model (Fig. 4), introduced by Gini Dietrich of Spinsucks [Spinsucks, 2020], helps us identify four types of online media:

  • (P) Paid Media
  • (E) Earned Media
  • (S) Shared Media
  • (O) Owned Media

Fig. 4 PESO™ Model – ©Gini Dietrich, spinsucks.com [Spinsucks, 2020]

  • Owned Media refers to media owned by a destination or a tourism operator, such as the website, blog, and social media channels through which the destination or operators communicate. They are “owned” as the control over the content lies entirely in the hands of the communicators (destination/operators). This is true for websites and blogs hosted on owned domains, while it partially applies to social media platforms where communicators must adhere to their rules and evolutions over time, although in general, destinations and operators have significant control over the published content.
  • Paid Media includes paid advertising channels. The internet provides various forms of advertising, such as sponsored posts on Instagram or Facebook, paid search engine ads, banners, and videos on third-party websites, and more. Therefore, in the case of social media, they become paid media when used for sponsored posts.
  • Shared Media refers to media shared by others (typically tourists, but also operators, etc.) where they share our content. This aspect is crucial for generating digital word-of-mouth and referrals (recommendations to family and friends)
  • Earned Media refers to earned media coverage, such as influential media outlets (online publications, influencers, etc.) that feature our content or mention our communication messages (proposals, themes, experiences, products, unique features, etc.). The difference between Shared Media and Earned Media lies in the level of influence of the media: typically, Shared Media consists of individuals who communicate within their circles of friends and acquaintances, while Earned Media includes professional or semi-professional communicators who reach their reference communities, with a more pronounced amplification effect.

Click here for Part I ; Click here for Part II ; Click here for part III; Click here for Part IV

Click here for Part V ; Click here for Part VI ; Click here for Part VII

Sources:

#Channels; #DigitalCommunication; #OwnedMedia; #PaidMedia; #EarnedMedia; #SharedMedia; #OnlineMarketing; #InfluencerMarketing; #ContentStrategy; #TourismCommunication

Contact me