Uninspired Vacation Planner
Most, if not all, of our agency website design projects start with a discussion about what we will do to make your website more “engaging” and “interactive.” When asked, our clients will tell us that means adding things like “more videos,” “slideshows,” or “interactive photo galleries.” While those features may be more “interactive” and “engaging” than static content, alone they are not enough to inspire visitors to take action.
When websites fail to convert visitors into customers, we most often find that the site as a whole is simply not emotionally engaging to the intended audience. And if you can’t get your web site visitors emotionally invested in what you have to offer then you have no chance of inspiring them into packing their bags and heading to your destination.
Your entire website experience needs to be emotionally compelling, leaving the visitor with a taste of what they can look forward to experiencing on their vacation at your destination. If you want them to take action you need to get them to feel first.
The 10 Second Rule
Unless your visitors are strictly creatures of habit, returning to the same vacation spot year after year, their vacation planning starts with browsing the Internet for new vacation ideas and possibilities. Engaging vacation planners emotionally during this part of their process is critical because your website is only one click away from thousands of others online.
The rule of thumb is that if you can’t make a positive impact on your target audience within 10 seconds of their initial visit, you have likely lost them. If they aren’t moved, they’re moving on.
Everything about your website needs to be emotionally engaging, and visually stimulating, with clear communication and calls to action that anticipate the needs of your visitors. The first impression you make needs to cut through the clutter and make your site stand out from your competitors.
5 Senses of Marketing
The website colors, photos, graphics, fonts, headlines, copy, and even navigation all need to work together in concert to create the sensations your visitors can expect to experience at your destination. The more senses you can activate in your target audience the more committed they will be to looking deeper into what you are offering. In the end, you want to leave your visitors with a feeling that inspires them with an irresistible urge to pack their bags.
The colors in the design of your site should help invoke some of the feelings visitors will experience at your destination. The photos, graphics, and headlines should stimulate your visitor’s minds with imagery of themselves at your destination. Videos can add depth to the experience with sound. Clearly, technology hasn’t yet progressed to the point of delivering the sense of smell or touch online but the net result of all of these experiences needs to have the common purpose of getting your visitors to feel.
Feel the Difference
Below are two examples of destination marketing websites competing for the same tourism customers. Both websites are marketing adventure tours in the Galapagos Islands and both websites can be found online through a Google search. If you were planning a vacation and were scanning the Internet for a short list of tour operators you felt were worth investing some time in to help plan your vacation, which one of these companies would you choose?
What emotion does this site evoke?
Website: http://www.discovergalapagos.com/
Feel the difference?
Website: www.galakiwi.com
Conclusion
The next time your marketing team is discussing changes to your website, don’t ask them what they think about it. Ask them how they feel. Question how you think your visitors feel when they experience your site. Do they feel an irresistible urge to pack their bags and head out of town? Or do they feel like it will be work to dig through your site to even find out if what you have to offer is for them?
Online, you only have moments to make an impact. If your visitors aren’t moved, they’re moving on. Evoking emotion with purpose in your website design is the key to inspiring your visitors.
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