Six Strategies for Enhancing Your Destination Marketing Approach in Russia
Are you planning to promote your travel destination in the Russian market but unsure of how to proceed with your destination marketing strategy? We can guide you through the process of creating an effective marketing strategy for your tourist destination, taking into account the unique characteristics of the Russian tourism market. If you already have a marketing strategy in place, our tips can assist you in customizing it to appeal to Russian tourists.
Step 1. To whom are you targeting your destination marketing?
With almost 147 million people living in Russia, it’s important to define your target audience for destination marketing. Not everyone in Russia is your potential audience, and identifying your target audience will influence your choice of promotion channels.
If you’re targeting young tourists aged 25-35, the internet is the place to be, as 95% of your audience in Russia is online. A massive online campaign can help you reach almost all of your target audience.
For audiences aged 35-55, we recommend adding TV ads to the online campaign for more effective promotion.
If you’re targeting a more mature audience aged 55+, TV should be the primary focus, with the internet used as an additional channel.
Step 2. Identify your rivals in the market
To develop a destination marketing strategy, it is crucial to identify your competitors in the market and analyze their performance.
Based on data from the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, Turkey remains the top travel destination among Russians in 2018 due to its reasonable prices for flights and accommodations, and the popular “all-inclusive” system. However, looking at the graph, we can observe that Finland and China become more popular from January to March, likely driven by their proximity to the frontier zones and Thailand’s high season during that period.
It’s recommended to create two lists of competitors for your destination marketing strategy:
List 1: Competitors – all travel destinations that are present in the Russian market and have a similar target audience.
List 2: Direct Competitors – travel destinations that offer the same or very similar experience as your destination.
For example, Thailand and Vietnam would be direct competitors since they are both resort regions with the high season from November until April. However, Turkey would not be a direct competitor for these two destinations during the high season because the swimming season in Turkey is from May to September. On the other hand, Turkey would be a direct competitor for Spain as both destinations are in the Mediterranean and have the same tourist season.
What is the purpose of having it?
The objectives may differ:
- determining the pricing policy;
- developing the positioning strategy in detail;
- creating a distinctive proposition that is uniquely your own;
- choosing the appropriate channels and timing for an advertising campaign and other related activities.
Step 3. What is your desired outcome?
The subsequent step is to identify the primary objective(s) of your marketing strategy, which may include, for instance:
- Attracting a new segment of tourists to the region, particularly from Russia.
- Increasing the number of Russian tourists visiting the region.
- Enhancing the revenue generated from tourists staying in the region, and so on.
It is crucial to ensure that your objectives are realistic and attainable. At this stage, you should have a rough idea of the channels that you will use to achieve the desired outcomes and the resources required for this purpose.
Furthermore, you will need to establish key performance indicators (KPIs) that you intend to meet, as well as deadlines for achieving them.
Step 4. What is the reason for tourists to visit your country?
Another significant step in developing a promotional strategy is to position your brand in the market. Your country represents your brand, and it is crucial to identify the key message that you want to convey to your target audience while promoting it.
Conducting research on tourist behavior and preferences in your country can be helpful in this regard. You can determine what aspects of your region, such as beaches, architecture, museums, shopping, or something else, are appealing to tourists. This message can serve as the foundation for your content strategy and advertising efforts in promoting your travel destination.
Step 5. Create a map of the customer journey
The choice of promotional channels for each travel destination will vary depending on the target audience and their behavior throughout the decision-making process. Additionally, different interaction channels will be necessary at various stages of the decision-making process, indicating that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
What can you do to determine the appropriate promotional channels based on the unique features of the offer and target audience?
Create a map of the customer journey, with no specific example of a reference customer journey map provided. However, journey maps for two main categories of travelers have been prepared for your convenience:
- A married couple going on a pre-arranged tour package;
- A young tourist planning and organizing their own trip.
CJMs of Russian tourists are available for download now.
Step 6. Marketing a Destination: Various Channels to Attract Tourists from Russia
Moving ahead, we will discuss the primary promotional channels outlined in the CJM, which can help you achieve maximum exposure to Russian tourists.
Website Optimization for Your Travel Destination Targeted Towards Russian Tourists
You don’t need to change the design of your website, as European design is already familiar to Russian users. However, we suggest you localize or translate your website’s content and menu into simple Russian. To do this, it’s best to work with native speakers who can not only translate the text, but also make your website appealing to Russian users.
To achieve this, we suggest working with native speakers who can not only translate the existing content on your website (which even Google Translate can handle), but also ensure that your website speaks to Russian users effectively.
This is particularly important because Russian is consistently ranked among the top 10 most widely used languages worldwide, with Russian taking the 7th spot in 2018.
Prior to entering the Russian market, it is imperative to optimize your website for mobile devices. In 2018, there was a significant surge in the number of Russian users accessing the internet via mobile devices. Additionally, mobile website optimization is crucial for attracting young audiences and should be incorporated into your destination marketing strategy.
Engage both online and offline marketing channels
Prior to 2018, tourism ministries relied heavily on traditional mass media such as TV, radio, and print media for advertising, with $8.7 million being spent on offline advertising in 2017 compared to only $1.25 million on online advertising. However, from February to June 2018, there was a significant increase in online promotion, with $1.21 million being spent during that period. As a result, the budget allocated by countries’ ministries for offline promotion has decreased.
Make sure to gain the support of Russian travel agencies
Despite the increasing number of tourists in Russia who plan their trips on their own, arranged tours continue to be more popular.
Russians not only rely on travel agencies to buy tour packages but also seek recommendations for travel destinations. Therefore, if you want to showcase your resort to travel agents, it is important to present your region to local travel companies.
Visit social media platforms that are specific to your local area
To promote in the Russian market, it is sufficient to maintain a presence on two social networks:
These platforms are recommended based on statistical data that reveals the number of monthly active users. While VK continues to maintain its position, Instagram is gaining popularity every month. Therefore, it is advisable to consider both platforms to promote your destination marketing ideas.
Plan a travel itinerary for bloggers from Russia
Russian tourists highly value opinions when making travel decisions. “Live” pictures and positive reviews are significant factors that influence their choice of destination.
Online reviews account for 39% of the main sources of information that impact the decision to travel, while friends account for 32%.
Collaborating with bloggers can yield two benefits simultaneously:
- High-quality content that can be leveraged to promote your social media pages
- Exposure to new users who are interested in discovering new destinations.
It is recommended to approach bloggers with a moderate number of subscribers. Experience has shown that they tend to have a more engaged audience that is genuinely interested in exploring new destinations.
P.S. You can also consider reaching out to Quarter Billion Agency Travel. We can assist you with promoting your region in the Russian market.