Ever watched a rival hotel consistently booked solid while your rooms sit empty, despite offering similar amenities and a better breakfast buffet? It’s enough to make you want to throw in the towel (preferably a fluffy, high-thread-count one). But before you start contemplating a career change (I hear alpaca farming is trending), let’s talk about something that can actually turn the tide: analysing your competitor’s digital marketing strategy.
Look, I get it. Digital marketing can feel like trying to navigate a never-ending maze blindfolded. There are countless platforms, tools, and “gurus” promising overnight success. But the truth is, many tourism and hospitality businesses are spinning their wheels, wasting time and money on tactics that simply don’t deliver.
That’s where competitor analysis comes in. It’s not about copying your rivals; it’s about understanding the playing field, identifying opportunities, and crafting a smarter strategy that resonates with your target audience and drives real results. Think of it as doing your homework before the big exam – except in this case, the exam is your business’s survival. And the passing grade? More bookings, happier customers, and a healthier bottom line.
So, what are we going to cover today? We’ll be diving into everything from website analysis and SEO to social media shenanigans and paid advertising tactics. And, crucially, we’ll talk about how to transform all that data into actionable insights that can help your tourism or hospitality business not just survive, but thrive.
Why “Spying” is Actually Smart (and Ethical): Setting the Stage
Now, I know what some of you are thinking: “Isn’t this a little… shady? Am I supposed to be sneaking around, eavesdropping on my competitors’ conference calls?” Absolutely not! We’re not talking about corporate espionage here. Think of competitor analysis as essential research, just like market research or customer surveys. After all, isn’t it wise to know what’s working for other people in the same industry?
The key is to stick to ethical data collection. We’re talking about analysing publicly available information – their website, their social media feeds, their online ads – to understand their approach. It’s about learning from their successes and (just as importantly) their mistakes. It’s also about understanding the size of the audience they are speaking to, the way in which they speak to the audience, and how consistent their overall marketing approach is.
Think of it this way: if you are trying to appeal to Boomers, but your competitors have realised that market is saturated and are targeting Gen Z, that may create a big market opportunity.
Look, businesses that conduct regular competitor analysis experience a tangible increase in market share. And hey, I’m all about ethical market dominance.
Defining Your Competitive Landscape: Knowing Your Foes
One of the biggest mistakes I see in the tourism and hospitality world is businesses focusing only on their direct competitors – the hotels down the street, the tour operators offering similar excursions. That’s important, sure, but it’s only part of the picture.
You need to identify both direct and indirect competitors. A boutique hotel in Napa, for example, might consider other hotels and Airbnb experiences as competition. A local tour operator might see other tour operators, but also museums, hiking trails, or even just a really good park bench as competition for people’s time and money.
Here’s a simple framework for categorising your competitors:
- Direct Competitors: Those businesses offering similar products/services to the same target audience.
- Indirect Competitors: Businesses offering different products/services that still satisfy the same customer need or compete for the same consumer spending.
- Tertiary Competitors: These are the organisations that may become competitors in the future or compete in adjacent spaces. Keep an eye on these guys! They might be the disruptors you didn’t see coming.
The type of competitor will influence the analysis approach. For example, you might analyse a direct competitor’s pricing strategy, while focusing on an indirect competitor’s social media engagement or customer service model.
But identifying these competitors may sometimes feel like an overwhelming task. There are plenty of easy-to-use tools available that can assist in the identification process, helping to highlight not only direct, obvious competitors, but also the unknown and unexpected ones.
The Digital Forensics Toolkit: Essential Tools for Analysis
Speaking of tools, let’s be real: the digital marketing landscape is cluttered with analysis tools. It’s easy to get lost in the sea of options and end up spending more time learning the tools than actually analysing your competitors.
So, here’s a curated list of essential tools, categorised by function. These tools are great, but remember that it’s not about spending a ton of money on fancy software; it’s about using the right tool for the job and, more importantly, knowing what to look for.
Understanding a competitor’s website traffic and user behavior is crucial. Since direct access to a competitor’s Google Analytics data is not an option, focus on utilising tools that provide estimates based on publicly available data. Platforms like SimilarWeb and Ahrefs offer insights into a competitor’s estimated traffic volume, traffic sources (e.g., organic search, social media, referrals), popular pages, and audience demographics. Remember that these tools provide estimates, not exact figures, but they can still offer valuable clues about your competitors’ online performance.
- Website Traffic Analysis:
- SimilarWeb: A great option for getting a broad overview of a competitor’s website traffic, including traffic sources, engagement metrics, and audience demographics.
- Ahrefs: While known for SEO, Ahrefs also provides estimates of website traffic, along with data on top pages and traffic value.
- SEO Analysis:
- SEMrush: A comprehensive SEO tool that lets you track keyword rankings, analyse backlinks, and identify content gaps.
- Moz: Another solid SEO platform with tools for keyword research, rank tracking, and site auditing.
- Social Media Analysis:
- Sprout Social: A social media management platform with robust analytics features, allowing you to track competitor performance, engagement, and audience growth.
- Hootsuite: Another popular social media management tool with analytics dashboards for monitoring competitor activity and identifying trends.
- Paid Advertising Analysis:
- SpyFu: A powerful tool for uncovering competitor’s Google Ads campaigns, including their keywords, ad copy, and estimated budget.
- iSpionage: Similar to SpyFu, iSpionage provides insights into competitor’s search and display advertising strategies.
The key is to approach tool selection strategically. What are your specific analysis goals? What kind of data are you looking for? Choose the tools that best fit your needs and budget.
Unmasking the Website: User Experience, Content, and Conversion
Your competitor’s website is their digital storefront, their virtual lobby, their online “hello.” So, what can you learn by taking a good, hard look? Plenty. Let’s start with user experience (UX).
- Navigation and Site Structure: How easy is it to find information? Can visitors quickly locate what they’re looking for, or is the site a confusing mess of menus and dead ends?
- Mobile Responsiveness: I cannot stress this enough: is the site mobile-friendly? In the tourism and hospitality industry, where so many people are planning trips and making bookings on their phones, a mobile-unfriendly website is a major red flag.
- Page Loading Speed: How quickly does the site load? Slow sites kill conversions. Period.
Then, there’s the content. What kind of content are they serving up? Blog posts, videos, virtual tours, customer testimonials? What key messages are they communicating? How do they position their brand? And, perhaps most importantly, what topics are they not covering? That’s your content gap, your opportunity to shine. Speaking of shining, did you have a chance to read about how to use photos in your tourism business?
Finally, let’s talk conversion. Are their calls to action clear and compelling? Are their landing pages optimised for conversions? How easy is it to book a room, make a reservation, or purchase a ticket?
A clunky booking process on one website versus the seamless experience on another, speaks volumes.
Decoding Their SEO Secrets: Keywords, Rankings, and Backlinks
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the art (and science) of getting your website to rank higher in search results, driving more organic traffic. And analysing your competitor’s SEO strategy can reveal a wealth of information.
- Keyword Strategy Analysis: What keywords are they targeting? What terms are they ranking for? What are the intent and topics?
- Technical SEO Analysis: Is the site well-structured and easy for search engines to crawl? Is it mobile-friendly? Is it fast? (See a theme here?) This ties into our website section mentioned above, but how speedy is your hotel website?
- Backlink Profile Analysis: How many backlinks do they have, and how authoritative are those backlinks? Where are they getting their backlinks?
I know, I know. SEO can seem like a black box, a mysterious algorithm that only Google understands. And it’s true, it takes time and effort. The long-term payoff in organic traffic, more bookings, and higher revenue is absolutely worth it.
Social Media Showdown: Engagement, Audience, and Content
Social media: love it or hate it, it’s a crucial part of the digital marketing landscape for tourism and hospitality businesses. But are your competitors using it effectively? Let’s find out.
- Platform Strategy Assessment: What platforms are they most active on? Are they crushing it on Instagram, or are they still stuck in the dark ages of Facebook? What types of content are they sharing on each platform?
- Engagement Analysis: How much engagement are they getting (likes, comments, shares, saves, the whole shebang)? What types of content are generating the most buzz?
- Audience Analysis: What are the demographics of their followers? Are their followers primarily locals, tourists, or a mix of both? What are their interests?
This insight can reveal a gap in the market – perhaps your competitors are focused on social platforms that just aren’t relevant. Consider this; one farm owner discovered that whilst other agritourism businesses focused on marketing via traditional advertising methods, a gap was identified in the market for TikTok content. By focusing on short, engaging video content, they were able to successfully tap into a market the competitors were ignoring.
Unveiling Paid Ad Campaigns: Messaging, Targeting, and ROI
Paid advertising can be a powerful tool for driving traffic and generating leads. But it can also be a money pit if not done right. Analysing your competitor’s paid ad campaigns can help you avoid costly mistakes and maximise your return on investment (ROI).
- Ad Campaign Structure: What channels are they using (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc.)? How are their campaigns structured? What keywords are they targeting?
- Ad Creative Analysis: What messaging are they using? What visuals are they using? Are they highlighting special offers, unique experiences, or stunning destinations? What calls to action are they using?
- Targeting Strategy: Who are they targeting (demographics, interests, behaviors)? Are they using retargeting to re-engage website visitors or past customers?
These points can help you avoid making the same mistakes, and help highlight which target markets you may want to advertise to.
I know some may feel that paid advertising can feel expensive, and there’s no guarantee of a positive ROI. That’s absolutely true. Paid advertising requires careful planning and tracking. But when done right, it can be a game-changer for your business.
Content is Still King: Theme, Coverage, and Customer Focus
While there are so many different approaches to marketing, it’s key to also look at the content and themes of competitor content.
If they write about things you haven’t considered, and those blog posts are performing well, this is an area for you to start exploring!
Ensure you are always thinking about the customer through the whole process. If the posts aren’t customer-centric, perhaps there’s opportunity to add in this perspective.
For instance, consider blog posts versus video blogs (vlogs). If competitors are using blog posts, you could use vlogs!
From Data to Action: Turning Insights into Tangible Results
Okay, you’ve gathered all this data. You’ve analysed websites, SEO, social media, and paid advertising campaigns. Now what?
The key is to turn those insights into tangible results. How?
- Benchmarking: Compare your performance against your competitors across relevant metrics (website traffic, social media engagement, conversion rates, etc.).
- Gap Analysis: Identify areas where you are lagging behind. Are your website speed slow? Is your social media engagement low?
- SWOT Analysis: Conduct a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) based on your findings. What are your competitive advantages? What are your vulnerabilities?
- Prioritisation: Focus on the most important areas for improvement. You can’t fix everything at once. What will give you the biggest bang for your buck?
- Actionable Strategies: Develop concrete steps to implement your findings. Don’t just sit on the data. Create a plan and take action!
Data-driven decision-making leads to increased efficiency, improved marketing performance, and, ultimately, higher revenue. It’s not about guesswork; it’s about using data to make informed choices. And, when you make informed choices, you’ll soon be booking more customers than you can handle!
Final word
Analysing a competitor’s digital marketing strategy isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have for any tourism or hospitality business that wants to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. It’s about understanding the playing field, identifying opportunities, and crafting a smarter, more effective marketing strategy.
By using data-driven insights, you can improve your marketing performance, attract more customers, and increase your revenue. As well as this, keep reviewing this so your strategy remains fresh.
So, what are you waiting for? Stop guessing and start analysing. Your business’s success depends on it.
