Baby Boomers and Group Travel, Part 2

As promised, here is the second part of our article on how Baby Boomers are affecting group travel.

8. Boomers like creature comforts. This fact, according to Malott, actually keeps boomers from booking the exotic locales they profess to like. Day puts a slightly different spin on the issue. "A tent is OK," she said, "but it better have a great view and great food. Even if you're in the wilderness, luxury is being served a delicious meal without having to lift a finger." 

Accommodations should "reflect the experience of a place without being down and dirty," she said. Boomers don't want a generic-style hotel, but they demand the amenities they are accustomed to. 

9. Boomers are time deprived. To get relief from their stressful schedules, boomers vacation at spas where they can do absolutely nothing but be pampered. Or they may go to the opposite extreme, choosing adventures that are physically or mentally challenging - or both. 

"Group travel is turnkey travel," noted the Senior Network's Day, so the boomers' time deprivation can be a boon for tour operators. Letting somebody else deal with all the details is very appealing, she said, but the hang-up for boomers is trust. They wonder whether they can rely on somebody else to plan their kind of trip. 

When booking travel, boomers also need time-saving devices. They like 800 numbers, the Internet, videos and virtual reality because they offer convenience and interactivity. Their predilection for technology can reduce travel suppliers' costs for agents' commissions and printing and mailing brochures. However, it also means call centers must be staffed to meet whenever boomers call.

Internet use is so common among Mature Traveler readers, editor Malott automatically lists website addresses along with phone numbers. Day pointed out that boomers use the Internet more for information gathering than booking. "It's human nature to want to feel connected to what you're about to sign up for," she said. However, she added, boomers also like the freedom of not involving other people when they are exploring a subject. Their attitude is, "When I've decided, I'll initiate the next move."

10. Boomers will pay for luxury, expertise and convenience. ATM fees, nannies and bottled water prove boomers are willing to pay for what they want. Mancini noted, "Boomers are willing to do things for themselves, if it's a hobby or if they think it won't require too much effort, but they really like to hire others to do it for them because it implies status." 

Day added, "When boomers travel, they want to do it right. They still look for a bargain, but a bargain to them means getting a good price on something of great value."

Organized group travel becomes valuable to boomers when it's a physically or mentally challenging adventure, but they don't have the skill level to do it themselves. Or when safety and cost make traveling with a group more practical. "You get to an impasse where you need the experts to facilitate the experience," noted Day.

To attract boomers, tour operators must emphasize their expertise. They must add value boomers can't get on their own. Guides must become like personal trainers and demonstrate the skill and knowledge boomers will respect and pay for. 

11. Boomers are skeptical of institutions and individuals. With Viet Nam and Watergate as touchstones, who can blame this generation for lacking trust? As a function of their distrust, boomers are not joiners. They are less involved with alumni groups, civic organizations and museum societies than their predecessors, so these traditional sources of group business may be less viable in the future. 

Because they are skeptical, boomers actively research their travel options, so suppliers must expect a lot of information gathering before the buy decision. Public relations efforts that impart third-party or expert endorsement help break through boomers' skepticism. NTA focus groups in 1997 and 1998 said ads in local newspapers and word of mouth were the best sources of information and persuasion for travel products. 

In marketing materials, patting oneself on the back too vigorously is sure to raise boomers' suspicions and hackles. Companies hoping to build long-term relationships must not promise more than they can deliver because failure to perform undermines boomers' trust.

12. Boomers like to associate with people like themselves. As noted earlier, boomers do not identify with people older than themselves. According to Day, one of the questions uppermost in their minds when they purchase travel is, "Who is going to be on this trip? Is it going to be people like me or a bunch of stodgy, gray-haired people?"

Day said boomers look for outfitters or operators who "share my values,"so they are very selective about who they'll use. She added, "They want an interactive feeling with the outfitter . . . where there's equality between boomers and the leader."

The industry can respond to these needs by not mixing age groups in the same tour and using younger images and words in their marketing materials. They should stress the flexibility and participative nature of the experience as well as hype the expertise of their staff and guides. Environmental and social awareness will strike a responsive note in some boomers, so they should be highlighted. 

13. Boomers are not homogenous. While boomers identify themselves as boomers, they are not a single group. In terms of life stages, boomers may be the least homogenous generation to date. There are childless-by-choice boomers, others with new babies, others with grandchildren and some with both. Fifty year olds who are retiring and others starting new careers or returning to college. Empty nesters downsizing their lives, parents who can't get their Gen Xers out of the house and others raising their grandchildren. These variations affect spending habits, the amount of time available for vacations and with whom boomers travel. 

There is also a dichotomy between older and younger boomers. For those born between 1946 and 1955, Viet Nam was the defining event of their lives. For those who came later, it was Watergate. When older boomers finished college, jobs were plentiful and interest rates low. Younger boomers faced recession and 21% interest. The older group, the first to benefit from women's movement, tends to be more career-oriented. The younger ones experienced the down side of women's lib - the higher divorce rate. They also felt they never got as much attention as their older siblings, so they are more family-oriented. According to Mancini, older boomers, including himself, "thought our parents stuff was corny and stupid." Younger boomers, who watched Donna Reed and Ozzie and Harriet reruns on TV, he said, "unleashed this whole wave of nostalgia." All these factors too impact travel behavior.

If they keep these 13 truths about boomers in mind, marketers will be more successful in pursuing this large, but complex market segment.

For more information on group travel, contact the Kankakee County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Baby Boomers and Group Travel, Part 1

The Kankakee County CVB is aware of how the 78 million baby boomers are an enormous bulge in the U.S. population. Born between 1946 and 1964, they changed American business at each stage of their development. Diaper services, Barbie dolls, Rolling Stone magazine, relaxed-fit jeans and SUVs - all were created in response to boomers' needs. Now it's the travel industry's turn to be affected.

Baby boomers today are between 35 and 53 years of age. They are in their peak earning years, and the oldest of them have reached the prime age for travel. Boomers, however, are significantly different travel consumers than their parents, and experts expect them to maintain those differences as they age. Travel industry organizations that fail to identify and heed the boomers' unique qualities could soon find themselves in serious trouble.

Group travel seems especially vulnerable. Although Robert Whitley, president of the U. S. Tour Operators Association, said, "The escorted tour market is alive and well," National Tour Association research among boomers indicated potential problems. According to the NTA, "The overwhelming perception of tour packages by NTA's focus group participants was negative."

To help marketers more effectively target boomers today and in the future, Travel Marketing Decisions interviewed a series of experts to gather insight into this enormous and potentially lucrative segment. Below are 13 truths about baby boomers and their marketing implications for the industry.

1. Boomers consider travel a necessity, not a luxury. This is good news for the industry on two counts. First, the sheer number of boomers traveling will cause business to grow. Second, since travel is a necessity, boomers engage in it no matter how scarce their time or money. Their travel behavior, therefore, is less dependent on life stage or the economy.

2. Boomers have traveled more than their predecessors. While their parents first visited Europe when they retired, boomers criss-crossed the Continent as students. Adele Malott, editor of The Mature Traveler newsletter, noted, "When we began we had to educate our readers because they hadn't traveled much. Now we've eliminated much of the primer stuff."

As experienced travelers, boomers seek out more exotic destinations or more in-depth ways of experiencing familiar places. "You're not likely to see them on bus tours of the U.S. because they already did that on their bikes or with backpacks," said Courtney Day, senior vice of the Senior Network, a New Jersey research and marketing firm that specializes in the older consumer.

Been-there-done-that is one reason adventure travel appeals to them, Day said. She defined adventure travel as either physically-challenging outdoor activity or an off-the-beaten-path destination. Because boomers are interested in bettering themselves, intellectually stimulating travel also holds appeal.

3. Boomers see themselves as forever young. "Adult teenagers" is the way Phil Goodman, co-author of the Boomer Marketing Revolution, described boomers. A consultant to the NTA on its boomer market assessment plan, Goodman noted, "Boomers will always try to act much younger than their chronological age." As a result, boomers still want to fulfill the dreams they had at 25 - even if their bodies aren't always willing or able.

This cult of youth also affects boomers' choice of travel suppliers and companions. They don't identify with people older than they are, after all, their credo was "Don't trust anybody over 30." Now well past 30 themselves, boomers still don't want to be like their parents. That means mixing the two generations in the same tour group probably won't work. Early bird specials and senior discounts hold no appeal for boomers because, according to Day, because they won't think of themselves as seniors until they are in their seventies.

She said some companies may have to reinvent their images because boomers don't want anything that smacks of being stuffy or stodgy. More youthful models should be selected because boomers relate better to younger images. The word maturity should be replaced with experience and education.

4. Boomers want to have fun. It's not surprising that adult teenagers put a premium on having a good time. Although fun, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, Day said companionship, stimulation and the cultural/social experience make travel fun for boomers. She added, "Part of the enjoyment of the experience is knowing it's unique -that's part of the rush."

Day said tour operators and destinations can increase the fun factor by encouraging boomers to bring friends with them. A group isn't a negative when it's a group of their own friends, she said.

Day also pointed out, "Fun that is too difficult to obtain isn't fun at all." This again underscores the importance of making the travel purchase quick, easy and convenient.

Finally, boomers desire to have fun and make money is driving some career changers into the travel industry. According to Marc Mancini, president of Marc Mancini Seminars and Consulting, these entrepreneurs are carving out niches that will have a major impact on the business.

5. Boomers demand immediate gratification. Unlike their Depression-era parents, boomers grew up in times of plenty. Easy gratification bred a desire for still more and quicker rewards. As a result, boomers don't wait to take the trips they want. If they don't have the money, they just use plastic.

These free-spending ways, however, could spell trouble for the travel industry, if boomers must work longer because they didn't save for retirement. The hot stock market of recent years may have changed the outlook for many, but Mancini thinks a major market correction could keep boomers from enjoying their paper profits.

Boomers' instant-gratification lifestyle means they don't book travel as far in advance as their predecessors. But when they are ready to book, they want to do it NOW.

Finally, it's important to remember boomers invented the question, "Are we there yet?" They have little patience for long, uninterrupted stretches of road time. Tour operators should plan shorter hauls or more frequent stops or provide entertainment such as personal video screens or Internet access.

6. Boomers are not passive. They want a measure of control in designing their travel experience, and, once on the road, they want to choose their activities. "If you tell them they're going to do A, B and C, they might want to do E or F," noted editor Malott. The challenge for travel marketers is to make it clear their product offers plenty of options.

Boomers also want more interactivity in the travel experience. According to John Stachnik, president of Mayflower Tours, "They don't want to hear about panning for gold, they want to do it." Stachnik called it sightdoing vs. sightseeing.

Malott said boomers also crave the "local human touch." That means activities such as "meet the people" dinners or playing golf with locals will be highly attractive tour elements.

7. Boomers think they are special. Always been a force to be reckoned with, they are very demanding consumers. "Whether they go budget or luxury, boomers tend to want the best," said Day.

Boomers like things that reinforce their feelings of specialness, so they are attracted to credit cards that offer preferred theater seats or tours that give them after-hours access to a museum. They also want products designed to fit their individual needs, so customization, or the illusion of it, is important.

What boomers definitely do not want is herding. To many boomers, group travel has the faint aroma of a cattle drive. This has prompted some operators to drop tours from their names. Others have pared down group size, either by forming smaller groups or breaking larger groups into subsets which engage in different activities simultaneously.

Day suggested tour operators offer products that provide group transportation and accommodations, but impose a less rigid structure on travelers' daily movements. "I can see a much more à la carte approach that allows more independence," she said. The experts also recommended promotional materials down play the group aspect of tours and emphasize the benefits to individuals.

Please look for the second part in this series or contact the Kankakee County CVB for more info. 

4 Social Media Strategies for the Holiday Season

As the holiday season quickly approaches, you may be asking yourself, how do I promote my hotel during the holidays? Using social media, of course! The opportunities to capture the holiday traveler's attention are nearly unlimited. In this video, explore four strategies to engage and convert your social media audience this season, including design tips, promotion suggestions, and video concepts. 

1. Holiday-ify your profiles' designs. Add a little flare to your profile icons and cover images to stay fresh for your audience.
2. Create a holiday focused promotion or contest. Take advantage of Facebook's recent relaxation of the promotion guidelines, or go all out and create an interactive custom application to build engagement and increase your social reach.
3. Leverage repeat-posts with holiday themes. The holidays are a time for fun and impatience. Help build excitement (and repeat engagement) with a countdown of your own, rewarding users and encouraging them to share.
4. Create holiday themed videos. Let your employees share their excitement and voice by shooting short clips of them giving thanks this season, and upload them to Vine or Instagram. 

Whatever you decide to do, don't be afraid to have fun. You can entertain and engage while building a qualified fan-base that will help your business will into the new year. For more ideas, contact the Kankakee County CVB.

Social Media Marketing Tips, Part 2

In July 2012 Americans spent 74.0 billion minutes on social media via a home computer, 40.8 billion minutes via apps, and 5.7 billion minutes via mobile web browsers, a total of 121.1 billion minutes on social networking sites. Social media can be an important part of your marketing strategy. Here are 10 more tips you can use to build strong relationships using social media marketing.

11. Add a Welcome Video

Include a welcome video to your landing page. Use it to tell new members about your company, and what social networking sites your company can be found on.

12. Tag People and Pages on Facebook

When posting or commenting on Facebook, be sure to utilize the status-tagging tool. Using status tagging will alert the person or company when being mentioned. Simply use the @ symbol in front of the person or company’s name; yet another easy way to encourage interaction.

13. Have your Facebook fans tag your photos

Any live events you attend or hold be sure to take plenty of photos. Upload the event photos to Facebook, and ask your fans to tag any photos they are in, or recognize some one they know. Not only does this encourage more fan interaction, but also it will help your company gain more exposure.

14. Perform Facebook activities as your Facebook fan page

What better way to network on Facebook, than interacting with others on Facebook as your fan page? Putting your name out there for people to see, more attention will be drawn to your Facebook page, thus driving more fans to your page.

15. Sweepstakes and/or Contests 

Sweepstakes and contests are the fastest way to increase your fan base. In order for this build up on of fans to be successful, you will need to utilize the Facebook app tool. The guidelines will provide all the information you need to run a successful promotion.

16. Take notice of your most active fans 

Take notice of your most active fans, and take the time to say thank you. Use incentive programs such as “Fan of the Week/Month.”

17. The Facebook Questions Feature 

The Facebook questions tool is an excellent, and simple way to interact with existing fans, and encourage some new fans. Poll your audience using a fun, relevant interesting, and intriguing question. This is a fantastic way to encourage interaction.

18. Utilize Facebook Ads

The best sources of traffic you can purchase are Facebook ads. Not only does it provide you a high

volume of traffic, it will also allow you to see how many users are in your target market area.

19. Network with other website Administrators 

Networking with other website administrators will allow you to build relationships with them. This will then open the doors for you to discuss ways to work together. Thus, increasing your social media marketing traffic.

20. Continue to Learn and Grow with Facebook 

Facebook is another excellent communication tool. Your company can use Facebook for public relations purposes, research and development, recruiting, sharing information, etc. Make the most of this incredible media-marketing tool.

Read more here!

Social Media Marketing Tips, Part 1

47% of American adults used social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Classmates.com in 2011, up from 26% in 2008. On social media sites like these, users may develop biographical profiles, communicate with friends and strangers, do research, and share thoughts, photos, music, links, and more. Here are 10 tips you can use immediately to build strong relationships using social media marketing. 

1. Utilize Your Family and Friends
Ask for the support of your family and friends. Encourage them to become fans on your Facebook page or followers of you on Twitter. Also ask your friends and family to spread the word about your fan page. 

2. Facebook Plugins
Incorporating a Facebook plugin into your website and/or blog is an easy and effective way to drive more fan traffic to your Facebook fan page. 

3. Other Social Media Networks
Facebook is not your only tool for social media marketing. Be sure to keep your Twitter followers and LinkedIn group members in the loop. 

4. Your Newsletter Subscribers
Send out an invitation in your newsletter to your subscribers. Invite them to join to your Facebook fan page, your Twitter following, even your LinkedIn group. Your newsletter subscribers are an excellent source of fan traffic that will actively help spread the message of your company. 

5. Make More Use of Traditional Advertising Methods
When using traditional advertising for your business, such as television ads or radio ads, mention your social networking sites. 

6. Physical Location Interaction with your fans and customers is key. Provide details on where your shop/office can be seen or visited. 

7. Your Existing Customers can be a Useful Tool Use your existing customers to fuel social media marketing. Inform your existing customers about your website, blog, Facebook page, and other social networking sites being used. Getting your existing customers involved uses the most powerful tool of all, word of mouth. 

8. Special Incentives will spark the interest of new fansUsing special incentives to get new fans on Facebook, followers on Twitter, or group members on LinkedIn. Offer special incentives such as access to exclusive content, your fans, customers, followers, advocates, etc, love feeling as though they are receiving something special. 

9. Stimulate Interaction Again, it is important to remember Facebook is not the only useful site in social media marketing. Use several social networking channels to keep your fans engaged and informed about other sites to obtain information about your business. 

10. Ask Your Facebook fans to “Like” and/or “Share” your material Asking your Facebook fans to help spread your message and “share” your material with their friends and familyWord of mouth is an effective, easy, free way to continue your social media marketing. Watch for more tips in our next installment. 

Please contact the CVB for more information.