Introduction
In the context of building an online business, acquiring and retaining the target audience through appropriate marketing strategies is one of the main objectives to achieve to strengthening the market. Regarding TripHobo, one of the world’s largest vacation planning platforms, media engagement is a must-have strategy to grow its customer base. The company has many partnerships with other businesses involved in the industry, in particular, airlines and home-booking services (“World’s smartest vacation planner,” 2021). At the same time, according to Laurie and Mortimer (2019), the types of media that influence businesses’ approaches to customer retention determine marketing strategies and are divided into owned, earned, and paid channels. Chaffey (2014) offers to prioritize media spending by allocating the budget wisely to eliminate unnecessary costs and, at the same time, attract a large audience. In the case of TripHobo, the company focuses on earned media and invests in paid promotion, while owned media make up the smallest percentage of its marketing plan.
Due to its successful advertising integration, TripHobo has effective media promotion channels through the placement of advertising logos, targeted ads, and other approaches. This owned principle is relevant in a high-competitive environment and is an effective practice that, however, is not available to all similar businesses. TripHobo has the budget to build partnerships by investing in paid promotion. Clients who come for the services of the platform are often attracted from other businesses, which is an effective tool of collaboration and evidence of earned media. Paid promotion is one of the most effective mechanisms for promoting TripHobo’s services in the target market segment. Customers learn about the company and its capabilities by visiting related websites. This approach eliminates the need to develop owned media and allows focusing on multiple channels of customer acquisition and retention.
Using Content Marketing and Persuasion
Using content marketing and persuasion as communication tools is a traditional practice at TripHobo. Chaffey (2014) notes that a personalized approach is a method of retaining the target audience through the closest possible interaction with the client and the ability to tailor services to the interests of a particular buyer. TripHobo is a platform that leverages such principles successfully by giving customers opportunities to calculate the cost of upcoming expenses, choose the best accommodation, and other convenient tools for individual retention (“World’s smartest vacation planner,” 2021). These methods allow the platform to convince the target audience of the quality and usability of its services, and content marketing is one of the key approaches to interacting with leads.
Content marketing at TripHobo is an imperative condition for promoting effective marketing communication. In addition to the ability to engage customers online through personalized ads, this practice minimizes costs. According to Hollebeek and Macky (2019), such an approach “costs 62% less than traditional marketing efforts, [while] generat[ing] three times as many [sales] leads” (p. 28). TripHobo creates a unique offer for each client through advanced functionality and personalized search opportunities, thus creating the impression of a personal tool for finding vacation options. A persuasion strategy is implemented by showing the target audience feedback about the company to draw attention to the variety of services the organization can provide. In addition, the official website features social media accounts that encourage customers to expand their knowledge of TripHobo and convince them to take advantage of its opportunities. These practices drive brand engagement and expand the current lead base.
Strategies to Convert Leads to Sales
The e-commerce process promoted by TripHobo is a successful mechanism for converting leads to sales. Jain (2019) argues that this strategy allows online companies to achieve visibility and interact with the target audience remotely, thereby ensuring a stable income. Chaffey (2014), in turn, remarks that the aforementioned site personalization is a helpful approach to increase conversion by promoting a client-centered mechanism of communication. TripHobo includes several essential tools that consumers need to complete all procedures on one website, thereby combining the services of different online instruments (“World’s smartest vacation planner,” 2021). The platform contains professional recommendations, a program for calculating the required budget, detailed descriptions of different types of tourist routes, and many other options (“World’s smartest vacation planner,” 2021). This practice aims to retain customers and offer them the most convenient conditions, which ultimately has a positive effect on the share of sales.
TripHobo does not involve marketing communication through offline channels since its business is optimized for the virtual environment and is designed to help consumers make the desired choice as quickly and conveniently as possible. Although the range of services is limited, the company focuses on a narrow profile of work. In modern conditions of mass quarantine and the pandemic, problems with converting leads to sales are manifested due to travel restrictions. However, TripHobo covers this problem by making it easier for potential customers to find information on safe routes and the necessary safety measures (“World’s smartest vacation planner,” 2021). Due to partnerships with other global platforms for ordering housing and transportation, the company provides its services to clients for free. This raises interest in TripHobo and serves as an effective approach to expanding its target audience.
Strategies to Develop Customer Loyalty and Repeat Sales
The convenience and functionality of TripHobo are the drivers to ensure customer loyalty. In particular, the repeat purchase principle is one of the ultimate goals of the platform since this criterion reflects the share of retained customers and indicates the effectiveness of the current marketing strategy (Wahyono & Nurjanah, 2020). The customer feedback system promotes constant interaction, which, in turn, increases buyer confidence in the company and serves as a guarantee of the long-term use of its services. In addition, the TripHobo website invites consumers to share suggestions for optimizing performance and improving desired options, which is also a valuable initiative to maintain the trust of the customer base (“World’s smartest vacation planner,” 2021). Chaffey (2014) notes that social media broadens the spectrum of communication and brings the provider closer to the buyer. Since TripHobo has accounts on the most popular social media platforms, its interaction with the target audience is sustainable and productive.
TripHobo’s marketing methods are in line with the modern standards of customer loyalty programs. A friendly interface is associated with the principle of customer advocacy, which, as Chaffey (2014) states, is one of the critical guarantees of market acceptance. With the increased possibilities of online communication and advanced algorithms for contextual advertising, TripHobo can count on a constant increase in clients through the principle of “word-of-mouth.” As a result, by achieving customer satisfaction as a crucial recognition criterion, this service realizes its marketing objectives successfully and expands its sphere of influence, which is the ultimate goal of any business.
References
Chaffey, D. (2014). Digital marketing planning template. Web.
Hollebeek, L. D., & Macky, K. (2019). Digital content marketing’s role in fostering consumer engagement, trust, and value: Framework, fundamental propositions, and implications. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 45, 27-41. Web.
Jain, G. (2019). Marketing strategies for e-commerce business. AAYAM: AKGIM Journal of Management, 9(2), 30-33.
Laurie, S., & Mortimer, K. (2019). How to achieve true integration: The impact of integrated marketing communication on the client/agency relationship. Journal of Marketing Management, 35(3-4), 231-252. Web.
Wahyono, W., & Nurjanah, U. (2020). Building customer loyalty through strategy experiential marketing, service quality, and customer satisfaction. Management Analysis Journal, 9(2), 122-131. Web.
World’s smartest vacation planner. (2021). TripHobo.