While the industry faces this period of shut down, there’s so much you can do to promote your business through effective sales and marketing – particularly digital marketing. Research shows that many consumers are already planning their next holiday for a time when restrictions have been eased, so time invested in marketing now could yield dividends. The higher your business ranks organically in search engines such as Google, the better your prospects of attracting new customers. The following free resources can help you promote your business online.
Reshaping the experience and presenting your offer
Fáilte Ireland’s ‘Reshaping the experience and presenting your offer’ video playlist, supporting template and guidance will help you create great experiences for your domestic market segments and highlight some stand-out ‘good practice examples’ of winning experiences and offers.
Access our ‘Reshaping the Experience and Presenting your offer’ resources
Creating compelling content
Fáilte Ireland’s ‘Creating compelling content’ video suite and supporting top tips advises on how to create high-quality, inspiring imagery and video without breaking the bank. With nothing more than a good camera phone and some know-how, you can capture incredibly engaging and inspiring imagery and video content for your website and social media platforms that will drive business to you.
Access our ‘Creating Compelling content’ resources
Optimising conversion through digital
Fáilte Ireland’s video playlist, supporting checklists and infographic on ‘Optimising direct sales conversion through digital with own brand web’ will help you improve your website SEO and conversion performance. Learn ways to improve your sales funnel while tracking and analysing online visitors – allowing you to make the necessary improvements to help you win more direct bookings. This will help to improve website performance for local searches and optimise revenues from the local community, daycations and those visiting family and friends.
Access our ‘Optimising conversion through digital’ resources
Marketing on a shoestring
Fáilte Ireland’s guide ‘Marketing on a shoestring’ offers practical advice on how to collaborate with other businesses on low-cost or no-cost tactical marketing, which can help you win a fair share of domestic and local market. Our accompanying Marketing Action Plan Checklist guides you through building a comprehensive plan to get the most out of your marketing spend and activity this year.
Access our ‘Marketing on a shoestring’ resources
Digital Marketing Institute
The Digital Marketing Institute is offering free access to its training library to companies including, a mix of 10 Digital Marketing, Online Sales & E-Commerce classes. They are also offering 3 months free access to their member’s library with over 500 professional training resources. Topics Include:
- Digital marketing
- Social media marketing
- Search engine optimisation
- Creating and managing paid campaigns online.
- Email marketing
- Content marketing & planning
- Website optimisation & analytics
- E-commerce
- Digital strategy
- Online sales & social selling
60,000 professionals are DMI members.
Sign up and get access to free training today.
Bord Bia
Bord Bia is offering a comprehensive selection of free podcasts on topics in relation to COVID-19. This video podcast series leverages insight from Bord Bia’s network of 15 international offices to take a closer look at what’s happening in each market coping with market disruption and supply chain demands during the pandemic
Check out Bord Bia’s video podcast series here.
OpenLearn from the Open University
Access a range of free marketing training courses from the Open University via their OpenLearn online platform. Topics include:
- Marketing Communications as a strategic function
- Marketing in the 21st Century
- The Market Led Organisation
Check out the OpenLearn course catalogue
Alison.com
Alison.com offers businesses a range of free online training programmes in a variety of sales and marketing related subjects. The training courses designated ‘free’ are available free of charge, but Learners can pay for an optional certificate at the end of their training, if they wish to do so.
Check out the Alison.com course catalogue
Avvio
Avvio has launched a new Hotel Digital Academy, offering dedicated training to upskill the hotel sector during COVID-19.
The Academy covers an introduction to digital marketing, tailored specifically to the hospitality industry. Study using self-learning modules, a range of webinars and guides supported by the Avvio Digital team. The Academy is free and open to everyone, not just Avvio customers.
Register for the Hotel Digital Academy
Local Enterprise Office
Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) offer a range of ‘Expert Views’ on social media and digital marketing to help you optimise your sales and marketing efforts during the COVID-19 crisis.
Find your Local Enterprise Office
Google for Small Business provides a “Steps you can take today” section with a range of practical tips to help you respond to the current COVID-19 crisis including topics on:
- Communicating with your customers
- Working remotely
- Communicating with your employees
- Modifying your advertising if necessary
Think with Google Coronavirus Strategy is a collection of articles designed to help individuals and businesses navigate through uncertainty. Find tips on strategy and planning and access articles such as:
- ‘How to prepare your business for what’s next’
- What travel marketers need to know to navigate the path forward
Think with Google Coronavirus Strategy also includes articles designed to highlight lessons learnt from coping with uncertainty in the business environment. Topics include:
- What the pandemic taught us at Google about our own marketing organization
- Pivots from the pandemic that are here to stay