Checking off must-see lists and referring to guidebooks in every destination is passe. The current crop of travellers is nothing like its previous generation, thriving on unique, local experiences, rather than pre-planned itineraries. Latching on to this insight, Airbnb recently came up with its #LiveThere campaign, urging travellers to actually live like a local when they visit their dream destination.

Coupled with the company’s recent Trips launch in the country, the Airbnb campaign helps travellers immerse themselves in communities through the eyes of locals, by showcasing authentic, curated experiences made possible through Airbnb and its people-powered community. Watch the ad here:

While the video is focused on the city of Paris, the voiceover resonates with every traveller across the world who is dissatisfied with standardized tourist offerings. It creates a more authentic guest-host relationship by urging people to break away from the regular travel experiences and seek new destinations in the homes of local residents, and through their eyes. In order to stick out, Airbnb is trying to appeal to nostalgia and the thrill of adventure. The core of the engagement is authentic to the brand and the campaign aims to create meaningful, honest experiences. It also aims to increase the daily relevance of the product in people’s lives. Right now, people only go to Airbnb when they look for places to stay in during a vacation. The brand is striving to become a daily app where people go to find experiences; making both hosts and guests long-term partners.

Airbnb in India has witnessed tremendous growth in the past one decade of its existence. Currently, 22,000 properties are listed on Airbnb’s India platform across 100 cities. According to the company, transactions on the platform in India has nearly tripled over the past year, with nearly five lakh Indian guests having travelled via Airbnb. All these numbers point to Airbnb’s crucial role in the Indian travel market, touted to grow to $40 billion by 2020. Previously too, Airbnb has tried to offer accommodation in new regions of India that are attracting travellers by signing an MoU with Self-Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA), where the company worked with the members of SEWA to help them share their homes and host domestic and international guests.

To boost its campaign reach in India, Airbnb partnered with Viacom 18’s entertainment channel MTV India to host the online #LiveThere contest. The contest required participants to log onto their Instagram or Twitter and submit image/video entries which best capture their ‘Live There’ moments. By collaborating with popular icons like Nikhil Chinappa, Anusha Dandekar and Radhika Apte, Airbnb aimed at establishing greater relevance with the young Indian traveller, based on their unique passion points. So, while trained Scuba instructor Nikhil Chinappa shared insights on how to best experience music and adventure in Thailand, Anusha Dandekar offered an insider’s view into the hidden fashion hubs in Milan, and Radhika Apte suggested the best way to experience art and theatre in London.

Overall, the new campaign throws out the notion that people want template experiences when they travel. By inspiring travellers to reimagine what it is to travel, including living in local neighbourhoods and enjoying the comforts of a home, the Airbnb campaign provides the perfect antidote to commoditized travel.

The post Travel marketing lessons from Airbnb’s #LiveThere campaign appeared first on TravHQ.

It isn’t easy to market a product online. Developing a product and building a web presence is only a fraction of the battle. Travel industry is highly competitive and with every other brand fighting for the customers’ attention, making progress isn’t easy. Social media and Google ads are the first tools that we think of when it comes to promoting online. But there are various other ways you can promote your travel startup online for free. Here are some of them:

#1- Communities

It is very important to engage with the right kind of people online. Put some analysis and thought in where you can find your potential customers online and talk to them. There are various forums and communities that relate to specific segments of travellers and you can join the conversations and help people there while disclosing your brand. You can answer queries that relate to your field of expertise on Quora to gain visibility over time.

#2- Press release

New feature, updated app, new campaign or just a new offer. Don’t miss any chance to send out a press release. There are services like Newswire that would allow you to publish press releases for free which will not only help boost your online visibility but also allow you to create buzz about the activity. Such online PR platforms also offer paid options to increase the reach of your press release.

#3- Blog

We are certain that your SEO expert told you about the advantages of having a blog on your company website but there is more to it. The blog not only serves the purpose of improving your visibility in search results but also gives people a reason to visit your website. Even if they are coming for the content, they are more likely to remember you when they have to book their travel.

#4- Guest publishing

Most of the publications are open to the idea of guest authors. You can approach relevant media portals for your industry and discuss the possibility of guest posting. It is likely that you know about your industry domain better than most people and you can offer to share your knowledge. If you are working on some innovative technologies, the possibilities are even higher. This will allow you to reach different kind of audience and will position you as an expert on the topic which in turn will help your brand.

#5- E-mail

With the emergence of so many marketing channels, email often gets ignored. But even today, nothing has managed to replace email and it still works very well to promote. Ask people to subscribe to your newsletters. Your blog can come in handy to build the mailing list. It would be easier to sell to your subscribers as they are already interested in what you do. (Also read: 5 e-mail marketing tips for travel marketers)

What other alternate marketing channels do you leverage for your travel brand? Do share with us.

The post 5 ways to promote your travel startup for free online appeared first on TravHQ.