Appealing to millennials
TOM CURTIN, special travel advisor, Bridal Guide Magazine has urged players in the Caribbean destination wedding tourism industry to appeal to millennials who are preparing for marriage via digital marketing.
“When you are dealing with couples today, it is instant viral marketing. So it is just keeping an understanding of what’s going on in this millennial mind,” Curtin told wedding planners, travel agents, suppliers, and wedding-related vendors during the Caribbean Wedding Industry Seminar at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, recently.
Describing the industry as a $15 billion one, he said that 36 per cent of that money was being spent in the Caribbean on anniversaries, honeymoons, bachelor and engagement parties, and destination weddings.
“One thing I try to tell people about the wedding market is that it is evergreen. On average, 88,000 Americans are saying I do as we speak. They are going to leave the market but guess what? Next week, there are going to be another 88,000, and it never stops. So the more you put your message out on a consistent basis, the better chance you have to capture that presence.”
He urged wedding planners to develop a social strategy, which is properly managed and where the results could be assessed. Millennials, he said, tend not to be interested in posts that seem promotional, and, therefore, it is critical to be authentic as they are influenced by people with credibility based on, among other things, feedback and reviews.
“Use video. Millennials are visually oriented. Videos should feel personal and authentic. Millennials respond to authenticity. As soon as something feels promotional, they turn it off. Real couples, real experiences, no photos of stock models. They want to see real happy couples in those stories,” he argued.
He recommends that planners who are experts in their field should take specific knowledge and specific products in a specific way and do something that captures attention and become the number-one authority in their area.
“Because whatever that is, there is information out there, and I could find that information by Googling it if I had that particular
interest.”
He said that a recent survey showed that 67 per cent of couples want a stress-free wedding-planning experience, and 70 per cent choose the Caribbean because of the warm weather.
“They are concerned about pleasure, but then comes beautiful, natural scenery, warm weather, lots to see, lots to do, and that very much speaks to the Caribbean and all the Caribbean has to offer. So you focus on what they want, then you build that up on your site and you start to take that ownership.”
He said that wedding-destination stakeholders ought not to shy away from asking honeymooners to do testimonials as often, couples are very willing to allow their images to be used in the social media promotion of the places they visited while honeymooning.
“Your clients, when they come back, there is nothing wrong with interviewing them and telling their story or asking them to tell their story on your site. Surprisingly, many of them are happy to do that.”
Curtin was among high-profile speakers including Sandals Resorts International’s Marsha Ann Brown and Deputy Director of Tourism Donnie Dawson, who spoke at the seminar.