It’s no secret that 2020 was a tough year for airports everywhere – especially small and mid-sized facilities. With travel expected to pick up in 2021, now is the opportune time to ensure your airport’s marketing strategy is up to the test. To help you attract consumers and build trust with your brand, Advance Aviation, a branch of Advance Media New York in Syracuse, NY, reviews three of the most anticipated aviation marketing trends to hone in 2021.

1. Taking Advantage of New Tools

Aviation marketers are ditching their old ways of doing things and, instead, opting for new tools that make planning campaigns more efficient – like the one recently unveiled by Google. The Travel Insights tool’s purpose is to connect entities in the travel industry with the right travelers – no matter what stage of planning a trip they’re in. It does so with the following features:

• Destination Insights: This provides a closer look into the demand for tourism with recent travel data for destinations and the opportunity to compare trends.
• Travel Analytics Center: This easy-to-use portal offers metrics on how your account is performing across Google’s travel search channels and provides the analysis necessary for you to make smarter marketing decisions. Travel Analytics Center is embedded into the Google Flights Search platform as well.

2. Targeting “Bleisure” Travelers

Mixing leisure and business travel has always been common, but in 2021, the number of “bleisure” flyers is expected to rise even higher. Some businesspeople are beginning to travel to their clients more as Americans receive vaccinations for COVID-19. Others may have had to sacrifice their family vacation in 2020 and want to bring their spouse or children along on their next business trip. Whatever the case, your airport’s marketing strategy should cater to bleisure travelers. Here are a few ways to target this audience:

• Publish blogs on your website that contain travel tips for bleisure flyers, as well as direct them to attractions at their destinations.
• Create brief video ads depicting businesspeople both at your airport and in vacation mode at their destination.
• Develop a landing page on your website with dedicated resources just for bleisure travelers.

3. Prioritizing SEO Initiatives

Thanks to the pandemic, more commerce is taking place online than ever – and that includes travelers looking to book flights. People are currently less likely to use brick-and-mortar travel agencies, meaning they’re spending more time researching flights, airports, and more on their own. To make your airport’s website more likely to be seen on the search engine results page (SERP), prioritize your search engine optimization (SEO) initiatives – something that’s an anticipated marketing trend for 2021. Just a few areas that will need attention on your website include:

• Overall website design and speed
• Keyword-driven copy and photo descriptions
• Optimizations for voice and mobile searches
• Strong internal and external links
• Meta titles and descriptions
• And more.

Partner with a Reputable Aviation Marketing Agency

Last but not least, the demand for aviation marketing services is anticipated to increase in 2021. And this is for good reason – given the tumultuous year of 2020, many airport resources are stretched thin, including marketing staff. Instead of doing it all on your own, place your trust in Advance Aviation, which serves small and mid-sized airports by helping them implement robust marketing strategies. For more information, contact us today.