This module aims to introduce users to digital marketing as a way to promote agrotourism businesses. The idea is to give users easy tools to implement digital marketing strategies to reach a wider audience of potential customers, contributing to meeting the need of the agrotourism sector to be adapted to a digital society and turn agrotourism most traditional businesses into a successful and innovative digital businesses.
Digital marketing refers to all advertising actions and strategies done in an online platform. Digital marketing campaigns can be carried out on platforms such as blogs, websites, social media, email, etc. A properly planned use of these resources can lead to a significant increase in the number of clients. The main benefit of digital marketing is that it allows businesses to gain visibility and promotion irrespective of geographic barriers.
A primary definition of marketing points to the single objective of selling products to a mass market. However, social changes in consumption patterns, advances in technological platforms and, especially, the general digitalisation that we have experienced in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis have been decisive for marketing to take a perspective towards direct and personal contact with the customer, adapting to their tastes and establishing more human and even interactive communication. The digitalisation of an existing agrotourism business has to be planned with these new trends in mind.
| Benefits for the agrotourism business | Benefits for customers |
|---|---|
| Flexibility to adapt to tendencies and seasons (Christmas, Valentines, summer). | Access to a wider range of leisure and tourism options that, without social media presence, would have been impossible to be reached. |
| Direct contact and interaction – builds trust in the business as clients can remove doubts / solve problems directly with the business owners. | Customisation of services. The client can access information in their own language, and be informed before booking how their trip can be customised to the user’s taste – you should include your customizable options in your webpage and social media.
Direct communication with the service provider. Customers can settle their doubts. |
| Competitiveness with large tourism companies. | They can easily reach a wider variety of tourism options. |
| Globally offer agrotourism business services. | Access to a worldwide service offer. It is easier to find something that matches your preferences as customer. |
| Possibility to better target your customers. Online publishing resources are easily adaptable and dynamic, making it possible to define the type of customer you are addressing, adapt our messages to cultural tendencies, languages, etc. | |
| Easier to catch our client attention | |
| Services can be booked 24/365, making our business accessible to every part of the world. |
To achieve sustainability it is crucial that rural tourism lodgings communicate their essence, as well the products and experiences available for tourists. This because it is a common practice for visitors to look for more information on the internet about where they will be staying, before booking their tourist experience. The main objective of this study is the analysis of the information provided by rural tourism lodgings, through their websites, regarding sustainability issues.
The benefits and impact you might have from the guideline implementation are:
| For the mentor | For the mentee |
|---|---|
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The Farms’ Charm project aims to develop learning materials to educate small and medium-sized farmers in possible ways of starting their agritourism activities which will help them not only diversify their incomes but also promote their farm products directly to consumers. All that while reviving the rural areas and local communities and promoting a sustainable way of tourism which is in line with the tendencies of slowing down and staying longer at one area.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. The content of this website reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.