Serving last rites on the click means destination marketers must swap outdated metrics for outcomes

As destination marketing gets increasingly complex and challenging, you must prove what you’re delivering. Measuring outcomes is critical, but all too often, there’s a reliance on outdated metrics that mask your effectiveness. So, why is this the case? And what should you do differently?

Historically, broad metrics have been the de facto measurement preference for Destination Marketing Organisations. And that’s no surprise. After all, you have the unique challenge of balancing the needs and requirements of three masters.

Financial stakeholders want you to show them the value your activities are delivering. Meanwhile, the communities in your destination want proof that you’re supporting them and their shared values. And, of course, visitors want a positive experience in the destination, which ensures you’re recognised as an attractive destination.

Current metrics lack value

Appeasing these groups has led to a reliance on easy-to-collect, measure and understand metrics that are vague, such as impressions served, videos viewed, or clicks generated. But clicks are meaningless. On mobile, 60% of clicks are accidental. Factor in fraudulent clicks, and this metric has little value. Indeed, one test we ran for a travel booking site discovered that messaged non-clickers were x80 more likely to convert and generated 22% more revenue than a messaged click-through buyer.

Using these metrics means measuring delivery proof points. They show a campaign has launched but don’t report on what’s critical – business outcomes. To achieve this, you must know your customers, and this means building up your data.

Start with what you have, then add to it. It could be name, address, phone number and email, or you may even have activity-related information such as email opens or web visits. Collating these connections builds a picture of your potential visitors. And having these insights puts you in control.

Enriching your data enriches your marketing

Once the fundamentals are in place, you can start extending your data over and above what you already have. How? Well, you can take advantage of lead generation tech. Overlaying this on your site is quick and easy. Then, you can introduce sign-up forms to ask site visitors for crucial information. Or use customisable surveys to reveal new and valuable insights such as their top three destinations or get them to state what kind of traveller they are, be it family, adventure, city break, or staycation.

As your data grows, you can look to enrich it to deepen your understanding of your audience and inform your promotional activity. For example, plugging into an ID solution such as Epsilon’s CORE ID allows your customer records to be enhanced with new information that gives you a rounder view of them. At the same time, you can use CORE ID to create a consolidated ID for each customer. This lets you find and engage them in all their online environments, whether that’s recognising them on their mobile when they’re visiting your site, or when browsing the open web. Suddenly, you have multiple opportunities to target (and hopefully influence) those people seeking more information about what your destination offers.

You’re then in a stronger position to measure your activity, without relying on clicks. Now, you can measure the customer journey to see if they convert and when they visit your destination. From here, you can go deeper and gain insights into their activities and interests while visiting, from how long they stayed and what locations they visited to knowing where they came from. As proof of this, find out how the Singapore Tourism Board used this approach to change perceptions of the island country from a stopover hub to a vibrant tourist destination in its own right.

Ultimately, better data means better insights, translating into more effective destination marketing. But it's also critical for future targeting because reaching your audiences is getting harder. The old ways you’ve relied on – third-party cookies – are diminishing. Today, 50% of the internet is already cookieless, cutting off your ability to reach half your potential audience unless you adopt a different approach.

So, ditch relying on irrelevant metrics. Instead, build your data and insights and show how your activities are driving better results and tangible outcomes. Then you’ll be well on the way to pleasing all your masters.