Owning a whitewater rafting company can be one of the most fun, entrepreneurial endeavors someone could go on. After all, considering every day is an adventure, what more could you want? While that might be what most think, your business is probably affected by slow days & water levels like anyone else. And even though 2.5 million people go whitewater rafting every year, not all of the chunk of that business in your area comes to you. Yet, by adding a simple booking solution, your company could be seeing less slow days in no time. Here’s why:
Be Available When Your Customer Is
I hate to break it to you, but if your company is only available to book via email or phone, then you’re losing out on a tremendous amount of business. Not only are you giving customers the opportunity to second guess their decision, but you’re potentially running the risk of getting things off to a wrong foot with someone that genuinely is interested. While not everyone is going to respond negatively to a mom-and-pop shop not being available 24/7, some folks might wonder why you can’t offer this service online. As Fit Small Business notes, 35% of consumers book appointments when a business is not open, and even more, 25% of millennials will only book appointments online. Even if the upfront cost might seem like it’s not going to add up at the time, the eventual payoff will be well worth it, all you have to do is make sure you have the right features in place to get the ball rolling.
Considering that as a small business, it might not be feasible to have support channels open all the time, it is important to give people the option of chatting online, either with a live representative or chatbot. According to HelpScout, 70% of the buying experience boils down to how a customer is being treated, and being left hanging or not able to connect just doesn’t cut it for many. Additionally, try to make your booking schedules accurate to the times that a trip will take. While some might think they cut things up into consistent frames, be mindful that your employees are going to want to take breaks, as well as the fact that obstacles like traffic or equipment problems might come in the way. These tools will help boost your revenues quite a bit, especially if you let your booking software do some of the heavy lifting.
Make It Mobile Friendly
Beyond the availability to book, another important element to landing more reservations is having your bookings be mobile friendly. According to SmartInsights, 51% of our time spent with digital products is on our phones, which is a huge marketplace for opportunity. Furthermore, the mobile experience with your site regardless is one that people will judge the validity of your business on quite a bit, with a better sense of trust to those that understand how we behave with our devices.
While some booking software companies will make your process responsive, others might not. Take the time to check and see a demo of each, and if this flow accommodates the rest of your site. Additionally, make sure your own site is responsive, and whether a booking solution would make sense. No one wants to run into a broken link or a page that’s difficult to navigate, which could lose you customers before you even get started. The name of the game here is to acquire more business, which in doing so, can help you market even better.
Data Is Your Friend
As a whitewater rafting business is one that’s focused on adventure, the opportunity to bring in new customers is crucial given this isn’t an activity done consistently by much of your clientele. In order to achieve this goal, a keen sense of digital marketing could be your best friend, especially when it comes to data.
First and foremost, if you haven’t already done so, then it might not be a bad idea to go back through your current customers and start an email list. Treat your loyal customers to a referral code or offer to attract more business online, because as Nielsen notes, 84% of consumers trust the word of a friend over any other source. Additionally, start looking into how you can potentially target on social media via Facebook or Instagram ads. The visual aspects of your business alone might pique someone’s interest, and with the treasure trove of information, they have on their user base, finding new customers could be a shoe in.
Even though it seems like a big transition, taking your whitewater rafting business digital is one of the smartest moves you could make. And while it might take a little bit of getting off the ground, this will have your business hosting more adventures in no time.
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