Google released their Helpful Content Algorithm last summer, making it more important than ever to incorporate valuable content into your Digital Marketing strategy. Content marketing involves creating and sharing online material, such as blog articles, ebooks or brochures, videos, podcasts and social media posts to boost interest in the brand. I have researched several adventure travel companies' websites and selected three with the best content marketing strategies.

1. Content Marketing in the Travel Industry
Examples of Adventure Travel websites that use quality content to
bring visitors to their websites and convert them into customers.
1. Exodus Travels
2. Hayes & Jarvis
3. The Bucket List Company
Image credit: 2018 Balazc Busznyak, Unsplash

2. Why Use Content Marketing?
Since Google introduced their Helpful Content Algorithm last
summer, it’s now more important than ever to incorporate unique,
valuable and informative content into your Digital Marketing
strategy.
Image credit: 2017 juanitoto, FAVPNG

3. What is Content Marketing?
Content marketing involves creating and sharing online material,
such as blog posts, ebooks or brochures, videos, podcasts and social
media posts, in order to boost interest in the brand or business
rather than promoting them directly.
Image credit: 2017 juanitoto, FAVPNG

4. How to Use Content Marketing?
I have researched multiple sustainable adventure travel companies’
websites and selected three with the best content marketing
strategies to highlight how content marketing can be utilised in the
travel industry.
Image credit: 2017 juanitoto, FAVPNG

5. Blogs
Blogging is the most popular form of content marketing. A blog page allows brands and companies to post articles and stories about all topics,
boosting brand awareness and credibility. Engaging, relevant blog posts will drive traffic to the website, increasing revenue. All three
companies have a blog on their websites. They blog about different places to visit, ways to travel, and even food and drink from around the
world. All the articles are accompanied by high-quality photography to help readers visualise the scenery.
Image source: Hayes & Jarvis, The Bucket List Company, Exodus Travel (screenshot of the companies blog pages)

6. What Makes an Engaging Blog Posts
According to HubSpot, the blog’s introduction should hook the readers so that they will want
to continue reading. In addition, the blog post should contain examples to keep the readers
interested.
Hayes and Jarvis achieve this objective in their ‘The most epic train journeys from across the
world’ post. The sub-headline reads, ‘Hop aboard and enjoy the ride!’
The first sentence contains relevant keywords, establishing relevance and making the reader
aware that reading the article will be beneficial. Including keywords is also essential for
search engine optimisation, as it will help the post appear in search results.
The second paragraph hooks the reader by asking them, ‘Picture this: as the train slowly
chugs out of the station, you sit back and enjoy the pleasures of slow travel as you gaze out of
the window and catch fleeting glimpses of the ever-changing landscape.’
The post keeps the audience engaged by listing several examples of train journeys on
different continents, complete with stunning images. The article ends with a call to action,
with a ‘START PLANNING’ button.
Image source: Hayes & Jarvis travel website (screenshot of The most epic train journeys across the world blog post)

7. EBooks and Brochures
The Bucket List Company’s website offers their visitors to receive the Bucket List brochure by
email.
The headline in the introduction section promises to tell the reader where The Bucket List
Company started and why they are doing what they are doing.
In the first couple of paragraphs, the author explains why the company’s founder, Keith, set up the
company to match adventure addicts to their dream experiences. This shows the reader that the
company are passionate about what they do, helping to build trust.
The brochure then lists dozens of the company’s adventure tour destinations on different
continents, complete with images from previous tours, challenge ratings, trip dates and itineraries.
It also has an FAQ section and information on the company’s ethos and sustainability, letting the
reader know their adventure will help the local community while having a minimal negative impact
on the environment.
Image source: The Bucket list company website (screenshot of second page of the company’s brochure)

8. What Makes a Captivating Brochure
Offering a free Brochure is a clever way to get the visitor to sign up for the Brand’s or Company’s
Newsletter. The brochure should start with an introduction that captures the reader’s attention to make
them want to read on.
According to Simon Sinek’s best-selling marketing book Start With Why, businesses and organisations
should introduce themself by telling people why they do what they do rather than explaining what they do
and how they do it. The author calls this idea The Golden Circle. In his book, Simon Sinek explains that
every business knows WHAT they do. They can easily describe their industry, products and services. Most
companies are also aware of HOW they implement WHAT they do. But far fewer companies can
communicate WHY they do WHAT they do, such as their cause, belief or purpose.
The WHY is the most crucial reason the company or organisation exists. And the WHY is what consumers
or clients want to know as it helps them connect with the business.
The Bucket List company achieved this objective in their brochure’s introduction section.
Image Source: Digital Marketing Blogger

9. YouTube Videos
Content isn’t limited to written text. It can also be in the form of a video. YouTube is the second most used Social Media in the world after
Facebook and the world’s second-largest search engine after Google, making it a great place to post videos. All three companies have a
YouTube channel where they post a good mix of content, such as explainer videos, travel advice, snippets from their tours, and more.
Image source: YouTube (screenshots of The Bucket List company’s, Exodus Travels’ and Hayes & Jarvis’ YouTube Channels)

10. What Makes a Great Explainer Video
According to Alan Sharpe’s B2B Content Writing Masterclass on Udemy, content marketers
have to think visually and write both for ear and eye simultaneously, aligning the visuals, the
spoken word and Music (if used) to make them flow smoothly.
Scripts should be written using simple, short sentences without any complicated words.
The content should start with an introduction. It should be arranged in order of importance,
with the most important features and benefits communicated at the beginning in order to
grab the audience’s attention.
The video should end with a call to action, depending on the buyer stage.
Exodus Travels achieved these objectives in their explainer video, ‘Our Expertise Makes Your
Adventure.’ They introduced the company and explained how travellers could benefit from
their expertise. They also included a link to their website below the video.
Image source: YouTube (screenshot of Exodus Travels’ explainer video Exodus Travels: Our Expertise makes Your Adventure)

11. Podcast
Although podcasts are a less common form of content marketing than blog
posts and YouTube videos, they have great potential.
Podcasts can be listened to when it would be impossible to read or watch a
video, such as while walking, running, exercising, or even cooking, making
them a valuable part of content marketing strategy.
Of the three companies, The Bucket List Travel is the only one with a
podcast.
Their podcast features travel advice and spontaneous interviews with
guests who have travelled to various destinations and explored different
parts of the world, capturing the listener’s attention.
Image source: The bucket list company (screenshot of Podcasts page)

12. Social Media Posts
Social Media is another excellent place to publish content outside of the company’s website,
as it’s free and easy to set up and use. All three companies are active on Facebook, Instagram,
and Twitter.
People turn to social media when looking for information as well as entertainment. So it is
important to give them a bit of both. The Bucket List company achieved this objective by
posting a variety of entertaining short videos and images, as well as travel advice on their
Social Media profile.
Rather than using identical posts, they optimised their posts for different platforms, such as
shorter text with links to their website on Twitter, visually stunning images and reels with
short captions on Instagram, and picture and video posts with longer descriptions on
Facebook.
They use relevant keywords in their posts to grab visitors’ attention and establish relevance.
They also engage with the audience by replying to messages to let existing and potential
customers know they are interested in what they have to say.
Image source: Facebook (screenshot of The Bucket List Company’s Facebook Page)

13. Reference List
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-start-a-blog - How to Write a Blog Post: A Step-by-Step Guide [+ Free Blog Post Templates], Author - Rachel Leist, HubSpot, [accessed 03.02.2023]
https://www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk/blog/the-most-epic-train-journeys-across-the-world - The most epic train journeys from across the world, Author - Kat Barber, Hayes & Jarvis, [accessed 03.02.2023]
https://thebucketlistcompany.co.uk/download/bucket-list-brochure-2023/- The Bucket List Guide to Adventure Travel (eBrochure) | TRIP GUIDE 2023 | thebucketlistcompany.co.uk © The Bucket List Company
2023, [accessed 06.03.2023]
https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/ - Start with Why, Paperback, Author - Simon Sinek, Publisher - Penguin, Publication date - 06.10.2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUbcLw29W9E - Explainer Video by Exodus Travels: Our Expertise makes Your Adventure, Published on YouTube Dec 22, 2022, [accessed 09.03.2023]
https://www.udemy.com/course/alan-sharpes-b2b-content-writing-masterclass-with-coaching/ - Alan Sharpe's B2B Content Writing Masterclass with Coaching Course on Udemy, Created by Alan Sharpe, Last
updated 9/2022
https://thebucketlistcompany.co.uk/podcasts/ - Podcasts page on The Bucket List Company Website, [accessed 14.03.2023]
https://www.facebook.com/bucketlistcompany/ - The Bucket List Company’s Facebook Page, [accessed 16.03.2023]