5 visitor attraction marketing ideas for social and content planning in early 2022
To help your visitor attraction’s marketing team with their content planning for the next three months, we’ve cherry-picked five dates to be aware of and suggested a few content ideas for social and content.
There’s a focus on sustainability, community and equality - all big themes for 2022 - as well as a few ideas on how to mix up perennial appearances, such as Blue Monday and Valentine’s Day. Four of them are easy wins. The fifth requires a bit more planning and coordination, but it’ll pay dividends in the long run.
5 top marketing ideas for visitor attractions in early 2022
1. 17th January: Upfront and upbeat
Blue Monday pops up on social feeds everywhere to remind us that, thanks to a miserable combination of dark, cold days, post-festive blues and a lack of money, the third Monday of January is the gloomiest day of the year. You could share something sympathetic (‘we feel your pain’), optimistic (‘book a visit now, pay later, have something to look forward to’) or you could support the Samaritans’ Brew Monday instead.
The Brew Monday campaign is all about making time for a cuppa and a catch-up, so how about planning a Facebook Live with elevenses and an upfront chat with some VA staff for a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on at your attraction this time of year – making sure to acknowledge both the happy and the not-so-happy.
2. 2nd February: A quick and easy win!
Today’s date digits are all the same: 2.2.22. That’s something we won’t see again until 3 March 2033. If it fits with your tone of voice, pointing this out in a clever, on-brand way is likely to garner you plenty of quick and easy likes!
3. 14th February: Valentine’s schmalentine’s
Instead of churning out the same old Valentine’s spiel, consider focusing on St Dwynwen’s Day and/or Galentine’s.
St Dwynwen’s Day is the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine’s Day, but it takes place on 25 January, which gives you the chance to spread the love (and relevant content) across more days. Galentine’s, on 13 February, is all about celebrating the love that’s unique to platonic (usually but not always female) friendships and it’s a great opportunity to highlight your VA’s group activities, and to show some love to visitors not in a romantic relationship.
4. 22nd February: Environment and equality for tomorrow
Organised by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), World Thinking Day is a day to celebrate and strengthen international friendship. It’s also a chance for the 10 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts across 150 countries to fundraise and speak out on the issues affecting young women today.
This year’s theme is ‘Our World, Our Equal Future’, and it focuses on the environment and women and girls. World Thinking Day 2022 will mark the start of a three-year journey to train Girl Guides and Girl Scouts as environmentally conscious leaders.
The WAGGGS website has lots of resources about how you can get involved. It could be a great opportunity for your visitor attraction to talk about how girls and women are disproportionately affected by climate change, especially if you already engage with those issues.
5. 7–13th March: Long-term sustainable values
Did you know? If food waste were a country it would have the third-biggest carbon footprint in the world, behind only the USA and China. Also, food waste accounts for more greenhouse gas emissions than all the world’s annual commercial flights.
If your visitor attraction is committed to halving emissions by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2050 - and after COP26, it really should be - tackling food waste is a crucial step on the ladder towards a more sustainable attraction.
Food Waste Action Week is a great time to highlight the steps your visitor attraction is taking towards reducing any food waste in its food and drink outlets, and to educate your visitors on the steps they can take to reduce their food waste at home. Ideally, any content you produce around this issue would fit in with your VA’s wider sustainability programme.
Recommended reading to support your visitor attractions marketing activities:
