Global Marketing: How Questours Navigates the World of Destination Marketing
Esther Akinsola
I help 0-5 years travel and tourism founders build simple marketing systems that increase their sales|Travel Marketing Consultant&Coach| International Marketing
In today’s connected world, expanding your business globally is no longer a far-fetched dream—it’s a necessity. But here’s the thing: global marketing is “not” a one-size-fits-all strategy. It’s about understanding different markets, cultures, and behaviors, and using that insight to craft campaigns that resonate.
Let’s talk about how “Questours”, a travel SaaS platform built for Destination Management Companies (DMCs) and suppliers, has successfully harnessed the power of global marketing to grow its reach.?
Questours serves DMCs by providing them with tools to manage itineraries, bookings, and supplier relationships across multiple countries. And guess what? Their success comes from getting “global marketing” right.
Understanding Global Audiences
When Questours first entered the market, they realized quickly that DMCs in Europe, Africa, and Asia all have very different needs. In Europe, there’s a huge demand for bespoke, high-end experiences.
?In Africa, many suppliers needed a platform that would support mobile-based bookings because mobile internet usage is more common than desktop usage. Meanwhile, in Asia, fast-growing cities called for scalable solutions that could handle “high-volume bookings”.
Questours didn’t roll out the same features and messages everywhere. They segmented their global audience based on regional behaviors and needs.
Scenario 1: Expanding into Asia with Custom Features
As Questours began targeting DMCs in Asia, they recognized a few trends:
- High tourism traffic, especially in cities like “Bangkok” and “Tokyo”.
- A need for faster booking processes and systems that support high traffic volumes.
- A rising middle-class population looking for “affordable luxury” experiences.
What did Questours do? They “localized” their product. They added features like faster booking systems and payment gateways tailored for the Asian market. Their marketing campaigns highlighted these new features while focusing on affordable luxury experiences—something highly relevant to their target market.
Result? They saw a 30% increase in sign-ups? from Asian DMCs within the first quarter of their entry!
Scenario 2: Connecting with African Markets through Mobile
In contrast, DMCs and suppliers in “Africa” faced different challenges. Many relied on mobile-based solutions because of the widespread use of smartphones for business. Questours adjusted their strategy by focusing on mobile-friendly interfaces and lightweight apps that worked even in low-bandwidth areas. They also partnered with local influencers and brands to build trust in these regions.
Their global marketing efforts emphasized accessibility and mobility, which hit home for African DMCs who were looking for these exact features.
This strategy didn’t just work—it flourished. In under a year, Questours became the go-to SaaS platform for DMCs in countries like Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria.
领英推荐
The Power of Cultural Adaptation in Marketing
Global marketing for Questours wasn’t just about language translation or changing a few ads. They truly understood? the cultural and business differences in each market. Here are some lessons we can learn from their journey:
1. Cultural Segmentation is Key
Questours didn't treat their audience as a single, homogenous group. Instead, they segmented based on cultural needs, whether that was mobile-first solutions in Africa or high-volume booking systems in Asia. This allowed them to offer highly relevant solutions.
2. Localized Messaging Matters?
You can’t use the same ad or campaign everywhere. Questours localized their messaging to highlight the features and benefits that mattered most to each region. They connected with the pain points of DMCs in each area, which made their campaigns resonate deeply.
3. Partner with Local Influencers
In Africa, Questours saw success by partnering with local travel influencers who understood the local DMCs' needs. Local partners can give your brand credibility and insight into the cultural nuances that global companies might miss.
4. Adapt Your Product
Global marketing doesn’t stop at campaigns—it continues in your product offering. Questours customized their SaaS platform to fit the unique needs of different markets, making it more than just a one-size-fits-all solution.
5. Stay Flexible
Global markets are constantly changing. Questours' adaptability to local market demands helped them remain competitive. They continued to tweak their product and marketing strategies to stay relevant.
Questours’ journey into global markets is a testament to the importance of cultural adaptation and targeted segmentation in global marketing. Understanding that each region has its own unique challenges and preferences allowed Questours to not only enter new markets but thrive.
For any company looking to expand globally, Questours offers a great blueprint: **learn the culture, adapt your product, and speak your audience's language. If you can do this, your brand’s global success could be just around the corner.
#travel
#tourism
#internationalmarketing
Executive Director Marketing Operations, Diriyah Company | Culture-led, Technology-driven Marketing for the future | Giga Project Innovation
1 个月You're spot on about global marketing not being one-size-fits-all, Esther. Understanding the intricacies of different markets is crucial and questours is a great example of leveraging tailored strategies to meet diverse needs.
The Goodnews Carrier & LIFE TUTOR. On a mission to bring God's Love and Truth to as many as will hear. Follow for Compelling Truth.
1 个月Esther Akinsola Extremely informative and helpful to those seeking to improve looking to expand globally
Pastora | Mediadora de Conflitos | Coach de Inteligência Emocional | Análista de Crítica Literária
1 个月Grande partilha com grandes informa??es Esther Akinsola