Stop selling and start sharing. Potential guests are bombarded with polished marketing. Offering a peek behind the curtain creates authentic connection and builds trust. Showing the real people, processes, and passion behind your tourism business differentiates you and turns followers into loyal customers, and casual browsers into paying guests.
Why Behind-The-Scenes Content Matters
Behind-the-scenes (BTS) content gives your audience a glimpse into the inner workings of your tourism business. It's a chance to showcase the people, processes, and values that make you unique. Think of it as an all-access pass to the heart of your operation.
For example, a winery could share a video of their winemaker carefully tending to the vines. A tour operator could post a photo of their guides planning a new itinerary. An accommodation provider could offer a tour of their kitchen, highlighting the chefs and their passion for local ingredients.
This kind of content works because it's relatable, authentic, and human. In a world saturated with carefully curated images, BTS content offers a refreshing dose of reality. Many operators find it helps build trust, foster a sense of community, and increase customer loyalty, all leading to more bookings. When guests feel connected to your story, they're more likely to choose you over the competition.
Getting Started With Behind-The-Scenes Content
Creating effective BTS content doesn't require a professional film crew or a massive budget. The key is to be authentic, creative, and consistent. Focus on showcasing the human element of your business and sharing stories that resonate with your audience.
Identify Your Story Angles
Brainstorm potential BTS content ideas. What aspects of your business would your audience find interesting? Consider showcasing your team, your processes, your workspace, or your values. Think about the 'making of' stories: How do you prepare for a busy season? How do you come up with new offerings? What challenges do you overcome? For example, if you run a wildlife tour, share a guide training session or explain how you rehabilitate injured animals. If you operate a hotel, show how housekeeping meticulously prepares rooms for guests.
Keep it Authentic and Unpolished
Ditch the fancy filters and staged photos. Aim for a raw and genuine feel. Many potential guests respond positively to imperfect content that feels real. Use natural lighting, capture candid moments, and let your personality shine through. Simple smartphone videos and photos often work best.
Choose the Right Platforms
Consider where your target audience spends their time online. Instagram and TikTok are ideal for visual content, while Facebook and LinkedIn are better for longer-form stories and updates. Tailor your content to each platform. For example, use Instagram Stories for quick glimpses behind the scenes and create longer videos for YouTube.
Be Consistent
Regular content keeps your audience engaged and coming back for more. Create a content calendar to plan your BTS posts. Even a few minutes each week can make a difference. Consider a weekly 'Meet the Team' post or a daily 'Behind the Scenes' story.
Your Implementation Roadmap
- Audit your current content. What are you already sharing? What's resonating? Identify gaps.
- Brainstorm content ideas. Create a list of 10-15 potential BTS content topics.
- Prioritise easy wins. Choose 2-3 ideas that are quick to execute and align with your brand.
Key Takeaways
Authenticity is key. Ditch the polished perfection and embrace the real you. Your audience will appreciate the honesty.
Consistency matters. Regular BTS content keeps your audience engaged and coming back for more. Plan ahead and schedule your posts.
It's about connection, not perfection. Focus on building relationships with your audience, not creating flawless content.
Next Steps
- Brainstorm five behind-the-scenes content ideas you could implement this week.
- Choose one idea and create a quick photo or video.
- Share your content on your social media channels, and monitor the response.
Tools & Resources
Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile (GBP) is a free and powerful tool that allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. It provides a central hub to control how your business information appears to customers searching online, enabling them to easily find your contact details, services, location, and more. The core value proposition lies in enhanced visibility, improved customer engagement, and ultimately, driving more foot traffic or online inquiries. GBP operates through a user-friendly interface where businesses can claim and verify their listing. Once verified, businesses can populate their profile with essential details such as opening hours, contact numbers, website links, photos, and a detailed description of their products or services. Regular updates are crucial, including posting new offers, events, or general business information. Google uses this information, alongside other factors, to rank businesses in search results and map listings. The platform also provides analytics, offering insights into how customers are finding and interacting with the profile. These insights include search queries used to find the business, actions taken on the profile (e.g., website clicks, phone calls), and the overall visibility of the listing. While GBP doesn't offer direct integration with other platforms in the traditional API sense, it seamlessly integrates with other Google services like Google Ads and Google Analytics. This allows for a cohesive marketing strategy where GBP data can inform ad campaigns and vice versa. Scalability is inherent to the platform; whether you're a small family-owned business or a large chain with multiple locations, GBP can accommodate your needs. You can manage multiple locations from a single account, ensuring consistent branding and accurate information across all your business outlets. The platform is ideal for any business that wants to be found online. Specific use cases include restaurants displaying their menu, retail stores showcasing their products, and service-based businesses like plumbers or electricians listing their service areas and customer reviews. For tourism businesses, it's particularly valuable for showcasing accommodation options, tour packages, and highlighting local attractions and experiences. It provides a simple, yet powerful, way to connect with potential customers actively searching for relevant services in their area or planning their next holiday.
TripAdvisor Management Centre
The TripAdvisor Management Centre is a free platform provided by TripAdvisor for accommodation providers, restaurants, and attractions to manage their online presence and reputation on the TripAdvisor platform. It offers a suite of tools to help businesses attract more customers, engage with them effectively, and track their performance. Its main value proposition is empowering businesses to take control of their online narrative and leverage the vast reach of TripAdvisor to boost bookings and brand visibility. Key capabilities include updating business details (address, contact information, opening hours, amenities, menus etc.), managing and responding to traveller reviews, uploading photos and videos to showcase the property, creating special offers and promotions, and accessing detailed analytics to understand traveller behaviour and competitor performance. It works by providing a central hub where owners and managers can easily access these features and implement changes, which are then reflected on their TripAdvisor listing. The platform also facilitates direct communication with potential guests through messaging and allows businesses to solicit reviews to improve their ranking. The TripAdvisor Management Centre offers integrations with various third-party platforms, including booking engines and property management systems (PMS). These integrations enable businesses to streamline their operations by automatically updating availability and pricing information on TripAdvisor, as well as receiving bookings directly through the platform. The scalability of the Management Centre is particularly useful; a small bed and breakfast in the Barossa Valley can use it to manage its online presence, just as effectively as a large hotel chain in Sydney. The API integrations allow for further customisation and automation, ensuring businesses of all sizes can tailor the platform to their specific needs. The target users for the TripAdvisor Management Centre are owners, managers, and marketing staff of tourism-related businesses, including hotels, motels, caravan parks, restaurants, pubs, tour operators, and attractions. A small family-run cafe in Melbourne might use it to respond to customer reviews and update their menu, while a tour operator in Queensland could use it to promote their tours and manage bookings through the platform. The Management Centre is particularly valuable for businesses that rely on online reviews and reputation to attract customers.
Meta Business Suite
Meta Business Suite is a free, all-in-one platform designed to help businesses manage their Facebook and Instagram accounts, streamlining their social media marketing efforts and improving customer engagement. It brings together essential tools for publishing content, engaging with audiences, running ads, and tracking performance, all in one place. The primary value proposition lies in its ability to save businesses time and resources by simplifying social media management, allowing them to focus on other critical aspects of their operations. Key capabilities include content creation and scheduling, enabling businesses to plan and post updates, stories, and ads across both Facebook and Instagram. It provides a unified inbox for managing messages, comments, and other interactions from both platforms, ensuring prompt and efficient customer service. The suite also offers comprehensive analytics and reporting, providing insights into audience demographics, engagement rates, and ad performance. Users can track their progress, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions to optimise their social media strategy. Businesses can create and manage ads directly within the platform, targeting specific audiences and tracking their return on investment. The platform provides detailed insights into the performance of organic content as well. Meta Business Suite integrates seamlessly with other Meta products, such as Facebook Ads Manager and Facebook Pixel, allowing for advanced advertising capabilities and website tracking. It also integrates with other business tools like WhatsApp Business for enhanced communication. The scalability of the platform is a significant advantage, as it caters to businesses of all sizes, from small local shops to large multinational corporations. As a business grows, it can continue to leverage Meta Business Suite's capabilities to manage its expanding social media presence and marketing efforts. It allows multiple users and roles to manage the account, so teams can collaborate effectively. This means that different people can handle content creation, audience interaction, ad campaigns and analytics, depending on their individual skills. Target users include small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), marketing agencies, and individual entrepreneurs who want to effectively manage their social media presence on Facebook and Instagram. A small boutique in Melbourne can use it to schedule posts showcasing new clothing lines and respond to customer inquiries. A regional tourism operator in Queensland could use it to manage their bookings and promote special offers, and track the performance of their advertising campaigns. A restaurant in Sydney can use it to manage their online ordering system and respond to reviews. Meta Business Suite serves as a central hub for all social media activities, facilitating efficient management and maximising marketing impact.