Marketing Resources

To manage your listing, log into the DQ Extranet using the login details provided in the automated email when your membership was confirmed. If you have any issues or questions, please contact Member Services (reception@queenstownNZ.nz) for support. Once logged in, you can view and manage all of your product listings under your company account.

Click here to log in to the DQ Extranet.

Promote your tourism business on Tourism New Zealand’s consumer website. Product listings are free with millions of page views by international visitors each year, and listings on newzealand.com can give Qualmark operators the opportunity to be included in TNZ's marketing campaigns.

Get help and support at the Tourism Business Database.

Find free visual resources, including the DQ logo, imagery and video content, to help tell the Queenstown story.

Access the Destination Queenstown Visual Library here.

Please note that this requires a separate registration to the DQ Extranet mentioned above.

Learn about the customer journey in tourism marketing, which encompasses the The 5 Stages of Travel: Dream, Plan/Research, Book, Experience and Share.

Digital marketing tactics fit nicely within the 5 Stages of Travel so it's useful to plan your marketing strategy around targeting behaviour at each stage. Download Tomahawk's PDF marketing guide about the 5 Stages of Travel.

Learn how great leaders and organisations inspire action and create a lasting impact, by starting with 'Why'. Simon Sinek explains the framework needed for businesses to move past knowing what they do to how they do it, and then to ask the more important question - WHY?

• TEDx Talks with Simon Sinek: Start with 'Why': How great leaders inspire action
• Simon Sinek's Start With Why book: https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/ 

Not sure of the difference between a marketing strategy and a marketing plan? Your strategy outlines long term business goals and overall approach, while your marketing plan is how you're going to execute the strategy. If you're unsure where to start, we've listed some helpful resources below:

• Simon Sinek's Start With Why: How great leaders inspire action
• SEMrush: Marketing Strategy 101: A 7-Step Plan for Beginners
• FutureLearn: How to Create a Marketing Strategy
• Tomahawk's10 trending marketing strategies in 2024
• Business.govt.nz: Marketing strategy overview and self assessment tool
• TravelTractions Marketing: How to Build a Tourism Marketing Strategy & Plan in 6 Easy Steps

1. Make sure you have a product listing on QueenstownNZ.co.nz. The official Queenstown website receives over 2 million visits annually by visitors planning and booking their Queenstown holiday, and is a free direct referral source for Queenstown operators.
2. Optimise your website for search engines (SEO): Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, has relevant keywords related to your business, high-quality content and a logical structure. This will help it rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for potential customers to find you.
3. Leverage social media platforms: Maintain an active presence on popular social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Share visually appealing content, news and updates and engage with your followers. Consider running targeted ads to increase your brand awareness and reach, and launch retargeting ads to help drive conversion.
4. Encourage and respond to online reviews: Positive online reviews build trust and can significantly influence a visitor's decision to choose your business or experience. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on platforms like Google and TripAdvisor and promptly respond to both positive and negative reviews.
5. Incorporate visual content: Audit your business presence across all channels to ensure images are of a high-quality and showcase your experience, restaurant or accommodation offering in the best light. People are highly visual when it comes to seeking information, so integrate engaging visuals on your website, social media channels and online listings to capture attention and increase consideration.
6. Implement an email marketing strategy: Build an email list of past and potential customers, and share news, product updates, tell behind the scenes stories about your business sustainability initiatives, or share special offers. This can help maintain customer engagement and encourage repeat visitation.

1. Claim and complete your listing:  Ensure that you fill out all relevant information fields on your profile, including business name, address, phone number, website, business hours, and category. Completeness and accuracy help build trust with potential customers.
2. Showcase visuals: Upload high-quality photos and videos that capture the essence of your tourism product, experience or property and surroundings.
3. Highlight what makes your business unique: In your description, emphasise the unique features that set your business apart.
4. Respond to reviews and questions: Promptly respond to customer reviews and questions, and encourage visitors to leave reviews. Reviews go a long way for building trust amongst visitors, and responding to reviews and questions shows you value feedback and are committed to providing excellent service.
5. Post regular updates: Keep your profile active and engaging by posting updates, events, promotions, or blog posts related to your business. You can now also link your social accounts to your Google Business profile to display your latest social posts.

Update your Google Business Profile here.

Help your business stand out online with this guide to Google for Small Business.

SEO is important for businesses because it helps your website rank higher and be more visible in search results on Google and other search engines when customers are searching for what you offer.

When people plan trips, they often search online to find things to do, places to visit, accommodation and places to dine. The higher a tourism business's website ranks in search results for specific search terms, the more likely people are to find and visit that website. Search terms vary depending on what stage the visitor is at in the travel planning process (dreaming, planning or booking).

For example, in the planning stage, the visitor has decided they want to come to Queenstown and are seeking recommendations on things to do (inspirational and informational content), whereas in the booking stage the visitor has decided on a specific product or experience.  Keywords get more competitive the higher up the funnel, and focusing on lower funnel keywords means your website is present in search when the visitor has active booking intent.

Five SEO Tips

1. Optimise title tags and meta descriptions: These are the first things people see in search results, so make them compelling and keyword-rich.
2. Use heading tags properly: Organise your website content with heading tags to add hierarchy, improve scannability and on-page SEO.
3. Build quality backlinks: Get other authoritative websites to link back to your site (i.e through article content) and fix unlinked mentions
4. Focus on user experience: Ensure fast load times, mobile-friendliness, and easy navigation for better engagement and ranking.
5. Create high-quality content: Regularly publish relevant, informative content that answers visitor questions and provides value.

Learn More:

• DIY Guide to Impressing Google, by Tomahawk Digital.
• Your Marketing Guide to the Five Stages of Travel by Tomahawk Digital

1. Leverage UGC (user generated content): User-generated content is a powerful asset for tourism businesses as it showcases authentic experiences from real customers. Encouraging UGC is a cost-effective way to expand your brand's reach while building trust and credibility.
2. Use the right creative specs for the right channels: Sprout Social provides an always up to date guide on image specs and video specs for social media and is a great resource to save for future reference.
3. Highlight stories and experiences to build brand authenticity: Instead of generic promotional posts, highlight unique stories, memorable experiences, off-the-beaten-path adventures, and behind-the-scenes glimpses your business offers. Talk about your brand values, share behind-the-scenes content including your team or sustainability initiatives, and create original authentic content relevant to your business rather than trying to jump on trends.
4. Engage with your follower community: Include calls-to-action in your posts that encourage your audience to take desired actions such as liking, commenting, sharing, or strike up a conversation starter and engage with their responses. Building relationships with your audience also helps build brand trust, familiarity and connection.
   
   Learn more: Tomahawk’s Social Media Marketing Strategies for Tourism Success

• Tomahawk Digital has produced a comprehensive resource hub of blog articles, videos, webinars and eBooks that covers current marketing trends, topics of interest and anything that helps the tourism industry to learn and grow. Access their collection of digital resources here.
• Sign up to receive Datastory's e-newsletter, to get the latest news and digital marketing insights to help you better leverage the power of data.
• Tourism New Zealand is responsible for promoting New Zealand in key markets as a visitor destination and provides market insights and research to help support your business
• Sign up to Social Media Today to receive the latest social media and digital news.
• Uncover the latest marketing research and digital trends with data reports and articles from Think With Google.