Far From Civilization, an Incomparable Fishing Experience Awaits
The words ‘fly-in only’ set the stage for an exclusive and often spectacular getaway. The experience at Arctic Lodges is exactly that – provided, of course, that you love to fish. The fishing here is some of the world’s best. And like many of the best things, it is found a long way from the beaten path, on the shores of Northern Saskatchewan’s remote Reindeer Lake.
There are no one-night stays here. Guests are flown in on a private charter for 5 days of world-class fishing, food and communing with the great outdoors. It’s the trip of a lifetime, but not one that you could market to just anyone. Here’s how we helped Arctic Lodges create a unique and powerful digital marketing strategy to attract more travellers prepared to take the plunge.
The Challenge
Arctic Lodges approached us having had less-than-spectacular experiences with digital agencies in the past. Understandably, this had created some trust issues around working with third-parties. They were searching for an agency they could trust to deliver on their promises without compromise.
Part of the need for this level of trust is the fact that digital marketing is the last thing that their team has time to worry about. (Turns out running a full-service fishing lodge in one of Canada’s most remote locations is more than a walk in the park). They needed a partner capable of fully taking the reins on the digital side of things to free up their resources.
And, of course, there was the small matter of a certain global pandemic, which was busy wreaking havoc on the hospitality industry (and the world at large) when Arctic Lodges came to us for help. With cross-border travel stalled or shut down entirely, the lodge was losing out on U.S. travellers, their most important demographic.
The Results
Building Trust
When it came time to choose a partner, accountability was top of mind for Arctic Lodges. Having been promised the moon by their previous provider (and receiving no such celestial rewards), they were wary of big plans with no follow through. Our solution: make trust and peace of mind top priorities when designing our services plan and working relationship with them.
A focus on data and transparency, including putting their results in clear, easy-to-understand terms helped build this trust (in addition of course, to helping their bottom line). And being here as an ‘all-in-one’ provider to help their busy staff with everything from website updates to Youtube support helped take work off their plate and demonstrate our genuine care for – and desire to help – our clients, no matter what their needs.
increase in overall form inquiries
increase in goal completions
more "Book Now" pageviews
more form inquiries from paid search
more form inquiries from social ads
more form inquiries from organic search
Driving Leads
Booking Arctic Lodges is not something that happens on a whim. It’s something travellers dream about, research and plan months, or even years, in advance. This means that generating leads and managing follow-ups with interested travellers is especially important.
To help the property better achieve this, we implemented a new lead-generating pop-up feature on their website designed to make the process of inquiring more appealing and easy for visitors. We also set up auto follow-up email chains, helping them save time on having to follow up manually, as they had been doing previously.
With cross-border travel no longer practical in the immediate wake of COVID-19, we worked with Arctic Lodges to find creative ways to drive bookings from Canadian markets. Our experience working on both sides of the border gave us significant data and insight into the balance between US and Canadian markets and the best strategies for targeting each of them.
Being Proactive
Arctic Lodges needed a rock solid digital team with strong lines of communication to respond to their unique needs day to day. Support is a top priority for us when managing their website, ensuring that we fully understand their vision and workflow and are here to serve it over the long term.
More than that, however, our relationship with Arctic Lodges is about being proactive, not just responding to their requests, but also taking the time to research and present suggestions to them while monitoring their online presence for new opportunities and areas for improvement. This can include everything from staying on top of market trends to A/B testing elements of their website, such as the contact form, to ensure top performance.
This approach is what makes us such a strong and productive digital marketing partner for travel businesses and what we hope will continue to serve Arctic Lodges as our client for years to come.
