Whenever we're looking for something new, or questioning something we don't know the answer to, more and more of us are turning to Google.
With over 8.5 billion searches being carried out per day, it's now more crucial than ever to know what people are searching for and how you can compete.
So how can activity centres use the search trends of 2022 to improve their marketing in 2023?
1. Beat the financial crisis
Everyone is being affected by the financial crisis at the moment, which means everyone is looking to save money where they can.
This cost-cutting has led to a 40% increase in searches for "loyalty program" rel="noopener nofollow". This loyalty can work both ways; if your activity centre can offer an incentive to keep visitors returning, they can become brand loyal to you in return.
2. Understand visitors' online habits
When searching online, most people now don't rely on a single source of information. There has now been a greater increase in searching for reviews before trying anything. For example, the term "best travel pillow" saw a whopping increase of 145%.
Think of what this could mean for you if this trend was also seen for "best experience days" or "best days out in Wales".
You need to make sure your marketing highlights that you are the best at what you do, whether that's highlighting any awards you've won or making sure that all of your reviews are positive. Use the power of group suggestions to drive bookings your way.
3. Think of gifting
Remember, people don't always buy for themselves. Sometimes, the experience they are buying is a gift for someone else.
Searches for "experience gifts" saw a significant increase of 50%. If your business doesn't have experience packages, or if they're poorly displayed on your website, you could be missing out on this trend.
4. Focus on relaxing and unwinding
Being launched into a financial crisis straight off the back of a global pandemic makes for a really stressful time. Most people are working more hours but also finding that their pay doesn't stretch as far as it used to.
We all need a way to relax and unwind after a long day.
In fact, "stress management" and "ways to cope with stress" have both seen a 30% increase in searches.
You might be wondering how your activity centre can help with this, after all, you don't necessarily go there to relax. However, you can go there to escape from the daily grind and have fun, which can be equally relaxing.
When you couple this with the fact that searches related to "burnout" have increased by 20%, you can see the market for unwinding and relaxing after work is there if you can capitalise on it.
Looking to 2023
If these trends continue through to 2023, it could be a very lucrative time for activity centres.
To prepare, you need to make sure your centre is able to understand its visitors' online habits and what they're searching for.
If you're seeing visitors looking to buy packages as gifts, you need to make sure you can accommodate them and make the buying process as simple as possible.
Also, focus on how your centre can help relieve after-work stress so your visitors can unwind after a long day, or at the end of a long week.
Remember, the goal of any business is to help its customers with a problem. If your visitors are looking for solutions to a particular problem, make sure you can solve it for them.
