Many of you have written in asking for more help on blogging strategies for tour operators. So we enlisted tourism marketing expert Dorene Wharton of Travel Life Media to work with us on the Tourpreneur Essential Blogging for Tour Operators Guide. You can bookmark this resources at BloggingforTourOperators.com

Every month on the Tourpreneur Podcast, host Shane Whaley and Dorene will tackle the critical components of successful blogging for tour operators. We have also hired scribe Ben Finch to write up the key learnings from each episode for those of you who prefer to read then listen. (Thats another win behind us creating a blog on Tourpreneur, repurposing our content for a different audience.)

Meet Tourism Marketing and Blog Expert Dorene Wharton

Dorene Wharton is the Head Marketer and Strategist at Travel Life Media, a company helping accommodation, tour, and event businesses better market their brand through multimedia and video.

Dorene has more than 25 years of experience in brand strategy, marketing, and communication through website copy. She previously worked for DW Consulting as their Business Development and Marketing Strategist and Top Drawer Creative as their Advertising and Marketing Account Director. She has a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and Economics from Haskayne School of Business.

Dorene has appeared on several episodes of the Tourpreneur Podcast sharing her copywriting and marketing expertise with activity and tour operators.

What we will cover in the Blogging for Tour Operators Guide.

1. Goals and Why even bother taking the time to create a blog?

2. What should you write about? (or video or audio) – and where to find the best topics.

3. Repurposing your blog content to save time and energy

4. Copywriting tips specific to blogging and how to share your posts 

5.  On-page SEO set up and on-site SEO

6. Updating blogs, – why it’s a great thing to do.

7  Tracking and analyzing performance.

8.  Off-page SEO (link building) 

BONUS – Shane and Dorene’s hand-picked list of essential blogging resources for tour operators. COMING SOON

Part 1 – Why bother creating a blog, goals, and how to create interesting and compelling blog content.

In part 1 of our blogging strategy for tour operators, Dorene shares the foundational elements of creating interesting and compelling blog content.

We also discuss why it’s crucial to overcome your fears and feelings of impostor syndrome when it comes to blogging.

We discuss the questions you should ask yourself before starting a blog and why goal-setting and understanding your ‘why’ for your blog are critical for your success.

We explain how you can use your blog posts as a jumping-off point for other marketing strategies like social media and content marketing.

We discuss why it’s essential to identify your target audience and the value of discipline and consistency in producing your content. We also discuss what you should consider when troubleshooting low-performing blog posts, the importance of mentally preparing yourself for feedback and criticism from your readers, and the pros and cons of hiring a ghostwriter to write your blog content.

And in Blog Format

Blog: “It’s a bit like working out and going to the gym”: Blogging for Tour Operators Part 1

Part 2 – What Should Tour Operators Blog About?- Essential Blogging Guide for Tour Businesses

In the second part of our Blogging for Tour Operators series, Dorene shares tips on what should tour operators blog about. Plus we discuss how tour operators can generate new ideas for your content.

Dorene highlights other types of content tour operators can create and why passion and conversion posts are both critical. She shares advice for blog content you can explore when you are just starting your tour business and the best keyword tools you can use to refine your posts.

We explore how tour businesses can use their competitor’s sites and others in their niche market to get content inspiration and how reciprocal sharing is an essential part of building your blog following.

Dorene also shares how you can organize your ideas into a content strategy, how Google Analytics can help you identify what’s working on your site, and subject areas you can cover to create an engaging tour blog post.