Some brands are using new technology to interact with consumers in more sophisticated ways. According to Warc, Heineken has recently begun using near-field communication (NFC) technologies to use consumer location to better “engage consumers at the precise moments that matter.”

This “moment marketing” is all about timing. If marketers can better understand the user experience in every stage of the customer journey, it becomes easier for them to trigger the desired action by harnessing existing habits rather than trying to change consumer behaviour. How can destinations do this? Here are some examples:

Pre-trip
As travellers consider a short-list of potential destinations, offer them a comparison tool based on criteria that allow your destination to score well. They are already in the contemplation and comparison mode, so use this behavior to your advantage. For bonus points, gather data on your competitors along the way.

During the visit
Use location-based services to suggest additional activities to visitors based on what they have just done, where they are and the time of day. Did a visitor just finish a stand-up paddleboarding lesson this morning? While they’re exhilarated and thirsty, they might welcome your suggestion to enjoy freshly-squeezed orange juice at a nearby café.

Post-trip
Make it easy for consumers to share reviews and tag locations and partner businesses. Your visitors are going to share their experiences through social media channels anyway, so allow your destination and operators to become part of their visitors’ networks and build influence as a group.

Does the opportunity to meet consumers in the moment sound intriguing? Run some small A/B tests to gather data that can inform future decisions on this topic. You may be pleasantly surprised by the value of refocusing on the important events in the customer journey, an improvement that can happen with or without fundamentally changing the experiences your destination offers.

Related reading: Why destinations need to become experts at consumer engagement

Featured image Credit: Paolo Dala, Flickr