How We Make Your LGBTQ+ Marketing BOOM!
For over a decade, Boombox has worked with several large Destination Management Organizations to help them market themselves to LGBTQ+ people and other diverse audiences. We know that every destination has its own culture, stories, offerings, and attractions, making travel marketing a unique and highly customizable space for cause and diversity messages.
While many DMOs have already engaged with the LGBTQ+ community in some capacity, it’s more important than ever to be active and intentional with queer marketing.
LGBTQ+ Key Findings
National research on LGBTQ+ travelers gives us a snapshot of the habits, perceptions, and needs of queer jetsetters in the United States. Key findings among LGBTQ+ travelers include:
80%
choose destinations that are openly LGBTQ-inclusive
80%
will not travel to destinations that do not support the local queer community
89%
feel positively about travel brands that stand up for transgender rights
84%
feel positively about travel brands that participate in Pride events
48%
want to explore LGBTQ+ neighborhoods
39%
want to experience LGBTQ+ nightlife
It’s clear that inclusivity matters to LGBTQ+ travelers—and it’s also clear that LGBTQ+ tourism can have a tremendous economic impact on DMOs who get it right. The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) reports that LGBTQ+ Americans have a combined spending power of $1.7 trillion. And Reports and Insights predicts that the LGBTQ+ Tourism Market will be worth $568.5 billion by 2030.
Want to learn more about how LGBTQ+ marketing can boost your brand and help to create welcoming, inclusive spaces for queer travelers? Send us a message now, or keep reading for more about our approach to working with DMOs.
Our process for working with DMOs
Auditing
When we start working with a new client, our first step is to familiarize ourselves with the brand and its existing inclusive outreach. We evaluate what they’ve done to market to LGBTQ+ audiences, research what their destination has to offer, and evaluate public perceptions of the destination’s inclusivity. We look at past ads, campaigns, social media and look at any relevant materials to inform our next steps.
Strategy
After we audit where a DMO has been, we create a roadmap for where they should go next. Typically, this entails a multidisciplinary approach that brings the destination’s inclusive assets and attractions to the forefront. We also focus on identifying opportunities for greater engagement with the destination’s LGBTQ+ community through partnerships, activations, editorial features, and more.
Our strategies are partly guided by advisory groups made up of LGBTQ+ leaders local to each destination. We form and meet with advisory groups regularly to ensure messages directly serve the community’s greatest needs. If public misconceptions or challenges were identified during the audit process, we discuss them with our advisory board and consider ways to shift public opinions. This has a dual effect of fostering greater inclusivity for a destination’s queer community while promoting existing opportunities, resources, and attractions for visitors.
Execution
We work with most DMOs on a retainer basis to put our custom strategies into action. The following services and specialties are just some of the tactics we use to help clients achieve their marketing goals.
Good design is key when it comes to messaging. Whether through banner ads, print publications, newsletters, or social media graphics, we design materials that resonate with LGBTQ+ people and create positive first impressions. We take particular care with curating an image catalogue that features the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ identities across genders, races, ethnicities, and other traits, while pushing against the overused corporate tactic of “slapping a rainbow on it.”
Every destination has a story to tell—and we help them tell it across several mediums. Our in-house content creators help you spotlight your destination’s LGBTQ+ attractions, venues, events, community leaders, and more with stunning photography and attention-grabbing media. When it comes to online content, video is queen. We have experience writing, organizing, and directing videos that appeal to (and engage) LGBTQ+ viewers.
We love to help brands connect with LGBTQ+ audiences at Pride celebrations and other LGBTQ+ events throughout the country. We’ve participated in countless Pride activations including World Pride, where we brought the largest float to the New York City parade. Maintaining a physical presence helps to raise brand awareness while communicating to queer audiences that a brand is there to walk with them, rather than just to talk at them.
Increasing your social media presence—and imbuing content with an authentic LGBTQ+ voice—is vital in making sure that your messages resonate. Our social team helps DMOs craft all aspects of their social strategies, from post cadence to brand voice and tone. We also combine our own expert insights with the recommendations of the destination’s LGBTQ+ advisory board to breathe life and legitimacy into your social messages.
Is the LGBTQ+ section of your website easily accessible from your home page? Is it populated with informative, engaging content? If not, your LGBTQ+ content may seem like an afterthought, resulting in negative impressions rather than generating interest and engagement. We’ll rework your LGBTQ+ section of your website from top to bottom to ensure that users find all the content they need and that your messaging feels genuine and intentional.
There’s a lot of research out there about LGBTQ+ travelers, but we take it a step further by developing insights specific to your destination. We typically conduct this research by forming advisory groups of LGBTQ+ leaders in your area. Our advisors help us to identify public misconceptions or challenges that may influence decision making among LGBTQ+ travelers. We then use those findings to build a marketing strategy that fosters greater inclusivity for a destination’s local queer community, while also promoting opportunities, resources, and attractions for visitors.
While meaningfully connecting with a new audience might seem daunting, DMOs don’t have to do it alone. Organizations that are already serving your local LGBTQ+ community can not only offer insight into crafting authentic messaging, but can even boost your messages through strategic partnerships. We help you identify and engage with those organizations to bring you even closer to LGBTQ+ people in your area.
Some Examples of Our Work
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