How to market a business "in the middle of fucking nowhere"

Wild Willy and Tripadvisor were the subject when, in October 2011, I described visiting a small business offering airboat tours.

Wild Willy and Tripadvisor in 2011

I wrote at the time that they got 90% of their customers from Tripadvisor. Hear how they do it in the video from the visit.

We found Wild Willy Airboat Tours through Tripadvisor while looking for something to do with the children in Florida. The business was remote but had hundreds of enthusiastic reviews. During our visit, the owner told me 90% of their visitors came through Tripadvisor. That was his information back then, not a current measurement.

Their method was simple: Give guests a good experience and remember to ask for a review afterwards. Their website linked to Tripadvisor, and after the tour they gave us a little card asking us to review the experience.

We experienced friendly staff, and the children were allowed to hold a little alligator, among other things. Good service gave guests something positive to talk about. The reviews then helped the next guests find the business and feel confident choosing it.

Far from the main road, close to guests’ recommendations

I stood in the middle of the Florida swampland and described the place as around 30 kilometres from the nearest main road. According to my account, Wild Willy started in 2007. Tours took place in airboats with room for small groups. We saw alligators, a little alligator and a bald eagle, among other things. There were also "No swimming" signs, which there was good reason to take seriously.

When we were in Celebration looking for an experience with the children, we found the place on Tripadvisor. In the video, I mentioned 382 reviews with five out of five stars. That visibility and trust made me choose them. The figures are my information from the 2011 visit.

The owner said they’d tried magazine adverts, billboards and other forms of marketing. According to him, nothing worked like Tripadvisor. He also said they asked guests where they’d found the business. That was the basis for his telling me about the 90 percent.

The card after the tour wasn’t just a general greeting. On one side was the captain’s name, Captain Keith, and on the back was an invitation to review on Tripadvisor. They’d made it easy to remember and easy to act on. My point was the combination: First an experience people want to recommend. Then a specific reminder to do it. You’ll find more of my experiences of online marketing in E-pusher.

My point in the video was that restaurants, hotels and attractions in Denmark should also take guest reviews seriously. Tripadvisor, Trustpilot or Yelp can be valuable when based on good experiences. See also my other experiences of entrepreneurship and running a business.

Best wishes, Martin