The number of companies that are using incentive travel to motivate their employees to work harder and meet their work goals has been steadily increasing through the years. According to the Incentive Research Foundation, 46% of businesses in the United States are currently using inventive trips as a non-cash reward to their employees. The increase may be due to the fact that it has been proven effective in driving businesses forward.
As a study by Aberdeen Research revealed, organizations that offer non-cash rewards such as incentive travel experience significant revenue increase (up to three times more).
It is important to note, however, that incentive trips can only be effective if the employees will buy in first. If you want your workforce to get excited with your incentive travel, here are some pre-trip marketing tips on how you can get them on board and enthusiastic about the whole thing.
Start with the Big Reveal
If you want your personnel to be giddy with excitement and to covet your incentive travel offering, you should create an event that will get the entire thing rolling. Organize a company-wide meeting, launch party or Happy Hour where you will officially announce the incentive trip. During the party, you can show promotional videos or teasers about the featured location of the incentive travel. The key idea is to make the big announcement as sensational and as impactful as possible so that it will create a buzz in the office.
Keep Your Employees Engaged and Enthusiastic
After the huge announcement, you should not let the excitement die down. Keep the momentum going by carrying out various activities that will keep your employees engaged, updated, and completely enthusiastic to work towards the achievement of your work goals. For instance, if you are offering a tropical vacation (Aruba, anyone?) as an incentive, you can decorate your office with beach balls, umbrellas, sun visors, and other accessories that will remind your staff about warm and sunny beaches and tropical drinks.
You can also provide small tokens to those who are steadily moving towards the goal. Set milestones along the way and you can give the employees a taste of what is in store for them. For example, you can provide a branded luggage with a personalized itinerary to those who have achieved at least 75% of the target.
If you have a limited budget, providing certificates and simple gifts that will keep the achievers to desire and work for more can be an option. Regular email campaigns to remind people of their destination if they achieve their goals are both affordable and effective, as well. Aim to send out a monthly reminder and feature another aspect of the itinerary to stoke interest in the awesome details you have planned for the trip.
Engage the Help of Your Employees’ Families
To ensure a complete and effective promotion, you can also send notes or cards to the spouses or children of your employees informing them of what is in store if their family member will do well during the incentive promotion. This way, they will be your ally in encouraging your personnel to work harder. And in most cases, companies will allow employees to bring someone along with them on the trip. By notifying your employees’ families of what could be in store for them, you’ll keep that momentum going at home.
At the end of the day, merely offering incentive travel to encourage your employees to perform beyond their comfort zones will not cut it. Pre-trip marketing allows you to effectively promote your incentive trip and will pump up your team to help your company achieve its desired results.
If you want to your reward travel or all your company incentives to deliver the outcome you long for, it is best that you partner with a leader in the inventive industry— contact Motivations Through Incentives (MTI Events) today and experience the difference.
