At the taffy stand

On the boardwalk.

It's like walking down a boardwalk and finding your way to the salt-water taffy stand.  

What was it that got you there? Or what combination of things? The signage? The aroma as you went past? Someone you saw with a box? Maybe an ad or poster you saw?

Now you understand the concept of a journey map and full-path attribution.The journey map is that walk down the boardwalk. Full-path attribution is the combination of signage, scents and ads that created your desire for some taffy. Which is to say, it wasn't necessarily just the last thing you saw. 

This is how that your hotel or resort is like salt-water taffy: If you identify your targets' journey map and understand the different things that influence them along the way, you can make better use of your marketing dollars. Because it's not just the last thing a prospective guest saw that created their desire for your property. 

Which is to say, it wasn't necessarily just that last click. Even though digital channels will usually claim credit for the booking. 

In fact, a branded search - search for your property, not just properties in your neighborhood - has a far, far higher conversion rate then non-branded searches. And the parts of the journey map that can incite a branded search are what did the trick. 

In fact, it's never that simple.

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