There are many ways you can let your customers know you are Quality Assured, and it’s a good idea to cover all basis.
Attracting new customers is all about visibility, and showcasing your award can help turn lookers into bookers.
You can promote it with pride, whether online, at your business, or in print – providing reassurance to future visitors.
QA empowers visitors to make informed choices and provides consumer confidence. Your award reassures guests that your property is independently assessed to a high standard. Now more than ever visitors need that extra reassurance – and QA can provide that.
Potential holiday-bookers using visitscotland.com often base their search on “the Stars”. QA members are almost three times more likely to receive visitor referrals than non-QA-members.
The VisitScotland QA scheme is an internationally recognised accreditation. Our well-established awards are familiar to, and trusted by, visitors to Scotland. International visitors actively seek this reassurance – especially when visiting for the first time.
Being a QA member can help you to grow your business and may help get access to loans or funding. Some councils ask for evidence that a QA visit can provide. During the COVID-19 crisis, for example, many businesses used their QA award to show their legitimacy. This was a factor with eligibility for government funding and support.
Online Travel Agents (OTAs) and representatives from the travel trade sector look for QA members to use for their itineraries . A 4 Star award is often used as a minimum requirement.
Once you have the jpeg image of your Star award, why not add this to your homepage so visitors see it as soon as they land on your website? You could also mention it within your "about us" section. And, if you send out an enewsletter, you could add it to the banner or footer of the email. Something else to consider is adding it to your auto signature on all emails being sent by your business.
When customers are looking for somewhere to go or somewhere to stay, they will often include the word "best" in their search. They will also often include the number of Stars they are looking for.
Take a look at your search engine optimisation (SEO). Ensure you are using key words and phrases your visitors will use in a search engine. When looking for a holiday or experience, ranking highly on a results page is important to visitors.
Check out our beginner’s guide to SEO for more hints and tips.
Visitors can search or filter for QA accredited businesses through the site. Your QA award will appear alongside your listing.
In fact, QA business listings are almost three times as likely to receive visitor referrals than those of non QA-members.
More generally, QA Stars shown alongside online reviews can help set expectations and gives visitors a balanced view.
It’s not just about your visitors. When people are looking at their career choices, they often want to work for the best.
Include your Star award and desire for quality within your recruitment activity. Highlighting quality standards will show potential employees that you’re an ambitious setting to work.
Share on social media
Share your award with your social media followers and do it regularly so you keep it front of mind. It could be something as simple as:
"Take some time for yourself and visit our 4 Star accommodation where you’ll find quality guaranteed."
"Bring your family along to our 5 Star attraction. You can expect exceptional customer service and high-quality facilities – the perfect day out."
And why not add your award to the "about section" on your Facebook page, your Instagram profile, or your Twitter or Threads bio?