With the Internet by their side, travel companies can put the word out to consumers 24/7/365 about all the different escapes they have available.
While brochures, press releases, and email blasts of course still work, having the worldwide web at their fingertips offers travel agencies non-stop possibilities.
With that in mind, is your agency doing the best it can to market vacation experiences for travelers?
Spread the Word Non-Stop
In order for your travel agency to get the full benefits of the Internet, remember the following tips:
- Message – For starters, make sure you have a clear and concise message to put out there. One example would be marketing South America to Americans. On the one hand, keep in mind that the weather is different in North American than it is South America, so one’s summer is actually another’s winter etc. If you want to market a Patagonia travel package to Americans in cold weather winter climates, point out the idea of getting away to sun and fun etc. On the flip side, someone living in the heat of Arizona in the summertime would certainly find it appealing to go somewhere where temperatures are much cooler. In that case, drive home how such an individual can go to Alaska or some other environment in the dead of summer and not need a pool and/or AC all day. Always focus on what your message will be, who your target audience is, and of course how best to deliver that messages to the masses;
- Budget – Assuming you are working with some sort of marketing budget, how best to spend that money? Keep in mind that today’s travelers are literally bombarded with messages not only on the Internet, but also in newspapers/magazines, not to mention television. As a result, see what other travel companies are doing, and then look to differentiate your company as much as possible from them. Spend your marketing dollars wisely, knowing that there is much competition for the American travel dollar.
Socialize the Travel Experience
- Social media – If you’re a travel business not using social media to its full potential, what on Earth are you thinking? Given social networking is essentially free; you would be nothing short of foolish to not use it to your benefit. For example, get social with more videos if you’ve not already done so. As important as travel information is to most travelers, many of them also want imagery. They want to see where they may end up going, not simply read about it without visuals. You would also be wise to post client testimonials of happy travelers that you have planned trips for. Nothing works better than having a happy individual and/or family talking about what a wonderful time they had on the trip you coordinated. Also make sure you engage with any consumers (see more below) coming to your social pages on sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and of course Facebook;
- Feedback – Lastly, don’t ignore consumers when they come to you with questions and/or issues regarding travel plans. With the various options today’s travelers have when it comes to booking vacation packages etc. you stand to lose business if you turn a deaf ear. Do your best to respond to consumers in a prompt and courteous manner, realizing that they wouldn’t have come to you in the first place if your offerings did not interest them.
In order for your travel business to continue growing, marketing it wisely is of the utmost importance.
When you do that, you and consumers will both get a trip out of it.