As a travel agent, an important part of your operations is marketing your services to potential clients. This means managing emails, blogs, CRM, website, medical social accounts and staying informed about the latest travel deals to share with your clients. There are always more than a few things to do. Even with your best efforts, you may not achieve the results desired. When evaluating your marketing efforts for the upcoming year you may want to improve your efforts with one or several of the tactics mentioned below.
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Create a Short Elevator Pitch
This is often referred to as your “elevator speech.” It’s your chance to help others understand more about your business in a concise, succinct message. It doesn’t matter if you are at your child’s ballet class or the grocery store; there’s a good chance you will run into someone who may be interested in what you offer. Getting your pitch prepared and polished is an effective way to market your travel agency. Failure to do this may result in you stumbling over your words trying to explain what you offer. After all, you can’t wing it when talking about more in-depth topics like a transportation management system, so you prepare. The same is true for marketing your travel agency.
Write an Email Newsletter Each Month
Creating a short email and sending it via Mailchimp is a simple and effective way to contact clients. The content in your newsletter needs to provide information about the existing travel season. This is true no matter if it is summer break, the holidays, or engagement season – you need to email your clients regularly and provide travel tips and ideas for all occasions.
Spice Up Your Social Media Content
You can encourage and convince your followers to book a trip or vacation if you publish content based on various topics like holiday posts, destination highlights, packing tips, industry news, and travel deals. You can think about creating a theme for each day, such as Travel Tip Thursdays, which will help you post consistently. You can also share amazing photos from your own travels or supplier websites with engaging captions.
Another idea is to subscribe to receive emails from popular travel publications, such as Travel Weekly and Travel + Leisure, and then share their news articles to your pages. You can search some of your suppliers’ YouTube channels and share any interesting or informational videos you find on your social media profiles. Just make sure you use the supplier’s content rather than content produced by other travel agents. It’s also smart to schedule posts. This will ensure you post new content consistently.
Purchase Booth Space at a Trade Show
You can find the right events for your business by contacting your area’s local chamber of commerce, fairgrounds, mall, or event center to book at a specific time. Showcasing your travel agency to potential clients is a good way to increase your leads.
Create a Program to Reward Referrals
Marketing using word of mouth requires very little effort, and it is very low cost. You can increase your sales if you request that your clients refer someone they know to your business or just remember your company if someone mentions traveling. You can provide another incentive by offering a referral program. One way to reward clients for referrals is with travel discounts or gift cards.
Host a Giveaway
Everyone loves to get something for free. You can use this love of free items to your advantage. Just brand items, like coffee mugs, key chains, shirts, and more with your logo and business information, and then give it away. This is a great way to keep your brand and business top of mind.
Invest in Local Advertising
From pizza boxes and newspapers to bulletin ads and more, there are more than a few advertising opportunities you can take advantage of. When you add your business information, logo, and other information in local papers and other advertising sources, it can be extremely effective. It can also help you boost your public relations image.
Because some ideas cost more than others, you can start small. For example, purchase an ad in your church bulletin or a local school directory. By doing this, you can see if the response you receive is enough to make the investment worthwhile.
Use Direct Mail
Your clients come home to a mailbox full of newspapers, notes, and bills every day. You can add some variety and a personal touch to client communications if you send them something unique and valuable from your business. You should consider sending a handwritten letter or card for certain occasions, like anniversaries, holidays, birthdays, and even just “congratulations” for a special event. You should make sure you put some type of “travel” spin on the messaging. For example, if it is a card for an anniversary, include ideas for a getaway or romantic celebration. Also, reiterate how your travel agency can help them plan the perfect getaway.
Plan a Travel Night
If you plan and host a travel night, you can provide information to your clients about specific destinations, a special cruise coming up, or a once-in-a-lifetime tour. You can also provide those who attend the travel night with some type of exclusive booking incentive. Hosting this type of event requires the right space. You can do this at your home, a friend’s home, a restaurant, or an event space. The location you choose really depends on how many people will be attending. This type of experience is more personal and provides more information about a destination your clients are interested in traveling to.
Effectively Marketing Your Travel Agency
Staying in contact with your travel agency clients is essential to growing your business and ensuring ongoing success. When you begin developing your market plan, be sure that you watch for creative ideas that will attract your target audience. If you are consistent with your timing and create the right message, you can find new and highly effective ways to market your travel agency using the available tools you have access to.
Be sure to keep the tips above in mind. They will help you achieve success and grow your travel agency more than you may have thought was possible. In the end, this is going to pay off and lead to your ongoing success.