There are many ways that travel companies gain your attention. You may have seen a commercial for travel and it made you start thinking more about taking that trip. Or maybe a specific destination or location keeps popping up on your television or email, and you are curious about what it would cost to go. If you work with or are interested in becoming a travel agent, you may be curious how you will obtain and retain customers. Here are five ways that travel companies get your attention fast.
Discounts
A huge reason that many people choose to book their family vacations with a travel agent is for the cut in price. They trust that an expert in trip planning will know the best places to stay and know about all of the deals and bargains that you want to know about.
Travel companies may target certain audiences that they believe would benefit specific groups of people. For example, families with young children are likely to be interested in learning more about disneyland discount tickets. Maybe you have always wanted to take your kids there, and are more likely to go if you know it could be affordable.
Social media
In this day in time, a company would be silly not to use social media to its advantage. No matter the age group of your preferred customer, you can more often than not bet that they use some form of social media. Human beings are influenced by what their family and friends post, so once a person you know and trust recommends a company or trip, you are likely to look into it.
A travel agency may purchase advertisements for their company to be displayed and posted on certain online platforms to gain customers. The ad may pop up more often for someone who looks at travel pictures, likes travel pages, or posts about past vacations themselves. Agencies may use certain hashtags to gain traction on their business page.
Partnerships
If someone wants to become a travel agent and they travel often themselves, they could approach some of their favorite vacation destinations seeking a partnership. This would be especially beneficial to the hotel or resort if the agent has a large social media following. The more followers the individual has, the more people will see their posts.
It is also likely that the travel agent could receive a special rate when traveling to that destination to take pictures to post on their social media account. They could even arrange to receive payment for each person they refer to the destination, similar to a commission.
Booth fairs
If you are a travel agent or work for a travel agency, you may want to research hotels that are opening nearby. You could also look into renting booth space at a state fair, carnival, or other exhibition. This would allow you the opportunity to showcase your business and advertise what you do.
During the fair, you could provide potential clients with brochures and marketing materials highlighting the services you offer. You could also create sign-up sheets or cards to obtain contact information in order to contact future customers. Be sure to bring business cards as well.
Fact sheets
The easier the information you provide to your clients is to understand, the better. The more that questions that a client has to ask for, or the more you hide prices and costs, the less likely your clientele will trust your business practices. Do your best to be transparent when working with others.
If you have a ready-made fact sheet that lists the destinations, resorts, and hotels that you do business with, customers will know what is available to them. You could also include price ranges letting travelers know what prices will most likely look like. For integrity purposes, you should include an asterisk or addendum stating that prices may vary depending on the number of travelers, time of year and if special accommodations are being requested.
