Shawna LevetMarketing Your Travel Agency During a Slow Season
Now is a great time to focus on marketing your travel agency so you can hit the ground running when borders reopen! If you’re like many other travel agents right now, you are looking for ways to use your time while you wait for bookings to increase again. Instead of just waiting, take the time to invest in yourself and your business. Marketing strategy often takes the back burner when it comes to running a small business, simply because there are so many immediate things that require attention. Small business owners have many hats to wear! But even a simple strategy and a few adjustments to your marketing can make a huge difference. With the right plan in place upfront, you can lay the groundwork to generate lots of new business when travelers are ready to go!
Here are a few ways you can focus on marketing your travel agency this summer!
Clean up your website
When’s the last time you’ve had your website updated? You have just a few short moments to earn your viewers’ attention when they visit your website. If your website is hard to navigate, slow or cluttered, visitors will back out in the blink of an eye. Check out this article for a few of the top reasons you might have a high bounce rate. Unless you specialize in website design on the side, this is a good place to invest in professional help. A beautiful, user-friendly website is the foundation for your other marketing efforts. Most likely, all your other channels — social media, emails, etc. — will ultimately direct clients to your website. Make sure you leave a good first impression.
Schedule content in advance
Scheduling content in advance is a huge time saver! If you wait until the day of and are left scrambling for something to post, you’ll find yourself worn out and re-using tired material. Brainstorm different topics you would like to cover on your blog and social media such as travel inspiration, travel tips, booking guidance, and more. Then write down ideas for each of these categories so you have a balance of topics spread throughout your calendar.Â
Content scheduling services to try:
Avoid the temptation to overdo it on content that is focused specifically on your brand. You will start losing followers if they feel like they are bombarded with sales pitches. If you can offer truly helpful information as much as you can you will earn the opportunity to make a case for your brand.
➡️ Related: How to Create Shareable Content for Your Travel Agency
Streamline your email strategy
Email strategy is another area of marketing that often gets put on the back burner until the last minute. By creating a rhythm to your email approach you can focus your attention on email campaigns that actually drive engagement and loyalty, keeping your unsubscription rate low. Here again, you want to prioritize helpful information with just a pinch of sales. A great resource for starting an email campaign is Mailchimp’s Email Campaign Field Guide.
Create a customized email template and start using this to send out a consistent weekly or bi-weekly email. If you can strike the right balance of familiarity and novelty, your regular emails might actually become ones that your clients look forward to opening.Â
Focus on travel inspiration
Travel inspiration is one of the most powerful tools advisors have. And it’s so easy! Unlike the slightly more difficult task of marketing, say, tankless water heaters, or lint rollers, travel practically sells itself! Share your pretty pictures, your amazing experiences, and your valuable, hard-earned travel advice and your followers will be ready to eat it up!
➡️ Related: Are You Inspiring Your Clients to Travel More?
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