In his column on Travel Pulse earlier this year called “It’s the Content, Stupid,” Mark Murphy pointed out that high quality, relevant web content is critical for travel agents. That column really resonated with me. I also agree with Murphy that technology is simply an enabler -- a tool that requires the talent and dedication of a true travel professional who can use it effectively.

Travel agents are starting to embrace this concept for their own websites. Their clients are seeking relevant, informative content on the Internet more and more each day. Our company, for example, powers supplier content on more than 10,000 of those agency websites. We’ve seen consumer shopping sessions increase 300 percent in the last five years, with more than 7.2 million sessions last year. Access to robust, relevant content as well as the ability to easily tailor that content to meet the needs of individual agencies and their clients is a key reason why more consumers are shopping on agency websites. With that in mind, I’d like to share some examples and urge all travel agents to move their business into this new Internet world that is driven by easy access to relevant content.

On the other hand, the lack of relevant content and technology can actually hurt agencies – something that can be seen from what happened just a few years ago as online travel agencies (OTAs) emerged as powerful players in the industry. Traditional agencies were just starting to launch their own websites and the threat posed by the OTAs created a rush by many traditional travel agencies to put up websites regardless of the quality or relevance of the technology or content. Some agents quickly added booking engines because they were worried that consumers would want to book everything online -- and at that time only the large online travel websites had online booking.

What we’ve seen happen over the last few years is what Murphy articulates in his article. Much of that early content either had no impact or, worse yet, negative impact on the consumer because it was inaccurate, obsolete, inadequate or poorly presented. Booking engine technology also had no impact, because the content presented didn’t do enough for consumers to enable them to actually book their vacations online. Booking engines are really just another way for a client to complete a transaction after they have seen what they want and have become comfortable enough to buy in the first place. Many of the technology companies that were created in the late 1990s and early 2000s have come and gone, precisely because technology is only an enabler. It must be combined with robust, relevant content and real customer service to succeed.

Fast forward a few years, and it’s exciting to see how far website technology and content have come. Even more exciting is we are starting to see many agents really understand how a website and the Internet can complement their business, provide more options and information to their clients, and in the end generate more bookings and greater customer satisfaction -- whether trips are booked online or offline.

Here are some strong examples from your peers: Danny Pinchot, owner of All Aboard Cruises and Vacations in Old Tappan, N.J., incorporates content and tools from several different companies onto his website to support his particular marketing strategy. For Danny, one major objective is to sell more Royal Caribbean cruises to the Caribbean. The tools available allow him to offer a link to robust content on his home page promoting Royal Caribbean, which is automatically updated on a daily basis. He controls what his customers see, and ultimately what his agents sell.

Lindy Gibbs, database marketing manager for Platinum Vacations in Kansas City, Mo., recently completed a redesign of her agency’s website. Delivering relevant content to clients became a key objective of that new website. Platinum Vacations is a power user of the ClientBase Plus CRM program and has creatively integrated its capabilities with content we provide to them. Users of the Platinum Vacations website can update their own ClientBase Plus profile online. Every time a client logs onto the website, relevant travel offers are presented based specifically on the client’s profile. From the customer’s perspective, Platinum knows them well and recognizes them virtually and physically. From Platinum’s perspective, simple processes create smart business. Platinum Vacations also routinely uses creative ways to help ensure its clients keep their profiles up to date, such as contests and sweepstakes.

Colleen Gillette of New Paltz Travel in New Paltz, N.Y., incorporates her website as the call to action for her radio advertising campaigns. For instance, Colleen recently advertised on a channel with a younger demographic. To support the campaign, she was able to quickly and easily create a new page on her website with offers targeting that specific demographic. All of the content for those offers was already in her database.

It is exciting to see real life examples of how content-rich travel agency websites are complementing the strengths of traditional travel agents. Even more encouraging is seeing agents seize the opportunity to use simple new tools accessible to them to control the content they deliver, enabling them to effectively compete in today’s travel retailing world. Agents are now seeing their websites as a great shopping tool for their existing clients -- a tool that complements the agent’s hands-on support and expertise and something the OTAs will never be able to fully duplicate. They also now have easy-to-use tools that let them feature only their preferred suppliers on their websites. They can go a step further by promoting the specific destinations they focus on by featuring travel offers and other targeted content to their clients.

Here are five more things you can do to increase the popularity of your website:

1) Get your clients involved. Solicit content from your clients about a trip you booked for them. Use this content to build “Travelog” sections on your website. To help facilitate viral marketing, email them a link to the page so they can forward it to their friends.

2) Embellish your “About Us” page with information and photos about your agency, its specialties, accreditations, and experience. Let your website detail you’ve been in the world in order to build credibility for yourself, your agents and your travel knowledge.

3) Use social networking sites like Linked-in, Twitter and blogs to post comments that link back to your website.

4) Create a section on your website that includes information about your local community, such as farmers markets, craft fairs, etc. Include this information in the travel-related emails you send to your clients. Make your emails a resource that your customers won’t want to send to the recycle bin.

5) Make sure that every email or printed material has your agency website and your email address prominently displayed.

As Murphy points out in his column, you need to continuously increase the relevance of the travel content presented to each individual client. Integrating customer relationship management (CRM) tools with your travel agency website is the next big step to ensure that your clients cannot only access robust content but can get content that is relevant to them. A lot of great content is available out there to help your agency compete and help you use the Internet as an integral part of your business. So take the next step to tailor the content to each of your clients’ needs.

Greg Kott is president and CEO of Passport Online. You can reach him at gregk@passportonlineinc.com. For more information on Passport Online, visit www.passportonlineinc.com.

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