Family travel is a booming business and a lucrative one for travel agents. Furthermore, it can also mean developing clients for life. “Your families can grow with you,” says Kay Merrill of Are We There Yet? Family Adventures in Larkspur, Calif. “I have a family of 26 that has booked with me for a long time. When I started [working with them], I was looking for resorts that had child care. Then you wind up doing their weddings and honeymoons.”

Agents, however, can’t sit back and wait for the business to come to them. There are a variety of creative ways they can seek out and market to families.  Family travel specialists and a host travel agency executive offer the following advice on how you can tap into the family travel niche or increase the business you have already begun to generate.

PARTICIPATE IN FAMILY FOCUSED EVENTS

Church basement craft sales, family fun runs and school fairs are a few of the examples of family-oriented events where agents can set up a booth to promote family business, says Rhonda Day, a CruiseOne franchisee in Louisville, Ky.

“Potential clients appreciate the local aspect of these events, and the fact that you are supporting the community brings immediate credibility,” she says. “Get out in front of your booth and strike up a conversation with attendees. People don’t expect to discuss vacations at these types of events and they will enjoy talking with you.”

READ MORE: Families Welcome!

The booth set-up need not be elaborate, Day adds. “Your banner, a few brochures, some beach balls and a framed picture of a Disney character are just a few of the things that attract people to your booth. Be sure to get contact information and, most importantly, follow up.”

CONNECT WITH SPORTS GROUPS

“Talk to your son’s football team and/or your daughter's cheerleading team moms,” says Susan Leonidas of Your Travel and Cruise Concierge in Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla. “Find out what their favorite vacations were, where they went, what they did and then tailor a dream travel experience around it.”

FORM RELATIONSHIPS WITH PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Private schools tend to be more accessible to the public, notes Patty Calvert of Patty’s Getaways, a Travel Experts agency in Memphis, Tenn. She recommends having a client with kids in private school pave the way for proposing a presentation on travel. “It’s a good way to get your foot in the door,” she says.

ESTABLISH YOURSELF AS A PUBLIC SPEAKER

A wide range of organizations such as womens’ business associations, womens’ clubs, the Junior League, and Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs meet regularly and routinely schedule speakers, says Trish Gastineau, of Simply Europe Travel in Montgomery, Ala.

READ MORE: Tour Operators a Big Help in Breaking into Family Travel Market

She suggests that agents research the clubs and their needs on Google and approach them with proposals to speak about family travel. “Even if you’re totally terrified to get up in front of other people, if you take that risk, automatically youraudience’s brains switch to ‘she must be an expert because why else would anyone speak in front of people?’” Gastineau says.

EDUCATE CLIENTS THROUGH FACEBOOK

“Use Facebook as a means to educate your audience on family-friendly vacation spots and unique day trips, and to show your travel knowledge, experience and understanding of how family travel has a different dynamic than, say, couples travel,” says Ken Gagliano, president and co-founder of Travel Planners Internati onal. Gagliano recommends sharing blogs, funny videos and family-friendly photos with fun quotes. “That helps your audience know that you ‘get them’ and keeps them engaged,” he says. “Of course, always make sure that it is clear you are a travel agent.”

RAISE FUNDS FOR NONPROFIT GROUPS

Groups like parent/teacher organizations, churches and community organizations often sponsor fundraising events, says Dina Barreto of Magical World Vacations in Jackson, N.J.

“These events not only market you to families in the community but allow your agency to give back, which families appreciate,” she says, adding that fundraising events often hold gift auctions that cater to the demographics that they are targeting. “These events are widely promoted through different social media platforms where the agency is mentioned and often highlighted.”

Barreto’s agency donates baskets with family-oriented items, gift cards and gift certificates. The gift certificates are for a specified dollar amount to be redeemed when booking a family vacation with her agency. “We also sponsor tables at the event which allows us to create a marketing flier usually placed as the centerpiece. It has our agency information, offers and usually a call to action,” she says.

Once the family has traveled, Magical World Vacations gives a percentage of the booking back to the organization that held the event.

“When you do this each year the event is held, the community becomes more familiar with your agency, which instills trust, appreciation and loyalty,” Barreto says.

Reaching out to families with your own stories can your be an effective marketing tool.  Trish Gastineau of Simply Europe Travel in Montgomery, Ala., did just that in one of her weekly newsletters.  The topic of one of them was her travels with her mother.

Gastineau’s mom has traveled with her when she escorts groups as well as a when it’s “just the two of us," including a trip to Ireland and a river cruise.  Sharing that story with clients illustrates the value of family travel in a personal way.