Travel agencies need clients, so attracting new customers all the time is very important to grow your business. Some agents will rely on calling potential prospects - called cold calling - while others place ads online or in newspapers and magazines or use social media to attract travelers.
Jacob Marek, founder and chief explorer of IntroverTravels, said that his customers find him through the Facebook ads that he places. "They also find me in the online groups and social media platforms that I participate in," he said.
If social media is a marketing tool that an agent is interested in using, Marek advises them to go slow. "Growing a following on social media is a slower process and not really a sales tool," he said.
Marek understand the importance of cross-marketing and said that he is also reaching out to travel bloggers for opportunities to write blogs on their sites. "I'm also reaching out to professional photographers for joint venture partnerships with their existing clientele," he said.
Trish Mercer of Georgia Travel Experts, an affiliate of Travel Experts, said that the best way to build her great client base is to offer something that the guest cannot do for themselves so they feel like they have to send their friends and family to you. "I offer an incentive," she said. "I give referral gifts and my business cards and I ask for referrals. I even have discount parking to offer at the largest airport near me. This adds to my bottom line because customers are surprised I would go to that trouble for them and that makes them want to talk about me and give referrals."
Steve Griswold, owner of PixieHoneymoons.com, says that he uses theme nights in his community to attract new customers. "We meet new clients all the time from many different places," he said. "For honeymoons, we have set up Caribbean Nights in our community at local restaurants and invite existing clients and new clients to those events. Caribbean Nights are a nice way to share all-inclusive resorts with clients over some drinks and appetizers."
He also relies on using social media to attract new clients and with good reason. According to Ambassador, 71 percent of consumers who have had a good social media service experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others. If you follow Griswold on Twitter at @pixiehoneymoons, you will see that Griswold posts travel tips and reasons to honeymoon in a new destination as well as what's new at various venues.
"Social media, of course, is very important and a great way to share vacation destinations with new clients," he said. "Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook work well for sharing beautiful vacation and destination photos with new clients and generating interest. If you can share your vacation experiences on social media as it happens, with applications like Facebook Live and Periscope, you can connect with new clients instantly."
According to The Drum, in 2015 Facebook influenced 52 percent of online and offline purchases, up from 36 percent in 2014. Obviously, online is influencing everything from retail purchases to travel opportunities and agents can maximize social media to grow their business.
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