by Robin Amster
Last updated: 3:00 PM ET, Fri November 11, 2016
PHOTO: Travel Leaders Network President Roger Block announced changes to TravelLeaders.com and Agent Profiler during this year's national meeting. (Photo courtesy of Travel Leaders Associates)
Travel Leaders Associates announced sweeping enhancements to its TravelLeaders.com website which includes Agent Profiler. The award-winning lead generation tool showcases agents' bios enabling customers to find an agent based on a full-range of travel specialties, destinations and other search options.
The announcement was made during the 2016 Travel Leaders National Meeting held at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. The conference drew 750 travel agents and industry leaders, a nearly 25 percent increase in attendance over last year's event.
Enhancements to TravelLeaders.com include thousands of additional destination-specific and special interest travel agent profiles plus more engaging news and blog content. There will also be easier-to-navigate Agent Profiler ratings and reviews, which currently reveal that 95.8 percent of the more than 2,000 current reviews give agents a five-star rating and 85 percent more leads, according to the company.
The newest enhancements to Agent Profiler-representing Agent Profiler 3.0-will be completed this January when the tool marks its fifth anniversary. At that time Agent Snapshot, Vacation.com's version of Agent Profiler, will be combined with Agent Profiler on TravelLeaders.com.
That development comes as a result of the merger, announced this summer, of Travel Leaders Associates and Results! Travel-both formerly a part of the Travel Leaders Franchise Group-along with Vacation.com into the new Travel Leaders Network. The Network now represents close to 7,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada and more than $17 billion in annual sales.
"Everyone is so excited about the possibilities of bringing the three groups together; each [group] will experience increased products and services," Travel Leaders Network President Roger Block said during a press conference. "It's an upside for everyone."
Block called Agent Profiler "a game changer."
"By further elevating the site through more engaging and informative content, designed to emotionally inspire a consumer's natural desire to travel, we will be able to drive a higher number of consumers to Travel Leaders' national website, resulting in a close rate of up to 30 percent, which averages nearly $5,000 per sale, per agent," he added.
Agents who took advantage of advanced features added to Agent Profiler 3.0's predecessor-Agent Profiler 2.0-received 91 percent more leads than agents without a profile, according to Travel Leaders.
Brian Hegarty, vice president of marketing for the Travel Leaders Group, said, "We are doubling down on Agent Profiler. We want to attract new customers from a new base of opportunities. The concept is simple; we sell travel agents.
"As we add more agents on Agent Profiler, it will generate new content and up SEO (Search Engine Optimization)," he added. "More agents equals more unique content."
The enhancements to TravelLeaders.com and Agent Profiler include:
- More Agent Profiles. Consolidating the several company websites and merging tens of thousands of agent bios onto TravelLeaders.com, will make Agent Profiler "a more robust site," said Travel Leaders.
- More ratings and reviews. Customer ratings and reviews, incorporated within the Agent Profiler tool in 2015, have more than doubled since the beginning of 2016. Automated messages inviting clients to rate their agent will allow for an increase in participation.
- More travel content. Hundreds of pages of travel stories and blog content will be added quarterly, including articles on destinations, specialty interests, travel tips and personal travel experiences of Travel Leaders agents.
- More promotions. More pages and sections will be designated to exclusive promotions that can be obtained only by booking through a Travel Leaders agent.
- More vivid photos. Professional photography and inspirational images taken by Travel Leaders travel agents will display on more enticing content pages and in specialized photo galleries. The personal images will be aimed at enabling travelers to envision their dream vacations through the eyes of an expert who has been there.
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