I talk a LOT about website overwhelm around these parts. And usually I’m referring to the overwhelm travel agents feel when they have to put their own websites together, how hard it is to write “objectively” about themselves. How daunting it feels to put pen to digital paper. But there’s another type of website overwhelm you need to know about: The overwhelm that too many prospects feel when they check out a travel pro’s website. This kind of overwhelm can cost you tons of leads. So let’s break it down. … read more
How to Infuse Your Website With a “Human Touch”—& Why You Should
Over the years, I’ve had conversations with plenty of extremely chatty travel agents. They’re boisterous, they’re flat-out funny, they light up a room. But when I go check out their websites—I can’t believe they were written by the same person! Their website copy sounds stilted and dry. It sounds like they were so concerned with coming across as “professional” that they tipped the scales over into “boring” territory. In short, their websites have NO personality. It sounds like a robot wrote them! Not only is a robotic, personality-devoid website a … read more
Is Your Website Boring Your Visitors? Ask These 3 Questions to Find Out
Lots of travel agents have websites today. That wasn’t true two decades ago, when many agents were still relying on foot traffic to their brick and mortar agencies. And it wasn’t true a decade ago, when travel agents could put up a Facebook page and spend just pennies on the dollar to get more followers. Today, though, brick and mortars are few and far between. And promoting solely on Facebook? That’s gotten EXPENSIVE (and risky—who’s to say what the next algorithm change will bring?). So, yep, today, many—if not most—travel … read more
How to Sell With Story in Your Travel Business
Have you ever met a celebrity? Did your hands go all sweaty, your tongue twist up into a pretzel, your eyes glaze over like a Krispy Kreme donut? Recently, I did (and yes, I probably looked a little crazed when I met him). Well—I met a copywriting celebrity. Which means you’ve probably never heard of him 🙂 His name is Parris Lampropoulos, and he is a VERY big deal in the copywriting world. He’s made his clients millions (upon millions, upon millions) of dollars. And earlier this year, at a copy conference … read more
What Makes a Travel Brand Magnetic [CASE STUDY]
I’ve written quite a bit about the importance of nailing your travel agency brand personality. Your brand personality helps you stand out. It helps you attract your DREAM clients. It’s what makes you memorable. Unforgettable. But was does a travel brand bursting with personality actually look like? Today, I want to introduce you to a travel brand that’s totally killing it on the brand personality front. Introducing: Virgin Voyages. Virgin Voyages is eccentric billionaire Richard Branson’s newest venture, a cruise line for travelers who are too cool for “traditional” cruises. From its brand … read more
5 Reasons Why You’re Not Getting Leads From Your Travel Agent Website
In my last blog post, I revealed the biggest reason why most travel agents are not getting leads from their websites: They’re simply not sending enough traffic to their websites. Now maybe that’s not you. Or maybe, you took that message to heart and are planning out a traffic-building strategy for the rest of the year. Which means—now it’s time to make sure your website is ready to welcome your new visitors! Because it doesn’t matter how many folks actually land on your website if your copy is a total … read more
The #1 Trick to Getting Your Travel Agent Website Visitors to “Click”
This past October, I was speaking on stage at the International Travel Agent Forum, when I showed this slide: Yes, that is just a giant picture of a lizard. No, I wasn’t trying to scare my audience, or test them to see how many were still paying attention … I promise—this lizard actually relates to getting more travel clients. How? Well, my presentation was all about the easiest ways travel pros can increase conversions on their websites—a.k.a. turn more web visitors into real, live travel leads. And one of the easier, … read more
Take Your Vitamins: 7 Ways to Keep Your Travel Agent Website Healthy
How “healthy” is your travel agent website? Is it operating at full steam or just sputtering along? There are a lot of ways to answer that question. If you’re tech savvy, you could check your Google Analytics to see how long folks are staying on your website (if they’re “x”-ing out after 8 seconds, for example, your website’s got a bad case of can’t-keep-’em-around-itis). Even if you never set up Google Analytics, you probably have a pretty good idea of how healthy your website is. Just think about the leads … read more
The Specificity Test: Does Your Travel Agent Website Pass?
Recently, I hosted an online training called the Foolproof Travel Agent Website. I’d never hosted a training like this before, so a shout out to all the travel pros who joined me on the training to make it a success! (And who ensured I wasn’t just teaching to my mom … HA!). One thing I talked about on the training was how and why you should be specific in your web copy. Because specificity sells. And I’m not just talking about specifically listing your specialties or niches on your website. … read more
The Difference Between “Copy” and “Content”—and Why Travel Agents Need to Know It
There’s something that’s been bugging me. It’s about my fellow copywriters. Well, some of them. “Copywriters,” in scare quotes, if you will. I’m talking about the folks who brand themselves as copywriters, and then mainly sell blogging services. Yeah … that’s not copy. And these “professionals” should know that! (And that’s why I’ve very purposefully branded myself as a copywriter and content marketer). You can be one helluva travel blogger, without scoring a single client. Or, you can advertise your travel services on a big ol’ billboard — or a flashy Facebook ad … read more
