Millennials. The pesky texting-obsessed, always online, endlessly coddled generation … and the generation that’s increasingly likely to use a travel agent. According to a survey by MMGY Global, millennial families are driving travel, and a huge chunk are looking to turn to travel pros for planning. Yep — the much maligned millennials need your help! So, how can you get millennial travel clients? Well, it starts with knowing what NOT to do. And boy, do I have a story for you. It all started with a text from a friend … The … read more
Why You Need Testimonials — and How to Get Them
Yelp, Zagat, Trip Advisor, and the like prove it — social proof is the name of the game. Who buys a product or invests in a service without hearing that someone else has benefited from it first? No one, that’s who (alternate answer: suckers). In fact, nearly two-thirds of consumers read product reviews before deciding to purchase. The short story: testimonials matter. They matter just as much for service providers, like travel agents. In fact, I’d argue that they matter even more, because consumers can’t just “return” a travel experience and get … read more
How to Make Money Selling Travel: Get Rid of the Price Shoppers
They’re the bane of every travel pro’s existence. Those “leads” who constantly badger you, asking you if you can get them a good deal on their (bare bones) vacation. If you can price match this sketchy quote they found on the internet. If you can magically shave $200 off the cost of their airline tickets. And the worst part? Most of them have no intention of even booking with you! Price shoppers. Tire kickers. The absolute WORST. No matter what you call them, they’ll suck you dry. There’s good news, … read more
The 18 Words You Should Use to Snag More Family Travel Clients
Let’s say you’re a family travel specialist who plans fun family vacations for stressed out parents that create lasting family memories. Sounds like an awesome niche! The only problem? If you were to use that in your marketing copy, you’d sound like every other family travel specialist out there. How to Get Family Travel Clients: Look Beyond the Copy Clichés “Fun” family vacations is a bit of a cliché. So how can you make your copy more exciting? I recommend leafing through magazines that your target market subscribes to and … read more
Travel Agent Tips: 7 Marketing Stats Every Travel Agent Should Know
I’m a words gal, but I know it’s sometimes useful to consider the numbers. Looking at marketing statistics helps us understand what’s working and what’s not for other marketers. That’s why I found 7 marketing statistics that I think apply to travel agents — if you’re a solo-preneur or the head of your agency, then it’s your job to be on top of marketing trends and numbers, too. These 7 travel agent tips and marketing stats will help you decide where to focus your marketing efforts and, hopefully, inspire you … read more
How to Become a Travel Agent: The REAL Start-Up Costs
So you want to be a travel agent. It sounds like a total dream job, right? And you’ve heard that all you need is a laptop, a love of travel, and passion to get started! Well … not so fast. It’s true that becoming a travel agent has a fairly low barrier to entry. You don’t need a special degree, and yes, you can work from home in your slippers 😉 But that doesn’t mean becoming a travel agent doesn’t require an investment, both in terms of your time and … read more
Use This Copywriting Trick to Figure Out *Exactly* What Content Your Travel Clients Are Craving
Do you know your ideal client? Like, really know them? In marketing, we talk a lot about knowing your ideal client in terms of demographics. You may have even created an ideal client “avatar” that describes your ideal client’s age, occupation, income, etc. If you’ve created a good ideal client avatar, then you’ve also delved into your ideal client’s interests — what movies she watches, where she shops, how she likes to spend her free time. Going through this exercise ensures that you create marketing material that speaks specifically to this ideal … read more
How to Sell Travel: Reel Them in with the Head, Clench Them with the Heart
Have you ever heard someone say, “I don’t like being sold to?” Or how about this one: “Sales techniques don’t work on me.” Um, duh. Nobody likes being sold to. Or, more accurately — nobody likes feeling like they’re being sold to. And we all like to think we’re too smart for sales tricks. But we’re not. (Most of my wardrobe consists of things I’ve purchased from Facebook ads …). So how do you sell your travel services to people who swear up and down they can’t be and don’t like being sold … read more
The Parisian Marketing Lesson: Or, How I Learned to Like Espresso and Market Authentically
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably landed here because you want some tips on writing your travel agency website. I can give you tips on tips on tips … but unfortunately, there’s no magic formula for writing a travel business website that brings in clients. In fact, there’s a lot of work you need to do before you even set pen to page (or finger to keys)! But — I can tell you where to start. And I think I can best tell you with a story. I call it The Parisian … read more
Do This on Your Consult Calls — and in Your Copy — to Score More Travel Clients
“So, uh, do I give you my credit card number, or …?” Have you ever heard this line during your consult calls? If so, there’s good news: This person clearly wants to work with you. The bad news: You haven’t made it clear how to do it! Awkward pauses and wishy-washy endings during your consultation calls with potential travel clients usually point to one thing — you’re not making the ask. You’ve sold the prospect on your value as a travel pro, but you’re not asking them to commit! If you … read more
