Have you ever seen those bracelets emblazoned with “WWJD?”
(That’s “What Would Jesus Do?,” for those who don’t speak acronym).
I want to make a similar bracelet for marketers — and if you’re an independent travel agent you ARE a marketer.
But my bracelet would read: “WIIFM?”
That stands for “What’s In It for Me?”
That’s the question your prospects are asking themselves whenever they land on your website, scroll through your social media, or open your newsletter.
So, that’s the question that should ALWAYS be top of mind for travel agents when they’re marketing their businesses.
Prospects only care about your business to the extent that it helps them solve their own problems or fulfill their own desires in some way.
That doesn’t mean your prospects are selfish — they’re just human. We’re all only interested in what others (particularly businesses) can do for us.
WIIFM: The Travel Agent Marketing Mantra
But too often, I see agents losing sight of “WIIFM?”
They forget that they’re not just writing copy for the sake of writing copy — they’re writing to convince prospects to work with them.
And you can’t do that unless you spell out what’s in it for them.
Here’s a common example: Lots of travel agents LOVE to open their websites with a phrase like, “We’ve been planning travel for 15 years.”
Well la-de-da.
Okay, that’s a little harsh — but I promise you, any prospect reading that is thinking, “so what …?”
Which, coincidentally, is a great question to ask yourself to get an answer to WIIFM!
Try this exercise:
Let’s say you, too, want to highlight how long you’ve been in business on your website.
You write: “I’ve been planning travel for 15 years.”
Now ask yourself, “so what?”
So … your longevity means that your clients trust you to plan great trips again and again. It IS impressive that you’ve been in business so long!
But still, ask yourself one more time: so what? Why would a prospect care that past clients trust you?
Well, it shows that you have a proven track record of planning successful trips (even better if you can back that up with testimonials). More over, the trust factor is a big reason why people turn to travel agents. They don’t feel like they can trust anonymous online reviews, and booking engines certainly don’t have their best interests at heart.
So it’s not really about being in business for 15 years. It’s about being a trusted advisor to clients who’ve turned to you again and again, because your expertise, experience, and dedication result in incredible vacations. And you yearn to do the same for your prospects.
That’s what your prospects really care about. Because you’ve shown them what’s in it for them.
Ask yourself “so what?” until you get to the bottom of “WIIFM?”
Your prospects will thank you … by booking fabulous trips with you!
And do whatever you need to do to always keep WIIFM top of mind. Write it on a Post-It note, pin it to your bulletin board — or even sharpie it onto a bracelet 😉
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