There’s a question I always ask my clients before I start working on their new website copy.
And, whenever I ask it, there’s almost always a pause on the other end of the phone line.
“Wow,” my client says. “That’s a tough one.”
Do you want to know what the question is?
It’s: “Can you describe your travel agency brand personality in 5 words or fewer?”
As a savvy travel entrepreneur, you KNOW you need a niche to stand out in the crowd. It’s been drilled into you that honing your specialty is what’s gonna help you make expert money.
And that’s true.
But.
Picking your specialty isn’t the only way you can stand out.
The other way? Your travel agency brand personality.
Why You Need to Define Your Travel Agency Brand Personality
In other words, you niche or specialty is WHAT you do (i.e. “I plan all-inclusive honeymoons for busy brides”).
Your brand personality is how you do it.
If you plan corporate travel, your brand personality may be professional and straightforward, with nary a contraction or colloquialism in sight.
If you plan family vacations, you might serve up your content with a side of sass, reveling in how crazy/exhausting/just plain funny raising (and traveling with!) young kids can be.
Defining your brand personality is so important because it helps differentiate your travel business. It makes you memorable. It can be the main reason why a prospect chooses to work with you over a competitor.
That’s because businesses in similar niches can have vastly different brand personalities.
Same Niche, Different Travel Agency Brand Personalities
I’ll give you an example. Think about the honeymoon and romance travel niche.
One travel agent may describe her honeymoon brand personality as: elegant, understated, and just a touch whimsical. She tends to attract couples who want to spend their honeymoons on FITs exploring beautiful cultural capitals, with boutique hotel stays and lots of hands-on activities thrown in.
Another travel agent may describe his honeymoon brand personality as: Sexy, glamorous, energetic, and over-the-top. He attracts couples who want to be pampered at the best all-inclusive resorts in exotic destinations. I would put money on his brides wearing Pnina Tournai down the aisle 😉
Make sense?
Brand personality matters because it matters to your ideal prospects.
Prospects want to work with travel pros who they feel really “get them.”
That comes down to not only where you plan vacations, or what kinds of vacations you plan — but the pictures you use on your website, how you write your copy, even what font you choose.
So, if I were to ask you: “Can you describe your brand personality in five words?”
What would you say … ?
[VIDEO] Web Review of Travel Agent’s Personality-Packed Website
The other reason it’s important to define your brand personality? Because personality-packed copy is always more engaging! To see what I mean, check out this web review I did recently of Limbert Travel’s website, run by Clarke Limbert. Clarke’s a funny guy, and that totally comes through in his copy! Click the thumbnail below to go watch the quick video on FB:
[…] few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post all about travel agency branding — particularly your travel agency brand […]