marketing strategy of travel agency

Travel Agency Marketing (11 Proven strategies & Tips)

Travel Agency marketing is something that I’m passionate about, and I’m pretty good at it too. It’s also how I really started in marketing in 2009, working on my mom’s niche travel agencies.

In this guide, I’m going to explain some tactics I use. I hope you can implement some of the ideas below.

Have a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

• Find what works

Links and PR

Social media, social advertising.

• Set up a website
• List yourself in all the local directories

Customer Relationship Software

Word of mouth, search engine marketing.

It wasn’t easy to start; I had to learn quite a lot and didn’t have someone to really help me, and the internet was very different back then. But I practised, learned, and tested. I grew to love it. It’s kinda why Travel Tractions Marketing was born 🙂

This guide details how I helped my mom to market her sites 10 years ago and what I do to market my own and client sites today.

My mom had one main business called Webtours, and then she decided to make niche websites for each service offering.

I thought this very silly at the time, but little did I know this was one of the smartest things we did.

It enabled me to learn much quicker than normal (because she had 3+ sites – I could test, try and dabble).

Not only did it allow me to test, but the agency position was also so niche; it gave access to different markets and appeared as a “specialist”.

Becoming or positioning herself as the “specialist” was a no-brainer and her niche agencies grew so much faster (in traffic and clients) than the general brand.

In this article, you will get:

• The best way to stand out
• Travel marketing ideas
• A travel marketing plan
• Travel agency ad examples

And leave a marketing ninja, not really. But you will be wiser. 😉

Marketing for Travel Agents Tips

Know where you differentiate and sell that. This could be customer service, affordability, quality, or speed. Anything that sets you even more apart.

I know it seems like laser focus, but sometimes that’s key. Especially with data-based digital marketing today. If you can zero down on your perfect customer, your cost of Return On Marketing Investment is much lower.

Find What Works

Different things worked for different businesses. Bridal conferences worked well for honeymooners while ranking for school holiday specials worked for the beach holiday agency website. Ranking for “all-inclusive ski holidays” worked great for selling Club Med ski holidays.

When you find out what channel, gap or method of marketing works for you, double down on it! But don’t give up on the other channels – consistency is key.

When she first started her business, it was general travel, but when she specialised, things really took off. Being known as an expert and having more experience/knowledge sets you apart from most of the competition.

Travel Agency Advertising Ideas

There are many methods to market your travel agency. below you will find the ones that actually worked.

Search Engine traffic accounts for 68% of the traffic , and COVID has drastically changed how consumers spend money online. So if you are not investing more than 50% of your marketing budget into SEO, you are doing yourself a disservice.

SEO does involve many different aspects that assist other channels

Creating long-tail content is KEY to surviving in the travel industry!

Google your area and “hotel” or “tour” it’s probably taken up by one of the big 5 behemoth sites like Viator, GetYourGuide, Booking, Agoda, Trip Advisor or some other monster…. You might find your site/page somewhere on the bottom or maybe on the next page, but no one will know because no one goes to the second page of Google.

By creating content that is more long tail and niche, like “best family resorts in Europe for a ski holiday”, you’ll find a lot of blogs and sites that you compete with, and beat.

My calculations for an average ski holiday for an average family (4 people) costs start at 10k USD. Sell one holiday from this piece of content, and you’ve paid for it 3 times over. The best part? It stays on top of Google until someone outranks you. Another win, you can use this content for social over and over again.

Content is king. Even 10 years ago, when backlinks were the bee’s knees in SEO, I got the majority of my wins/leads, if not all, by great content.

Invest in SEO. Ok, I’m biased here, but I wasn’t taught SEO in my marketing degree, but it isn’t rocket science to figure out where most of our enquiries and new customers were coming from. That’s why I specialised.

Links (other websites linking to your website) is one of the top 3 ranking factors. A few years ago, it was undoubtedly the number one ranking factor.

Links serve two purposes:

#1 They help you get higher in Search Engines.

#2 If you get a link in a good publication to the right audience, you could get referral traffic and maybe a booking.

So do what you can to acquire publicity, exposure and links as much as you can.

It’s important to build credibility, especially in the travel market, so building a brand and appearing to be a trustable business is key here. If you don’t, you will lose many customers.

Putting money behind average campaigns is how I see most business owners lose faith in online marketing.

Use your social media to remind and be top of mind.

Set up your social media so that you are continuously in your PROSPECTIVE clients’ faces as often as you can. It is important that you spend money only on people who have shown interest in your business.

My view (and many others since Apple gave less targeting data to Facebook ) is that social is a branding tool more than anything else, and only when you drill down into your customer insights and have amazing targeting.  During the Cambridge Analytica scandal they also limited some targeting (like targeting people who recently got engaged with honeymoon ads).

But if you can get in front of your potential clients at the right time, this is gold. But branding, attention, and social proof has the ability to convert customers and keep you top of mind.

Touchpoints and a well-created email funnel is one of the most powerful items in your arsenal.

A monthly newsletter goes a long way but keeping in touch with your customers is key to this. Again, consistency wins here.

Travel Agent Marketing Plan

This is how I had to market a website in 2020+ It includes small steps on creating different avenues for getting customers and then tracking them and managing your leads effectively.

Set Up a Website

This can be done on almost any platform, and I will always recommend for hundreds of reasons I won’t list here. If you are going to spend money on a website, you might as well make it SEO friendly and hire a professional before you make it live. I see sooooo many businesses make this mistake, so please get an external SEO to check out your development agencies website.

List Yourself in All the Local Directories

Once you have a website or somewhere to direct your potential customers, you need to start listing with all the directories in your local area and online. To be honest, you won’t get many leads from here, if any, but if you could rank in your area, it would be the easiest route to go from the start.

Attend Conferences

It’s important to build connections. I know in the 2020s, even passed COVID days, trade shows and conferences are a great way to make connections and learn about new developments in the industry,

Often the main pages of the website are not targeting long tail keywords. Your blog is where you get to write about the “best family resorts in Europe for a ski holiday” and many, many, many other opportunities. This also feeds into your social media and media strategy if done correctly.

I think this is really a place where businesses can excel. Make sure that you are pixeling all users (tracking who they are) that come to your site and marketing to them effectively.

If you have a CRM system, you will know their past consumer history and will appear more as a friend than some stranger off the street. Also, if tied in with email is gold in the holiday season.

How to Promote Your Travel Agency

There are various ways to promote your agency, and some work better than others. You can often ask your clients how they found you and then double down on that channel. All I know is that customer service and delivering what you promised is the best way to promote yourself, but below are some of the best ways that can be amplified.

Word of mouth or friends’ referrals is still the best way to get new customers – this is INCREDIBLY difficult when you are just starting out. So let any and everyone know what you are starting.

Have great service, I’m in the online game, but word of mouth is still one of the best ways to ensure your agency has some longevity increase your marketing falls flat.

Send an email to your friends. Nothing like a personalised email to a friend letting them know what offers you could have and if they would be interested. Try capturing emails on your website, an email list is an extremely powerful thing.

Don’t just start it and then invite all your friends to like the page – if you do this often enough; it’s one way to reduce your Facebook friends without unfriending anyone.

Write about offers and news, and try to write about evergreen topics with SEO in mind.

Make specials for particular times of year like school holidays, Christmas, New Year, and Easter. Promote those holiday times the most and try to have a special running.

There are two disciplines here: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) advertising, often called organic, or PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising, often called paid ads.

It is imperative that when someone is searching for you, your business, or the problem your business solves, they find you! If not perhaps the most important thing.

SEO is more long-term. It’s an investment to be placed higher in Google or search engines naturally – think about it as buying a house (website) on Google pages; it takes a lot of time but is there for a very, very long time if done correctly.

I hope these ideas and plans help you with your marketing, and if you ever fall a little flat or are struggling to get real traction, give us a try . It’s what I’ve done for a decade, and we’d love to save you time.

More to explorer

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SEO Content Guide: A Comprehensive Handbook For Beginners in 2024

Book a call with an digital strategist.

Marketing for Travel Agencies: Understanding and Surviving in the Online Travel Industry

• 16 min read
• Business ,   Travel
• Published: 23 Dec, 2019
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Running a travel business is no joke. Well, you know, saying that the travel industry is highly competitive an understatement. Even the giants with over a hundred years under their belts can fail given bad luck and poor management. Earlier this year, Thomas Cook, the British tour operator and one of the world’s oldest travel industry titans, disastrously imploded. By the time of the breakdown, the company had 19 million annual customers. Pretty impressive, right? In addition to major reasons like enormous debts and difficulties in operating airlines, its lack of online presence and a reduced demand for tour packages caused the company to go downhill. Without changing its business model and broadening distribution channels, Thomas Cook was destined to be overthrown by Booking Holdings and Expedia.

Marketing in Online Travel Agency

The market is extremely competitive, and it undergoes changes, becoming increasingly more digital. This calls for intricate approaches to marketing, distribution, and travel products themselves. Here, we will describe the distribution and communication channels, revenue management techniques, product positioning, and the technology – survival strategies all.

Understanding the travel agency market

Let’s talk about challenges first. In an industry with such a competitive nature, smaller travel agencies face three major hurdles.

• Leading players holding the market. Booking Holdings with its 41 percent share and Expedia with about 32 percent are dominating the online travel agencies market. And their shares keep growing. So, for travel agencies, it’s difficult to stay afloat without a specific niche.
• Distrust. People tend to be skeptical and even suspicious in arranging their trips. They would rather follow word of mouth, go to their old, time-tested local travel agent, or stick to larger players, even if they are not totally satisfied. So, new travel agencies have to work hard to break through the wall of mistrust.
• Invisibility. Unless a travel provider puts a lot of effort and resources into promotion, it risks staying unnoticed. Here, the choice of distribution channel plays a decisive role.

That said, midsize and small travel agencies narrow value propositions down to specific market segments, where you can become visible and win the trust of your small, but paying group of travelers. Unless you want to conquer the world and compete with Booking.com, Expedia and their owned brands, your profile of a travel agency is most likely to fit one or several of the following characteristics: Destination-specific. You target a certain destination or a region where you can supply customers with the best deals or unique products (not available on Booking.com/Expedia, etc.). It doesn’t mean that smaller travel agencies are always location-limited. But, usually, there’s a handful of destinations that can keep the business running. Price-oriented. Price has been one of the driving forces of travel purchases for years.

This ad, published in National Geographic by Econo-Travel hotels, dates back to 1978

Today, price remains one of the key considerations for travelers. Skift 2019 Research shows that almost 60 percent of travelers name lack of money as a factor that holds back travel decisions. This is partly confirmed by the changes that low-cost carriers bring to the table, as the destinations where LLCs start flying experience higher traveler inflow. For instance, in Krakow, Poland, the number of foreign tourists grew from 680 thousand in 2003 to 2.5 million in 2007 mostly due to the development of air travel and low-cost flights in particular. So, the basic scenario for most travel agencies is to compete by price, unless you specifically target luxury or business segments. Still, you must trump major OTAs in terms of pricing and in your target segment to survive. Specific demographic. Another way to narrow down the focus of a travel agency is to work with selected regions, budget expectations, style of travel, age groups, family/single tours, etc. The unique angle to user experience. Another way to stand out is to find new approaches to searching for and purchasing trips. While there are many online travel agencies that follow the beaten path of suggesting travelers choose destinations, dates, filter the results, and pick their travel product, numerous startups are exploring and reinventing travel booking experiences. Kiwi.com suggests a powerful engine to match non-interlined flights, create complex flight itineraries with multiple stops, and book them. Eightydays.me capitalizes on travel research fatigue, allowing travelers to define the date range of their trip and the number of cities they want to visit. The service will generate an itinerary itself, choose the cheaper options, and suggest booking.

It will take days for a regular traveler to create such a complex itinerary, Eightydays cuts this to minutes

Basically, the high-level, strategic goals of modern travel agency marketing are clearly articulating a narrow segment that you address (lower prices in specific destinations, traveler region, demographics, etc.) and choosing the best tools to promote the service. So, let’s start with understanding customer segments.

Investigate and define your market and target audience

It’s likely that you already have an image of your dream traveler in mind. Or you may at least have a set of hypotheses that you must test. At this point, you want to clarify as many details as possible. Who are your travelers? First, recognize who you are targeting and how users interact with similar products in terms of their gender, age, ethnicity, income, qualification, and marital status. For instance, there are big differences in the way different age groups travel and spend during their trips. There may be different motivations. While boomers are looking for ways to relax and unwind, millennials seek more adventurous and experiential travel. Where do they go? Understanding traveler demographics will help you narrow down the number of strategic destinations and service providers that operate there. How do they look for tours and tickets and how do they book? Hold preliminary research on users’ behavioral patterns. Find out what channels they use to find a ticket or a tour. These may include different search engines, metasearch engines such as Kayak, a local offline travel agency, or a tour operator . If you aren’t new to the industry, you’ve probably heard that people use on average 2-3 travel websites to book products and make 120 to 160 visits to travel websites in general. But try to map your specific user journey by running interviews or at least checking the info in open sources. This information will help you understand the main distribution channels. How often do they travel? Exploring this question may give you some painful answers. While on average, say, Americans travel twice a year, your target group may be traveling so rarely that you can end up finding this segment is not viable.

Skift, Experiential Traveler Survey , 2019

How price-sensitive are they?  As we mentioned above, price sensitivity is an extremely powerful factor in travel. And sometimes, its strength looks absurd. Mark Trim, creator of a niche online travel agency in Australia that sells round-the-world flights, shares : “ We have noticed people are extremely price-sensitive to their main airfares in this climate, they’ll make a decision on a $10-20k trip depending on a $100-400 fluctuation in their airfare costs which still strikes me as quite strange. ” Most likely, even if you target luxury travel, you’ll find your audience price-sensitive as well. But it’s still worth analyzing the expenses that your target group is ready to pay for a ticket or a tour. In addition to further pricing strategy, it will also give an understanding of price ranges. At the end of this stage, you must have a clear portrait of your customers and their groups. We recommend creating user personas to document your findings and communicate them to your team. You may learn more about user personas in our article on UX research .

Analyze your competitors

Once you have an idea of your dream customers, it’s time to look at the ways they book trips with your competitors. Which competitor products do they use? Analyzing the market is also about researching competitors-to-be. Examining products similar to yours that your audience uses helps pinpoint the areas of improvement and develop a positioning statement. After defining the main competitors-to-be, it’s time to research their strengths and weaknesses. How do they win? Defining the good sides of products alike helps discover what components, characteristics, elements, and overall flow that are the most popular among users. We are not telling you to copy them, but this information can be extremely helpful to understanding user preferences. How do they fail? Finding out the rivals’ vulnerabilities paves the right way to identifying the market gap and creating the service that would be employed by users. This is how you find product/market fit . Run SWOT analysis. We’ve detailed SWOT analysis specifics in our product marketing article . Generally, this technique allows you to map your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to prioritize the direction of further development and define how you stack up against competitors.

Establish your partnerships with service providers

Perhaps, the main assets of any travel agency are the negotiated rates and deals with end-product suppliers, airlines, hotels, tour operators, etc. While you can hook up your booking engine to global distribution systems ( GDSs ), connect with hotel suppliers , or tours and activities APIs , and call it a day, most midsize and small travel agencies exist because of their negotiated deals in a number of travel segments. The thing is with generic offers that every other travel industry player has, your product won’t be competitive. Given that you know your target destinations, value, and price sets, you should narrow down the number of providers you try to develop relationships with. It doesn’t mean though that you can’t offer flights and listings that you haven’t negotiated at all. GDSs, for instance, will provide you with generic deals that you still can sell. Eventually, you must have a pool of key suppliers ready to work with you on exclusive conditions.

Define your pricing strategy

When you have identified your target audience, found your segment, and have negotiated all your deals with providers, it’s time to think about the pricing. Obviously, marketing here overlaps the revenue model. Exploring different pricing strategies of travel agencies and diving into all the intricacies is way beyond the scope of this article. We’ll just outline the main directions of your further research. Explore standard profit margins that your suppliers have. Different regions and different suppliers may have varying profit margins. But regardless of all factors, traditionally, they are low. Again, the competition in travel is fierce and unforgiving. You may expect to get higher returns at hotels and significantly lower ones for flights. Understanding at which profit margins your suppliers operate will help you define your commissions. Find where your key suppliers distribute besides you. In a way, your suppliers are also your clients. And you have competition on the other end of the chain. You must understand the markup other travel agencies and online travel agencies have to specify your markup and balance competition with profitability. Try setting bespoke markups for all your target suppliers. We’ve described how pricing rules work at online travel agencies . They can be as simple as setting a single markup figure for all your products, but what you really want to achieve is having varying markups for different travel products, depending on competition, demand, and commissions that you receive from each supplier. Regardless of whether you have an automated booking engine, you operate mostly manually, or you have a hybrid of these two models, you must have a set of commission rules that navigate how you approach different suppliers, how you offer discounts, and how these things differ depending on distribution channels. Which is what we’re discussing next.

Determine the right distribution and promotion channels

Once you’ve shaped the strategy, it’s time to set up the distribution channels. Here are some of the best practices.

Metasearch engine

Partnering with large metasearch engines like TripAdvisor, Trivago, Kayak, or Skyscanner is arguably one of the most significant steps in making your service visible and stand out from large OTAs. Metasearch engines aggregate the deals from OTAs and supplier websites to allow travelers to compare them and choose where to book. Metasearch creates a powerful distribution channel, especially if your core differentiation is price. Ultimately, people visit metasearch engines to get an idea of available deals and compare prices. Travel agencies, usually, get featured there, based on a pay-per-click model, similar to regular ads. So, if you decide to distribute using metasearch engines, what should you keep in mind? Investigate your competitors’ rates. First, you have to know the situation on the market, what deals are presented, and how you are being ranked compared to your competitors. On learning the performance of key products, you’ll understand which offers you should submit. Given that most travelers will be choosing based on pricing, the products in your target segment and by your target suppliers must be cheaper. Use analytical tools. But how exactly are you going to check whether your deals compete well? Your competitors’ markups will be constantly changing. And your deals will change their positions as well. There must be some way to keep an eye on your performance and adjust markup to stay competitive. Many small travel agencies would manually check their segments.  Another way here is to purchase the web analytic reports from some of the metasearch engines. In addition to automating all research efforts, it will also help you understand what the competition is and how your opponents rank. For instance, Skyscanner provides its Performance Analytics for Partners program . Manage your markup. To reach your final goal and be visible in the search results, you can now manage your markup or promise unique deals. The level of automation here also depends on your resources:

• You can manually check prices and manually change markups.
• You can use automated dashboards to track your performance and then manually change markups.
• The most advanced scenario is to create an automated commission engine that will keep all your markup rules and will be adjusting your margin on the go, reacting to competitor results.

Prestigia, a small OTA with about 200 thousand monthly visitors, wins on Kayak with this hotel deal as it targets boutique accommodation

Consider the core value of each engine.  Each of the major metasearch engines has its own advantage. Users all around the world appreciate Google for speed, simplicity, and the fact that their flight metasearch widget appears on the search engine panel if you sell flights. Kayak is extremely valuable for its “price forecasting.” And the core value of Skyscanner, in addition to rapidly rising popularity, is greater coverage of European destinations.

Search engine

About 30 percent of travelers use Google and other search engines to find their deals. So, investing in this channel is also a viable strategy. Blogging. By writing a good, competitive, and compelling copy, you are not only making your service visible to search robots. The extra value here is that you are attracting customers with an educational and engaging read. It encourages their informative decisions and improves your chances that they accept your offer. A great example is TripMyDream, a small Ukrainian online travel agency. They’ve created a blog that eventually became the largest travel media in the country. The content includes articles on their best deals, the most popular destinations, local attractions, and the latest travel industry news. Dedicated landing pages for target deals. There’s another common approach that many modern OTAs practice. You can create dedicated landing pages for your target deals and special offers. When writing copy for them, focus on specific keywords that people use to find these deals. This will allow search robots to find your pages and rank them higher. Besides the copy itself, you may add a booking interface to these pages, a price-picker calendar, product ratings, etc.

Orbitz has dedicated landing pages for hundreds of their deals and packs them with all useful information that a traveler may need: a booking widget, selected fares, basic information, and even short copy describing the trip

Check our case study on the technical side of generating such pages. Invest in SEO. The technical side of search engine optimization activities can also bring much to the table. Basically, SEO activities consider two main things:

• Internal activities to meet technical standards of search engines. These usually include installing tools like Google Console and Google Analytics, working with meta tags, reviewing a website for the right page redirection, code errors, and others.
• External activities usually include working with keywords, texts in general, and acquiring backlinks from other websites.

It’s worth mentioning that no external activities may begin without finishing all internal ones. Fundamentally speaking, the main goal of SEO activities is showing the search engine that you understand traveler problems and know how to solve them.

Email marketing

Being probably one of the oldest selling channels, email marketing still works. The travel industry is no exception. The main goal of email marketing is not only to attract but to raise a customer’s interest and retain existing travelers. Collect email accounts. The first step is gathering user emails. The easiest and most basic approach is allowing travelers to sign up for additional services like price-drop alerts and valuable newsletters. Be aware of GDPR requirements . Pick the right mailing tool. A perfect mailing agent provides emailing automation and customized segmentation (age, price expectations, departure airports, etc.). Also, it must allow for analyzing user behavior, such as opening rates, a number of clicks, or even bounce rate. Tools like MailChimp or ActiveCampaign would be a good start. Track behavior and make customized offers. Trace user behavior to understand what travel products and price range your readers usually react to. This will help you better segment customers. At the same time, you may also build your entire strategy on suggesting customized offers by email subscription only, as Moonfish does. The only thing a user has to do is subscribe to emails and pick their home airport. Moonfish will send you notifications on destinations available from there. Hot deals and discounts. You can use discounts as one of the most powerful selling points, stressing urgency or time-restricted conditions.

One of the great examples of submitting discounts was Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants. The discounts promoted the unpopular post-Christmas holiday season

You can offer generic hot deals but also consider customizing them to a customer’s preferences, such as destination or type of activities included. Or you may even suggest the coverage within the preferable direction. Bundled options. To show care for a customer, you may also create so-called bundles – services and activities to extend and improve their experience. Say, your customer has booked a flight. In your follow-up email, you may suggest car rental services, an apartment, local restaurants, local attractions, and places to visit. Holiday specials. Some people plan their trips on holidays. In your holiday-bound emails, you can step back from a behavior-based approach and include diversified offers, just like Kayak does.

As you can see, there are both wallet-friendly and luxurious destinations and tour packages

You might also congratulate your customers on their birthday by suggesting special discounts or giveaways to show appreciation for using your services.

Web adverts

Web banners and links also still work . But things aren’t that simple. Even though adverts remain one of the most straightforward ways to attract the right audience, the way you do web advertising can be tricky in travel. Google search ads. Yes, those top links on the search page. Google search adverts can be effective if you run them for very specific keywords that don’t compete with the major OTAs and metasearch engines. Since displaying those depends on a sophisticated bidding algorithm that considers multiple factors – including the price you’re ready to pay per click and the way Google thinks that your page is helpful and relevant – competing with major brands may be tough here. On the other hand, if you’re lucky enough to have a number of very specific segments and deals that aren’t advertised by large OTAs, Google ads are a great way to start. An interesting example here comes not from an OTA but a hotel chain, Red Roof . They realized that competing with Kayak or other heavyweight players in Google is expensive. So instead, they capitalized on stranded passengers after flight disruptions and targeted keywords like “hotels near O’Hare Airport” with mobile search only. There were a number of other smart tricks like tracking flight cancelation data using flight APIs in real time and matching it with geo-targeting in their ad campaigns. Eventually, they got 266 percent growth in nonbrand mobile bookings.   Retargeting. Sometimes it happens that a user has visited your website, searched for some flights or tours, but didn’t book. With retargeting adverts, you can remind them to do so. But here’s the trick. Given that travelers usually immerse in deep research, it’s likely that they checked your website just to browse. Some tech-savvy, online travel agencies and travel tech startups like bd4travel embark on data-science-based personalization of ads defining which of the visitors are likely to make a purchase to target ads at them. How does it work? Basically, you set up a visitor behavior tracker on a website, analyze their actions, and then choose which of them are worth retargeting. This will help you spend your retargeting budget efficiently, rather than showing your ads to everyone browsing. You may check our case study on machine-learning-driven personalization in an OTA or read a dedicated article that describes how personalization in travel works . Adverts on social media. Social media isn’t much different in terms of the approach to adverts. You’re still looking at highly targeted campaigns. And the good thing is that Facebook and its own brand, Instagram, are famous for deep and granular tools for segmenting your target audience. On top of that, Facebook has a dedicated travel-focused toolset for their platforms and audience network with learning

Video blogging and other social media

Travel bloggers are becoming increasingly popular with the audience. Travel agencies also try to capture this opportunity with useful and entertaining social media and video blogging. So, here are some general directions that you may consider. Document your social media strategy. Similar to blogging on your website, only a systematic approach to social media will work. So, plan out the platforms that you’re going to use and be prepared to post regularly. Having an editorial calendar is also a smart move. Promote the place, not your service. At the end of the day, most people go to other countries to get new experiences. It’s not about staying in an apartment or by the pool. It’s about getting impressions that they have never had before. So instead of promoting hotels or airlines, tell more about destinations. Intimate and cozy cafeterias, locales to visit, and hidden gems of local attractions – not overcrowded with hundreds of tourists – will surely broaden the horizons for your customers. Give life hacks. Many of your potential customers are looking for advice. So, you may create useful videos, both general and destination-focused. You may give some tips on packing or explain how to choose the cheapest flights and apartments in your target destinations, or maybe shoot a video or write a post explaining how transportation works in a particular city. Invest in great imagery. A widespread opinion shared by travel agents is that posts with great images of the destination attract more attention and turn out to be more effective than posts without them. This is especially relevant for Twitter and Instagram. Prepare to run customer service on social media. Most of the feedback, especially the negative variety, you’re going to receive on social media and review platforms like TripAdvisor. So, dedicate a customer service or PR specialist who will be instantly reacting to feedback and engaging in solving traveler problems. If you do look authentic and caring, it will become a powerful driver of traveler trust.

Final recommendations

Running a business in a constantly changing industry is an evolving process. Someday, techniques that worked before will have to be updated, so you’ll have to monitor where the travel sector is going. We hope this article gave you a few ideas on making it as a travel agency. Here are our final tips. Know your segment and target it. The better you understand your travel segment in regard to destinations, customer groups, and deals, the more channels and hacks you can find to stay visible. Constantly develop your partnerships. Your suppliers and exclusive deals that you have with them are your main assets. At some point, growing the number of partnerships equals the growth of your business. Invest in custom technology. Although you’ll find hundreds of tools available for travel agents and online travel agencies, having your own unique angle for reaching travelers is proven effective by many cases, some of which we described in the article. More on technological changes in OTAs here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94AaF1VmTsc Implement-iterate. Marketing activities aren’t a single campaign. It’s an iterative and ongoing work. To survive, you have to constantly track your performance, monitor the market, and discover new distribution channels and opportunities.

Marketing for Travel Agency: A Complete Guide

Marketing is an important part of running a business because it helps find and keep customers. It includes everything that has to do with getting people to buy or use a product or service, from making the product and advertising it to selling it and helping customers.

Marketing is especially important for a travel agency that depends a lot on how happy its customers are. A good marketing plan will help the agency get the word out about its services and get to know potential customers.

It can also help them stay in touch with their current clients through email campaigns and social media platforms, among other ways. By taking care of these connections, the travel agency can earn the trust of its customers.

This guide will give you an overview of the most important parts of a travel agency’s marketing plan, like knowing your target market, making a unique value proposition, building your brand, and using digital marketing tools.

Understanding Your Target Marketing for Travel agency

When it comes to digital marketing, understanding your target market is key. Knowing your customer base can help you craft ads and content that speaks to their interests. A great way to understand a target market is by breaking it into three segments: demographics, psychographics, and behavioral:

1. Demographics:

Demographics are the physical traits of the audience, like their age, gender, race, location , etc. Once you have this information, you can create marketing plans that are geared toward these groups.

For example, if your travel agency specializes in luxury vacations, you might want to target people with higher incomes because they are more likely to be able to pay for expensive trips. .

2. Psychographics:

Psychographics can help travel agencies give customers more personalized experiences by giving them a better idea of what they want and what they need. Knowing what people like to do when they travel, where they want to go, how much money they have to spend , etc., can give you valuable information about how to reach these potential customers and give them exactly what they want.

3. Behavioral Segments:

Customers are split into groups based on how they act toward certain products or services. This could include things like how often you buy something, how loyal you are, how much you use it, and how you prefer to talk to people. Since there are so many different kinds of travelers, travel agencies need to use behavioral segmentation to figure out which ones will make them the most money and how to serve their specific needs in the best way.

Here is an example of how you can incorporate your understanding of the market:

Imagine you own a business that specializes in luxury adventures for wealthy people in their late 30s to early 50s who want to try new things. Make sure your message gets to the right people by taking the time to find out who they are and what they want.

To start reaching out to wealthy adventure seekers in this age range, you should first learn more about them. What do they most value? Are there some things or experiences that you’d rather do or try than others? It’s also important to find out where these potential customers hang out online and offline, who they talk to, and what topics interest them.

Once you know what this group of people is interested in, you can make your marketing strategy more effective by making content that meets their needs.

Creating a Unique Value Proposition

A travel agency’s marketing plan needs a unique value proposition (UVP) in order to be successful. It’s a promise or statement that tells customers what they’ll get if they choose your agency. A well-written unique selling proposition (USP) makes you stand out from the competition and shows potential customers why your services are better than those of your competitors.

For travel agencies, a unique value proposition (UVP) should focus on how their services are different from those of competitors in terms of ease of use, price, customer service, or anything else that makes them stand out. For example, some agencies might focus on making packages and help more tailored to each client than others. Some may have prices that are lower than average because they have access to deals and discounts.

How to Make a Unique Value Proposition:

1. Find out who your target audience is and find out what they want and need when they book trips or vacations.

2. Think about what’s unique about your services that might interest them, like discounts for early bookings or customer service in more than one language.

3. Once you have a good idea of how to make your travel agency stand out, write a clear and concise message that captures its essence.

Here’s an example of how to come up with a unique selling point:

Imagine that your travel agency offers high-end, personalized trips with local guides and unique cultural activities. This offer gives travelers an experience they won’t forget that can’t be found anywhere else. It also lets you stand out and market your services in fun and interesting ways.

When making a unique selling proposition (USP) for your agency, it’s important to focus on the little things that make these trips stand out. This could be done by highlighting the activities that are available at each destination or by showing testimonials from past clients who had amazing trips with your agency.

Developing a Marketing Mix

Next, having the right mix of product, price, place and promotion is essential. By utilizing this mix of elements, you can have a successful marketing strategy that will bring in more customers.

1. Product:

Product refers to the type of services offered by your travel agency. You must make sure that they are relevant and valuable to your potential customers .

Price can also be an important element in your marketing plan for the travel agency. It’s important for you to determine what pricing strategies best suit your company’s goals and objectives before developing a final price point.

For a travel agency, place can include both online and offline sales outlets , such as tour operators, wholesalers, OTAs (Online Travel Agencies), mobile apps, websites and retail stores. To maximize reach potential your customers should be able to book flights and tours conveniently across all these platforms.

4. Promotion:

Promotion is also key when creating a successful marketing strategy for any business, especially travel agencies. Promotion should focus on driving visibility through multiple channels like search engines, email campaigns, social media campaigns and influencer marketing.

Here is an example of how you develop a marketing mix:

Imagine that your travel agency offers package tours at high prices. This is a great option for people who want to travel without a lot of stress. Travel agents and online booking sites sell these packages, which makes it easy to find the best place to go on vacation.

To make sure your customers have the best possible experience, you focus on promotional events and targeted advertising. This lets customers take advantage of discounts offered by the travel agency and learn more about the different places they can go, all while getting a great deal.

Building Your Brand

Branding helps customers trust and stick with a company, which leads to higher profits. Branding also helps your travel agency stand out from the competition and attract more customers.

A strong brand has a unique logo, slogan, and message that stays the same across all platforms. Your logo should be simple and easy to remember, and your slogan should say what makes your travel agency unique. Also, it’s important to always use the same colors and fonts so that customers can recognize your business whether they’re looking at it online or in print.

Here are the steps to take when building your brand and making sure it stands out among competitors:

• First, you need to figure out who your target market is . You can do this by looking at demographics and making personas.
• Next, come up with a mission statement that will guide all of your marketing efforts. This should explain why your travel agency exists and what makes it different from other businesses in the same field. Then comes the visual branding, which includes logos, colors, fonts, and other design elements that are used consistently across all platforms, such as the website, social media channels, etc. So, customers know them right away, without any confusion or doubt.

Here is an example of how you build your brand:

As a travel agency, you create a consistent visual identity and message that speaks to potential customers. This can be done by using customer reviews and partnerships with high-end hotels and resorts to show customers that when they book through your agency, they will get good products and services.

Visuals like logos, colors, fonts, shapes, images, etc. that stay the same over time help your business have a look that customers can recognize and trust. In a similar way, you create consistent messaging so that customers know what to expect from you each time they contact your business. This could be done through marketing materials like brochures or websites, but also through social media platforms or email campaigns.

Utilizing Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is important for any travel agency that wants to be successful because it helps raise the agency’s profile and get more leads and sales. When travel agencies use digital marketing, they can reach a wider audience, promote their services more effectively, and learn more about how customers act.

Digital marketing is the process of promoting and selling products or services through digital channels like search engines, websites, social media platforms, email campaigns, mobile apps, etc.

Digital marketing has many benefits for travel agencies, such as raising brand awareness and making it easier to target ads and campaigns based on customer information. Personalized offers have increased customer engagement and loyalty. Being able to keep track of analytics in real time to help make better decisions and a lot more.

Various types of digital marketing can be used to promote a travel agency’s services and products. Some of these include:

1.   Search engine optimization (SEO): SEO involves creating content that uses targeted keywords to show up higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). 

2. Social media: Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn offer great opportunities for travel agencies to engage with potential customers.

3. Content Creation: Creating interesting and engaging content, such as blogs or videos on travel-related topics, can help raise awareness about your services and generate interest among potential customers.

Here is an example of how you utilize digital marketing:

As a travel agency, you use the most up-to-date digital marketing tools to connect with and talk to potential customers. Social media, email marketing, and search engine optimization are all used to tell people about the best parts of a destination and the unique things to do there.

For social media, you can post high-quality images on Instagram or Twitter. By sharing interesting content, like photos, videos, or reviews of the places you’re promoting, you can get more followers and show what makes those places special.

For email marketing, you send out newsletters with information about deals and discounts so that people can find out about any new offers.

Measuring and Analyzing Your Marketing Efforts

Lastly, a travel agency that does well needs to measure and analyze its marketing efforts. Getting to know how customers interact with your brand will tell you a lot about how well your strategies are working. By measuring and analyzing key metrics, you can find places to improve to get customers more involved, increase sales, and make sure your business is a success.

To stay competitive, travel agencies need to keep track of key metrics that measure how well their marketing is working. Important signs of how well your campaigns are doing are website traffic , cost per acquisition (CPA) or cost per click (CPC), social media trends , e mail open rates , and user retention.

There are many tools that can help accurately measure how well marketing works. Google Analytics is a great tool, and most people use it to find out about their websites. This tool gives you a detailed look at who visits your site, what they look at, how long they stay on each page, and more. This lets you see how well different campaigns have worked to bring people to your site and get them interested in certain pages or products.

Example: A travel agency uses Google Analytics and customer feedback surveys to track website traffic, conversions, and customer satisfaction, and they change their marketing strategy based on what they learn.

Here is an example of how you measure and analyze your marketing efforts:

The power of data is being used by your travel agency. You are using Google Analytics and customer feedback surveys to learn important things about how customers use your website, what conversions they are making, and how happy they are. By looking at this information, your travel agencies can change how they market to better meet the needs of their customers.

Marketing isn’t hard for a travel agency, but it’s important for success. Understanding the market, making a unique value proposition, creating a marketing mix, building a strong brand, using digital marketing, and measuring and analyzing your marketing efforts are all important parts of a good strategy.

To get the most out of your digital marketing, you need to stay on top of trends and use tried-and-true methods. Travel agencies can reach the people they want to reach and get more customers with the right plan. Take the time to go through each step, and don’t be afraid to get started!

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How to Market a Travel Agency + Marketing Plan

As a travel agency business owner, you need to have a marketing plan in place to help ensure the success of your business and grow your travel agency . A marketing plan will help you to identify your target market, develop strategies to reach them, and track your progress over time. Keep reading to learn how to develop a marketing plan for your travel agency business.

Download the Ultimate Marketing Plan Template

Key Components of a Travel Agency Marketing Plan

A great marketing plan has eleven sections as follows:

Executive Summary

Target market segments.

• Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Pricing and Positioning Strategy

Distribution strategy, marketing materials, promotions strategy, digital marketing plan, conversion, referral, and retention strategy, financial projections.

We provide more detail for each of these key components below.

The executive summary is a brief overview of your entire marketing plan. It should include your overview information from each of the other sections, such as your target market, unique selling proposition, key promotion strategies, and financial projections.

When it comes to marketing a travel agency, it is important to identify your target market segments. Who are your most likely customers? Consider factors such as age, gender, income, location, and lifestyle when determining your target market segments.

For example, a travel agency business’ customers may include families, business travelers, or retirees.

Once you have identified your target market segments, you can begin to develop strategies to reach them.

Break down each of these segments even further by considering their needs, wants, and pain points. For example, the needs of a travel agency business’ customers may include finding affordable travel options, planning a hassle-free trip, or finding the best deals on flights and accommodations.

Unique Selling Proposition

Your unique selling proposition (USP) is what sets your travel agency apart from other travel agency businesses. What do you offer that nobody else does?

For example, your travel agency may specialize in planning destination weddings, or you may have a team of experienced travel agents who can help customers plan the perfect trip.

No matter what your USP is, make sure it is clear in your marketing materials. Your clients/customers should be able to see immediately what makes you different from the other business in their area.

Your pricing and positioning strategy will be determined by your target market segments and your unique selling proposition.

For example, if your target market is budget-conscious travelers, you will want to position your travel agency as an affordable option. Similarly, if your target market is luxury travelers, you will want to position your travel agency as a high-end option.

Once you have determined your pricing and positioning strategy, it is important to be consistent in all of your marketing materials.

No matter what your positioning strategy is, make sure your pricing strategy is competitive. Consider conducting a market analysis to see what other travel agency businesses with which you compete are charging for similar offerings.

Your distribution strategy will determine how you get your travel agency’s products and services in front of your target market.

For example, you may use a combination of online and offline marketing channels to reach your target market. Some offline marketing channels you may consider using include print advertisements, direct mail, and public relations.

Providing special offers through your travel agency is a great way to entice customers to make a purchase. Consider offering discounts for first-time buyers or loyalty rewards for frequent customers. You could also offer promotional items such as coupons or free samples.

Your marketing materials should be based on your unique selling proposition and target market segments. They should be designed to grab attention and generate interest in your business.

Some of the marketing materials you might want to create include product brochures, flyers, and website banners. You will also want to make sure your branding is strong and consistent across all of your marketing materials.

Your promotions strategy includes the methods you will use to attract new customers. It should be designed to generate excitement and encourage customers to try your business. 

Travel Agency businesses should consider the following promotional strategies:

• Sponsoring travel-related events
• Hosting open houses or information sessions
• Offering discounts or coupons
• Creating a referral program
• Running contests or giveaways

Your promotions should be designed to reach your target market segments. For example, if you are targeting families, you may want to sponsor a kids’ soccer team or offer a discount for families who book a vacation through your travel agency.

In today’s digital age, it’s important to have a solid digital marketing plan. This will help you reach a wider audience and drive more traffic to your business.

Some of the digital marketing tactics you might want to use include search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click advertising, social media marketing, and email marketing. You will also want to make sure your website is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate.

Your conversion, referral, and retention strategy should be designed to keep customers coming back. Consider offering loyalty rewards, discounts for referrals, and other incentives to encourage customers to continue using your business.

You will also want to make sure your customer service is top-notch. Respond quickly to any complaints or concerns, and always go above and beyond to exceed customer expectations.

Last but not least, you will need to create financial projections for your business. This will help you track your progress and ensure you are on track to meet your goals.

The key information to include in these financial projections are your monthly marketing expenditures and expected sales. Be sure to update your projections on a regular basis to reflect any changes in your business.

By following these steps, you can develop a quality marketing plan that will help you successfully launch and grow your travel agency business. Just remember to be creative, think outside the box, and always put your customers first. With a little hard work and dedication, you will be well on your way to success!

Travel Agency Marketing - What Exactly Is It?

Updated March 15, 2024

Ever find yourself scrolling through breathtaking photos of far-off destinations and thinking, "Wow, I need to be there"?

Well, behind every captivating image and irresistible travel deal lies the unsung hero of the travel world: travel agency marketing.

But what exactly is travel agency marketing?

Let's jump in and talk about what, exactly, is marketing and its role in the travel industry. And more specifically, its role in your travel agency.

What exactly Is travel agency marketing?

At its core, travel agency marketing is all about storytelling.

It's the art of crafting compelling stories that invite potential adventurers to explore new destinations. Every travel package you sell is an adventure waiting to be had, and your mission is to entice the audience not just to listen but to step in and be part of the story.

It's about connecting the right traveler with the perfect journey, using a blend of creativity, strategy, and maybe a dash of magic.

The many paths of travel agency marketing

The world of travel marketing is as vast and varied as the destinations we long to visit.

Let's take a look at the different types of digital marketing that make up the overall marketing picture.

Content Marketing

Think of content marketing as the travel brochure of the digital age.

But instead of static pages, you're weaving  stories that transport readers to the cobblestone streets of Rome or the serene beaches of Bali. It's your chance to showcase the beauty and uniqueness of destinations, sharing insider tips, and hidden gems that make each journey unforgettable.

Most of the time when people talk about content marketing in the digital marketing world, it's specifically referring to a blog. A travel blog can be an essential part of your marketing strategy, and allow you to reach new audiences and potential customers.

Social Media Marketing

More often than not, when people have questions about marketing, they're only thinking about social media marketing.

While social media marketing can be an important part of your overall marketing strategy, it doesn't begin and end there!

Whether you choose to be on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn or YouTube (or any other social media platform), one thing to keep in mind is that you don't control your results.

Each of these companies have their own algorithm that determines what gets seen, when and by how many people. So while it is free (unless you pay for advertising or boosting posts), your marketing efforts can be in vain if you don't have a good strategy and understand each platform's algorithm.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The Map to Visibility

Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization are both parts of your website digital marketing strategy.

By using keywords and phrases that people are searching for, you can have your website show up in search results when people are searching for specific things.

In order for keywords to work, you need to narrow down the list of keywords you're trying to rank for as part of your digital marketing plan. Too many and you'll never create enough content to rank for any of them. Too few, or too specific, and you'll never outrank the big online travel agencies and your content wont be seen.

Influencer and Partnership Marketing

Yes, there is a place in travel agency marketing for partnership and influencer marketing.

Is there a travel content creator who appeals to the audience you'd like to attract? Reach out to them and ask if you can help plan a trip. Not that you'll be providing things for free, but that you'll be providing your planning services for free.

As part of the partnership agreement, they tag your agency as the partner who made this adventure possible.

It's not a strategy that I'd recommend with a huge content creator, but if there's a smaller account whose content your audience would also enjoy, try working together to grow each others' travel business.

Working together with a travel blogger is also an option. Many bloggers are looking for places to guest post, so if you have a strong website and blog platform you may be able to guest post and grow from each others audience.

You can also partner with other travel advisors. Do you have a specific niche, but often get requests outside of it? Find another advisor with a different niche and share leads.

Email Marketing

While email marketing is the most effective form of digital marketing, it can only happen once potential clients know you exist and decide to join your email list. It's your direct line to potential travelers.

The beauty of email marketing is that it reaches people, who have already asked to hear from you, someplace that is personal to them. Aka, their inbox.

The key to good email marketing is personalization. Just as no two travelers are the same, no two emails should be either.

Tailor your messages to fit the interests and dreams of your audience, and watch as your open rates climb.

The bottom line

Each of these types of travel agency marketing has its pros and cons, and they work best as part of an overall digital marketing strategy.

One size doesn't fit every travel company, and no single marketing strategy works on its own. 

It's all about finding the right combination for you and your specific travel agency.

At The Savvy Travel Advisor we specialize in helping travel advisors grow their travel company through custom websites, website copy, and marketing strategies. If you're ready to take your marketing efforts from haphazard to simple and clear, contact us and let's get started !

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Top 10 Travel Industry Marketing Strategies

The tide is finally turning for the $247 billion Indian travel and tourism industry after more than a year – and the excitement is palpable. With travel bans easing in many parts of the world, domestic and international traffic is rising. Nearly every business vertical – from hospitality and airlines to online travel agencies – has its hopes pinned on 2022 for a full recovery from the after-effects of the pandemic. The stage for revival is already set.

The hospitality sector has witnessed a wave of consolidation in mergers, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships over the last year. It will allow many small hotel chains to deliver complementary services while driving down operating costs. On the other hand, investor interest in the civil aviation vertical has soared, with as many as 90 new airlines expected to start operations around the globe by December 2021.

As a business enabler for other travel verticals, online travel agencies (OTA) will have a crucial role in facilitating the industry’s return to growth.

However, the high churn rate among price-conscious customers remains a challenge. In India, a waiting period for weeks, if not months, to book the right airfares is par for the course. Some bargain hunters are known to compare as many as 38 different portals at a time ! In the post-pandemic scenario, a poor lead to conversion ratio (or ‘look to book’ in industry parlance) can impact OTA margins, making discounts and offers unviable.

Moreover, the controversy over refunding canceled flight tickets that erupted at the pandemic’s peak just refuses to die down. For OTAs, this has underscored the importance of transparency and improving user experience across the customer lifecycle. 

The good news is that brands have learned the lessons. Travel brands are adopting technology to interpret customer behavior and come up with customized travel industry marketing strategies.

10 Digital Marketing Strategies for Travel Agencies to Grow Post-Pandemic 

In the new normal, travel agency campaigns will need to focus on the right messaging and target the right channels to drive engagement and growth. Asking the right questions will be critical to uncovering the best-performing travel industry marketing strategies.

Here are some real-life travel agency campaigns to get you started on the right track:

1. Pickyourtrail Adopts RFM Analysis to Drive User Engagement

In the new normal, retargeting ‘deal hunters’ who book and abandon bookings midway has been a priority for travel brands. Studies show that OTAs typically lose around 80% of all bookings due to the penchant for price comparison. For Pickyourtrail, a leading travel platform, the situation was no different.

A root cause analysis showed a gap in its customer segmentation strategy, which can turn buying intent into sales if appropriately optimized. The lack of automation meant that Pickyourtrail could not scale its messaging to target different cohorts rapidly. 

After testing a few alternative approaches, the brand decided to segment users based on how often they visited their site, the time elapsed since their last visit, and average transaction value- also called RFM or Recency, Frequency, and Monetary Analysis. 

This ‘event-based’ segmentation strategy along with automated traveler engagement workflows allowed PickYourTail to re-engage deal hunters with hyper-personalized offers via email and SMS. 

With  60% of online shoppers  reporting that discounts became more important during COVID-19, catering to deal hunters has become an even more effective strategy.

Result : Email engagement registered a 50% increase while the team saved 60%+ man-hours that would have been otherwise wasted in manual tracking. 

2. Headout witnesses ⬆️ in Conversion for First-time Visitors through Contextual Email Campaigns and drives 🔁 bookings through Personalized Audio Guides

Headout is an experiential travel marketplace that matches travelers to a variety of local experiences at an affordable price. Via a network of service partners, the company serves more than 3 billion travelers worldwide. However, Headout’s biggest challenge was a high bounce rate which meant that the company missed out on invaluable lead data. 

In turn, this made it impossible for it to implement a viable retargeting strategy. The Headout team responded by rolling out onsite surveys to specific user segments such as desktop users.

The goal is to drive email sign-ups to the company blog, engage cart abandoners, and enhance the post-purchase experience. The company mapped its email funnel to the three customer journeys and ran contextual email campaigns to engage cart abandoners based on language and product category attributes.

3. MakeMyTrip Leverages AI to Create Compelling In-App Content

As an early adopter of in-app content, MakeMyTrip has many firsts to its credit- curated destination videos, chatbot providing information on flight cancellations, and more. However, given its low monthly active user (MAU) frequency (typical for travel apps), the brand decided to leverage AI to stitch user data together and develop compelling creative for cross-sell and up-sell campaigns.

Relevant in-app banners on the storefront or homepage are particularly crucial to driving conversion. Secondly, seamless user stories that link one touchpoint, such as the initial display ad, to the other (checkout page, for example) has been a key element in the MakeMyTrip marketing strategy.

To drive repeat bookings, Headout introduced personalized audio guides in multiple regional languages. The audio guides featured tips and recommendations on popular tourist destinations with blended marketing content. The company has since witnessed 27% growth in conversion for first-time visitors, 90% faster campaign implementation, and a 10% reduction in cart abandonment.

4. Travel Triangle ⬆️ Conversion among Booking Cancellation Cohort and Returning User Cohort by adopting a Lead Scoring System  

Since its inception in 2011, Travel Triangle has emerged as one of India’s leading OTAs, operating in over 60 countries. However, apart from a high drop-off rate at the top of the funnel, the company also struggled with booking cancellations at the post-purchase stage.

This affected not just the cost of customer acquisition but also customer lifetime value. As part of a long-term strategy, the company adopted lead scoring to prioritize high intent buyers based on website heat maps and email/SMS CTR.

This helped them understand the reasons for drop-off and build a pipeline of ‘hot’ leads, which could then be nurtured via personalized SMS and push notifications. With the help of analytics, Travel Triangle also optimized its travel industry marketing strategies for converting returning users. It began focussing on not just the messaging but also the channels most preferred by travelers.

These measures have paid off quite well for the brand, with conversion among the booking cancellation cohort increasing 10% and that for the returning users cohort by 20%, respectively.

5. Treebo Leverages On-Site Messaging to Drive Conversion

Differentiation in a saturated market can be a formidable challenge, especially for hotel startups. While Treebo ranks right up there with the likes of OYO and FabHotels in the budget hotel segment, it still faced problems building brand recall and attracting returning users – especially on digital channels like its website and app. 

A series of User Experience (UX) studies later, the company realized that it needed to streamline its booking interface.

The company experimented with personalized on-site messaging to drive conversion across multiple cohorts. This included timer-based sticky banners that replaced SMS/email notifications. In addition, Treebo also used exit-intent pop-ups to curb the price comparison instinct and close bookings faster.

The results of the travel agency campaign have more than met the company’s expectations – a 15% increase in web conversions.

Also Read: 5 Proven Steps of Conversion Optimization from a Growth Expert

6. fabhotels overcomes spam blockers to increase email open rates:.

The team at FabHotels knew it had a challenge on its hands when its email marketing campaigns were flagged as spam by most email providers. Unfortunately, the problem persisted for two years before the company finally identified the cause- a drop in domain reputation. In other words, after a certain volume was reached, its travel agency campaign emails were being automatically marked as spam. 

The company started to test for the exact volume and any underlying factors that triggered the drop. They introduced a 3-step action plan to counter the problem – a micro-segmentation strategy to improve inbox placement, staggering the email send times, and limiting the number of emails to one per customer per day. 

The company also revised the layout and copy of its emails, reducing the number of images and hyperlinks.

The results were dramatic. With a 90% increase in email delivery rates, FabHotels also saw a matching 90% increase in open rates. This has allowed it to scale its campaigns threefold.Learn how to optimize your content to improve  email deliverability

7. Shuttl Speeds Referral Conversion with Trigger Campaigns

Bus-aggregator Shuttl had been eyeing referral marketing as an organic customer acquisition channel to augment its paid campaigns. In terms of cost-effectiveness, referral marketing has few parallels; however, finding the right users and nurturing new leads was a challenge for the company. 

In addition, tracking the right conversion metrics was equally important to deliver the right messaging.

The team at Shuttl experimented with two distinct but interdependent trigger campaigns – a 1+1 offer that enabled a traveler to gift a ride to another person. This travel agency marketing strategy made it possible for Shuttl to quickly identify customers who are most likely to refer.

As soon as the original traveler submits the phone number for the referred person, the second campaign is activated. It triggers a series of emails to drive the newly-referred user to install the Shuttl app and book new rides. 

In a span of two months, the campaigns accounted for an 11.2% increase in total referrals, while the subscription rate for new users jumped 3.6% .

8. Yatra Optimizes Web Notification Campaign Rules to Boost Conversion

For Yatra, India’s second-largest OTA, traveler drop-off on the booking review page was a persistent problem. The company realized it needed a new workflow to help them overcome last-minute hesitation and drive conversion. Given the high uninstall rate of mobile apps, Yatra decided to leverage web push notifications to do the job.

Abandoners were sent four reminder notifications every 48 hours until they converted. The company’s data showed this to be the optimum frequency for engagement, beyond which it could be considered spamming. In addition, they optimized campaign rules to automatically terminate the workflow once the user took the desired action.

The idea proved successful, with gross booking growing by 3.2% and the company discovering a new channel in the process – mobile web.

9. Go-MMT Adopts Dynamic Segmentation to Create Cross Channel Campaigns

As India’s top OTA platform, Go-MMT derives its competitive edge from the user experience of its hotel partners just as much as end-customers. So the company wanted to enable new hotel partners to list themselves faster on its platform, improve mobile app and web engagement, and drive conversion. This meant consolidating listing data in a single location, tracking partner performance in real-time, and leveraging native demand to increase partner loyalty.

The existing processes at Go-MMT were inefficient and inflexible. Manual segmentation of hotel partners, manual mapping of listing history, and marketing communications being sent to international partners as per Indian Standard Time (IST). 

In time, Go-MMT implemented a solution that resulted in a 20% increase in partner engagement, thanks to the consolidation of listing data and dynamic segmentation based on the country of origin and type of property.

This allowed the brand to build cross-channel journeys for running travel agency campaigns as per partner time zones.

10. OYO’s Drives 8X Growth in Omnichannel User Engagement with Personalized Offers

Market leader OYO encountered challenges with user engagement even as it started moving to a franchise model from the aggregator model. The brand’s growing user base was highly fragmented and relied on multiple channels to search for, compare and book reservations. 

Its priority was to scale its travel agency campaign while unifying the customer experience to drive conversions and revenue growth.

The company decided to target the deal hunter cohort by creating personalized offers based on browsing history. It also ramped up retargeting efforts via social media and in-app content.

How To Create: Hyper-Personalized In-App Content at Scale

The payoff has been substantial, with an 8X increase in engagement campaigns and 5X growth in CTR.

Final Thoughts

Rocketium helps businesses deliver hyper-personalized digital campaigns at scale for a fraction of the time and resources that would have otherwise been required. Our suite of world-class products empowers teams to focus more on the creative strategy. As a result, marketers can devise a more innovative and effective digital marketing strategy for travel agencies.

Rethin Vipinraj

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Travel Marketing: 25 Strategies for Any Travel Marketing Agency

January 9, 2024 By John Lincoln

Travel marketing is essential in the tourism industry, offering travel agencies a competitive edge. It involves identifying target audiences, creating impactful marketing materials, and measuring performance across channels.

A travel marketing agency can effectively showcase your services and destinations, enhancing direct connections with audiences. Learn how to leverage travel marketing strategies in this guide to travel marketing agencies.

What You’ll Learn:

• 5 Travel Marketing Trends

Travel Marketing: PPC Strategies

Travel marketing: email strategies, travel marketing: social media strategies to try, travel marketing and seo.

• Travel Marketing: Conversion Rate Optimization 

Travel Marketing: Industry Trends

Before jumping into digital marketing for the travel industry , let’s look at some industry trends that might inform that strategy:

• Authentic Experiences: Travelers increasingly seek authentic, local experiences, favoring unique sights over mainstream tourism.
• Remote Work Travel: Post-pandemic, there’s a rise in remote workers traveling for both business and leisure, blending work and travel.
• Solo Travel Among Millennials: A growing trend, especially among Millennials, is the desire for annual solo travel adventures.
• Virtual Vacations: Advances in technology are making virtual travel experiences more accessible, allowing exploration from home.
• Eco-Conscious Travel: Environmental awareness is shaping travel choices, from sustainable transportation to eco-friendly destinations.

PPC (Pay-per-click) advertising is beneficial for all businesses, particularly in travel marketing, where selecting the right keywords is crucial for reaching your target audience. 

PPC offers immediate visibility and the potential to generate quick bookings and sales, making it a highly effective channel for promoting limited-time offers and last-minute deals.

Although travel marketing benefits from the inherent appeal of its product, there are strategies to maximize your paid advertising budget’s effectiveness:

1. Create Irresistible Travel Marketing Ads

When crafting PPC ads in travel marketing, it’s crucial to utilize your selling points effectively. Follow these best practices for creating impactful ads:

• Include the target keyword in the headline
• Use call-to-action words like “Book Flights Now”
• Provide social proof, like the number of customers served
• Show starting prices for rooms or flights
• Create urgency by showing deadlines for deals

2. Use Niche-Focused Keywords to Stand Out

What sets your travel-related property apart? 

Whether it’s a cosmopolitan hotel near popular bars, exclusive yacht charters, windsurfing classes, or adventurous jungle treks, identifying your unique selling points is crucial. 

Travel marketing offers a spectrum from adventure to luxury and relaxation. Success hinges on highlighting what you excel at.

Determine your distinct edge over competitors. This differentiation is the foundation for selecting effective keywords and crafting compelling content. Failing to pinpoint and capitalize on your unique offerings could lead to competitors outranking you and attracting more customers.

3. Change Your Keywords With the Season

Travel PPC is all about seasonality and timing.

Before launching time-sensitive deals, identify the peak periods when customers are most active. Then, tailor your keywords to attract travelers looking for a summer getaway or a winter retreat, maximizing your ad budget’s efficiency.

4. Use Negative Keywords

For optimal results in a travel agency’s marketing strategy, incorporating negative keywords in PPC campaigns is essential. 

Negative keywords, which are terms you choose not to target, help refine your ad reach, ensuring they are seen by the most relevant audience.

For example, in a luxury travel campaign, using ‘cheap’ or ‘hostel’ as negative keywords ensures your ads won’t appear to users searching for budget options, aligning your ads more closely with your target market.

5. Stick to Long-Tail Keywords in Your Travel Marketing Ads

If you want to stay competitive and reach more specific audiences, include long-tail keywords in your PPC ads.

Long-tail terms consist of three or more words to form a phrase or sentence that people enter into search engines. 

For instance, you might use long-tail terms like “best deals on holiday travel packages to Europe” in an ad as opposed to targeting broad terms like “Europe travel.” 

You can use various keyword tools to find some low-competition long-tail terms that yield worthwhile search volumes.

Email marketing remains a vital and targeted tool in the travel industry, known for its cost-effectiveness in reaching guests and boosting bookings. To keep subscribers engaged and encourage sharing, it’s essential to craft compelling content with attractive offers and deliver them at optimal times.

Key insights from leading travel marketing companies on maximizing email marketing effectiveness include:

1. Grow Your Subscriber List

Capturing the contact information of visitors already on your travel website can be challenging.

To effectively grow your email list, implement these strategies:

• Emphasize the benefits of subscribing, such as exclusive deals or valuable travel tips
• Ensure the opt-in feature is easily accessible and visible
• Employ content upgrades and lead magnets, like downloadable travel guides, to entice sign-ups
• Optimize call-to-action (CTA) buttons for higher engagement
• Utilize exit pop-ups as a last opportunity to encourage subscription
• Incorporate social sharing buttons in emails to expand reach

2. Target Repeat Guests with Behavioral Triggered Emails

Targeting existing customers is easier than trying to generate new leads all the time, and it’s more cost-effective. 

Try behavioral-triggered emails! Use personalized email messages sent to users based on their past interactions or behaviors, such as website visits, product views, or abandoned shopping carts.

Think of special packages or time-sensitive reward offers.

These emails are highly effective because they are timely and relevant, addressing the user’s specific interests or actions, which increases engagement, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction.

They automate the process of reaching out to users based on their actions, saving time and resources, and can significantly improve the overall effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns.

3. Take Advantage of Peak Times

Guests are more likely to look for deals in the lead-up to peak pe riods.

Send them personalized rem inders with holiday-themed emails or last-chance summer vacation deals.

If your audience spans different time zones, sending emails at an appropriate time for each segment ensures that everyone receives the email when it’s most convenient for them.

Consider the timing of your competitors’ emails. Sending your email when there is less inbox competition can improve your chances of standing out.

4. Use Data to Create Hyper-Personalized Offers

Most travel bookings occur online, where customers expect to provide email and personal details. 

Leverage this information for post-booking communication, including confirmations, reminders, and time-sensitive offers, facilitating upselling and increased revenue. Additionally, this data enables you to present personalized offers, crucial for customer engagement and loyalty.

Personalization is a key strategy. Reports, like Twilio’s 2023 study, show that 56% of consumers are more likely to become repeat customers through personalized interactions. An American Express study found that 83% of millennials prefer travel companies that offer tailored experiences, even if it involves tracking their patterns.

Further enhance personalization by tailoring email content to individual user preferences, focusing on features of services or locations that align with their interests. 

This approach can guide users to specific landing pages with content most likely to engage them, deepening the connection with both potential and existing customers.

5. Create Unique Subject Lines

Short copy often takes a lot longer to perfect than longer pieces of content. Subject lines should be short, direct, and contain a clear benefit that encourages customers to open.

Once inside, the email must keep readers engaged. So, make sure your emails are friendly and personalized—and contain incentives. A few examples:

• Request feedback in exchange for a discount
• Invite customers to book directly on your website for a discount or a chance to win a prize
• Time-sensitive offers or rewards that encourage guests to book now

Crafting succinct copy, particularly for email subject lines, requires precision. They should be brief, and direct, highlighting a benefit that prompts customers to open the email. 

Inside, maintaining engagement is crucial. Ensure your emails are friendly and personalized, and include incentives to spur action. Examples include:

• Offering discounts in exchange for customer feedback
• Inviting direct bookings on your website with discounts or prize opportunities
• Presenting time-sensitive offers or rewards that encourage immediate bookings

Social media can be the key to connecting with your audiences with the help of a travel marketing agency . 

Start using your platform to showcase visually appealing destinations and experiences, engaging potential travelers through enticing visuals and storytelling.

Additionally, social media allows for direct interaction with customers, enabling real-time engagement, customer support, and the opportunity to build a loyal community of travelers.

Here are some tips for using social media in digital marketing for the travel industry :

1. Utilize User Generated Content

A good travel marketing company knows that UGC is one of the best ways to create endless content. 

To foster UGC, initiate a campaign using a branded hashtag specific to your agency.

Promote this hashtag across platforms, encouraging clients to share their travel experiences and media tied to your services. When customers share captivating photos or videos from their travels, these can be linked to your brand, enriching your travel marketing campaigns.

2. Use Imagery and Video in Your Travel Marketing Social Media Strategy

Vivid travel images and videos on your website and social media play a crucial role in influencing potential customers’ booking decisions. 

Enhance your marketing strategy by incorporating videos. While photos capture attention, videos offer a comprehensive view of destinations, rooms, and facilities, providing a more immersive experience.

For instance, Dubai’s Atlantis the Palm effectively utilizes video to showcase its amenities. These videos give potential guests a feel for experiences like swimming with dolphins or exploring the resort, significantly enhancing the appeal of the destination.

3. Influencer Marketing

Collaborating with individuals who have a significant following and influence in the travel niche is a great way to reach new audiences and highlight unique offerings.

Before you select an influencer, be sure they fit your company brand. Choose someone with great engagement that aligns with your company’s message, has similar audience demographics, and produces high-quality content.

It’s a strategic approach to leverage the credibility and reach of influencers to inspire and guide potential travelers in their decision-making process.

4. Engage and Respond with Your Audience

Engaging with your audience allows travel companies to showcase their brand’s personality and values through content, tone, and interactions.

Liking comments, replying to conversations, and answering DMs can help shape how your audience perceives your business, helping build trust and loyalty.

Use this channel as a direct form of communication with your potential customers. Real-time interactions are unique and allow you to address their questions, comments, and concerns.

5. Host a Contest or Giveaway

Hosting contests and giveaways can create a positive association between your brand and the feelings of excitement and generosity. People are more likely to remember and favor brands that provide enjoyable experiences.

Not only do contests and giveaways foster engagement, but they also help you grow your customer base by collecting valuable data.

When hosting a contest or giveaway be sure to:

• Define clear objectives and rules
• Explicitly state requirements and deadlines
• Create compelling and visually appealing content

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a long-term digital marketing practice that involves keyword research, content creation, link building, and more.

SEO helps travel companies enhance their online visibility and attract targeted traffic, making it a cost-effective way to compete in the travel industry.

Try some of these SEO strategies:

1. Start a Blog

Starting a blog is highly beneficial for travel businesses, providing customers with engaging content beyond just sales.

Travel marketing agencies play a key role in enhancing your blog’s visibility through SEO strategies, including keyword optimization and link building. 

High-quality, enjoyable content not only boosts search engine rankings across various topics but also positions your business as a trusted authority in the travel industry.

2. Quality Beats Quantity

In travel marketing, blogging isn’t about producing vast quantities of content; it’s about creating posts that are both informative and inspirational. You’re selling the dream of a fantastic vacation, and your content should reflect this vision.

Exceptional content should either present a new story or tell an existing one in a way that surpasses others. Generic posts about popular destinations like Amsterdam or Disney won’t suffice. Instead, your blog should cater to your specific niche and showcase what makes your offerings unique and appealing.

3. Make It Easy To Get In Touch

Ensuring easy access to contact information is crucial for travel marketing. Follow these steps: 

• Place contact details on every page
• Include an enticing CTA button for direct communication
• Offer multiple contact methods: phone, email, chat, and social media

4. Ensure Your GBP (Google Business Profile) is Accurate

Having a Google Business Profile is an essential piece of any SEO strategy for a travel agency.  Ensure it includes complete contact details, business information, and physical location directions.

You should also build a Google Business Profile (GBP) to further differentiate your travel agency. This profile includes all contact details and other relevant information about your business, along with directions to your physical locations.

Ultimately, a GBP with accurate contact details can help fully optimize your digital presence for a better travel marketing strategy.

5. Use Local SEO Keywords for Travel Marketing

Besides optimizing your website and GBP, you can rely on local SEO to help you compete with other local travel companies and businesses.

Stand out in local searches by creating content around “near me” search terms as well as location-based keywords, branded keywords, localized variations of keywords, and more.

While it’s not SEO, exploring geo-targeted ads will help you reach customers who are in your vicinity, taking advantage of location-specific campaigns.

Travel Marketing with Conversion Rate Optimization

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is crucial in travel marketing as it directly impacts the ability to convert website visitors into paying customers, maximizing the return on marketing investments. 

By optimizing the user experience and streamlining the booking process, CRO ensures a more effective and satisfying customer journey. This leads to increased bookings and revenue, making CRO an indispensable part of successful travel marketing strategies.

Start implementing these strategies to improve your travel marketing CRO:

1. Develop a Killer Mobile Experience

Mobile optimization is essential in travel marketing. Booking.com reports that 59% of travel bookings are made on mobile devices, with research often conducted via smartphones and tablets. 

For a seamless mobile experience, ensure your website adheres to these principles:

• Web copy should be readable with appropriate spacing, fonts, and colors
• Enable click-to-call functionality for easy contact
• Integrate Google Maps for location guidance
• Avoid using Adobe Flash
• Minimize pop-up use to enhance user experience
• Ensure the logo links back to the homepage
• Make calendar and search functions easily accessible
• Use auto-fill on forms for returning customers

2. Keep UX at the Forefront of Your Website

Ensure a streamlined User Experience (UX) that is simple, clear, and concise. Your website should be easy to navigate, enhancing the customer journey. 

Be sure to: 

• Design a mobile-friendly interface for various devices
• Maintain a loading speed of two seconds or less
• Developing a multilingual site for global visitors
• Creating an intuitive web design for a seamless user journey

3. Make Booking Seamless

Additionally, implement a smart booking engine that syncs room and pricing information across all platforms. 

This ensures consistency, whether bookings are made online or via mobile, providing a clear and updated overview for every visitor.

Minimize the number of steps to book, offering clear calls-to-action, easy navigation, and providing various secure payment options.

4. Rely on A/B Testing to Show You What Works (And What Doesn’t)

Regularly conducting A/B testing on key travel website elements like landing pages, headlines, and calls-to-action will help you determine what works best in engaging and converting visitors. 

Coupled with in-depth analytics, this strategy helps in understanding user behavior and preferences, allowing for continuous improvement of the user experience and conversion rate.

5. Incorporate Social Proof with Customer Reviews

Encouraging guests to leave online reviews is vital in travel marketing. Avoid offering incentives as this may appear as buying positive reviews. 

Instead, simplify the review process. Use tools like TripAdvisor’s widget for easy onsite feedback, and Yelp’s Review Badges to display positive reviews as a visual prompt, along with a call-to-action (CTA) linking to your Yelp page.

Addressing negative reviews is also crucial. Ignoring them can create a negative impression, as seen on Expedia’s Trust Pilot page. Responding to complaints shows customers they are valued and can transform negative experiences into positive ones.

Partner with Ignite Visibility for Travel Marketing

As you can see, successful travel marketing depends on implementing a wide range of strategies from PPC to video, to making sure your site is optimized for mobile bookings.

Employ these tips listed above, and you’ll have a top travel marketing company in no time.

Want to get the best results with your travel marketing approach? Turn to a reliable digital marketing agency for travel businesses and get the help you need.

At Ignite Visibility, we can help you with everything from search engine optimization and PPC to email marketing to build a complete travel marketing campaign based on your unique requirements.

In doing so, we’ll help:

• Locate and reach your target market
• Develop fully optimized campaigns that get results
• Continually monitor and measure performance
• Perfect your efforts to get increasingly great results

If that sounds like a plan, reach out to the experts at Ignite Visibility for help today!

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About John Lincoln

John Lincoln is CEO of Ignite Visibility, a top digital marketing agency and a six-time Inc. 5000 company. Lincoln is a frequent speaker, author of Digital Influencer, The Forecaster Method, Advolution, and creator of SEO: The Movie and Social Media Marketing: The Movie. He is consistently named one of the top digital marketers in the industry and has received the Search Engine Land "Search Marketer of the Year" award. Lincoln has taught digital marketing and web analytics at the University of California, San Diego since 2010 and has been named as one of San Diego's most admired CEOs and a top business leader under forty.

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12 Travel Marketing Strategies To Help You Out-Market Your Competitors in 2023

Kyle Morley

January 26, 2023

The world of travel has evolved, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Travelers are valuing their time off more and researching more heavily before making travel decisions. Additionally, brands are competing to drive bookings and increase revenue to make up for the large losses the industry took in 2020. 

Utilizing new and unique marketing strategies can help travel brands separate themselves from the competition, reach new audiences, and increase bookings. Take a look at our top 12 marketing strategies that can help travel brands stand out and out-market their competitors. 

What Is The State of the Travel Marketing Industry in 2023? 

The travel industry took a huge hit in 2020 with the emergence of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Both domestic and international travel stopped almost overnight, leaving the travel and tourism industry with little-to-no business. However, over the past three years, the industry has steadily increased to semi-regular rates, though still slightly lower than 2019. 

According to the International Air Transport Association , global air travel is expected to make a full recovery by 2024. Additionally, the IATA expects domestic air travel to increase by 3% in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. With that being said, many travel companies are looking to dedicate time and resources to out-marketing their top competitors and return business to pre-pandemic levels. 

12 Travel Marketing Strategies For 2023

Using a combination of tried-and-true marketing strategies and unique ideas will offer a fresh foundation for travel destinations to attract new tourists and increase bookings. In 2023, the way consumers make travel decisions has changes. People are valuing sustainable travel options and relying heavily on social media and video content to make their travel decisions. 

Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of 12 key marketing strategies and tips to help travel companies increase bookings and drive consumers to their destination. 

1. Create A Seamless Website Experience 

All of your marketing channels will be driving traffic to the same place – your website. If the user experience is lacking, it could drive away potential customers or have them book a stay with a separate OTA. 

As direct bookings become increasingly important for travel companies, a seamless user experience on the website is of the utmost importance. A travel website should showcase all of the best things about the destination to really show consumers what their vacation will be like. Additionally, users should be able to seamlessly book travel experiences directly from the site. 

2. Publish Blog Content on a Regular Basis

Blog content is a great way to capture the attention of untapped audiences and focus on search engine optimization. By creating content that targets highly searched keywords in the travel space and keywords specific to your destination, brands can dominate the search engine results page. 

Not only does long-form editorial content help put a brand in front of new audiences, it also showcases the beauty of your travel destination. Consumers want to learn a lot about a destination before traveling there. According to TripAdvisor , consumers will spend an average of four weeks researching their travel destination. With blog content, brands can create a high quality resource for consumers to turn to throughout their research process.  

3. Lean On Your Customer Reviews

Consumers are spending more on travel now than ever before. According to the ASTA , 40% of consumers are spending more on travel now than they did before the pandemic in 2019. However, consumers also want to be sure that their money is being spent in the right place. 

Traveler reviews are some of the most valuable pieces of content that brands can use in advertising. Sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp are growing increasingly popular and can make or break a travel destination. By showcasing positive experiences that other travelers have had, brands can increase social proof and gain trust with new customers. 

4. Upgrade Your Social Media Game

Social media is an integral part of any marketing strategy for 2023 and beyond. With the growing popularity of platforms like TikTok and Instagram, travel companies can leverage their social media following to increase bookings and drive traffic to other marketing channels. Regularly posting content and engaging with your audience is incredibly valuable for companies in the travel industry. 

Influencers are also a key part of a social media marketing strategy. Utilizing influencer content allows you to reach completely new audiences and showcase the best parts about your brand and vacation destination. If you are looking to increase your reach with photo and video content, social media marketing is the best way to do so.

5. Rely On Data for Key Insights

Data is everywhere – you just need to know how to track it properly. Between websites, social media, online advertisements, and more, there is an abundance of consumer data that can be used to optimize your marketing strategy. 

Travel companies can track user behavior, see where high-converting consumers are coming from, and see what marketing strategies are currently working. Using this data to further improve and optimize your marketing efforts will provide unbeatable insights and deliver quality results. However, you need to be confident that the data you are using is trustworthy and accurate.

6. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Remarketing

Remarketing is a powerful tool that can help direct audiences to your travel website or destination. A customer journey, especially in the travel space, can include tons of different searches and websites. 

Remarketing may prove to be one of the most valuable tools in your marketing toolbelt. When consumers are more familiar with your brand, they may be more receptive to advertisements. Additionally, consumers may be more likely to convert after visiting your website more than once. 

7. Improve Your Mobile User Experience

With the advancement of smartphone technology, consumers are starting to rely heavily on the mobile experience instead of a desktop experience. Travel brands need to shift their focus to the user experience from a mobile standpoint. Whether that means a quality mobile app or website experience can vary from brand to brand.

According to a study performed by SalesCycle , 44% of travelers will book their vacations online. Additionally, those booking on a mobile app or mobile site have a lower cart abandonment rate compared to those on desktop. Mobile consumers are becoming more and more valuable as the travel industry evolves. It is important to ensure that your brand has a seamless booking experience for both desktop and mobile users.

8. Utilize Email Marketing Campaigns

Email marketing is one of the oldest marketing strategies in the book. It continues to be a helpful tool for travel marketers to increase bookings, get more eyes on their destination, and actively engage with their audiences. 

If you have an email list of consumers, you should be utilizing it! And, if you don’t, you should start building one. Including a simple spot on your website for users to input their email address and some basic personal information will allow you to organically grow your list and engage with your audience organically. 

9. Use Video To Enhance The User Experience

As consumers are changing the way they research for a big vacation or small weekend trip, video is becoming more and more popular. Users like to feel like they’ve traveled to a destination before they have even left their house. Video is a great way to market your destination as highly desirable and fun. 

Travel brands can either create their own video content, use consumer created content, or rely on influencers to create video content for them. Each type of content will provide it’s own unique benefit from a marketing perspective. 

Branded video content created internally will be a great way for travel companies to interact with their existing audiences. These can actively be promoted on social media accounts, through email, and on the brand’s website. User generated content will appear the most organic and allow you to interact with your consumers’ networks. Influencer marketing videos may not be as organic as user generated content, but it will reach the widest audience. 

10. Introduce New Technology To Your Marketing Strategies

New technologies in the travel industry are constantly evolving and are a great way to revitalize your marketing efforts. While AI Chatbots have been popular in the industry to assist with online bookings and answer quick questions from customers, the technology has majorly evolved since then. Outside of automated FAQ responses, AI can really have an impact on travel marketing.

There are AI technologies out there that can make personalized travel recommendations for tourists, can interact with consumers via voice throughout their vacation, track and trace baggage via image, and more. With so many new, AI-driven technologies emerging in the travel industry, it is important for brands to stay ahead of the curve to ultimately create an ideal travel experience. 

11. Engage With Local Audiences Too

Local audiences may not seem that important to the travel industry, but they can be an additional untapped audience to target with marketing campaigns. While you may think that locals are familiar with the travel and tourism destinations in their area, you may be surprised to see how many have not visited. 

Not only an this help you encourage repeat visits to your location, it can also help unlock untapped audiences. Successfully marketing towards locals may seem like a difficult task, as they likely try to avoid the tourist areas of their home. However, offering discounts to locals may help encourage increased attendance and may help your local marketing campaigns gain traction.  

12. Tell A Story with Your Destination

Consumers want to travel to a destination with a unique identity and a clear story attached to it. In order to have a successful travel marketing campaign, travel brands need to do more than just showcase their beautiful destinations. 

Every destination will have a unique identity and a unique story attached that can really help consumers picture themselves vacationing there. Whether marketers decide to lean into their destination’s rich culture and history, beautiful, calm scenery, or booming cities, a unique story will help travelers make their decisions easier. 

Refresh Your Marketing Strategy with From the Future’s New Travel Marketing Platform™

Travel marketing can be a complicated undertaking. With that being said, it is important for travel companies to rely on expert marketers to help them understand what strategies are best for their brand. 

At From the Future, we have over a decade of travel marketing experience and have used our expertise to change the way you see marketing. With our Travel Marketing Platform™ , marketers can access brand new audiences and tell their unique story. Get in touch with one of our specialists to see how the Travel Marketing Platform™ can revitalize your marketing strategies. 

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9 Effective Ways to Market Your Travel Agency

Written by: KHM Staff on December 14, 2017

Marketing your business to your clients is an important part of being a travel agent. Managing your social media accounts, website, CRM, blogs, and emails, plus staying on top of new travel deals and booking your clients–there’s always so much to do!

Are your efforts bringing in the business that you hoped for? When looking at your marketing plan for the year, consider adding one or more of these ideas into the mix.

Practice your 30-second commercial.

Often called an “elevator speech,” this is your opportunity to explain your business in a succinct message. Whether you’re walking into the grocery store or attending your child’s school function, you’re bound to bump into someone you know. Having your 30-second commercial  prepared is essential to marketing your travel agency stumbling over the words to explain it each time. Attending Boot Camp at our corporate office will help you perfect your pitch.

Create a monthly email newsletter.

Developing a short email sent from myTravelCRM or Mailchimp is an easy, efficient way to keep in contact with your clients. Your newsletter content should focus on the current travel season. Whether it’s engagement season, summer break, or time to deck the halls, email your clients on a consistent basis to give them travel ideas and tips for all occasions! KHM Travel Agents can utilize email templates in myTravelCRM for more content ideas.

Add variety to your social media posts.

Inspire your followers with content based on new travel deals, industry news, packing tips, destination highlights, and holiday posts! Add life to your with these suggestions:

• Consider setting up a theme for each day to help with consistency.  For example, Travel Tip Tuesday. 
• Share eye-catching photos from your own travel or from supplier websites and include short, attention-grabbing captions .
• Subscribe to emails from travel publications like Travel + Leisure and Travel Weekly to share their news articles to your pages.
• Subscribe to travel agent supplier Facebook pages for shareable contact posted regularly.  
• Look on Pinterest for packing must-haves to share on your pages!
• Search suppliers’ YouTube channels and share interesting, informational videos to your page. Be sure you are using supplier content and not the content of other travel agents. 
• KHM Travel Group Agents can read  Agent Access Weekly emails to learn about the newest travel deals. Post about the latest sales by pairing your content with appropriate graphics or supplier resources !

Scheduling posts is a great way to make sure you are consistent. 

Set up a booth at a local trade show or fair.

Find the perfect trade show by checking your local chamber of commerce, event center schedule, fairgrounds, or even call your nearest mall to set up a table or booth during a specific time. Broadcasting your business to potential clientele is the best way to amp up your leads list. KHM Travel Group has tips to prepare our agents to work a tradeshow .

Start a referral program.

Marketing by word of mouth requires minimum effort and is low-cost! Boost your sales by asking your clients to refer a friend to your travel business or to simply keep you in mind when someone mentions travel. Add an extra incentive with a referral program. Gift cards are a great way to reward clients for referrals.

Do a giveaway.

Giving out items with your travel agency’s information creates wide, visual exposure for your business. Think of low-cost giveaways that your clientele would enjoy and possibly use while traveling. We suggest visiting 4imprint to brainstorm ideas.

Advertise locally.

From bulletin ads to newspapers to pizza boxes, there are advertising opportunities everywhere. Putting your business name, logo, and contact information out publicly lets others know that your services are available and can boost your public relations image . Since some ideas will be more of an investment than others. Start small by putting an ad in the local school directory or your church bulletin and see if the response meets your expectations. 

Send direct mail to your clients.

Every day your clients come home to a mailbox full of bills, newspapers, and the occasional note from grandma. Add a little variety and a personal touch to your client communications by sending them something from their favorite travel agent! For special occasions like birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, or congratulations for a life event, consider hand-writing a card or letter.

Don’t forget to put a “travel” spin on your message.  For example, in an anniversary card add, “During these special times, couples often plan an anniversary trip, renewal of their vows, or just a romantic getaway as a celebration of their love. [YourAgencyName] will plan the perfect time for you and your spouse, so you can focus on each other. If I can be of any assistance to you, please contact me.”

The Engagement program through Travel Leaders Network is another great resource for low cost, professional looking, direct mail marketing.   

Plan a travel night.

By hosting a travel night, clients can learn more about a specific destination, tour or cruise. If you choose, you can even offer an exclusive booking incentive. Host this night in your home, event space, or restaurant depending on the number of attendees. Supplier BDMs are great resources to tap into when planning a travel night.

Keeping in contact with your clients is crucial to developing your business. When developing your marketing plan, keep an eye out for creative ideas that will attract your target audience. Be consistent with your timing, your message, and use the tools available to you through your host agency.   

Are you looking to be a successful travel agent ? KHM Travel Group’s travel agents have access to support for their independent business. Download our free guide by completing the form to the right or by calling 1-888-611-1220.

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The Most Effective Marketing Strategy For Travel Agents

For today’s Travel Expert Insider I’m going to share with you the MOST effective marketing strategy for travel agents. This is something you absolutely need to be doing in order to hit your monthly booking goals. Watch this short video to see what it is and how to do it.

After you watch the video, make sure you download your free Travel Agent Marketing Blueprint here .

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Are you wondering what the most effective travel agency marketing strategy is in TODAY’S market? As we all know, a LOT of things have changed in the travel industry, and how you need to market your travel services now in order to get new ideal clients, is very different than it was in years past.

In this video I’m going to share with you the most effective marketing strategy for travel agents.

The #1 most effective marketing strategy for travel agents is to give your prospective ideal clients Clear & Compelling Call-to-Actions – CTA’s for short.

A Call To Action is exactly what it sounds like… you’re calling in – inviting – your prospective clients to take the next step towards working with you.

The two primary CTA’s that you need to have throughout all of your marketing are:

1. Invite prospects to join your eNewsletter List by offering them an irresistible freebie. Offer them some type of free PDF download or free video with tips in exchange for them giving you their email address to join your eNewsletter list.

2. Invite prospects to a complimentary over-the-phone consultation with you. During the consultation you can determine if they are good fit for your services and if they sign them up to be a client!

Your travel agency marketing strategy also needs to include a sales & marketing funnel which is simply a pathway you lead your prospective clients down. This graphic illustrates a high-level overview of what your marketing funnel needs to look like in order for you to be consistently landing new IDEAL clients.

The way that you lead your prospective clients through your sales & marketing funnel is by giving them clear and compelling CTA’s throughout all of your marketing.

I invite you to download the Travel Agency Marketing Plan Template below this video. This will give you a vision of what your travel agency marketing plan needs to look like.

Now I’d love to hear from you. What is the irresistible freebie that you offer your prospective clients? Please share in the comments below.

It’s your time to shine…. so what are you going to do to break through to the next level in your travel business? Thank you for watching and I’ll see you in the next video.

P.S.  If you don’t yet have an effective email marketing strategy in your travel business, come to our upcoming FREE training — Email Marketing For Travel Agents .

This is our MOST POPULAR training.  Register now here .

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Social media marketing for travel agents (+20 examples & tips).

• The 5 best social media marketing networks for travel agents.
• How to implement social media marketing strategies for your agency.

Social Media Marketing for Travel Agents – The 5 Best Social Networks

• How many social media networks do you have the time and money to run?
• Where is your audience and which social media networks should you choose?
• How often can you schedule posts and do you need tools to help you?
• How will you integrate all of your social media channels and your website?
• How do you want to tackle a social media marketing advertising strategy?
• How important is social media management and which tools do you want to use for it?

Which Social Media Platforms are the Best for Your Travel Agency?

Facebook social media marketing for travel agents, instagram and pinterest social media marketing for travel agents, twitter social media marketing for travel agents, linkedin social media marketing for travel agents, other social media marketing options for travel agents, how to use social media to market travel as an agency.

• Stay on top of hot trends and vacation spots.
• Hold sweepstakes and run contests on social.
• Crowdsource images and promote user-generated content.
• Push your blog content, add reviews, and curate great travel content.
• Articles on Hot Spot Locations
• Travel Tips and Warnings
• Packing Tips and Local Fashion
• Travel Guides and Must See Lists
• Unique Hotels and Accommodation
• Bucket Lists and Dream Vacations
• Use Periscope or Facebook Live to live stream content.
• Cruise Ship Tour
• Hotel Review
• Food Experience
• Museum Tour
• Street Performance
• Local Event or Festival

• Social Media Management
• Review Management

How to Promote a Travel Agency on Social Media the Right Way?

Learn how to promote a travel agency on social media effectively, including platform selection, content creation, influencer partnerships, and more, to boost engagement and increase bookings.

Each social media platform offers unique opportunities to connect with different target audiences, but the right one can significantly enhance your marketing impact.

The most popular social media networks for the travel business in 2024 are:

Often overlooked by new brands, Facebook remains a key player for travel agencies. It supports images, videos, customer interactions, and ads, with the added benefit of including links directly in posts and messages. Per our gathered data, the travel agency’s Facebook page thrives, underscoring its impact.

This platform is ideal for capturing potential customers’ imaginations through stunning visuals and engaging stories. In our expert view, Instagram is particularly effective for showcasing the allure of travel destinations .

Beyond its professional networking capabilities, LinkedIn is a valuable space for travel agencies to establish credibility. We advise all our users to be active on LinkedIn as it is a strategic platform for reaching corporate clients who organize trips and retreats for employees .

Evolving beyond its origins as a video-only search engine, YouTube now also supports images. YouTube is an excellent channel for sharing diverse travel content and leveraging SEO and hashtag strategies to maximize visibility.

We know that being on Twitter may not directly lead to bookings. However, our experts recommend having a presence on Twitter as it is a crucial platform for ongoing engagement and community building, keeping your agency top-of-mind among travelers .

When picking a suitable network to promote a travel agency on social media, you should also be aware of your audience, their preferences, and their behaviors . If you target younger travelers, you should have a good presence on Instagram and TikTok. If you target based on the traditional traveling strategy, you should never skip Facebook.

Consider the case of City Tour MKE , a travel agency that uses SocialPilot to promote itself on social media. It leverages its social media accounts on Facebook by targeting age-based audiences, on Instagram by sharing stunning visual content, and on LinkedIn to attract more corporate tours.

See how they shared the same post on different social media platforms with different messages and marketing strategies.

They promoted private custom tours on Facebook to target and connect with holistic audiences.

They promoted their corporate events planning packages on LinkedIn, which is more relevant on a platform where people come looking for jobs.

This example of promoting your travel agency differently on all social media channels demonstrates the power of choosing the right platform for your agency and then keeping your posts and content aligned differently on each platform (even if you have the same content).

2. Share Engaging Content 

Engaging content is the cornerstone of successful social media marketing , especially for travel agencies, where they can share stunning visuals and tell stories about every destination.

Once you have established the right platform for social media activity, you need to create engaging content. We would have advised you to share the same content on each platform a few years back, but that doesn’t work today. You must repurpose the content strategically or develop separate content for all social media platforms based on industry trends.

User Generated Content

This is the most authentic content for travel agencies. User-generated content generates more sales and does not require much work . Encourage your customers to share short videos or photos of themselves on the trip in collaboration with you. User-generated content is a great way to provide prospective customers with social proof.

Seasonal Campaigns

Seasonal campaigns are a great way to attract customers by showing highlights of a destination in the upcoming season with the deal. With every changing season, promote visuals and videos on social media, discount campaigns, and deals.

Announcements and Deals

Many potential travelers find travel trips expensive. To attract them, you can post about discounts when your agency achieves a milestone, run seasonal campaigns, and give coupon codes to repeat customers. 

Other engaging content types that our users share to promote their business on social media are:

• Destination Highlights
• Travel Tips and Hacks
• Behind-the-Scenes
• Themed Travel Lists
• Interactive Polls and Quizzes
• Social Media Contest
• Time-Lapse Videos
• 360-Degree Videos
• Live Sessions
• Travel Itineraries
• Historical Insights

Here is an example of how to promote a travel agency on social media. Cabo San Lucas Tours is a travel agency that uses SocialPilot to schedule and publish social media posts.

They very smartly shared user-generated content and thanked and credited the owner of this beautiful scenic picture. This allowed them to capitalize on UGC, visual imagination, and the customer’s testimonial.

Again, they have created a mix of engaging content using user-generated content, discounts and deals, and visual content.

This strategy significantly increased their visibility and followers, and their engaging content strategy converted followers into bookings, giving us a perfect example of engaging content.

3. Partner with Influencers

Influencer marketing is a great way to gather the attention and interest of people in your niche. As a travel agency, you can collaborate with travel influencers from your niche and demography . Your agency can tap into their loyal following and leverage their credibility and expertise to boost your visibility.

Travel agencies using SocialPilot swear by these factors to pick the right influencer for their collaboration campaign:

• Relevance : Influencers who share content for your target market.
• Engagement Rate : Not just followers count, but also ask for their engagement rate.
• Authenticity : Influencers who share personal experience and genuine content are more authentic.
• Their Past Collaboration : Check for their past few collaborations with brands like yours to learn about their genuineness.

The next step is to craft a collaborative strategy that integrates all the campaign elements to keep it seamless for both parties. This strategy should include an influencer collaboration contract highlighting the marketing goals and campaign expectations , like the free travel packages and the necessary outcomes.

After the collaboration is successfully executed, don’t forget to monitor the performance of the collaborative post shared by the influencer for your travel agency.

Consider the example of Insight Vacations , which partnered with a Scottish-based piper-playing influencer, Lou Marshal, to promote their women-only tour to Scotland. They planned a series of posts on Instagram and other social networks highlighting the women-only sponsored trip to Scotland.

This is a perfect example of influencer collaboration, promoting the latest packages, and generating leads and sales.

4. Utilizing Hashtags and SEO

If you think SEO is just for websites, you are wrong. SEO is now emerging on social media as fast as all the social networks are adapting like the other. Travel agencies must regularly use hashtags and keywords in their posts and stories to reach the target social media followers.

Here’s how our users do that to optimize their social media:

• Optimize Profile : To increase visibility, always include travel-related keywords and hashtags in your bio, such as travel agency, adventure travel, etc.
• Optimize Posts : In the description of every post, include important, relevant keywords and a few relevant hashtags. Do the same for reels, too.

SEO in social media is a very new concept, so not many businesses have incorporated this strategy. You can be one of the initial travel agencies and leverage its benefits by enhancing your reach and increasing engagement.

Here’s an example of one of our users, Vue Travel agency, who specializes in trips worldwide. It used SEO approaches such as keywords and relevant hashtags generated by SocialPilot AI to boost its social media presence.

Also, they partnered with popular travel influencers who shared travel experiences using the branded hashtags and their relevant keyword in the post description.

Using 3 strategies in one, they shared user generated content, used keywords, and popular relevant hashtags to boost reach.

5. Managing Posting Schedules

If you are correctly following our experts’ social media marketing strategy, the next thing necessary is managing and monitoring your posting schedule. This is where you ensure that after effective planning, your execution is also seamless.

You must manage your plan smartly to maintain a strong social media presence. This is even crucial for travel agencies, as it will help them leverage captivating imagery and timely posts to influence customer decisions.

Above all, managing your social media lets you ensure the following crucial factors:

Stay Consistent

Consistency is the key to keeping your audience engaged and informed. Only a well-planned schedule that has a mix of different content types every day can ensure that your content is seen by your target audience .

Post at the Best Time

Even if you share several posts every day, if they go live when your audience is not active, they won’t help. You need to share your posts at the precise time when your audience is most likely to see them. This is how your travel agency can get a higher engagement rate by sharing content at the best time to post .

You need a reliable, holistic social media management tool to achieve this. SocialPilot is a powerful tool thousands of travel agencies use to streamline social media marketing by scheduling posts in advance. This saves time and ensures consistency, and every post goes live at the best time by scheduling them ahead of time.

If we talk about one of the examples, Dynasty Travel International is a travel agency that used to share posts manually every day. This practice prevented it from sharing posts at odd working hours when its audience was active.

They started using SocialPilot and scheduled several posts on all social media channels every day. This practice helps them in three ways:

• It reduces their manual work that used to waste a lot of time.
• They can stay consistent with their planned posting schedule to get them more seen.
• And they can share content even in the middle of the night when their audience is active, but they are not.

All these posts went live on the same day with a gap of hours, but they were scheduled a long time ago using the SocialPilot scheduler.

By leveraging SocialPilot and its scheduling and planning abilities, Dynasty Travel boosted its engagement rate and travel bookings.

6. Engaging with the Audience

It never ends with posting engaging content. You must also engage with your audience on comments, queries, and DMs. Engaging is about dialogue that fosters trust, builds relationships, and ultimately drives conversions .

Facilitating personalized experience and trust is particularly vital for a travel agency. With experience, we recommend the following aspects to effectively engage your audience and keep them connected to your agency.

Active and Quick Responses

Monitoring the engagement and performance of your posts is a golden rule of social media engagement. Our social media experts have found that if your customers have a positive experience with you on social media, they are more likely to become your customers . We advise you to respond promptly and enhance customer satisfaction to capitalize on this.

Personalized Interactions

Personal experience is the key to success in travel and tourism. Addressing your audience by name, acknowledging their preference in a customized manner, and tailoring your response to their specific needs can significantly boost engagement. Our data shows that travel agencies can increase customer loyalty with personalized interaction.

Butter Field Travel is a travel agency that extensively promotes its packages with engaging content and deals. Not just that, they are very prompt with their engagement and replies to answer the queries of their customers.

Look how instantly they have responded to the comments and queries on their posts.

7. Leveraging Reviews and Testimonials

Even after converting a potential customer into a successful booking, the story doesn’t end. For 360-degree social media marketing of a travel agency, you have to capitalize even on their review and positive experience .

The opinions of existing customers can be a powerful marketing tool in travel. Travelers’ reviews and testimonials, sharing what they like and what was beyond their expectations, can provide authentic insight into your services for more potential customers.

Reviews and testimonials matter for:

Building Trust

Reviews are essential for building trust with potential travelers. In the current age, before buying even the cheapest product, people thoroughly check reviews shared by past customers . It gives them the reassurance which can make all the difference.

SEO Benefits

Positive reviews on social media or Google can also improve your search ranking. Every social media platform incorporates a discovery feature, and reviews help in ranking as they have keywords and hashtags to boost visibility online.

Decision-Making Influence

The travel and tourism industry thrives on customer satisfaction. Travel businesses that properly showcase positive reviews on social media can sway hesitant customers toward booking.

There are 2 types of reviews. One is shared on social media as video testimonials, which are more like feedback on trip packages. These are shared through comments, stories, images, videos, or reels. Another is Google Reviews, which are more like a review of your business on Google with written feedback. Both types of reviews matter to authenticate your business and generate more conversions.

Generating reviews is not enough; you should also have a place to market them in your social media strategy to capture more customers. Dynasty Travel’s strategy is a perfect example of promoting a travel agency on social media by capitalizing on positive reviews.

Regularly showcasing their positive reviews on social media generated more sales and travel bookings. Their reviews also enhanced trust and visibility, encouraging more customers to share their feedback.

Ready to Promote Your Travel Agency on Social Media?

Promoting your travel agency on social media requires more than being present; it demands a strategic approach tailored to capture attention so your agency can stand out in a crowded market.

SocialPilot has been a trusted partner for many travel agencies, helping them navigate the complexities of social media marketing. The marketing strategies we have gathered are not just theoretical; they have been tested and proven by our users in the real world.

Implementing these methods can promote a travel agency on social media and turn engagement into bookings. As you move forward, consider how these strategies can be adapted to fit your unique business and audience with the right approach.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do Travel Agents Get Leads?

Social media is a great place to generate leads from your travel campaign ads. Apart from social media, email, and content marketing are also very popular means for travel agents to generate leads fast.

How do I Generate Reviews for My Travel Business?

SocialPilot reviews are a perfect one-stop solution for all your review generation, management, and response needs. You can create review generation email and SMS campaigns to gather responses from your past customers and share them on social media and your website to attract more customers.

How Can I Check the Performance of Social Media Marketing Campaign?

To check the performance of your social media campaign or post, you can visit the in-app analytics for basic data. However, if you want in-depth analytics and reporting abilities on the performance of your content on social media, you can use SocialPilot. A social media management tool that provides detailed data such as shares, demographics, interactions, impressions, and more on your social media content performance.

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Megha Sharma

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Travel agency industry - statistics & facts

The biggest players of the ota market, the travel agency and tour operator retail market, key insights.

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The Top 20 Most Powerful Travel Agencies in 2023

Travel Weekly has released its annual Power List for 2023 , revealing the world's biggest sellers based on full-year 2022 travel sales. While last year's list saw a major recovery for leisure travel in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, this year's Power List suggests that business travel is also in the midst of a significant bounce back. With sales numbers booming, Travel Weekly restored the traditional $100 million global sales threshold for agencies for the first time since the pandemic was declared in 2020. The top five companies retained their order from last year but more than a dozen agencies entered the list for the first time. In total, 61 companies made the 2023 Power List. Here's a look at the top 20 and where they stand right now.

1. Booking Holdings

(photo courtesy of Booking Holdings)

Booking Holdings, which is inclusive of brands such as Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, Kayak and OpenTable, held steady at number one this year, with 2022 sales topping $121 billion, up significantly from $76.6 billion in 2021.

2. Expedia Group

Expedia Group remains the second-most-powerful travel agency in 2023 with sales of $95.1 billion last year. The online travel agency boasts a slew of well-known brands including Expedia, Hotels.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, Vrbo, Trivago and Hotwire.

3. American Express Global Business Travel

American Express Global Business Travel, which went public in May, also held steady at number three on the Power List with 2022 sales of $23 billion. Looking ahead, Amex GBT is expecting a 24 percent growth in business travel spend.

4. BCD Travel

(photo courtesy of BCD Travel)

BCD Travel, a privately held B2B travel management company owned by BCD Group, ranks fourth yet again in 2023, with sales climbing from $6.5 billion in 2021 to $16 billion in 2022. The company will enter a new era next month when Stephan Baars will succeed President and CEO John Snyder, who spent three decades with the company. READ MORE: Travel Suppliers With the Best Commissions for Travel Advisors

CWT continues to rank as the fifth most powerful travel agency with 2022 sales of $13.6 billion. The privately held company is owned through funds managed by global financial institutions such as Barings, MacKay Shields and Monarch Alternative Capital and sells travel products directly to customers.

6. Flight Centre

With sales totaling $11.7 billion last year, Flight Centre climbed one spot on the Power List to sixth after placing seventh last year. Of its hefty sales total last year, $313 million was completed by hosted agents. Flight Centre is eyeing growth with the acquisition of U.K.-based Scott Dunn Travel and the expansion of its New York office to serve as a center for Corporate Traveler.

7. American Express Travel

(photo courtesy of American Express Travel)

American Express Travel, a full-service and lifestyle services provider for American Express cardholders, did not submit a Power List survey but produced an estimated $9.2 billion in sales in last year, placing it ninth on the 2023 Power List.

8. Chase Travel Group

The Chase Travel Group was unranked a year ago but places eighth in 2023 with reported sales of $8.5 billion in 2022, including $644 million completed by hosted agents. The privately held company works with 800 independent contractors and last year acquired Frosch, which finished No. 14 in Travel Weekly's 2022 rankings.

Hopper, which announced a distribution deal with JetBlue last year, climbed two places to ninth this year, totaling 2022 sales of $6 billion. The company is clearly on the right path as last year's sales tripled over 2021.

Corporate Travel Management experienced a bit of a slip in 2023, falling from eighth to 10th with sales totaling $5.1 billion last year. A Virtuoso member, CTM notes that early 2023 activity shows rapid recovery in many global markets.

11. Internova

Internova also dropped two spots from last year, ranking 11th with 2022 sales reaching $5 billion. Host agency completed $2.8 billion of those sales. Moving forward, Internova plans to double down on the luxury category and invest in ESG strategy, with employee travel becoming carbon neutral by year's end.

READ MORE: Sign up for Virtual Travel Events 

12. Direct Travel

(photo courtesy of Direct Travel)

Virtuoso member and Creative Group owner Direct Travel saw 2022 sales reach $3.6 billion, a vast majority of which was the result of business travel. As it looks to grow business, Direct Travel is enhancing its AI offering by deploying a multilingual virtual assistant and is transitioning more tasks to automation to allow travel advisors to spend more time on critical support interactions.

13. Fareportal

Fareportal falls three spots on this year's Power List. The privately held company, which operates brands throughout the world, selling air tickets, hotels, cars and vacation packages, reported 2022 sales of $3.3 billion last year.

14. AAA Travel

(photo courtesy of AAA)

AAA Travel's 2022 included the digitizing of AAA Tour Books, the launch of the Inspected Clean Program and Trip Canvass as well as $3.2 billion in total sales. Looking ahead, is seeing pent-up demand for cruises, tours and European destinations as well as strong domestic travel growth, according to the Power List.

15. World Travel Holdings

World Travel Holdings' 2022 sales climbed to $1.6 billion. The privately held company works with more than 4,000 independent contractors and boasts a portfolio that includes nearly 40 brands distributing cruises, villas, resort vacations, car rentals, resort day passes and luxury travel services.

16. Navigatr Group

After being unranked last year, Navigatr Group checks in at 16th on the Power List this year with sales reaching $1.4 billion in 2022. The travel entity recently acquired Ensemble and rebuilt the consortium to maximize profitability for members. Unsurprisingly, Navigatr Group has big plans to expand in the months and years to come.

(photo courtesy of ATG)

ATG, which specializes in business travel management, is expanding its reach into the Middle East with two franchise offices in Qatar and Kuwait after reporting sales of $1.2 billion last year. One of the company's big 2022 developments included partnering with Squake to bring emissions visibility into the booking and decision-making process.

18. Arrivia

2022 was a busy year for Scottsdale, Arizona-based Arrivia, which saw sales total $1 billion. The privately held company acquired lodging platform RedWeek, rolled out a Next Generation technology platform and streamlined all aspects of its core business, among other things.

19. World Travel

With 2022 sales reaching $951 million, World Travel is up one spot from last year after its business development team achieved 234 percent of its goal for new sales in 2022. Looking ahead, the company is trending at 120 percent of 2019 revenue and is anticipating seeing a continued meaningful recovery in corporate travel.

Cruise Planners. (Photo Credit: Cruise Planners)

20. Cruise Planners

Cruise Planners is down just two spots from last year. The Signature Travel Network member, which works with 2,500 independent contractors booking strictly leisure travel, reported 2022 sales of $845 million. Like so many of the agencies on this list, the future appears bright for Cruise Planners, which has already surpassed 2019 sales by 22 percent and 2022 sales by 13 percent in 2023.

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