If you’re thinking about becoming a travel agent or already working in the industry but looking to take your career to the next level, you’ll need to know how to market yourself effectively. After all, as a travel agent, your job is to sell dream vacations to people — so you need to be able to sell yourself, too!
Position yourself as a professional
If you have no idea how to market yourself as a travel agent, then don’t panic! Fortunately, selling yourself is not that different from selling any other product or service. The key is to position yourself as a knowledgeable and trustworthy professional — someone potential clients can rely on to help them plan the perfect trip. Here are 3 top tips for selling yourself as a travel agent.
- Get a qualification
While no qualifications are needed to become a travel agent, completing a respected tourism degree or programme will show potential clients that you are serious about your profession and have the skills and knowledge necessary to help them plan their trip. There are many different programmes available, so do some research and find one that’s right for you.
- Join a professional organisation
Another great way to market yourself as a travel agent is to join a professional organisation such as ABTA. This will give you access to resources and networking opportunities to help you grow your business and protect your clients too.
- Build a strong online presence
In today’s digital age, it’s more important than ever to have a strong online presence — including having an up-to-date website with all your contact information listed prominently. Potential clients should be able to easily find you online and learn more about what you have to offer as a travel agent.
Craft a digital marketing strategy
You may have been wondering, ‘How do I advertise myself as a travel agent?’ – a digital marketing plan is by far the most efficient method. Having a plan is the first step to success. The next four steps to success are:
- Social Media
No digital marketing strategy is complete without social media.
But with so many different social media platforms, it can take time to figure out where to start. The key is to choose one or two platforms that make the most sense for your business and focus your efforts there. For example, the best platform to sell adventure holidays might be Instagram whereas Facebook could be an excellent way to target families. Once you’ve decided which platforms to focus on, it’s time to start creating inspirational content! Post regularly, interact with your audience and run campaigns or promotions when appropriate. Creating engaging content that resonates with your target audience is crucial for generating business on social media.
- Website
Your website should be the foundation of your digital marketing strategy. After all, it’s the one place where you have complete control over what people see and how they see it. Make sure your website is well designed, easy to navigate, and informative. Include calls to action on every page so that visitors know what you want them to do next (e.g., “subscribe to our newsletter,” “download our brochure,” etc.). And remember SEO! Make sure your website is optimised for search engines so potential customers can easily find you online. Many resources are available online to learn how to optimise SEO, including getting more Google traffic.
- Email Marketing
Email is still one of the most effective ways to reach and engage your audience. Start by building an email list of potential and current customers. Then, create a regular email newsletter with helpful content like industry news, tips or advice, recent blog posts, etc. Be sure to include calls to action in every email so that recipients know what they should do next (e.g., “subscribe to our blog,” “attend our webinar,” etc.). Still, trying to figure out where to start? MailChimp offers beautiful email templates and powerful tools to help you get the most out of your email marketing campaigns.
- Online Advertising
Online advertising is a great way to reach new people who might be interested in your product or service but who wouldn’t necessarily come across your website or social media accounts organically. Google Ads is a popular option for online advertising. Still, other platforms like Facebook Ads and LinkedIn Ads can be effective depending on your business goals. The key to online advertising is to start small and gradually increase your budget as you see results from your campaigns. That way, you can ensure you get a good return on investment before scaling up your efforts! Be sure to utilise analytics to better understand your audience and how to generate conversions.
Creating a digital marketing strategy doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming! By following these four simple steps to creating engaging social media content, website development, effective email marketing, and online advertising, you can develop a plan to help you achieve your business goals.
Why successful marketing will make you a successful travel agent
As a travel agent, you’ll get paid based on commissions from sales. So, when your clients book a holiday or travel product with you, you’ll take a percentage of the total trip. To boost your profit, you’ll need to learn how to be an effective marketeer and salesperson to sell as many travel products to as many people as possible.
How do travel agents get sales?
Effective selling starts with developing client relationships. As their travel agent, you’ll get to know them, their likes and dislikes, and what kind of trip they are looking for. Furthermore, it’s essential to keep up with industry news and trends to offer your clients the best possible options for their trip. This also involves working with a lot of different suppliers, allowing you to provide your clients with a variety of options. Creating long-standing relationships with suppliers will give your clients exclusive deals and perks they couldn’t get on their own.
How The Travel Franchise can help you sell more travel
The Travel Franchise have been helping kickstart travel agents’ careers since 2001. And you don’t need to have any previous experience in travel. The company provides everything you need to position yourself as a professional in the industry, including:
- Ongoing support and training
TTF offers extensive, ongoing training and support as part of its package, meaning you’ll have guidance from professionals at every step in your new journey, including advice on how to use social media and other tools to build your customer base.
- Business Development Managers
Every agent gets a Business Development Manager, a mentor with years of travel experience, to guide you through training and provide assistance when needed on anything from your business plan to growing repeat bookings.
- Advice on how to grow your customer base
The Travel Franchise hosts events and webinars on how to grow your business with well-established strategies. Some of its agents, for example, now have pop-up shops and logos on their cars, and have partnered with local businesses.
- High commissions
With the chance to earn some of the highest commission rates in the industry, TTF has some consultants who make a six-figure annual income!
- Established marketing strategy
The Travel Franchise offers a complete marketing package that’ll help you get your business off the ground. You’ll get a personal marketing website, social advertising campaigns, an email marketing system, and even printed materials like flyers and business cards. All of this will help you reach your target audience and get them excited about your product or service.
The Takeaways
So if you’re looking to boost your career, or you’re just taking your first steps, becoming a successful travel agent relies on you being able to sell yourself effectively. By understanding how you can position yourself as a professional in the market, you’ll be able to boost sales and grow your business. This will be amplified by a solid marketing plan, including social media and digital marketing strategies. However, The Travel Franchise is well worth considering if you want more guidance and support. It can offer you an already established and proven marketing plan saving you time and resources.
