The travel industry is a very dynamic one, which means in order to remain successful as a travel agent, you will need to continually generate clients. Combined with the fact that most people do not take multiple vacations a year, is it important to build a sustainable group of clients that can provide you with income during on and off seasons. However, generating new clients is more difficult said than done. Below are some tips that can help travel agents like you expand your list of clients.
Be a vendor at special events
Yearly in Toronto there are thousands of vendors set up at the CNE (Canadian Exhibition Place) showcasing their company and products. With tens of thousands people visiting each day, every vendor is sure to get a lot of foot traffic and exposure to potential clients. Simply setting up booths at special events or trade shows and having promotions or small giveaways will allow you to find travellers interested in working with you. You may think that you need to wait for the perfect event because people attending a wedding show or etc. are not interested in travelling, well you’d be surprised at the number of honeymoons you can plan!
Referral Programs
A great way to leverage your existing relationships with your clients is by offering referral programs. This incentivizes them to tell their friends and family about their great experience with you. There is no better way to find new clients than through your current ones. As well, referral programs are often one of the cheapest ways to obtain new clients.
Word of Mouth Marketing
Whether your clients had a great experience or you’re friends with a lot of people alooking to take vacations, word of mouth referrals is one of the most effective and cost-efficient methods to find potential clients. Since this type of marketing usually comes from people you trust, they are more likely to follow up and use your services.
Join organizations
There are many organizations in your neighbourhood, or at your closest library, all of which is accessible online. By joining the Chamber of Commerce or a book club, you can make meaningful connections to other members and expand your network. Go one step further by networking with them on Facebook, and Linkedin. The more people you meet, the more likely they can connect you to a client.
Specialize and know something inside and out
A lot of travellers look for agents who specialize in something. Rather than looking for a general travel advisor, people have begun searching for advisors who have a better understanding of what they are looking for. Therefore, a travel advisor needs to decide their niche and list out their credentials on their page. Furthermore, by looking at the profiles of other well-known travel advisors in your niche, you can examine what strategies work and apply it to your own page.
Market! Market! Market!
One of the most important methods to generate more clients is by leveraging social media and marketing yourself to potential travellers. These platforms enable advisors to find clients who are in a completely different geological location and with everything online, travel advisors no longer need to be in the same country or city to plan trips for their clients. Start by creating your personal travel advisor page and follow your friends, family and acquaintances. Then, slowly as you begin to post content and photos, you can build a community of followers. Document your clients or your own trips because these photos can allow you to attract new travellers who are interested in visiting the same place. Most importantly, optimize your posts’ outreach by using tags and hashtags. Use specific words to ensure that your posts pop up during searches.
Remember to stay patient
Like many things in life, good things come to those who wait. If whatever you’ve tried doesn’t work in the first few days, do not worry. Progress does not happen instantly, so wait a few months and try something new!
Are you a travel advisor with more questions and concerns? Join a community of travel advisors at www.alltraveladvisors.com/
