Become a Travel Agent

Home Based Travel Agents,
Clicks, Conversions and Customers
Tom Ogg

I recently purchased a new surf van from a company in Fresno, California named Sportsmobile. They make rugged van conversions for surfers and other folks interested in off-roading remote areas of the planet. I made several trips to their factory, visiting their showroom, talking with their designers and generally, having a great time in what I would call, an adult’s toy store. When it came time to order the van, I was led through the showroom, in front of the reception area, past the executive offices and into the “closing room”.  Once there, I noticed there were no telephones, no intercoms, no music, just the essential things needed to design and order my new van. The only reason I was there was to conclude the order.

It made me think of travel websites and how they could increase their conversion ratio (click to sale) by using similar tactics. After all, the whole point about having a website that sells products and services is to consummate a sale. The issue of your conversion ratio becomes much more important when you are involved in a PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising campaign using contextual ads with either Google or Overture. While contextual advertising can drive traffic to your website almost immediately, your ability to convert the click into a sale is critical in order to make the campaign viable.

Think Conversions, not Clicks: One of the biggest mistakes online marketers make when engaging in a contextual advertising campaign is budgeting for the number of clicks per day rather than the number of conversions. It is very easy to go out and buy X number of clicks on certain keywords, but the challenge is to forecast the number of conversions (or sales) the budget will generate. This is the true measure of a successful marketing campaign and should be the focus of your PPC marketing budget. Defining your conversion ratio is an easy task. Simply divide the total number of sales by the total number of paid clicks; this will give you your conversion ratio stated as a percentage of clicks. Your conversion ratio is manageable and there are several things you can do to improve it.

Focus on “Action” Keywords: When you are involved in a PPC campaign, the last thing you want to do is to pay for clicks if the potential client has no intention of booking. Avoid keywords such as, “Free Cruise Information” or “Free Cruise Quotes”, as they will only use up your PPC budget with casual clicks. Instead, use keywords such as, “Mariner of the Seas Reservations” or “ Hawaii Bed and Breakfast Reservations”. These keywords act to qualify the visitor before they click and can result in a much higher conversion ratio.

Clients research information on the web at review sites, discussion boards and other resources by using general keyword searches. As they get closer and closer to making a reservation, the keywords they search with become focused on the product or service they are attempting to purchase. Bidding on these keywords for the product or service you are offering is critical to obtaining a higher conversion ratio.

Link to Your “Closing Room”: Just as in the example of buying my van, you should link to a specific “landing page”. Ideally, it will be deep linked within your site so that the client cannot escape without traipsing through the buying process. Just like the “closing room” at Sportsmobile, your landing page should have only the navigational structure to conclude the transaction without interruption. There should be no easy way out of the landing page without continuing through the buying process. Remember that your client has been qualified by the keywords used in your sponsored contextual advertisement, and as such should land on a page with only information about the specific product he or she is interested in. Do not offer, competing products, or even competing dates, as this will only serve to stall the client’s ability to commit.

Only include the information that is necessary to conclude the reservation, as lateral links, rather than standing in the way of completing the reservation request. Collateral information might include pictures and diagrams of each cabin category (including your expert opinion about each category), sample menus, daily newsletters, kids programs, public room information, virtually everything you would have in your selling file should be available for the client’s use. Never forget that it is your specific expertise that shines through the entire process. Always use the terms “reservation, booking, confirmation” to reassure your client that they are making a commitment.

Offering a special incentive for completing the reservation while at the site (dated the day of the visit to appear as a one-time offer) is an excellent way to motivate clients to commit. Reminding them that only by completing the request can a firm price and confirmation be given and that space is always tight for the dates and ship they are requesting.

Use Personal Contact to Increase Conversions: With telephone rates lower than ever before, be sure to turn every request into a relationship by picking up the telephone and calling the new client. This is a key ingredient of selling online and will set you apart from the online giants that do not touch their clients.

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ALL NEW!
STUDY COURSE
April, 2007 Edition
Available NOW!

A complete Independent Study Course for starting a home-based travel agency is now available for shipping. This is a professionally edited new book that will help you get started in record time. 

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April 2007 Edition
Available NOW!

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ALL NEW
WORKBOOK

Finally a comprehensive workbook companion to the Study Course. This workbook, start-up check list and test will make starting your own home-based travel business easy. If you plan on starting your business soon, be sure to purchase the workbook companion to the How to Start a Home Based Travel Agency Independent Sturdy Course.

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