Become a Home Based Travel Agent

Growing Your Business through
Online Communities
By Nancy Norris

Long before I became involved in the travel industry as a professional, I spent many hours online visiting various travel forums and reading and posting responses on their message boards. Now, I continue to use these platforms for research and as a resource for servicing my clients. However, as a self-proclaimed online community junkie, I have come to realize the huge opportunity these online communities present to home-based travel entrepreneurs. Just as I have utilized the environments to successfully grow my client base, so can any other home-based travel agent willing to invest the time.

Time is the critical element to the success of exploiting this portal. This is not a "get rich quick scheme". While developing your presence in this market is not difficult, it does require adhering to a certain protocol.

First and foremost, you must adhere to the proper posting etiquette in these online discussion groups. Nothing will deter from your success more quickly and most assuredly hurt your efforts than openly soliciting or marketing your services as a travel agent. It is necessary for you to ingratiate yourself with the specific community by freely sharing your expertise and knowledge in a friendly and non-solicitous manner. Join discussions, post messages and engage in conversations with other members. These are social environments; so, avoid getting caught up in the online drama of one-upmanship, and never stoop to name-calling or slamming other posters. Maintain your professionalism and persistently and consistently provide answers to questions that pertain to your particular area of expertise. Once you have developed a one-on-one relationship with members of the community, it is not long before they will be seeking your advice. This opens the door for you to make contact with them via e-mail to provide your services as a travel professional should they have the need.

This brings me to another important aspect of your success. Know your product! Capitalize on your expertise of a specific market, and frequent the travel forums that relate to your niche travel-specialty posting informational messages that are knowledgeable, truthful and reliable. With the myriad of travel forums that have erupted on the World Wide Web, you can populate the Internet with data that identifies you as "the premier expert" on that topic. In this way, you are marketing yourself, not your services as a travel agent. Focus on your goal: nurturing the group to allow the individuals to grow from inquiring consumers to trusted and loyal clients. Be patient and allow time for relationships to evolve, and you will be rewarded with an ever burgeoning list of clients.