Become a Home Based Travel Agent

Find Your Uniqueness and Be Sure To "E" Market it!
By Sarah Bauman

Everyone is trying to drive more traffic to their business and to increase their customer list.  There is great desire to harness the power of electronic marketing. Our phones ring daily with new customers looking to change their website, add social media, stretch their electronic reach.

As our customer support team works with all these agents, we have a front row seat to what is happening and what can be done better. In fact, we are launching a new product this week designed to essentially offer travel agents some “click and post” options for social media. We have the tools, but it is the agent story that provides the content!

As our customers tell their stories on their websites and in new social media formats, for many travel agencies the story they tell is really a  "Me Too!" response.  I work with travel agents every single day on their websites and their e-marketing efforts. So many folks focus on the basics of travel rather than on their specialties. The "Me Too!" response is when an agency focuses on telling their potential and current customers what they and every other agency can do.  This brings the competition for new customers down to a battle for the best price. Wouldn't you rather have them coming to you because you can offer them something they can't get anywhere else?

Every single agency brings something unique to their customer’s experience.  Maybe you just started your agency. That's great, but I guarantee that there is something in your background that is exceptional and can add a unique touch to your customer’s vacation experience.

• Maybe you were a florist before you became a travel agent – that's great! You are going to be exceptional at suggesting fabulous places that gardeners can visit to see spectacular flowers.

• Maybe you were an accountant before you became a travel agent – that's also great! Your unique opportunity might be to help clients develop a savings plan for their vacation, or to show them quick ways to track their spending while on vacation.

• Maybe you were in the health care industry? How about trips for making sure you stay healthy before leaving on your trip, or providing suggestions of the best healthy eating options in the places your customers are traveling?

• Maybe you’ve been to Italy 30 times or India is your passion and you know it better than anyone. Maybe you have taken 300 cruises or sailed on every single Royal Caribbean ship?

These are just a few examples of how you can turn your past experience into something truly unique. Just think – if you had multiple different careers how valuable you can be to your clients.

So how do you tell current and potential clients what makes you unique?

Your website is the first opportunity. Rewrite your home page and "About" page to tell YOUR story, not a story that could belong to anyone else. 

If you don't have a website yet or need a website that's easy to customize, look at Passport Online's  websites for travel agents.

If you are involved in social media, be sure to find groups that may align to your unique specialties. Because if you are a garden tour specialist, this is likely what your customers are looking for, not a 3 night Caribbean cruise.

How do you bring social media into the equation? Find articles and blog posts that are of interest to your customers. The few moments it takes you to tweet that article, or post it to your Facebook fan page will be worth it when your customers see the relevant information you are providing to them even before you have booked their next trip – and you never know, that article could be the turning point that makes your customer think "Wow, THAT'S where I want to go for my vacation".

If you have found it difficult to set aside the time to tweet, or post articles to Facebook, or you aren't sure where to find great articles, look at Agent SociaLink from Passport Online.  It's available on August 23^rd, and designed to help travel agents get interesting, relevant articles in front of their customers.

Sarah Bauman
Passport Online Inc.
sarahb@passportonlineinc.com