Become a Home Based Travel Agent

Passport Online
An Interview with Greg Kott, President and CEO of Passport Online
By Tom Ogg
 

Tom Ogg recently talked with Greg Kott, President & CEO of Passport Online. Passport is the internet solutions provider for the leisure travel industry, offering complete website solutions, supplier content programs, email marketing and now social media solutions for all travel agents.

Tom: Greg, I know Passport is a website company. But you recently spread your wings into the social media arena as well. Can you tell us a bit about that initiative?

Greg: Sure Tom. At Passport Online, we have been providing travel agents with a website (essentially their digital storefront) for 15 years! We are basically their cheap IT guy, enabling a single person agency to have a fully functional website, complete with the content from over 80 travel industry suppliers, and we can handle all the technical work to make them look good.

But, as the social media frenzy kicked in, our phones started ringing. Our customer service team was addressing more and more questions about various forms of social media. And we knew it was time for us to take the plunge and get involved.

And for your audience in particular, Tom, the social media potential is tremendous. A home-based travel professional is 100 percent reliant on their own relationships. Being social is probably what got them into this business in the first place. Now, demystifying the elements of social media can bring it back to a level of comfort where these travel professionals can and will truly succeed.

Passport engaged the services of a local Portland-based social media and advertising company to manage a research project with existing customers and help design a how-to for travel agents to follow. A pilot project with a core group of travel agencies was created, outlining the opportunities for travel agents to leverage the social media space to grow their business. The project resulted in the development of a step-by-step guide, with more than 150 pages of directions and information that will help travel agents establish a solid social media foundation from which to work.

Our recommendation is that, at a minimum, travel agents should have a website (their digital storefront), a blog, a Facebook Fan Page, and a Twitter account, and tie them together and to their website. We will be assisting our customers in establishing a presence on all of these platforms and assuring that they all drive their customers back to their websites for detailed deals and product offerings.

Social media is becoming a preferred way for people to communicate with each other.  And travel agents need to communicate with their clients in ways their clients  prefer via the Web.  There has never been a better time for travel agents to have a conversation with the consumer in the social media landscape. Agents are now able to leverage social media behavior to create a powerful extension of their current website and digital strategies.

Tom: What does this “social media toolkit” include?

Greg: The toolkit provides not only step-by-step instructions on establishing a presence, but also provides advice on how to develop content, how to get into a content-development routine and how to assure that you maintain your presence effectively on all platforms.  The toolkit will also outline real-world examples from the pilot project, showing how agents used their social media presence to extend their reach and generate new business. Customers can opt to have Passport Online’s social media consultation service help them get started for an additional fee.

Social media does take commitment, but if you think about it in your current day-to-day, you can, over time, easily incorporate it into your workflow. At the beginning of the process, it may take a little more time but it becomes progressively easier and there are plenty of ways to create content in one place and have it automated to be present on just about any social media platform.

Passport customers can request the tool kit by contacting support@passportonlineinc.com. Those who are not currently customers can inquire about the Passport product portfolio at sales@passportonlineinc.com

Passport Online is a leading supplier of Internet tools that help the leisure travel industry reach the travel agency consumer. Millions of unique travel agency consumers use Passport Online's shopping engine on travel agency websites to search for their next vacation experience. Each day, unique consumers are on those sites, seeking the product advice and opportunities offered by their trusted travel agent. Passport Online's key products are VacationPort and NexCite. Passport Online also offers complete email design and delivery services that integrate with the VacationPort and NexCite systems.