Shaunterra Kirkwood, CTC
“Ignoring online marketing is like opening a business but not telling anyone.”, KB Marketing Agency.
An agent has started their entrepreneurial journey. Travel is the product of choice, and the agent has elected to become an Independent Agent. Now What? This paper seeks to provide information for a successful marketing strategy for new travel agents that are Independent Contractors.
Independent Travel Agents typically work from home and are not directly affiliated with any major tour company. Agents will work to build relationships with Tour Suppliers, attract their clientele and provide the services of a travel agent without a roadmap or playbook from a major travel company. Being profitable is a major key to having a successful business and the independent agent’s clientele is the key to success. The challenge that many agents face is identifying, attracting, and maintaining their ideal client.
Upon starting a business, the business owner is eager to make the first sale to anyone that wants to travel. However, to create a substantiable business, one must take a step back and think of their ideal client. Rebecca Patterson provides seven ways to identify your client.
For new agents that do not have a client base, this is a perfect opportunity to create a mental image of the ideal client. Take the time to walk through and craft answers for each step. This will help the new agent identify their target client and establish their niche. A niche is “a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service”. Patterson ends her Forbes article by sharing, “If your efforts are to serve everyone, you will actually end up serving no one. There are people out there who genuinely need and value what you offer and are ready to buy from you now.”
Now that the agent has identified their niche or ideal client base, the agent will have an idea on how to reach the client. There are 9 types of marketing strategies to help a company stand out and reach more customers and boost sales. Marketing has evolved from Print to Television to Phone and it is up to the next generation to develop a platform to reach additional clients. However, with all the technology around us, we do not want to leave out the time-tested Referral or Word of Mouth. Diving into the 9 marketing strategies will allow us to explore the purpose of each and determine if these strategies are suitable for new independent agents.
Content Marketing consists for Blogs/Vlogs and social media posts that provide information to the client.
Social Media Marketing is a cost-effective tool to promote engagement with prospective clients. This is accomplished through various applications such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Tik-Tok, Instagram and YouTube.
Influencer Marketing utilizes popular figures on social media to help promote a product or service to their numerous followers.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a combination of Search Engine Optimization and Pay-per-click advertising. Google’s marketing tool is the premiere SEM.
Email Marketing allows users to send targeted mailings to individuals that have registered to receive the messages.
Public Relations aims to position the company or agent as a leader in the field.
Print Marketing this can be in the form of billboards or magazines.
Direct Mail this is like Email Marketing however, the mailings arrive in the client’s mailbox.
Television and Radio think TV or Radio commercials
When thinking of what strategy is best for the new independent agent, the agent must consider the Target Audience and Marketing Budget. Let’s consider 3 marketing approaches for a small, medium, and unlimited budget.
If you are Marketing with a very limited budget, you should utilize Content and Social Media Marketing. This can be done with no budget, but it requires the agent’s sweat equity. Create your social media business handle, engage with people and groups that fit the niche market. Post informative and engaging content to attract members to your group and to follow you. Create a landing page to capture emails. Once the agent has established an online relationship with members of the group, the agent can message members directly and share Call to Action content directly with the members.
Agents that have medium budgets can elevate the Content and Social Media Marketing and incorporate Email Marketing. The Social Media marketing can incorporate Ads which are targeted to your niche market. Do not cast the net too wide on the marketing and think that everyone is your client. It is essential that you focus the marketing on your niche. Join an integrated support company like Mailchimp for a nominal monthly fee. The plans will help the agent target emails to the correct recipients at the right time.
For Agents with unlimited budgets, a combination of all strategies would work well. The agent may hire professionals to run the social media platforms, create content and serve as PR agents. It is key to remember the target audience.
Even with all the marketing components noted above, the most cost-effective marketing is Word of Mouth. In Eric Worre’s, “The Ultimate Memory Jogger”, Eric does a phenomenal job giving categories to help jog the memory of who the agent knows. Worre references an interview with Harvey Mackay the author of “How To Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive”, he shares that Mackay continually grows his contact list based on teachings from his father. Mackay’s father advised him “starting today and for the rest of your life, I want you to take every person you meet, get their contact information and find a creative way to stay in touch”. Agents should reach out, reach in, and reach up and contact everyone they have encountered to share the new business venture. If the names that the agent lists are not a part of the niche, do not discount the name. These individual(s) can lead the agent to someone that maybe in the agent’s niche. Memory Joggers can also lead the agent to a Pied Piper for the next major booking. The Pied Piper has influence with a particular group and can be integral for leading others to the agent and the tour the agent is pitching.
New agents should understand that there is no single marketing strategy that will lead to success. However, as KB Marketing Agency advised online marketing is key to informing potential clients that you are open for business.
As a new agent, I found myself reading books on Social Network Marketing as well as attending seminars from various Social Influencers. The common thread of these courses included: Defining your market, Establishing a Social Media presence, Creating a consistent schedule for designing and sharing creative engagement content. This is truly a winning strategy when executed.
Effective content contains three characteristics: authentic to the brand, useful to the audience and relevant to the industry. However, this approach only focuses on one aspect of the marketing strategy. As the new agent builds the online audience, the goal is to take the audience offline. By taking the audience offline the agent is establishing a relationship beyond the social media presence. This is done in the form of one on one or one to many in a zoom, phone call or local meeting. People like to know the individual behind the small business that they will support. This High-Tech High-Touch approach builds trust. People do business with those that the “Like Know and Trust”. Once trust is established and the client is ready to book, there is an opportunity to inquire about other family and friends that may desire to take the planned trip or a similar trip in the future. A simple question, “Do you know others that desire to travel?” Your social media strategy is leading into the Word-of-Mouth strategy…The trusted referral approach.
As the new agent gets to know the potential client, it is good to share why the agent is a part of the industry. I often share a personal story that captures the wonder of travel that my children experienced on one of their earlier trips. Because of the joy of discovery that the trip brought my children, it has become my mission to help other families make lasting impressionable memories with their family members. The agent must find the why and craft it to a heartfelt and meaning story that draws the client. This allows the client to understand the agent’s passion for travel and serving others.
New agents must remember the phrase that I learned from my training, ABM – “Always Be Marketing”. In simple terms, always share or display the fact that you are an agent. This can be achieved by a simple wearable such as a shirt or bag, sharing industry knowledge on social media, taking a drink from your favorite custom mug or water bottle. These simple items are conversation starters. It is an opening to share just a bit and listen to your potential client. Remember to use the Mackay philosophy, get their contact information, and find a creative way to stay in touch.
Agents should not forget clients that have traveled and returned home. Remember one of the keys to success is to maintain the ideal client. Just as the agent asked questions to plan the perfect trip, it is equally important to follow-up post trip. For new agents, you should also consider a method to keep the lines of communication open during the trip. This will allow the agent to confirm that the client arrives in destination safely and that all accommodations and planned tours are going as expected. Keeping in mind that if there are some anomalies, the agent can help sort things out in the client’s favor. Once the client returns home, the agent can express thank you with a handwritten note and get feedback on the overall trip. This is also a time to get a client testimonial.
While a new agent may gravitate to a marketing strategy that appeals to them, they must execute a strategy that will allow them to meet and attract the client that they desire. Once the agent has the client, it is imperative that the agent services the client pre-trip, during and post trip. While the agent will learn that each client is unique, the agent’s basic support strategy should accommodate all clients. The travel agent is there to ensure that the client’s needs are met. When a client feels supported, they are more inclined to share positive stories about the agent to family and friends. Word of Mouth will be a key marketing strategy.
Bibliography
Quotation KB Marketing Agency, https://www.kbmarketing.agency
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