This is the third in a series of columns dedicated to helping you promote your brand. Presenting an impressive profile is critical, especially for reaching clients virtually.
Important components of your profile are your education and expertise. You can bolster both through The Travel Institute’s Premium Access Library, a collection of “TED-Talk” type webinars delivered by experts on sales, marketing, social media, business planning and much more, along with industry white papers and blog posts on a variety of topics, destination and lifestyle specialist as well as business management courses.
You also can expand your education and expertise through continuing coursework, such as that contained inside our Certified Travel Associate, (CTA®), Certified Travel Counselor, (CTC®), and Certified Travel Industry Executive (CTIE®) courses.
The following excerpt is taken from the Marketing and Promoting Your Business module, which is part of the CTA curriculum.
Every day, thousands of consumers planning their next vacation are scouring the internet, including social media chat groups, looking for information. You should be there to answer their questions and help them with booking details.
Start to build your profile, so potential clients can see your level of expertise, education, and experience the minute they see your name. Treat your profile like a storefront that displays your brand and your services: for example, Mary Yohannon, CTIE. As a certified travel professional with the Travel Institute, you have your own Digital Credential Profile, which allows the consumer to verify your higher education, specialty, and contact information. Be sure to include this digital credential in all your signature lines, webpages, social media sites, and any other profile directories in which you are listed. If you have your CTA, CTC, or CTIE, click here to learn how to set up your digital credential.
Once you have your educational profile set up, it’s time to bring it to the next level and take advantage of other profile directories of which you are a part. Be sure to have your professional photo and include short videos that complement your brand and services. Of course, refine your profile so it gives visitors the best possible image of your unique value proposition (UVP).
Here are some great tips from Travel Institute alum Mary Yohannan, CTIE, of Life Is Better Traveling LLC:
Build a connection! People want confidence in the travel advisor they are planning their next vacation with. You can build this confidence in a profile by connecting with them first. These are three things I put into my profile to build confidence and make a connection:
- Make your profile about the clients. What do you—as the travel advisor—do for them during the planning stages, while they are on the trip, and even after they have come home? People are searching for advisors who understand them and are willing to take the time to get to know them, not just book their trip. When you explain what you will do for them, you are connecting with them. Making a connection is key in helping clients make the decision in wanting to plan with you.
- Make sure to sprinkle into your profile a few client reviews. More than 80% of people read reviews before making a choice of whom they want to plan their next vacation. Adding reviews to your profile is a powerful tool in helping them make that decision to want to plan with you.
- I love to give two to three sentences about why I love the destination(s) I am planning. If I have been to the location, I give a personal touch with my favorite sites, foods, tours, and even my #1 tip on what not to miss. I use a picture of me at the destination to give confidence that they are planning with someone who has first-hand knowledge. If I haven’t been to that spot, I ask one of my clients who has been there if I can use that person’s picture and story in my profile to help with marketing. With the client’s approval, I then use the description of the experience while adding what I had done for the client as his or her travel advisor. This is yet another great way to build a connection!
Thank you, Mary, for those amazing practical tips!
We’ll add one more: Once your profile is finished, use it for all communications and exposures you have to clients.
First impressions count, so promote yourself by taking the time to create an informative and memorable profile!
