Jennifer Walker, CTC
Picture this: You’re at a travel industry conference, webinar, or FAM trip and an older travel consultant like me (mid-40s and up) is moaning about their lack of social media savvy and inability to relate to Millennials, questioning why they should even bother to learn and use social media for their travel business. It seems like this has been a hot topic of conversation for years, and as one of those “older” agents who has often been intimidated by technology and didn’t know a tweet from a chat, I’ve unexpectedly found success working with Millennials, and I’m here to share practical applications that have worked in my own small, home-based agency, and that could work in your agency as well.
Who are the Millennials?
Millennials, also known as Generation Y, were born between 1980 and 1995 (ages 22-37) and represent the largest generation in US history (84 million strong). It is estimated that by 2025, Millennials will make up 75% of the workforce.(1) They grew up watching TVs with hundreds of channels, enjoyed feel-good programs like “Friends”, learned through team-building exercises, and are eager to explore the exotic locations they’ve seen on programs like “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race”.(2)
Why should agents care about Millennials and the use of social media to attract them?
More than any other generation, Millennials are the leaders in seeking out traditional travel agents. According to a study by ASTA, “Best of Both Worlds: Quantifying How Travel Agents Save Consumers Time and Money”(3) :
• 30% of Millennials had used a travel agent in the past 12 months
• 45% were extremely likely to recommend a travel agent to a friend or family member
• Millennials tend to search online or on social media for travel information
• Agents are more reachable by Millennials when they have a prominent online presence
• 40% of Millennials surveyed reported earning more than $100,000 per year.
So if Millennials are the most likely generation to seek out traditional travel agents, use online searches and social media to gather travel information, and have the money to spend on trips, why wouldn’t an agent make more of an effort to attract these prospects in the environment where they hang out the most (online)? My answer to that is that it’s not the Millennials who are the problem. It’s the attitude the travel agent has toward social media that is the problem.
In her book, “The Social Media Why: A Busy Professional’s Practical Guide to using Social Media Including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+ and Blogs for Business,”(4) author Crystal Washington recommended writing down the things that annoy you, that you’re afraid of, or that create negative feelings for you about using social media sites. In other words, what bothers you about social media? Is it a lack of time to invest in learning and using it? Is it a fear of strangers knowing too much about you? Does it scare you and make you feel like you’re being left behind? Once you’re able to clearly identify what it is that is holding you back from jumping into social media with both feet, then you can find practical ways to overcome those fears and bad attitudes and be able to leverage social media to attract new clients—especially those Millennials you’re seeking.
To help get you going, I’ve come up with five simple steps to quick-start your use of social media, providing real-life scenarios from my own experiences, an easy solution I found to address the challenge, and practical applications you can use in your own agency to grow your Millennial business. I show you where to fish, how to fish, the type of bait to use, how to successfully reel them in, and how to keep a Millennial relationship healthy for the long-term once you’ve “hooked” them.
Five simple steps to build your online presence and “hook” Millennials
Step #1: Determine where to fish: Selecting a social media platform for your agency’s use.
Real-life scenario: When I first decided to dip my toes in the social media waters, I was under the mistaken impression that I needed to have an account and presence on all the major social media platforms of the time—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn. The problem with that was two-fold: (1) New platforms were constantly being created, so I wasn’t keeping up with the changes or becoming proficient in any single platform; and (2) My potential clients weren’t hanging out everywhere I was, so I was missing out on opportunities to build relationships with them. For example, I was told by a travel industry coach that it was an absolute MUST to have an active LinkedIn account. I invested time and money taking a class to learn LinkedIn. Well, guess what? All I was attracting there were travel suppliers from around the world. My prospective clients weren’t even using LinkedIn and while it’s a wonderful social media platform, it wasn’t the right one for my agency.
Solution: It’s difficult to build online relationships with Millennials if you aren’t hanging out where they are. The best solution is simply to ASK them which social media platform they use to communicate.
Application: If you use a pre-printed consultation form, online survey, or you have a checklist of questions you use with clients during the qualifying process, simply add a question to your list that asks which social media platform the client enjoys using the most. If you find that the majority of your Millennial clients are hanging out on Facebook, then that’s where you should be, too. Try to focus on no more than 1-3 social media platforms at the most, and learn to use them well.
Step #2: Know how to fish: Learning the ins and outs of the social media platform you have selected.
Real-life scenario: While on a Sandals FAM the presenter was encouraging travel agents to use Instagram for sharing pictures of the resorts and food we were enjoying. Well, I didn’t have a clue what Instagram was, how to set it up, or how to use it. Usually when faced with that type of situation, I end up not even trying—convincing myself I don’t have the time, skills, or patience at my age to learn something new.
Solution: I asked a young, Millennial-aged agent sitting beside me, who was buried in her phone a lot, if she could help me. To make a long story short, every “older” agent at our table ended up handing our phones to her, and she set up our accounts and gave us basic instructions on how to use Instagram. She was thrilled to help, and we were posting pictures within minutes!
Application: Find someone who is already proficient with the social media platform and ask them to help you set it up and instruct you on how to use it. This could be your child, a coworker, a client, a fellow travel agent, or the social media expert at your consortium/host agency. You could even do what I did when I wanted to know more about Facebook—I took a 2-hour class at the local community college where I got help setting up my personal profile and business page, and learned how to set my privacy controls, since as a home-based agent I was worried about sharing too much personal information with strangers. Since then, I’ve learned more about Facebook through free online training sessions provided by my consortium, through webinars, and from fellow agents. The fact of the matter is there are a lot of resources available to you. You simply need to apply yourself to seeking them out and using them to your advantage.
Step #3: Dangle the right bait: What to post on social media to attract Millennials.
Real-life scenario: The toughest challenge for me has been deciding what to post and remaining consistent at doing so. While I’m really great at posting pictures while I’m traveling, I wasn’t doing a good job of posting something every day from my boring office, and it was not unusual for several days to go by (or weeks) between posts. I was failing to consistently engage my audience, and it was my own fault because I wasn’t making it a priority.
Solution: Millennials absolutely love pictures and videos, so I found it was unnecessary to come up with a lot of text. A great photo will get more Likes, Comments, and Shares than anything else I post.
Application: Use photos and videos that you have taken or that are available to you for free through travel suppliers and tourism bureaus. If you don’t know how to download/upload them, seek out help from your supplier Business Development Manager (make those sales reps earn their keep), or get help from a fellow travel agent or perhaps someone in the media department at your local school or church. The better the quality of photo, the more effective it will be at attracting attention. You might even consider purchasing photos from a source such as Deposit Photos, or by paying someone else to handle your social media posts, such as Passport Online’s ESP program for Facebook or through Catherine Heeg’s company, Customized Management Solutions. The amount of time and effort you will save will be worth the price, and it will eliminate any worries you have related to technology. Put your time and energies into what you’re good at—selling travel—and get help with the areas you’re not an expert in or that you don’t have sufficient time to do well. Post something daily to stay top of mind with your followers, and try to post during optimal times. On a recent webinar with Passport Online, the following times were reported to be the best time to post on social media to achieve the optimum amount of reach: Monday (1-3pm), Tuesday (1-3pm), Wednesday (3-4pm), Thursday (1-4pm), Friday (1-4pm), Saturday (12-1pm), and Sunday (12-1pm). If you schedule your posts ahead of time, or use a site like HootSuite, keep these optimum times in mind. In just one week of adjusting the time of day I release posts, my online engagement statistics are up.
Step #4: Reel ‘em in: How to start relationships with Millennials.
Real-life scenario: I actually attracted my first Millennials at a local bridal show. My goal wasn’t to get into the romance travel niche or to specifically market to Millennials, it was simply to get the word out that my agency even existed. I had just acquired the agency and changed the name. My website wasn’t finished as expected, my work email had functionality issues, and I wasn’t actively using social media yet. What made it a successful show was being in the same place the Millennials were hanging out physically, and working quickly to establish ways we could connect socially online.
Solution: I handed out business cards and rack cards with brief blurbs about me, my agency contact information, and the solutions and services I provide. Within a week of the bridal show my website and email were functional. Shortly thereafter, I was posting on Facebook. Years later, I still have prospective clients tell me they held onto that information until they could afford to travel. Today, most of my Millennial business comes from social media sharing and referrals and from online testimonials provided by those original bridal show clients. Millennials are very social and happy to share your information with friends and family. Staying in touch through social media makes the process more efficient. If you attract one Millennial, more will come!
Application: From the text on your website to your social media posts, what you put out into the world should represent who you are. Be authentic. Be transparent. Be honest. If you have a quirky sense of humor, let it show. By being your genuine self, and expressing it through words, pictures, and actions—in person and online–you’ll attract clients who value those traits, and you’ll be more likely to quickly establish a relationship and reel them in as a valuable client. Regularly sharing your life and travel adventures on social media makes you relatable, and it keeps you top-of-mind with prospective clients. Your content and pictures will keep them engaged. Regularly invite them to Like and Share your Facebook business page with friends and family, as well as to provide written testimonials that you can put on your website and share on social media. They love that and the best time to ask them for a referral or testimonial is when you follow-up immediately after a trip they’ve enjoyed. Make it easy for them by emailing links to your various social media accounts where they may copy and paste the same testimonial across several platforms. Be sure to thank them in some way for their efforts and time—a hand-written thank you card, or a small gift.
Step #5: Keep ‘em healthy: How to maintain long-lasting relationships with Millennials.
Real-life scenario: The initial trip is over, so the challenge becomes how to keep the Millennial client engaged until they book another trip as well as send additional business your way.
Solution: Stay in a relationship with them through social media.
Application: While there are any number of creative ways you can stay connected online with your Millennial clients, here are a few ways I’ve found to be successful using social media:
1. Personally invite them to Like and Share your Facebook business page, and any other social media platforms you actively use.
2. Like and Comment on their posts (it shows you’re still interested in them).
3. Celebrate their accomplishments—congratulate them on a new home, new job, baby.
4. Invite them to provide testimonials and photos from their recent trip—they love to share and will consider it a “pay-back” for the efforts you made to ensure they had a great experience. You’ll be surprised how many prospects read every word of the online reviews and testimonials and oftentimes will seek you out as a travel agent because they know someone you’ve worked with in the past.
5. Encourage their passions—share pictures and information about places they have expressed an interest in, or that are on their personal Bucket List, and tease them online about when they’re going to go and who they’re going to take with them (Millennials love to travel with their friends, so there is a lot of potential for Group sales). Tag them in your post, so they are aware of it.
In today’s travel industry, the Millennial generation has had a large impact on how traditional travel agents communicate and promote their businesses. Agents who readily adapt to using social media, and who have an obvious online presence, are more favorably positioned to attract the lucrative Millennial business. Knowing which social media platforms your Millennial prospects utilize, becoming proficient in those social media platforms, and posting valuable content on a regular basis, are the first steps in attracting Millennial clients. Being where they hang out socially—both before and after their trip—will keep them “hooked”, providing your agency with future business and growth opportunities as those Millennials share their experiences and pictures online with others, refer new business your way, and continue to book their own trips with someone they have a trusted and valuable relationship with—YOU!
Notes:
(1) “Marketing Travel to Millennials.” TravelAgentCentral.com. 16 Nov. 2012
(2) Mancini, Marc. “The Five Things You Must Know About Millennials.” The Travel Institute > Friday Five. 30 Oct. 2015
(3) Moseder, David. “Research: How to Redefine Millennial Travelers.” TravelAgentCentral.com. 10 Aug. 2016
(4) Washington, Crystal. The Social Media Why: A Busy Professional’s Practical Guide to Using Social Media Including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+ and Blogs for Business. McCarthy House Press. 2013
