Travel Agency Website Advertising: Finally Simple, Good and Cheap.
December 5, 2007
December 6, 2007 – N. Padre Island, Texas – GemTravelSites.com announced the expansion of their network advertising program allowing travel agencies and suppliers to display text ads, graphical banner ads and rich media on customer-centric travel websites and blogs. Starting at $25 per month, the program offers a simplified version of traditional website advertising.
“CPC, CPM, PPC, PPA. None of that matters if you don’t get one thing. ROI. Return on Investment, noted Chelle Yarbrough, CTC, President of GemTravelSites. There are several great programs out there: ones that sell blind leads, consortiums that route traffic to local agencies, mega-sites of generic ads, and of course there is the pay-per-click and pay-per-action models of Google, MSN and Yahoo, which are great, but can get very expensive if you’re not careful. That can become a full-time job, and most would agree that their job is selling travel. Our network of niche websites makes it easier and much more affordable to get a destination wedding message in front of a bride, for example.”
The network of sites are all niche oriented: luxury travel, last minute travel, group cruises, class reunion & alumni cruises, destination weddings, honeymoon registry, tropical travel, condo vacations, spa vacations, ski vacations, adventure travel, eco-travel, family vacations & various destinations. Each of the sites are individually maintained with professionally written content and the latest “Web 2.0″ features. All are unique, but most include blogs, long-tail URLs, tags, RSS feeds, discussion forums and wikis and are designed for high traffic and return visitors. The network doesn’t allow popup ads, popunders or other types of questionable advertising methods.
“There are a lot of blips on the radar”, continues Yarbrough, “but content is king and keywords are queen. We build and maintain the sites to appeal to consumers; to have engaging content, simple, clean design and a compelling reason to get involved and stay involved with our sites. Agents are now able to use our network to get advertise their website, agency specialization or offer for as little as $25 per month on a site devoted to what they specialize in. It is a flat, simple fee that any agent can afford. We don’t sell travel, our mission is to drive the consumer to the advertisement that matches their need.”
Advertisers are given access to an interface to manage their own ads, and can change the wording and placement as they see fit. Complete reporting is available on demand and weekly teleclasses teach the advertiser how to both use the web-based software, and also the best practices for website advertising in general.
For More Information, visit GemTravelSites.com
Conversing Digitally – The Basics of E-mail Rapport
November 30, 2007
With all the wonders of e-mail and its possibilities for connecting you with clients and potential clients, there is a downside – you can’t see the person you’re conversing with. That makes it hard to for you to judge their reaction to what you’re saying. Without hearing their voice or seeing their body language, it makes it difficult for you to know what to say next.
E-mail is a wonderful tool, but it’s just that: a tool. It cannot replace the basics of building a rapport with your client, which should be what your online business plan is all about. Your online presence should not simply be about making sales, it should be about showing your clients and potential clients that their travel needs are best handled by a seasoned, polished professional – you. You need to show them that you care about their overall business and not just their immediate dollars.
The defining question in the online marketplace is, quite simply, who has the customer relationship? To succeed, the answer must be you. Here are some basic things you can put into practice today to improve your e-mail finesse:
Be liberal in what you receive and conservative in what you send
This means you shouldn’t overreact if a client says something that seems rude. Chances are they didn’t intend to be offensive. On the other hand, take a look at what you’re sending them. Always keep it professional, even if you think the client is your friend. Those really funny jokes may not be funny to them at all. Refrain from trying to build a personal relationship with them by relying on your good sense of humor: everyone has a different opinion of what’s humorous.
Pick up the phone and call
Even the most wired people like to hear a real live human voice now and then. It shows that you really care about them. If your clients are local then a meeting (also known in geek-speak as face-mail) is a good idea, too.
Don’t clutter their world
If you use a mailing list to send out specials, don’t send multiple advertisements each week for the hottest deals. I’ve just unsubscribed from a national hockey club’s mailing list because they sent me 8 urgent notices last week alone. (An offer to buy a $20 sweatshirt is not urgent to me.) Know your audience, keep your content relevant and concise and compile all your specials into one weekly mailing. Most airlines and vendors send their specials out on Wednesday. Try to send yours on Monday or Tuesday and beat the rush.
Spell-check. Enough said.
Get another set of eyeballs
Let someone else proofread an important note or response before sending it. Don’t let a small mistake ruin a great note. Perception is everything.
Never reply when you’re angry
Leave the recipient’s address off the note while you compose it and add it in right before sending. That way there’s no chance of accidentally sending it before it’s ready. Cool off before you reply, or even better, pick up the phone and call. Some things should never be said in e-mail.
Don’t SPAM
Never send unsolicited e-mail. You’ll kill your business and maybe even get kicked off your Internet service provider to boot.
Don’t get too attached
If you want to send a document to a client, call first to make sure they have compatible software to open what you are sending. Not everyone has the latest software or even the same manufacturer as you. Most are compatible, but it’s best to check and save the recipient the frustration and time of opening a non-compatible attachment. Once you’ve verified that it will work, virus scan the document before you send it and add a note alerting them that there should be an attachment and you’ve scanned it prior to sending with XYZ software. It’s no guarantee, but it shows that you’re on the ball.
Keep it plain, Jane
Know the difference between HTML and plain-text e-mail. I always suggest sending plain-text e-mail since some e-mail programs aren’t set up to read the fancy stationery, graphics or fonts.
Sign it properly
Always include a signature line. E-mail isn’t perfect and if you don’t give them an alternate way to connect with you, you could lose them. My signature line covers all the important aspects of contact – name, address, phone number, web address, fax number and e-mail address.
In the best case, e-mail is a professional powerhouse for serving your clients. With a little planning and some proper training, your clients will appreciate that you’ve added another way to keep them connected. Worst case, better get out your papyrus and a good stylus.
Online Travel Agency Success Stories: How to Be One.
November 30, 2007
Your web site is up and running and it looks fabulous. Rich content, plenty of eye-candy and all the right links in all the right places. You’ve even gotten a few leads from the site. Any day now and the money will be pouring in and Fox News will be reporting on your public stock offering.
Reality Check.
Are you ready to be an Internet success story? Great. So is every other travel agency with a web browser. How can you compete? You’ve got one shot. How you handle the potential customers. An amazing web site, creative marketing and strong traffic cannot grow your online business without the right handling of the inquiries that come in. These leads require a different way of thinking. Here are some observations I’ve made over the past seven years:
Forget Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific – Think Web-Time. It’s a whole new global time zone. Potential customers want information immediately and they are steadily getting used to shopping at 4 a.m.. To increase your chances of working with a customer, you should plan on getting back with any overnight inquires by 10 a.m. the next day and within 30 minutes throughout the day. Be sure someone watches the incoming e-mail on the weekends, too.
Call first to confirm – one of my clients was very excited to receive a cruise lead on a Disney Group. It was very promising and she spent quite a bit of time researching it and e-mailing all the information back to the customer. They exchanged several e-mails and it looked better and better as time went on. When it was far enough along in the process, she called to get a credit card number – only to discover it was a 12 year old boy trying to get his parents to book the trip. One initial phone call would have saved many wasted hours.
If the potential customer includes a note in their e-mail that says, ‘do not call’ then it’s probably one of two things – a) not a serious inquiry or b) another travel agent ’shopping’ your rates, which is more and more common these days. In my experience, serious inquiries do not mind a phone call to introduce yourself, discuss your qualifications and establish some rapport.
Think beyond the sale. When we design web sites for small & medium size travel agency clients, we include a consultation in which we determine what customers they would like to target. We stress that they should not think in terms of growing their sales base, but growing their customer base. One agency client is now working with customers that have booked four repeat cruises!
Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up. Converting leads to sales is not an easy process, but follow-up is worth all the effort.
Keep content fresh and in front of them. Many sites we redesign haven’t been touched in months. Web customers are always on the lookout for the best deal and if they see a lovely banner that says ‘Happy Holidays’ in late January then they will surf off to another site. Another high priority is to keep a mailing list and advise your customers of new specials and make it easy for them to reply.
Finally, take stock of the most obvious (but often overlooked) point of differentiation. How are your customer service skills? It may sound simplistic, but think about who you do business with and why. As a customer, I drive an extra 15 minutes and pay slightly more for groceries simply because I can get everything under one roof – that’s called value. I also shop there because they carry everything to the car – that’s called service.
If you make it easy to do business with you, offer good value and genuinely treat the customer well, you can successfully compete with mega-agencies, direct-selling vendors and web-based travel agencies. Make these points part of your online business plan and then I’ll be on the lookout for your public stock offering.
Hitter or Pitcher? Pick One and Be the Best.
November 30, 2007
I heard a story years ago (and I think it’s now even a song) of a little boy playing an imaginary game of baseball by himself. It’s in the heat of the pennant race, the bottom of the ninth inning and there are two outs when he comes up to hit.
He tells himself that he is the greatest player of all time – better than Sosa, DiMaggio and Ruth together. He tosses the ball in the air to pitch to himself and takes a huge swing — and misses. Strike one.
He buckles down, readies himself for the next pitch, and — strike two. Finally, with the game, the series and the pennant on the line, he steps up to the plate again, and with the determination of McGwire he “calls” his home run. He is the greatest. He cannot lose.
His mom calls him to come in, but he barely hears her over the roar of the crowd. This is his moment and he takes his shot with all his might.
The umpire yells Strike three!
As he walks home, the boy says to himself,
“I didn’t know I could pitch like that. I really am the greatest!”
I may have a form of baseball fever, but I use this as an illustration of how agencies need to focus on their core competencies. Are you a hitter or a pitcher? If you’re trying to be both, then the rules of the game say that one side will lose.
Figure out what you do best and do it. Don’t try and be all things to all people. Those days are over. The Internet has transformed the way the public researches and purchases travel forever, and that’s a good thing. We now have the potential to reach consumers that appreciate our professionalism and expertise and are usually willing to pay for it. You’ve got to show them that you’re worth it.
So, once you’ve figured out that you’re a family travel specialist or an Aussie specialist or a small-upscale-African-safari-but-only-to-the-eastern-continentspecialist, make sure you stay on top of your field. Know your suppliers, know the destination, and know your resources.
What you’re really selling is yourself. Your clients have already decided on the destination and they pretty much know what they’re going to spend. They are out there and they’re waiting for you to let them know that you’re out there,too.
In this era of tiered commissions and preferred supplier agreements, a specialty is not only smart marketing strategy,it’s good business. And every ball player knows that strategy wins over sheer strength and size every time.
Play Ball!
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