I once had a travel professional take me to task because I provided them with an article in USA Today which also contained advertising for other travel programs. That would never do, she assured me, because like so many other papers and magazines, USA Today was “filled with travel advertising.” Likewise, many agents will not link to travel articles that include the contact information of hotels or tour operators. I believe many travel professionals sometimes work with an over-broadly image of their competition because they have failed to properly define their customer base and their proper relationship to their clients. To these few, the landscape is filled with competition. This perspective is informed by the idea that the travel consultant is “selling” travel. That is what Travelocity does, just as suppliers do. They sell travel with few frills, often based on price alone.
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Wondering how you might get more engagement to your Facebook social media postings? As an experiment, Voyager spent $20 to boost the posting below to a Facebook audience of people who:
The results were outstanding!
The value of a web site for a travel agent is real. Many continue to operate without a web site and even if they have one, without due consideration for basic design and marketing principles. However, consumers expect business operators to have a web site and the real question is more often the role the website will play in the overall marketing plan of the travel agency. An American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) report titled on Technology & Website Usage revealed some travel professionals using a Facebook page in lieu of a website indicating a degree of confusion about the role of both a Facebook page and a website in a marketing strategy. It's worthwhile to again consider the role of a web site in marketing your travel agency. As you may know, I’m currently engaged in a study of travel agency websites. Indulge me for a moment and consider the merit of my strongly held belief: consumers don’t need another place to buy travel. Consumers have an almost unlimited access to travel product. They can buy direct from suppliers, from other travel agents, from monster-sized online sites, and from organizations and clubs like AARP or Costco. Travel, travel everywhere. Most travel agents will overtly agree with the idea they do not sell travel. However, too often their web sites betray another self-image. On the home page of many travel agency web sites, dozens of supplier logos flash at the viewer like the reels on a slot machine. Most of the text is about suppliers, supplier properties and features. In fact, there is often very little information about the travel agency at all, and what information is available is couched in vague language about “great customer service.”
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