The retail travel landscape is changing rapidly in Australia right now. In order to build your marketing presence and stand out from the crowd, there are a few tips you need to know.
Website
Like it or not, the internet is here to stay! And whether your target market is retirees or young adventure travellers, your website is one area you simply can’t afford to ignore.
Did you know that the over 55’s are one of the fastest growing online market segments? From Facebook and Pinterest to Youtube and online search, the older generations are getting amongst it.
Your website is the one of the many faces of your business, so it’s important that it is branded well and delivers on its intention.
The first step is to identify what you want and need from your website, and then weigh up whether the benefits are worth any potential investment.
Emma Whiting Travel, for example, uses its website to inspire and guide clients, while Travelling Fit uses its website to share information about events and packages.
You need to do some digging to find out if you are getting enough traffic to your website, and subsequently through your doors?
You can check this by using Google Analytics – a free software provided by Google to measure usage statistics on your site.
You might want to make sure your site truly represents who and what you are, that you have the right content and are user friendly. One of my biggest complaints when I look at travel sites is the amount of text.
When someone is online, they read differently than when they’re reading a book – and my best tip to help you here is to use less text. Opt for more bullet points, bold headings and facts to keep users engaged. People scan the pages for points of interest, and when they see a huge amount of text they’re likely to leave the site altogether.
Social Media
Have a think about your objectives and your customers before you launch into every other type of social media out there.
Facebook and Pinterest are two of the most used social media tools around and fortunately, both are fantastic for travel retailers.
Pinterest is great for travel agents because it allows you to promote your products and services for free. You can create storyboards to represent your agency, create boards by country, staff members or even bucket list categories. This allows people to explore your personality and your agency before contacting you.
It’s like a magnet drawing more onlookers to your site as you share unique photos, posts and events that may tap their interests and give them the option to repin, like or comment.
Facebook is great because, again, it is free! It’s a great way of building your brand awareness, engaging with and retaining customers, and driving them to your website.
Facebook takes word of mouth to a whole new level, and because nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd, Facebook updates are fast spreading.
Follow other tourism operators to see who’s doing what well. A few examples of successful social media strategy can be found in G Adventures, Jetset Norwood and Visit Queensland, Australia.
Videos are another smart way of reaching your customers and it’s an ideal tool for both social media and your website. Get your staff to film snippets from famils, or simply link to some great recordings already online. You’ll quickly see how far your brand spreads with every like, share and comment.
Travellers (and would be travellers) love to see what others are doing. Social media makes this so much easier to achieve, so get on board and discover your potential.
For more hints and tips check out our website.
