Were you listening? | Travel Research Online

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Were you listening?

Two weeks ago…were you listening? There were some pretty powerful messages coming out of Travel Research Online and hopefully you heard them. If not, you likely have lost out on some revenue. And be honest, who doesn’t need some additional revenue right about now? As a direct result of the messages from TRO, I was able to earn $1000 for about 30 seconds of effort. Heck, that’s better than joining a MLM! So what were the two messages and how did I make the money? Facebook and Twitter!

Facebook

I had a group of single parents heading to a “dude” ranch in New York two weekends ago. Two canceled out two days before the trip. Since we negotiate favorable cancellation terms for all of our clients, we were not at risk of losing any money; but we were not going to be making the $425 we had intended. So, how do you find two replacement families in two days that might like to go? I headed over to the Facebook page I established for my company and put out the call. Within 3 hours, I had replaced the two that dropped and even gained one more! Total time spent: 30 seconds.

Twitter

I am an admitted newbie to Twitter and spent a few weeks sort of just watching it to see if I really “got it”. Actually, it was during our “dude” ranch weekend that I fully realized the benefit of it. I had foregone attending the Society of American Travel Writers Conference in Washington, DC to escort my group. I was disappointed at having to miss a few of the speakers and not being able to network with some new and old friends. But Wendy Perrin, Travel Editor of Condé Nast kept me in the loop as she Twittered the key points to me. When I returned, I decided to take the plunge and sent out a Twit about my upcoming group trip to Beaches Turks & Caicos. Within one day, I had an additional booking with a commission of $417. More importantly, this booking brought me over the threshold I needed for some special surprises on the island for my group. Total time spent: 30 seconds.

While one cannot expect these types of returns on each Twit (or is it Tweet?) or Facebook message, it is clear that it is a very viable and valuable method of networking and getting a message out to interested people. Over the years, the travel industry has really seen some changes in the way people like to receive their information. Way back when, it was a phone call and a brochure mailed with a typed letter. We switched to a graphical newsletter, printed and mailed when the desktop publishing came on the scene. Websites emerged along with e-mail. But now they are almost passé; having been surpassed by blogs, and social networking. Successful agencies have changed with their customers. What used to take 500 words and a hand typed letter is now being accomplished in 140 characters or less!

And in case you missed it, go back and read the five entries about social networking and make a promise to yourself to dip your little toe in the pool. The water is really not that bad and you might just find a new way to communicate to your prospects fast and efficiently.

For those that are wondering about me; you can follow me on Twitter, be my friend on Facebook, or become a fan of my company’s Facebook page. Blogs..got one, two and three of them as well. Want to follow TRO? You can follow us on Twitter as well!

What about you? Leave your Twitname (or is it Tweetname) or Facebook link in the comments and we will follow you. Know some great people that you follow, share the wealth!

  One thought on “Were you listening?

  1. Susan says:

    You can find me on Twitter (ShipsNTrips) and Facebook (Susan McClaind Schaefer). I haven’t garnered any bookings from either yet, but I’ve had clients “friend” me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

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