TravelResearchOnline.com Blog

An unfortunate temptation in marketing your travel business is to scurry from one tactic to the next looking for the next magic “trick” that will make clients come streaming through the door. The lure of the newest, the latest and great marketing gimmick is strong, but often comes at the expense of fundamentals.  Thus, you [...]

Most people only know how to evaluate a situation when it is poorly done. They take good craft for granted.  Don’t let your accomplishments remain hidden. If you grabbed a suite from a full sailing for a client, or wrangled a special reservation, or found a special deal for a client, let them know you [...]

As a travel consultant, it is important to remember that you have expert insight into a topic of keen interest to consumers. One of the best marketing strategies is to offer a useful free report on a travel topic in which potential clients might have an interest. Here are some possible topics:

You have a big story to tell. It’s the story of who you are as a travel consultant, of the company you work for, the people you work with. It’s the story of the professional resources you have at your disposal and the associations to which you belong. You tell the story in a lot [...]

A company’s USP is its Unique Selling Point - something that makes it different from all other companies of its type. Is there something about your business that is so unique that customers would do business with you based on that one quality alone? If so, you have located your USP and are on the [...]

Whether you consider yourself “green” or not, there is one place where every travel planner should be an environmentalist - your office. No matter if you spend your days in an office building with associates down the hall or in a converted spare bedroom, your office is your constant companion. A few moments thinking about [...]

There is an art to listening well and clients want to be heard. But listening is certainly more than hearing what your travel client or supplier is saying. Hearing a critique or commentary is a good beginning, but the art of active listening involves two additional steps that are indispensable to effective communication. If you [...]

Instinctively, humans seek out heroes. In our political, social and family life, we know the value of a person who will step up and take charge, who will risk safety and comfort for a greater good. Deep in our archetypal psyche, the stories of men and women who have managed to persist against great odds [...]

A key objective of marketing your travel planning practice is assuring a flow of new clients through the door. Retention of your existing clients is absolutely necessary and challenging in and of itself, but the acquisition of new clients provides for growth. If you are not taking measures to acquire new clients, attrition of your [...]

When designing your marketing efforts, remember the principle of frequency: a potential client typically needs to hear your message several times before responding. Too many marketing efforts look like bursts of activity rather than well-designed campaigns. In order to gain mindshare, your marketing and advertising efforts need to have a consistent look and feel and be repeated [...]