Ringing in New Customers: Travel Agents Share Growth Strategies for 2019
by Cheryl Rosen /
Travel Market Report asked travel advisors around the country to share what worked best for them in 2018 and what their resolutions are for bringing in new customers in 2019. Here are some of their ideas.
What worked best in 2018?
“I really focused on my group business. Vicki Freed often shares a simple tip: Ask ‘Who do you know that might like to take advantage of this great pricing and vacation with you?’ I was able to grow a group to 51 cabins, in 2018, just by asking this question as I collected the deposit on each cabin," said Carol Nunnery, franchise owner of Dream Vacations in Girardeau, Missouri.
Jordan Brown, owner of Travel Vibe in Waterford, Wisconsin said: “I attended a lot of different consumer shows. I often have a Funjet representative with me, and I always display all of my licensing; to a consumer, the IATA and CLIA certifications are one more piece that adds trust. I have a sleek and contemporary booth. I don’t do seashell; I use black tablecloths, maybe Bob Marley playing reggae. If there is a big football game on, I play it on TV. For destination weddings, I offer to do house calls; about 80 percent of customers take me up on that, and all seven I did in 2018 ended up giving me their business."
A simple strategy from Chris Caulfield,owner of Chris Caulfield CruiseOne, Croton-on-Hudson, New York said: “I posted on Instagram, which opened up my business to so many people I would never have reached before.”
Pris Phillips, an independent vacation specialist with Cruises, Inc. in Columbia, South Carolina, added a unique focus to their social media outreach: “I send themed rubber duckies (Harley riders, pirates, princesses, Disney, Christmas, Easter) to my clients before their trip and ask that they post pictures on social media (#travelduckies) showing what fun their duckies had on the trip. Then I offered a monthly $25 gift card drawing. My sales have boomed!”
Meanwhile Laurie Shuss, franchise owner of Dream Vacations in Fort Meyers, Florida described that: “Our barbershop cruise, “Harmony on the Harmony,” scheduled for February 2019, has proven to us that niche marketing is the way to go! What was 121 people in 2017 has grown to 180 guests so far. We attended multiple barbershop conventions, took out ads in their programs and circulated a large poster around all the convention centers. By being present at these conventions we were able to speak face-to-face with potential clients. We also do a lot of group advertising on Facebook and Instagram daily, which is really paying off. And we took a print ad in a bridal store brochure, which is bringing us more honeymoon business than ever before.”
What’s new for 2019?
“I will continue to focus on groups,” said Nunnery. “I’m putting together a new group focused on our theater arts community. I’m taking out group space and will market it in our university’s playbills promoting ‘Broadway at Sea!’”
Shuss, meanwhile said, “We are doing print ads this year, including an ad in Golf Magazine for an AmaWaterways golf concierge cruise that circulates to all golf courses and golf clubs in southwest Florida.”
“I am focusing on expedition, yacht and river cruises, three segments poised for exceptional growth,” explained Nick Pena, of Cruise Planners, in Doral, Florida. “Customers are evolving and their expectations of what a vacation should be are becoming increasingly more defined. They crave unique experiences and are hungry to learn more. I am finding that an expedition trip or luxury yachting is somewhat aspirational for most people, but by leveraging the great promotions of some brands, I plan to show them that they are well within reach."
As for local events, Heather Epp, at Above & Beyond Travel, in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, Canada, noted: “I’m starting a group at a local coffee shop through the Meetup app, to educate about travel and as a platform to position myself as the expert in the community. My first presentation will be about cruises and will target first-time cruisers.”
Another advisor, Mike Edic, at Pioneer Travel, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, said: “I’m hosting my first Travel Night with AMA Waterways, where I will have my BDM come in and talk to people face-to-face. I’ll be doing a monthly event like this with different suppliers.”
Brown said: “I will do more different styles of shows – RV shows, golf shows, fishing shows, boat shows, where we stand out more; it’s unlikely there will be another travel agency there. I will be more ‘outside the door,’ where I focus on excursions and golf tournaments and fishing charters, rather than ‘inside the door,’ where I focus on the resort itself. I’m working on a golf tournament with a PGA player, where customers can go to a driving range and interact and then have a tournament.”
On the social media front, Tiffany Kappel of Extra Mile Travel, in San Diego, California, said: “I am focusing on Instagram marketing, using tools like Apple App Captivate and Follow Adder to market to Millennials who love adventure and moms who love intergenerational travel.”
Caulfield said: “I want to build upon my Instagram following. The important thing is to be authentic and do very few sales posts.”
Client communications were also an important topic. Phillips plans to “make a more concerted effort to follow up once my travelers return home, rather than wait for them to contact me.”
Finally, Heather Bannon, of Unique Romance Travel and Destination Weddings, in Katy, Texas, explained: “I am just focusing a lot more attention on my existing clients. These are people who have already invested time and memories with me and who love to travel. When I travel, I reach out to specific clients with specific trips and ideas tailored directly to them. My focus this year is to make sure I follow up with every client when they return home and begin the conversation about their next dream trip.”
Now, it’s up to you. With all of these ideas before you, what new strategies will you put in place at your travel agency in the New Year?