Five Ways to Attract Millennial Clients

Millennials are the second-largest consumer base in the nation, and the group most likely to want to travel abroad and to visit every continent. Their size and their wanderlust make them highly desirable customers for travel professionals—but how exactly do you go about attracting them?

Here are five ideas to help you grow your book of Millennials.

1. Utilize social media, and not just Facebook.
Millennials have a phone attached to their hip, and they are on it a good portion of the day. But they’re not checking Facebook; other apps, like Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter have become popular. When promoting your business, don’t limit it to a Facebook page. Grab their attention with pictures on Instagram that show off the destinations in which you specialize. And don’t bog them down with details—keep your posts short and sweet, and hold the selling until later.

2. Focus on adventure travel.
Many Millennials are thrill-seekers, looking for unusual and unique experiences. Appeal to their desire for adventure by offering destinations and tours that head off the beaten path.

Send them off to see the Northern Lights in Iceland. Or suggest Thailand, where travelers can explore jungles and ancient ruins, sample exotic food, dive with whale sharks off Ko Tao, or scale the sea cliffs of Krabi. It’s these authentic experiences that Millennials are looking for.

3. Offer service-oriented trips.
Millennials may get a bad rap as a selfish generation, but in fact a large portion of them are looking to give back. Consider offering them tours and cruises that include philanthropic elements, like Fathom cruises to Cuba.

4. Streamline the process.
Convenience is a big draw with busy Millennials, so be sure your website is easy to understand and navigate. Millennials expect technology to work.

5. Embrace word of mouth.
Millennials are twice as likely as others to use their mobile phones to show travel pictures to friends, share travel photos on social media, blog or recount travel experiences online, and post travel reviews, according to a study by Boston Consulting Group. These tendencies can lead the way to referrals for perspective travelers.

What’s more, Millennials are a social generation and trust their friends above all. A reference from a friend or positive post online can be all they need to see before following suit.

So take care of your Millennial customers in ways that will win you rave reviews. Send a little something they can photograph; call to ask how things are going; send a welcome-home coupon for fast food or a Shutterfly photo book. A small investment can help bring them back—along with their families and their friends—for many years to come.