Are you in the tour and travel business? If Yes, And have a question, how can you do cost-effective marketing for you to travel agency?

Often, this question many travel agency owners asked me.

So I decided to share with you “TOP 11 Best Digital Marketing Strategies For Travel Business.”

These digital marketing strategies for travel agencies are super actionable and updated .

I Guarantee you!!! After applying all digital marketing strategies, your business will start climbing towards the next level.

So without wasting any time, let’s start with the first digital marketing strategy for travel agencies ….

Digital Marketing Strategies for Travel Business 2020 820*312

#1. Identifying Your Customers

Before applying any marketing strategy, whether digital or traditional, it is the most important thing you must know, Who all are your potential customers?

The First Marketing Strategy Identifying Your Customers

Many travel agencies don’t know who all are their potential customers, and they try to sell their packages, everyone.

They might get success once or twice, but this is not a good idea.

Why?

“Because you have to put in more effort and the result you’ll get is not as satisfied as you want.”

Therefore you must have to understand your potential customers and, according to them, sell your packages.

For example:

 If you are selling a Hillclimb and adventure sports activities package to a 70-year-old person, will he/she buy it? No.. Because they are not physically fit to do hill climbing and adventure sports activities.

From this example, you can understand, what is the importance to know your potential customer.

#2. Website: Welcome your potential customer to your online office

Shocking case study by Amadeus, In Spain, 84% of travel agencies have a website.

Gone are those days, where your customer came to your office and booked tour packages from you.

In this internet era everyone book tours and travel packages through a website and apps. Therefore you need an eye catching and well-functioning website for your travel agency.

The Second Marketing Strategy For Travel Business Build responsive Website

You can take the help of a website designing and development company or you can do it on your own (if you are a website developer and designer).

Following are some tips that help you to build an amazing and well-functioning website for your travel agency

There are many other things you should keep in mind while developing or redesigning your tour and travel website. You can read “11 Essential Travel Website Features” 👈 this article

#3. PPC Ads: Get Quality Leads By Running PPC Ad Campaign

One of the best digital marketing tool any travel agency can use, to get genuine leads is Running PPC ad campaign on Google.

Why?

As we all know, if we plan something we first take advice from google to try to get information for that or buy that product.

Here, what do you understand?

See, if anyone searches on google for Kashmir tour packages they are intended to book the Kashmir tour package… Right?

You have to give a platform where he/she can book the Kashmir tour package. So if they book packages from there or if they inquire about your package and you convert them into a paying customer then you get paid.

 

kashmir tour packages google ad result on google serp

In short PPC ad campaign is the best digital marketing tool you can use to get quality leads and booking.

Therefore if you are just starting or you have a tight budget, you can use this strategy.

You may think why PPC is the best marketing strategy for me? 

Think about it:

Which type of marketing are you thinking of doing for getting leads and inquiries and building brand?

Because if you are doing business, you can’t sit in an office and wait for leads. You have to do marketing to get leads, especially if you are in tour and travel business. Right?

So if you are thinking about distributing
pamphlets and taking the help of print media, then you are going to make a BIG MISTAKE.

Why?

Tell me one thing, In pamphlet distribution, you have to pay in advance to make pamphlets. After that, you have to hire someone to distribute those pamphlets.

And after distribution do you have any clue through which you can track your ROI?

But this thing does not happen in PPC. In the PPC ad campaign, you pay only when anyone clicks on your advertisement and sees your advertisement. And you can monitor your ROI

There are many other reasons why you should start marketing for your travel agency with PPC advertisements.

To run a successful PPC Ad campaign, you can hire a PPC service provider agency, or you can run a PPC Ad campaign on your own.

If you are planning to run the PPC ad campaign by one, then these two guides help you to run a successful PPC ad campaign.

Now I hope you have got a clear idea of why you should run PPC Advertisement for getting leads and How you can run a successful PPC ad campaign (If you read the guides mentioned above).

#4. Social Media: Get Booking from where Your Potential Customer Spend Time

According to smartinsights.com, out of 5 travelers, 1 traveler uses social media for inspiration for planning a trip.

[It is just a data but you can read the full article on “How Social Media and Mobile Technology Impact Travel Business” by smartinsights.com]

So you can’t miss this opportunity to grab those searchers and convert them into a paying customer.

smartinsight-report-on-social-media-marketing-for-travel-agency

Therefore I don’t want you to miss this opportunity to grab those searchers and convert them into a paying customer. So here

These two articles help you to grow your social media presence and help you to grow your travel business to the next level.

But one thing I feel they MISS in this both article and I want to share with you is: 

Find a Social Media platform where your potential customers are:

See, there are dozens of social media platforms, but start with which one? For that, you need to find a social platform where your potential customers are.

But from my experience, you may start with:

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

We know that the above mentioned social media platforms have different types of audiences. Right? Therefore each social media platform needs different strategies to get success. So here is the referring article that helps you to build a strong social media presence on that each platform.

Here if you apply both marketing strategies to your travel business GUARANTEE, you start earning enough money so you can spend more money on marketing activities. 

So you can spend money on advertising your brand on social media and get more visibility of your brand among your audience.

For running paid social media campaigns, you can hire a professional, or you can run on your own it’s all up to you. 

But one thing to keep in mind is that you don’t spend a large amount of your money on running paid social media campaigns. In other words, start with less money and wait for the result. And after some time you’ll get the result. Now, you can start investing your money on social media campaigns as per the result you get.

See, I don’t want you to lose money at the start of your business or if you have a tight budget. Therefore I suggest you start investing your money in social media marketing with Low budget & slowly increase your budget according to the result you get.

#5. YouTube: Attract Your Customers Through YouTube Videos

As per a recent report by Cisco [Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Complete Forecast]

  • The video will represent 80% of all Internet traffic by 2021
  • There will be nearly 1.9 billion Internet video users by 2021
  • They’ll be watching 3 trillion minutes of video per month by 2021

This is about future prediction by Cisco. But here what we are seeing.

and many other data that are helpful for your travel business you can see on the official youtube press site.

From these data, you have got an idea of why? I am telling you to focus on Youtube.

Now talking, about how you can promote your travel business on YouTube.

Here I share TOP 3 Youtube Marketing Strategies you can use to promote your Travel Business

1. Start Uploading Videos on Youtube Regularly

We all know youtube is the place where you can upload videos that are seen by billions of people.

But I have seen many travel agencies have stopped uploading videos after 5 or 10 videos. Reason: maybe they are struggling to get views, subscribers, and likes.

If you are in this category, don’t stop uploading youtube videos. Instead of stopping uploading videos on youtube, start to learn and apply strategies through which you can Get More Views, More Subscribers, More likes, and More Comments.

Here Brian Dean will help you to achieve this goal.

How to Get More Views on YouTube in 2020
How to Get More YouTube Subscribers in 2020

2. Take Review of Your Customer And Upload It.

See, reviews play an important role when we talk about selling (here you are selling your tour and travel packages).

Why? Because Good reviews build trust. And we all know what’s the Importance of trust when we are trying to sell anything.

Many travel agencies use this strategy.

So, what are you waiting for? Start taking reviews and capture it and upload it on youtube and start getting a fantastic result with this strategy.

3. Promote Your Business with Influencers

This is the best marketing strategy for the travel business. You can use it to promote your Packages.

Approach travel influencers who are ready to collaborate with you and promote your travel business.

Almost every travel business owner uses this marketing strategy.

To know more, you can read this article Influencer Marketing Tourism Trends on The Rise For 2019.

See, most of the travel agencies are still not focusing on Youtube. This is the chance, GRAB it!! Grow your business to the next level & leave far behind to your competitors.

#6. Blog: Help Searchers Find Right Travel Package

See, there are millions of people searching on google for different types of travel packages for them.

For example: 

  • Ubersuggest shows Approximately 49,500 people (Only in India) searching for honeymoon packages
honeymoon packages monthly keyword search
  •  Approximately 1,300 people (Only in India) searching for family tour packages
family tour packages keyword monthly search

Like this, by typing different types of keyword phrases, millions of people are searching on google best tour and travel packages for them.

This means they are intended to book tours and travel packages. So help them to choose the best tour and travel package through the blogs. It will help you to increase your sales.

One more IMPORTANT thing, writing blogs that helps your potential customer to find BEST tour packages for them and help you to grow your travel business is NOT ENOUGH.

(Why is writing blogs not enough? I am explaining in the next Marketing strategy for the travel business.)

#7. SEO: Help Your Searchers To Find You & Solve Their Queries

SEO is the best way when we are trying to build strong online visibility and want to target the boundaryless audience. And we all know, in this Internet era, to grow our business, we must have to build strong online visibility, which can only be possible through SEO.

Why?

See, only WordPress users publish approximately over 70 million posts every day, and billions of websites launch every day.

Google, Yahoo, Bing whatever search engine we take, they show only 10 webpages or blog on the first SERP with other SERP features like Google ads.

And People tend not to go on the second page of any SERP.

So if you want you to get visibility on any search engine, especially on Google, you have to come on the 1st page of SERP and preferable Top 3 Rank.

Now the question is how you start doing SEO for your travel business?

For doing SEO, you can hire an SEO expert or SEO agency, or you can do it on your own.

But I suggest you hire an SEO expert or SEO Agency so you can focus on your business core activities.

Now I am going to give you the answer Why writing blogs is not enough? Which I left on the above point.

We have already seen that only WordPress users publish approximately over 70 million posts every day.

So think about it:

How can you reach out to searchers and help them to find the best tour and travel packages for them? Because people’s tendency is not to go on the second page of any SERP.

So here you have to write SEO friendly articles that rank on Google and other search engines.

For writing an SEO friendly article, you can hire a writer or you can write on your own. The choice is yours.

If you want to learn how to write SEO Friendly articles, then you must read How To Write SEO Friendly Content (Beginner To Advanced) by Harsh Agrawal. This article really helps you to write an SEO friendly article.

Now, there are many other ways through which you can reach out to your potential customers and convert them into a paying customer or reach out to your existing customers and convert them into regular customers.

This takes me to the next marketing strategy for the travel business.

#8. Email - Reach Out Your Potential & Existing Customer, Convert Them into Regular Customer

Usually, every business gets customers, whether big or small. But the only difference between a successful business and an unsuccessful business is the capability of retaining their customers.

Let’s clarify this with your business:

See, after running PPC ad campaigns, social media ad campaigns, writing SEO friendly blogs, you will definitely get leads, and you convert them into a paying customer, but what next? Finding new leads and trying to turn them into a paying customer?

STOP HERE!!

Because every travel business does this same thing and I saw many travel agencies with this approach, they are in the same place where they had started.

So if you will do the same thing that many travel agencies do then definitely you will get the same result that every travel agency got.

And that’s what you don’t want.

So here, I am sharing one strategy that all successful businesses are using today and growing day by day, including travel businesses i.e. retaining their customers.

Take any successful travel business model you will find they are focusing on retaining their customers.

But The Question is:

How Can You Retain Your Customers?

See, there are multiple ways through which you can retain your Customer; For example, by Giving repurchases Discount Vouchers.

But the question is, how and when should you give these types of vouchers and offers?

You can give these types of vouchers while they purchase travel packages from you.

But think about it:

If you give these types of vouchers when they purchase your travel packages. At that very moment, they won’t make the next travel plan immediately. Right? And when they plan for a vacation, maybe they forget about those offers or lose the repurchases discount vouchers.

So what do you have to do?

You have to give these types of vouchers and offers while they are again planning for vacations.

But How will you know this? They are planning for vacations.

Simple, you have to observe and research according to your customers.

For example, In India, most families whose child is studying below 10 standards make a vacation plan for Diwali’s, Christmas & Summer.

Like this, you have to research according to your customers. This doesn’t mean you’ll only contact them only when they make any vacation plan. You have to contact them weekly, monthly, yearly, but not daily.

One More Important Thing while they are booking travel packages from you, at that time Get all types of Information about them by asking questions or filling out a form. It will help you to find when they may make their other vacation plan?

Now you have done everything, and you know when they will make their travel or vacation plan. And you are ready with your offers, but:

How will you inform or give them these offers?

Here email plays an important role.

See, there are different contact channels like call, messages, or WhatsApp, etc. you can use.

But email is the most effective way through which you can contact them and give them these offers.

Why?

I have already explained in my previous blog, check out there.

Here I have explained how you can sell your packages to your existing and old customers. But to increase your conversion and build your brand through the email, you need to do more than that.

Think About It?

How can you increase your conversion rate?

I think, by building credibility, relationships, trust. Right? But the question is, how can you do that? The only way you can do that by regularly communicating with your audience and your customers. But one thing to keep in mind you should not irritate them.

Here, the email will help you. How? Send personalized emails to your customers on a weekly and occasionally. Again I am saying, don’t send daily.

In this way, you and your brand always stay in their mind, and whenever they need travel packages, they will definitely contact you.

Pro-Tips:

Send personalized email (Use I and You, Name) that helps you to connect with the customer more effectively.

Wish them on their birthday, marriage anniversary, functions. It helps you to connect your customers with you emotionally. The best example you can see is Facebook.

The best tool you can use to email your customers is Mailchimp (Freemium) or Aweber (Paid) and other email marketing tools according to your budget and requirement.

I hope you will apply this strategy to your travel business and see the tremendous fast growth in your business.

Now let’s move ahead to the next marketing strategy that helps you to grow your travel business.

#9. Make Available Your Travel Packages on Branded Travel Booking Platform

If you are startups or you don’t have money to invest, then here is this marketing strategy, which helps you to get free Leads and Bookings.

Now, Let’s understand this strategy deeply.

See, there are several branded platforms where you can list your holiday packages or whatever you are offering related to tour and travel. In short, you can register there as a travel agent.

Benefits you will get from this strategy:

1. No Need To Setup Anything: 

When I am talking to a person who wants to start a travel agency, the biggest obstacle I observe is a lack of funds. Therefore they can’t set up an office and hire a team.

So here, this strategy helps you. You need not set up an office and hire a team.

The only thing you have to do, go to their platform list yourself as a travel agent, and list your packages.

As anyone books your package, you will get your price. One thing keeps in mind they charge commissions. The commission Percentage differs from platform to platform. But the commission amount would be very less. So if you are startups or don’t have money to invest, then this is the best technique you can use and earn money.

(I will share some very popular platforms where you can register yourself as a travel agent and list your travel packages. Just keep reading….)

2. More Coverage, More Sales

Think about it:

When you just start your travel business, will you get instant leads? Of course not, because you are new and people would n’t trust you.

Here what you can do, you can take the help of big brands.

Let me explain you deeply:

Suppose you want a shirt, so you searched on google for a shirt. Now you saw different types of shirts with offers and website (brand) names.

shopping-ad-shirt

Now tell me from which site you will buy a shirt? Either Amazon or Myntra, because they are trustworthy sites.

Similarly, at an initial stage, people may not prefer to book their travel package from you. So you can take the help of these platforms.

Now talking about Platforms where you can list your travel packages, Hotels, Car, etc.

  1. Yatra.com
  2. Oyorooms.com
  3. Eventbrite.com
  4. Agoda.com
  5. Tripadvisor.in
  6. Makemytrip.com

And many other platforms are available where you can list your packages and hotel and car etc. whatever you are offering. 

Final words if you are starting your travel business and want to increase your sales, go to these sites and list yourself as a travel agent and list whatever you are offering. 

#10. Influencer Marketing: Influence your Potential Customer with Influencers

Influencer marketing is booming in 2023. Almost every business needs to do influencer marketing.

 

And I hope you don’t miss this chance to grab it.

[If you are not familiar with what is Influencer marketing then you must read this “What is influencer marketing: How to develop your strategy” article by Jenn Chen at sproutsocial.com]

Now talking about Platforms where you can target your audience.

You can start influencer marketing with Instagram and YouTube influencers. These two platforms will give you tremendous sales and brand awareness for your business. Guaranteed!!

#11. Sell You Packages With Your customer’s Help

See, one of the best-proven marketing strategies you can use to promote your business is to promote your business through your customers because it’s free and most effective marketing strategies.

How can you do that?

  • First thing you have to do while you use this strategy that you have to give a world-class experience to your customer. And make them feel special.
  • Then ask for a review and make a video of it. Now upload it on your youtube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, website, each and every platform you have.
  • The 3rd step you have to do is, ask them to upload the same videos and photos on their social media platform. For that, you can give a discount offer or gift anything.

Conclusion:

Thank you so much, everyone, for giving your valuable time to read this article related to Digital Marketing Strategies for Travel Business.

I hope you got valuable content related to Digital Marketing Strategies for Travel Business, if yes… then comment below with which marketing strategy you like most? and Which marketing strategies you are going to apply to your Travel Business? And When?