There are a lot of marketing companies that talk about how and what you should market and about what works best. Is it email, print advertising, mailers, social media? Do you use premade vendor pieces? In my opinion that is a very limited way to view marketing. In actuality everything you do, say and the manner in which you present yourself is marketing and about seeing opportunities that others may miss. So while you may have formal advertising through your host agency or consortia you should be aware of other areas where you may be able to differentiate yourself that cost little or nothing.
While product knowledge is important how you make people feel is the essence of marketing. People will always remember how you make them feel long after they come back from the most perfectly planned trip. How important is this?
Do you think of travel as a real profession or a hobby? Whether you say it or not, your actions may speak that this isn't your "real" job and you may be unconsciously sabotaging your success.
EXAMPLE 1: What is the email signature do you use? If you use your personal email address when talking to clients – even friends- it sends a subtle message that you are not quite professional. I use my World Cruises and Travel email address for everything as I never know who is going to be interested. Below is my signature.
EXAMPLE 2: My next example is an opportunity that was disguised as a problem. I had a client that booked back to back cruises on the Allure 1/6/19 through 2/24/19. Royal Caribbean chartered the Allure on the February 3 segment which means they would have to move in the middle of the cruise. The client had asked for things such as transfers, more onboard credit, prepaid gratuities for their inconvenience. She started to worry as I was working on this and sent me this email:
Good morning! We were concerned that Harmony may be a booking solution for lots of displaced cruisers from the Allure. Our situation is slightly different since this interruption causes us to book extra flights, etc. to respond to the change they initiated. So it's probably to our advantage to make a response as soon as possible. The charter booking is already on cruise critic, so people will be responding in mass now. Please let us now as soon as possible if this is resolved. Thanks so much! Deb
Here was my response:
Hi Deb, I was actually on the phone with Royal when you emailed. I have a courtesy hold on the Harmony, cabin 14209, until April 4. I have to contact a “higher up” department, as the res agent called it, and I can’t call them, they have to call me back. The process reminds me of the CIA! This hopefully will get resolved today but it is Passover and Good Friday so it may not get done until Monday. Don’t worry, I’ve got this. Hugs, Happy Easter (my email signature here)
The marketing message here is that 1. I have proactively held a cabin for her so she can relax 2. I have the expertise to work though the Royal Caribbean hierarchy for a situation that is complicated 3. Even though it is a holiday I am taking care of it. 4. Hugs means I care about her, she is not just a sale.
Here is her response back:
Ozzie said to tell you that he feels much better! Thank you !!!!!!
*******Marketing is about how you make people feel.********
EXAMPE 3: Personal Social Media posts. I find that people “watch me” silently until they feel they know who I am before they feel comfortable with booking. I once spoke to a friend of a friend about orchids and she ended up booking a $10,000 river cruise. Just remember that EVERYTHING you post will stay with you forever so you need to be careful and, before posting, ask yourself if it is OK if your mother sees this? It has become fashionable to post political barbs. I believe it is wise to keep my political views to myself.
I always post about my travel experiences and tag some of the people that I am traveling with. Rather than just saying something like I am on vacation somewhere I add interesting facts or historical tidbits to pique people’s interest.
For example when we visited Angkor Wat in Cambodia I mentioned that it was the largest religious monument in the world covering over 400 acres. Built in the 12th century it had been buried in the jungle until rediscovered in 1860.
We stopped for lunch in Australia and I posted a photo of the beer taps: We stopped at the Grand View Hotel for lunch during our tour of the Blue Mountains and the beer taps are encased in ice. The Aussies know how to do beer!
We took a food tour in Japan and discovered that many foods were presented creatively. While this may look like a sweet potato it is actually a pastry made with sweetened white bean paste covered with a flour pastry shell and dusted with cinnamon. And yes it was delicious.
Be sure to post short videos of interesting or unusual things. You don’t need any sophisticated equipment just your phone which also makes it easy to post to social media. We took a group on a river cruise on the Mekong and I became fascinated by the variety of boats and people that lived on the river. The idea is to keep your audience engaged and interested in what you are doing so that they can picture themselves going there.
Also be sure to take photos of yourself and let people know that you wish they were with you. I have to admit I am really bad at this. When I am away I get so wrapped up in what I am experiencing that I forget to take photos of myself! When I get home I wish I had photos to use for marketing for future trips. In Morocco they have goats that climb argon trees to eat the berries and I got a chance to hold a baby goat! If your ideal client likes exotic destinations and experiences this will resonate with them.
Example 4: I am president of our condo association and damage had been done to the floor by a defective dumpster wheel. The waste management company sent out a representative to assess the situation and said he would email me. I gave him my World Cruises and Travel email address and, when he saw it, he said he would give it to his wife for a cruise for their family
I think you get the idea that you never know where your next lead will come from and you need to be open to possibilities and aware of hidden opportunities.
Example 5: I recently went to a trade event. I noticed that many of the agents were dressed sloppily and did not look professional. Granted this was an event for the trade but YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU ARE GOING TO SEE or who is going to see you. People will make a judgement about you in about 3 seconds. A clean and neat professional appearance is an important step in making a good first impression. Dress as you want to be perceived which is professional, successful, and the kind of person someone would feel confident in doing business with. When you feel good about the way you look, it becomes much easier convey confidence and a positive attitude.
Literally everything is marketing. How you look, speak act, respond and post is going to be evaluated by your audience so make sure you are presenting the message that attracts your ideal client.
While product knowledge is important how you make people feel is the essence of marketing. People will always remember how you make them feel long after they come back from the most perfectly planned trip. How important is this?
Do you think of travel as a real profession or a hobby? Whether you say it or not, your actions may speak that this isn't your "real" job and you may be unconsciously sabotaging your success.
EXAMPLE 1: What is the email signature do you use? If you use your personal email address when talking to clients – even friends- it sends a subtle message that you are not quite professional. I use my World Cruises and Travel email address for everything as I never know who is going to be interested. Below is my signature.
- I have my full name. People know me both as Blair and Diane so by having my full name it lends clarity. It also makes for a good story when I tell people that there used to be a Diana Hackey in our office so I had to use my middle name to avoid confusion.
- Who I am within the company.
- Where we are located
- Our Florida seller of travel license number that says: “Yes, we are a legitimate company.”
- My niche
- My photo (professionally done) is on my email signature so people that I email become familiar with me and I am not just a voice on the phone
EXAMPLE 2: My next example is an opportunity that was disguised as a problem. I had a client that booked back to back cruises on the Allure 1/6/19 through 2/24/19. Royal Caribbean chartered the Allure on the February 3 segment which means they would have to move in the middle of the cruise. The client had asked for things such as transfers, more onboard credit, prepaid gratuities for their inconvenience. She started to worry as I was working on this and sent me this email:
Good morning! We were concerned that Harmony may be a booking solution for lots of displaced cruisers from the Allure. Our situation is slightly different since this interruption causes us to book extra flights, etc. to respond to the change they initiated. So it's probably to our advantage to make a response as soon as possible. The charter booking is already on cruise critic, so people will be responding in mass now. Please let us now as soon as possible if this is resolved. Thanks so much! Deb
Here was my response:
Hi Deb, I was actually on the phone with Royal when you emailed. I have a courtesy hold on the Harmony, cabin 14209, until April 4. I have to contact a “higher up” department, as the res agent called it, and I can’t call them, they have to call me back. The process reminds me of the CIA! This hopefully will get resolved today but it is Passover and Good Friday so it may not get done until Monday. Don’t worry, I’ve got this. Hugs, Happy Easter (my email signature here)
The marketing message here is that 1. I have proactively held a cabin for her so she can relax 2. I have the expertise to work though the Royal Caribbean hierarchy for a situation that is complicated 3. Even though it is a holiday I am taking care of it. 4. Hugs means I care about her, she is not just a sale.
Here is her response back:
Ozzie said to tell you that he feels much better! Thank you !!!!!!
*******Marketing is about how you make people feel.********
EXAMPE 3: Personal Social Media posts. I find that people “watch me” silently until they feel they know who I am before they feel comfortable with booking. I once spoke to a friend of a friend about orchids and she ended up booking a $10,000 river cruise. Just remember that EVERYTHING you post will stay with you forever so you need to be careful and, before posting, ask yourself if it is OK if your mother sees this? It has become fashionable to post political barbs. I believe it is wise to keep my political views to myself.
I always post about my travel experiences and tag some of the people that I am traveling with. Rather than just saying something like I am on vacation somewhere I add interesting facts or historical tidbits to pique people’s interest.
For example when we visited Angkor Wat in Cambodia I mentioned that it was the largest religious monument in the world covering over 400 acres. Built in the 12th century it had been buried in the jungle until rediscovered in 1860.
We stopped for lunch in Australia and I posted a photo of the beer taps: We stopped at the Grand View Hotel for lunch during our tour of the Blue Mountains and the beer taps are encased in ice. The Aussies know how to do beer!
We took a food tour in Japan and discovered that many foods were presented creatively. While this may look like a sweet potato it is actually a pastry made with sweetened white bean paste covered with a flour pastry shell and dusted with cinnamon. And yes it was delicious.
Be sure to post short videos of interesting or unusual things. You don’t need any sophisticated equipment just your phone which also makes it easy to post to social media. We took a group on a river cruise on the Mekong and I became fascinated by the variety of boats and people that lived on the river. The idea is to keep your audience engaged and interested in what you are doing so that they can picture themselves going there.
Also be sure to take photos of yourself and let people know that you wish they were with you. I have to admit I am really bad at this. When I am away I get so wrapped up in what I am experiencing that I forget to take photos of myself! When I get home I wish I had photos to use for marketing for future trips. In Morocco they have goats that climb argon trees to eat the berries and I got a chance to hold a baby goat! If your ideal client likes exotic destinations and experiences this will resonate with them.
Example 4: I am president of our condo association and damage had been done to the floor by a defective dumpster wheel. The waste management company sent out a representative to assess the situation and said he would email me. I gave him my World Cruises and Travel email address and, when he saw it, he said he would give it to his wife for a cruise for their family
I think you get the idea that you never know where your next lead will come from and you need to be open to possibilities and aware of hidden opportunities.
Example 5: I recently went to a trade event. I noticed that many of the agents were dressed sloppily and did not look professional. Granted this was an event for the trade but YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU ARE GOING TO SEE or who is going to see you. People will make a judgement about you in about 3 seconds. A clean and neat professional appearance is an important step in making a good first impression. Dress as you want to be perceived which is professional, successful, and the kind of person someone would feel confident in doing business with. When you feel good about the way you look, it becomes much easier convey confidence and a positive attitude.
Literally everything is marketing. How you look, speak act, respond and post is going to be evaluated by your audience so make sure you are presenting the message that attracts your ideal client.