Effective Marketing Strategies for Reaching New Clients
No matter how many prospective clients you’re currently building a relationship with or how many exciting trips you’re in the process of booking, there could always be a few more in the mix, right?
Having more clients sure sounds great on paper, but how does one effectively reach out and connect with prospective new clients in order to turn them into actual clients?
One word: marketing.
Marketing strategies for travel advisories run the gamut of old-school and new-school methods alike with there being literally hundreds of different ways out there to grow your business and bring new clients into the fold.
In regards to the importance of marketing, Stephen Scott, Founder and CEO of Travel Hub 365 and the Odyssey Travel App said “Ensure that your entire team and host agency is focused on marketing. Marketing is not something you do once a month, or when you need more customers, it is a daily grind. The moment you take your foot off the gas, you are behind someone else who is working harder to fine-tune their messaging, their partnerships, their client communications, and branding.”
The following are some of the best tried-and-true strategies for reaching new clients in 2023.
Ramp Up Referrals
Having a previous client spread the word about you is one of the most cost-effective—and effective—ways to bring in new business. This can come in the form of a gift or a discount on future trips for referring new clients to you or something else entirely. Regardless, find a way to motivate current clients to go out and spread the good word about you, because there’s still nothing better than word-of-mouth marketing.
On a related note, loyalty programs and rewards for frequent bookings can act as a way for clients to self-refer themselves!
Audit Your Online Persona
Take a look in the online mirror and see what sort of vibe your website and social media profiles are giving. Especially the all-important first impression. If you’re not thrilled with what you see, then streamline things to make them as visually pleasing and simple as possible in order to make a great initial impression. If this isn’t your area of expertise, then bring in professionals in web design and social media to consult on your online persona.
Dip Your Toe Into Destination Guides
Adding some destination-specific content to your website can help drive traffic and reinforce your expertise in the said destination. Naturally, you’ll want to do your research on what travelers are searching for in regard to these destinations—and fill in the online void with your expertise. Like with your website in general you’ll also want to brush up on SEO (search engine optimization) in order to drive more traffic to your posts.
Whatever you do, make sure to show your personality and passion in your writing.
Try Out E-mail Marketing
A fantastic method of reaching and activating clients, email marketing campaigns land your message (and potentially your smiling face) directly in potential clients’ inboxes.
It may seem old-fashioned compared to some of the current high-tech ways to reach clients, but e-mail has proved remarkably resilient over the years. If you need a bit of assistance putting together e-mail marketing, services like Constant Contact and others offer affordable options for developing an effective e-mail newsletter.
Staying connected on social media. (photo via VioletaStoimenova / getty images) (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Master Social Media
You knew this one was coming, didn’t you?
We may like to say that we’ve had our fill of social, but we’re still scrolling away every day—and you can use that to your advantage.
Shannon Kittner, Social Media Manager for Oasis Travel Network said on the subject, “I grew my business purely off of the use of social media. I use the platforms YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok and it has brought me about 98% of my total business. I only started in the industry in 2019—and by 2021 I was a multi-million dollar in sales business thanks to social media. I highly suggest all those new to the travel industry, or those wanting to expand their business, turn to free social media marketing. While Facebook is good for marketing to friends/family—when you want new business—TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are ways to reach new clients.”
Recruit Reviewers
Seemingly no matter what you do and where you go in the real world, there will be a chance to review it online afterward. Just search for anything online these days and you’re sure to see a set of stars or circles sitting right next to its name.
Use this to your advantage by encouraging and/or motivating clients to review you online. You simply can’t underestimate the peace of mind a full set of shining gold stars can create for a potential new client before they even get in touch with you.
Hit Play on Video
Semi-related to social media, but also applicable to websites and online advertising too: while we’re all weren’t paying, video has completely taken over everything.
Just taking one look at your social media feed today will show you that video is king and any videos you can make to promote your agency are going to get much more engagement and “curiosity clicks” than other competing media.
Scout Out New Niches
No matter what niche you’ve found over the years, make sure to keep an open mind to what other niches may be out there you can focus on in the future. Keep the old one of course, but dip your toe into an emerging niche and you may just find yourself standing head and shoulders above your competition.
