Customer Success ResearchHow can a Travel Agency Ace in the Post-Pandemic Era?

Travel in the era of New Normal is a fiddly topic. It requires sensibility and a Marketer’s quick foot to stay up to date with trends. In the eyes of a regular customer, Travel is simply creating holiday packages. But those behind the curtains know exactly how complex the backend structural process is; It is an interconnected global system. Similarly, accessing the Marketing segment in Travel is not as narrow as it was before.

There are countless opportunities for Marketers to test out, but how do you reach out to your target market in Travel in the post-Covid-19 era?

In the ever-growing cyberspace, Covid-19 was the booster for all marketers in Travel to embrace the digital world. While your competitors are scuffling through all possible strategies, here’s how you can win over your customers’ mind share with minimum budget and ease.

Be Loudly Present on your Social Platforms

Prospects are automatically attracted to lively social platforms. As we all know, direct marketing is quite overrated. Those who are looking to travel in the post-pandemic era are often on the lookout for information and updates. With the extensive Traffic Light System constantly updating, if your brand can be the first to announce changes on Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Platform where your audience resides, that’s where awareness builds. Additionally, you can also mention the relevant services along with those updates if you’re aiming for a few leads.

Many have opposite opinions in promoting on Facebook, but it sure does work - and so does Twitter. Although Twitter is not as transparent as Facebook, when it comes to data insights, Twitter is a platform that can speak to your audience.

Content is Key – and it’s not just a swing

Most Marketing trends are evolving with time and technology. But not Content. It has and will always be Key in driving your brand in the right direction. There’s no struggle in finding Content in the Travel Industry. There’s Originality quite literally ‘around the world’. Blogs and Journals help in the traction of Website visitors but always find write up ideas that are out of the ordinary.

On a side note – they don’t always have to be related to Covid-19. If your website is a revenue stream already, but you’re looking to build awareness in your local area, Influencer Promotions is the way to go. It will be ideal in getting your Travel Brand across your audiences.

Content is not just write-ups. It’s the collaterals, the motions, the ideas and the relatability your brand can provide to your customers. Many Travel Agencies find it unnecessary to be part of global trends, but that’s how you get to the top. If you want your Travel Brand to be heard, you need to be part of the Social Scenario.

Show Experiences. Not Ads

Many Marketers still confuse the fine line between an Advertisement and an Experience when it comes to the service industry – like Travel. If you want your brand to bring in potential leads or attract curious travel enthusiasts to your pages and platforms, you should show what’s so special about Travel or what makes your brand special. Video Ads are quite successful in portraying this. And the Google Ad Network allows your videos to reach a wider audience, even beyond borders. Travellers are all geared up to set off now that safety measures are in place around the world. If you want to make an impression of your Travel Brand and to stand out from the rest, sell experiences, not just the product.

That’s not all! You can level up and create your own YouTube Channel and feature adventures that your customers wouldn’t want to miss.

In a different context – experiences also can range from videos and podcasts to write-ups. So don’t limit yourself to one particular method of promotion. Be open for variety.

Retain your Customers with Offers

Loyal customers spread their experiences through word-of-mouth, and it’s the all-time effective method of closing a sale in the Travel industry. It begins with your effort in providing extraordinary customer service. All it takes is to analyze the data of your customers and their travel patterns, and offer them what they might be interested in;

With different Covid-19 variants hitting the streets, your customers won’t be so keen on travelling at the very moment. But that doesn’t mean your business has to be on the brink. This is where you can make a fair bet by offering Early-Bird booking discounts where your customers can plan their future travel for a special fare. It surely will bring your Travel Agency many calls. Again, there’s a thin line between being exceptional and troublesome. So, make sure you don’t bombard your customer database with everything you have.

Optimize your Accounts with the Right Content

You Market Travel, but you’re not looking to reach out to everyone who wants to Travel, now do you? Exactly! Your focus should entirely be on the content you publish. It’s an integrated funnel, so firstly, you must optimize your website to generate traffic by configuring it for Google Analytics.

The most impactful factor is your site speed. Options for your customers are countless. If your website takes too long to load, your customers could so easily slide into a competitor’s site. Check your site speed with Google’s Test My Site tool to see whether you’re all good. 

Once that is out of the way, ensure you got the right content, generating for your relevant audience. You can analyze your audience’s interest by testing out varieties of Travel Content. As we are in this post-pandemic stage of survival, it’s crucial to give reassurance more than ever. Your copies must be clear and concise, at the same time inviting. Run a few search ads to see how your response is; The first time may not be a success, but digital marketing is all about testing the waters to find your warm spot. 

Provide ‘Ease in Travel’

Gone are the days of backpacking and staying in group hostels – well, at least for the coming years. Travellers are now looking for the safest options. Restrictions are too complex, so they prefer paying even a bit extra for a Travel Agent to give the top-to-end service. If you want to get more leads and inquiries, try bundling up your services so that your customers won’t have to experience the hassle of worrying over Covid-19 restrictions.

It doesn’t mean that you have to limit your versatility in customizing. You’re simply giving a set of easy options that many of your customers may exactly be looking for;

Get your Agency Online

The digital world is evolving fast, and it is acquiring more and more users daily. According to DataReportal, almost 222 million new users have come online over the past 12 months. Now, it is not age that holds people back from making purchase decisions online, it's the need. Whoever wants to travel can Travel with minimal hassle. With Covid-19 limiting human contact, many traditional Travel Agencies are going digital with a more wholesome experience by integrating booking systems into their websites. This is not complex work. All it takes is a fully-fledged API, secure payment portal and an attractive website featuring all information about your services. 

While you get your hands on the Web, don’t forget to keep the human element of your brand intact. Customers still crave the personal touch, so be unique by keeping in touch with your customers even after their purchase. 

Personalize your Communication Across all Platforms

Time to be the most proactive Travel Agency online! People like places that listens to their needs. Unlike buying a product off a supermarket shelf, purchasing a service requires detailed communication between the two parties – you and your customer. During the seasonal rush, communicating manually with each and every one of your customers may waste your valuable time, and late response is unacceptable. The only way to retain those inquirers is to get their basic questions clarified by a Chatbot. Chatbots are not automated messages. They are generally AI developed software that is being fed with data.

Here's the cool part. You can get a Chatbot to filter potential inquiries and separate them to each relevant team. From here onwards the next stage of the travel planning will be coordinated by your staff. By doing this, your brand holds on to its originality while also ensuring customer service is King.

Instilling a reliable Chatbot may require a bit of an investment, but the long run proofs to be worthy as the maintenance cost is very low. As a Travel Agency in these times, choosing pocket-friendly

Last but not least:

Always set your creative standards high. No matter how skilful you are in data analysis, ad set creations, or how reputed your brand is, the content you produce decides your brand positioning in travellers’ minds. Be trendy, be original and always be open for novelty. Don’t restrict your brand from testing beyond the stereotypes. As long as you adhere to your brand guidelines, the Travel arena is yours to conquer! Cheers!