More suppliers should support agents online
Thursday, 20 Nov, 2009
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TravelMole Guest Comment by The Holiday Team sales director Rajan Sawhney
Everywhere you go there’s a lot of talk about Twitter. It was certainly a hot topic at this year’s World Travel Market.
The power of social media is one of the subjects guaranteed to draw in the crowds at travel industry events and marketing seminars.
Big brands such as Cadbury’s and Virgin have built whole product launches around social media and there’s no doubt that the art of marketing has been turned on its head in recent years.
But many travel agents are traditionalists who have only recently got to a point where airline ticketing is done online.
A few years ago much of the marketing budget in travel businesses was dedicated to offline advertising.
Now customers are much more cynical about straight advertising and money is being ploughed into search engine optimisation.
For travel agents who are only just getting to grips with having an online presence, the rapid pace of change can make people feel like they are being left behind.
From events I’ve attended it’s clear there’s a lot of experimenting going on. Time will tell if social media campaigns really do convert sales.
But it’s never too late to get in on the act. If you feel it’s all beyond you, believe me, judging by the amount of people at a conference I attended recently, there are many people out there who are in the same boat.
To help agents compete in an online world we have just launched a new “white label” website which will allow agents to have their own branded and fully bookable site without the need for major IT investment.
The application is seamlessly integrated into the agent’s own website so they can retain their own branding and contact with the client.
For very little IT cost, agents will be able to match online prices with the big online travel brands.
Many customers value the advice and security of “bricks” but want the value and efficiency of “clicks” as well.
By integrating a white label solution into the agent’s own website it is creating a seamless experience for the customer.
I’d like to see more suppliers supporting agents with online sales and marketing advice to create a mix of activity which will help to optimise their site and grow business for mutual benefit.
Earlier this year on a selective basis we offered financial support for marketing to agencies which have the potential to grow the business.
The marketing support service includes all aspects of marketing including print & broadcast advertising, customer relationship building, search engine optimisation and online campaigns.
The service is operated centrally and the sales team will be offering a “basket” of options to independent agents including the white label website, training sessions dedicated to e-marketing, advertising packages as well as funding options to develop campaigns for some agents.
Whilst Twitter may be dominating the headlines and it may seem a huge mountain to climb for many to understand the social media world, I hope agents will view it as the opportunity it is rather than a threat and start building their online brand with the help of their trusted suppliers.
Phil Davies
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