Do You Make These Travel Business Marketing Mistakes?
2 days ago I introduced you to JJ Fourie, owner of Magic Day Adventures in Barcelona and his dreams of starting his own travel business. He was tired of working for someone else, having a J O B. JJ knew he could create better tours, wanted to be his own boss and make more money. With 15 years of guiding experience and 15 million annual tourists in Barcelona, JJ was confident he would prosper with his own tour business.
He hired a web master, invested a lot of money and time to build his website and submit it to the search engines. The site talked about his new tours, had lots of pictures of famous landmarks, scenery and had his contact info.
His webmaster said he needed some special “HTML Coding and the right key word” to get listed in Google. JJ trusted his web masters recommendations on how the travel website should be designed and how to show up in the search engines.
JJ knew his website and online marketing was very important, but was not a web techie or even a marketing person, and relied on his webmasters advise.
He also created some flyers and placed them in local hotels. Plus he reached out to travel agents and Expedia, sent them to his new website, and really hoped he could persuade them to do business with him.
JJ was ready and excited for the busy summer season. After all these years, JJ launched his dream travel business. But after several months of little web traffic, few inquiries and hardly any bookings, JJ tour business dreams were turning into a nightmare…
Although he was getting some website traffic, probably from his flyers in the hotels, he was not getting email or phone inquires. Bookings were terrible.
Travel agents and Expedia – never called him back…
He realized something may be wrong with his tourism marketing message and his tour website?
Magic Day Adventures Website Was “Dead on Arrival”
JJ kept looking in search engines and was not finding his site. He thought something must be wrong? To his horror, after the busy summer season was over, he learned from me that his website lacked critical elements to get indexed properly – if at all in the search engines. This set him back 6 to 12 months!
Just like the many examples of bad websites I showed you 2 days ago (you did watch it didn’t you?), JJ website was “Dead On Arrival” too.
His website and marketing message lacked all the key ingredients to turn travel shoppers into buyers.
It did not quickly communicate his experience, clarity in the type of small group tours he offered. It also lacked important ?Social Proof? to remove concerns all travel prospects have when they are considering an unknown travel tour, service or destinations.
JJ needed help. He needed to educate himself.
The thought of long term struggle and having to work for someone else again was too painful. He looked online for Tourism Marketing Help, and found me.
Have You Made These Tourism Marketing Mistakes?
Does ANYTHING in JJ’s story sound at all familiar? Are you just not getting all the business or arrivals you want? ?Don’t understand website marketing enough to even be able to know what may be wrong?
Then you need to watch this special 2-part case study video interview with JJ now. You’ll learn how he turned his business around fast, saved a bunch of money in wasted marketing and how a small investment in his website marketing and education give him a 100 times return on investment.
See for yourself how his dream travel business went from near failure in 2010, to a fun, profitable 2011.
Now his travel website is his #1 source of new inquiries and bookings, he’s #6 in Tripadvisor and climbing, Expedia pursued him, and now sell his trips.
Tim I Don’t Have Time to Watch This Case Study…
If you are thinking, “I don’t have the time to watch this” or “will it be worth it?”, that’s the wrong question.
When JJ thinks about the many months of struggle, financial hardship and worries of 2010, followed by his phenomenal business turn around in 2011, after he educated himself, he wonders, “why didn’t I invest some time in his own tourism marketing education sooner?”
This case study interview will help you learn why you may not be getting all the business or arrivals you need. Plus you’ll get some great tips from JJ and me on how you can improve your website and your tourism marketing.
Invest in your business dream today. Watch part I of this important educational video case study now. You will be glad you did. Watch Part II of this Travel Website Marketing Video Interview here.
The New 2011 Tourism Marketing Success Course is now LIVE
To your success, Tourism Tim
PS Did you watch the very special travel website marketing training video, and learn why your websites may be “dead on arrival” and how to fix it? Be sure to watch it by Monday, Nov. 7th, because that’s when that training video is coming down.
PPS Post your #1 tourism website marketing question or concern today below in the “Speak Your Mind” comment box right below. Your comments and the guidance you will receive will help you, your fellow tourism pros and me succeed. We are all in this together.
These are fantastic marketing case studies Tim. I stop everything I’m doing to watch your videos and recommend your content to all my clients!
Many thanks to JJ Fourie for sharing your strategies for successful tourism marketing on TripAdvisor and how that has made such a positive difference in your business.
Thanks Doug. I really appreciate you sharing these training videos.
It is a real shame so many people in the tourism business, no matter if you are a guide, tour operator, travel agent, lodge, or even a whole destination, do not realize how much that their website – and business – may be dead on arrival because their site lacks the key elements to turn travel shoppers into buyers.
Too much attention is focused on website raking and traffic – which is important. But if your website is not converting strangers into friends, and friends into customers over time from the proven psychological buying triggers, it is all a big waste of time and money.
Stay tuned I’ve got part II with JJ coming out today and a special event soon you will not want to miss.
To your success, Tourism Tim