Tourism Business Travel Marketing Success Series Video Interview with Tourism Tim Warren
When Doreen sent me the e-mail that she and her husband’s tour sales were up 25% in 2012, I got really excited.
Why did I get so excited? Because Doreen’s tour business had already grown 45% in 2011.
And I knew they had done this in spite of stiff competition, a down economy, did not have a big travel marketing budget and only hired their first office staff last year…Plus her 2013 bookings… were already way ahead of last year’s record pace.
So what was this worth to Doreen & Bob’s small independent Alaska tour business and bed and breakfast? Over $200,000 in increased revenues!
I’m super-proud of Doreen and Bob because… they have been slowly applying my travel marketing advice. And now their sales and profits are way up. And they spend more time booking tours and less time “marketing and selling”.
And things are so good, they just got back from their own Hawaiian vacation. Something too few tourism operators do…
So that’s why I knew I had to interview Doreen and get her to share some of her best tourism business and marketing secrets with you today.
Special Tourism Business Success Series
This is your chance to get an inside look at what’s really working in hospitality and travel marketing.
What’s one of the best ways to succeed in your business and travel marketing? Have a guide and a peer who is a lot like you. Someone who can relate to all the hats you have to wear… You’re going to love our candor and simple and easy advice.
Highlights from this revealing Tourism Business Success interview:
- Easy website travel marketing best practices
- How to targeting your best travel prospects
- The importance of sales conversion versus website traffic
- How to refine your organic and PPC advertising to save money
- How to get your best travel clients selling for you with social media
- Simple best travel marketing practices with Tripadvisor and Facebook
- Important post-trip follow-up that increase tour sales
- 2013 tourism marketing advice for you
- ** Important recommendations by Doreen on my business coaching and travel marketing advice **
- An opportunity to get your top travel and hospitality marketing questions answered
If you need to be inspired, watch this.
If you had a tough year, watch this.
If you had a good year, and want to take it to the next level, watch this.
No matter what type of travel or hospitality business, destination, or service you provide, if you are a small to medium-sized, independent operator, and are ready to grow your dream, you owe it to yourself, and to your loved ones to watch, learn and prosper from this interview.
Here’s to a kick ass, super abundant 2013 for all, Tourism Tim Warren
PS be sure to let me know what you thought about this interview? What you like, want more of, what’s not working for you? Place comments and questions below.
PPS if you want to get the same coaching and advice that Doreen used to have record sales and profits too… in less then 10 minutes from now, get it at Tourism Marketing Success Online Program
PPPS Watch this today. This special Tourism Business Success interview will only be viewable till 1/21/13, then will be in the private WITBA community coming soon.
Please Post your top hospitality business and travel marketing questions in the Facebook or “Leave a Comment” Box below.
Hello Tim
I am happy to see that you are providing your wisdom to those/us that are small business operators in Travel and tourism. Actually i would like to ask 1 question that relates to a business that has just started up.
I understand that feedback and signage showing experience/number of clients etc.. on your website can be the golden nugget as you mentioned, but how does one get the sales primarily to build customer confidence.
I have been working in Asia as a tour leader for 5 years and now have decided to break free and use my knowledge to provide tours unlike our competition at affordable prices, but i am not getting enough traffic to make any conversions.
My company website address is above, can you please help or advise.
Kind regards, Matt
Dear Matthew;
Congratulations on your new tour company to Burma and Myanmar.
Your journey from experienced tour guides, to aspiring to start your own tour business, then finally launching it, is a lifestyle dream you share with 1000’s around the world. I am honored to coach people just like you and help you realize your dreams by improving your marketing and sales.
It is true. There is a challenge for new travel and tour businesses to establish credibility, when you have had little or no sales… You are also very correct in that communicating your experience, number of clients, years in business, are mandatory to convince a travel shopper to become your travel buyer.
Communicating credibility quickly is critical for tourism marketing success. So how do you do that when you haven’t had many clients? Here’s how.
I visited your website and can see that you and your business partner have many years experience working for recognized tour companies in your marketplace. So to construct your “Credibility Statement”, as I mentioned frequently in my videos, blog posts, and my Tourism Marketing Success Online program, you need to leverage your collective personal and professional experience to demonstrate your professional expertise.
For example: “Over 14 Years Combined Expertise in Southeast Asia” This could be a reflection of if each of you had seven years experience as guides.
What about personal experience traveling in the Burma and Myanmar before you became tour guides? This too could be rolled into a credibility statement.
What about the professional expertise of the travel partners we work with? Other ground operators. Transportation. Lodging and logistics…. These can all be crafted into supporting your credibility.
I never suggest that anybody lie or distort the truth. But your personal and professional experience, combined with your partners, are an honest reflection of your expertise. This is what you must communicate quickly in your website.
Your website does not do this at all. Especially with the default index page that you have which requires a “enter the site” button before they can discover anything about what you do, where, or more importantly–why the heck should they choose you?
Matt I fully support you and your partners new business development, but unless you integrate the many elements required to have a “travel website that sells”, I don’t think you’re going to get much business. Sorry.
If I didn’t speak the truth to you and thousands of other global tours and professionals, I would not be in service to you, the industry I love and the clients we serve.
Don’t let web designers make the decisions on what is going to help you attract more prospects and convert them into bookings. Proven tourism marketing communication must be fully integrated with all travel website design and functionality.
Please let me know your thoughts and feelings about what I’ve shared today. Does this resonate with you? Is my suggestion on how to leverage your previous tour experience helpful?
Thank you so much for being a reader, liking and sharing my blog posts two. Also be sure to visit my fan page and like it, make comments and share. We are all in this together – everybody wins.
To your awesome tour business dream success, Tourism Tim
Great question Matthew. Just how does a new tour operator, travel business or destination demonstrate experience and credibility, if you are new?
This is a problem faced by many tourism operators. Here’s a solution.
Even though lemongrass tours is just starting out, you have at least five years experience as a tour leader. Then when you combine your previous personal experience in Burma and Southeast Asia travel, plus suppliers that you work with who have asked lots of experience too, you can craft a credibility statement that reflects lots of experience, and more importantly, builds customer confidence.
I call this the combined travel expertise statement. In my tourism marketing success online program, I go into great detail about how you can do this. Plus you will see lots of examples from other tour operators and how they have leveraged their personal and professional experience.
My program also will go into how you can use credibility of your suppliers, former tour guide clients and other sources throughout your marketing message, which will help convert travel shoppers into buyers guaranteed.
Does this make sense Matthew?
I have visited lemongrass routes travel website, and it needs help. I do not recommend a opening page that has nothing about the types of travel you do, specifically worry go, and most importantly, why should a travel shopper consider your tour company over the many others?
Your travel website must be your #1 tourism marketing channel
Your website must be your number one tourism marketing channel because that’s where over 94% of all travel shoppers do the research. And the sad truth is you have about 10 seconds to communicate in your website that you are experienced, run great trips and travelers will be safe. Otherwise they’re gone. Usually forever…
Sorry for the delay in responding. This is a great time to build your business because travel is really picking up again. And what is going to separate winning tour businesses from ones that struggle or fail is the quality of your travel and tourism marketing communication, especially online.
To your success, Tourism Tim
Hello Tim the great,
I am a student of Bill McBride we share a little in our stories. I presently live in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico , originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I have lived here for two years and I love it here. I have been involved with the handicap Association here as a Ambassador from the U.S.A. To Mexico. I have been involved also, with selling tours all around Mexico. Therefore, I do have some knowledge of the tourism.
I am interested in putting together a vacation club or tour group if you will for the handicap from the beginning of there vacation to the return of the best vacation they could ever imagine. That’s the name I like also, just imagine vacation club. Everyone one wants to belong therefore that’s why I came up with that name. Please comment on it good or your opinion. The project is very important to from my passion to also making a profit along the way. I cannot spend my passion at the store they only take currency.
I have many years dealing with the public and have a basic knowledge of the Internet. I have studied many of the Internet marketing concepts and found yours to be simple not as pushy and more down to earth. I like you as business man and find you to be real. We are friends on Facebook and bill introduced us there. I was very sorry that I was not able to go the work shop in San Fran. Just got very involved with you last night and have not put my iPad down reading and listening to you and all your comments.
So if you could be so kind to let me understand where I should go from here I will be your best student and most successful advocate of yours. I have taken many of Bills classes therefore, if you are a friend of Bills what more can I say. davidgeneralee@hotmail.com
Thanking you in advance, David Rhoten
Hola David;
Most people do not know that my dad had a major stroke when he was 69 which left him handicapped, not able to walk and lost 90% of his speech. in spite of my dad’s handicap, he always wanted to go and like to have fun. He was the original adventure guy. This is were I got my passion for travel, people and business.
So I have great compassion and support for your mission to start a tour company which provides services to this important market.
I think you should have the word “handicap and tours” in your business name or club. ” Just imagine” vacation club does not tell us who you serve, where you go or what’s involved with being a club member… You can use this as a tagline to support your handicap tour company. Or it could be called: Just Imagine Handicap Tours
What do you think David?
I think your business concept is smart because the North American population is aging, many are in bad physical health, and retirees still want to travel. Having a special tour business that sensitive to that market needs should do well. Plus you can leverage your relationship as an ambassador with the handicapped Association. This should serve you well.
I would do some keyword research to determine if the word “handicap” or ” disabled” has the greatest search volume.
Thank you for your compliments and willingness to be a strong student. I may be a teacher of tourism marketing and Internet marketing, but I can assure you I am a daily student too.
Please stay in touch and let me know how I can support your grand vision and help more handicapped people experience an enhanced quality of life.
Saludos, Tourism Tim