When it comes to building a travel business, your clients are the lifeblood of your company. But your clients are all shifting online now. Online travel sites are a $150 billion industry. This fact provides enough evidence as to why getting in on the online travel industry is imperative. But how do you attract clients to your travel site? It’s pretty hard, but lucky for you; we’re here to help! So read on to find just how.
Understand Your Customers
The classic mistake most companies make is misunderstanding who their customer is. Before making up an entire marketing strategy or worrying about what to put on your website, you need to worry about who your ideal customers are. To market to them, you first need to understand them and their motivations – why do they travel, why do they book online, what are they looking for, and why have they come to you. These are key questions you need to answer to define your target audience. Once you define your top 3 personas, then market to them, build your brand and your website around them.
Personalize Your Offerings
Whatever the reason for traveling may be, everyone discovers different intrinsic values and satisfaction from traveling. For this very reason, traveling has always been a very personal experience. That is exactly what you need to market on your website. Every client wants to feel like the experience you are offering has just been specially designed to cater to their particular needs and wants, and that you are willing to go above and beyond to make their travel experience perfect. Tailor your travel offerings based on the personal preferences of your client, or based on their past experiences. If you’re successful in doing this, research shows that 36% of clients would be willing to pay you more for your services.
Optimize Your Website
How easy is it to find your website? If clients can’t find your website in the top few search results, then you’re insignificant to them. Consider SEO to ensure better search results. Remember that your website is your client’s first form of contact with you, so make sure that the first impression is a good one. Make your website easily accessible, and ensure that it can be accessed by mobile as well because bookings on mobiles are on the rise. In the USA alone, mobile bookings are predicted to reach $102.38 billion by 2020. Make sure the pathway to bookings is highlighted on your website. Don’t expect clients to search for things on the site, predict and cater to their needs beforehand.
To Sum It All Up…
Your company is only as good as your website – or at least that is what consumers think. So invest a lot of time, money and effort into ensuring that your travel site is up to par. And remember to focus entirely on the customer and their desires! Because the customer is your key ingredient for success.
