Home Based Travel Agent - November 2008 - (Page 18)

Technology Tools for Tough Economic Times From e-mail marketing to online education, technology offers efficient solutions With the current state of the economy, consumers are naturally becoming more budget-conscious. This is the perfect opportunity for homebased agents to reach out to customers with special offers and discounts for local travel packages. E-mail marketing is an easy way for travel agents to send targeted communications to customers, letting them know what is going on in their area. “In a down economy, most businesses are reviewing how they market to consumers and how they can keep their relationships with them strong. Travel agents can work with the budget constraints of consumers by turning their focus to offering local vacation spots,” says Luc Vezina, head of marketing for Montreal-based email service provider Campaigner (www. campaigner.com). “E-mail marketing is an easy and efficient way for travel agents to keep in touch with customers through targeted campaigns.” Vezina offers the following e-mail marketing best practices that can help travel agencies have a profitable business regardless of the state of the economy: 1. Leverage your customer database. NEW customers builds credibility, strengthening your relationship. 3. Automate your e-mail campaigns. Send follow-up messages automatically based on consumer behavior. Event- and action-triggered e-mails allow travel agents to not only improve content targeting and personalization, but also to time the delivery of e-mail messages to reach customers at the right time in the buying cycle. 4. Give your e-mail a personality. Reflect your personality through your e-mail communications. Send e-mail “from” a person, or include a personal signature and a photo to build the relationship. Putting a face to a name helps build the relationship between travel agents and consumers. 5. Keep an eye on metrics. Measure results to ensure success; metrics are vital to every e-mail campaign. Review your metrics after each campaign to better understand your customers’ travel interests. ASTA Releases Travel Agent’s Management Toolkit ASTA’s newest member benefit—the Travel Agent’s Management Toolkit—is designed to assist agents in running their businesses in a more efficient and profitable way. Sponsored by Best Western, this interactive toolkit combines the best of the earlier Model Agency I and II programs and is designed to provide ASTA members with essential management tools. The course is free. “Whether you’re an agency owner, a manager or run your own home-based business, by the time you’ve finished this course you will find that you not only have explored new information and approaches to running your business, but rediscovered old skills and practices,” says Chris Russo, ASTA president and CEO. “To maximize their potential, it is imperative that travel agents E-mail marketing is an easy and efficient way to keep in touch with clients Using customer data to segment e-mail lists can greatly improve e-mail marketing campaigns. 2. Send targeted messages. Create relationships with customers by connecting with them one-to-one. Use your customer database to send targeted messages offering local travel opportunities in their area. Offering information that is relevant to your 18 Home-BasedTravelAgent NOV EMBE R 2008 http://www.campaigner.com http://www.campaigner.com

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Home Based Travel Agent - November 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Publisher’s Note Your Lifeline Agent Spotlight New Technology Industry News Hot Deals Cultural Tourism Luxury Hotels For the Traveler: Luxury For the Agent: Luxury For the Traveler: Latin America For the Agent: Latin America Hawaii For the Traveler: Provence For the Agent: Provence For the Traveler: Florida For the Agent: Florida Home-Based Agent Expo New Products

Home Based Travel Agent - November 2008

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