President Barrack Obama recently made a statement that triggered quite a nerve within the travel industry:
"when was the last time somebody went to a bank teller instead of using the ATM, or used a travel agent instead of just going online? "
Many travel consultants were offended by this statement and vehemently defended their profession. The President was not making a statement about the lack of value provided by travel agents. He was simply putting words to the widely accepted perception of a travel agent.
Recently, I was getting my haircut and my stylist told me she had just got engaged and she was planning a destination wedding. I asked her if she was working with a Destination Wedding Specialist and she looked at me confused. She thought I was talking about the onsite wedding planner many resorts provide. So I spent the next 20 minutes educating her on the value of working with a Destination Wedding Specialist. She was so thankful. She had no idea such a thing existed.
And this is the problem. They don’t know you exist. Their perception of a travel agent is outdated. The general public sees the travel agent as an order taker with NO expertise, who works in a brick and mortar building on mainstreet that charges $50 for airline tickets and hardly competes with the fares online.
You don't have to convince me that there are thousands of competent travel agents that add value, provide an excellent service, and serve a great need. But unfortunately, I am not the one you have to convince. It's the general public and the fact of the matter is, the accurate understanding of your profession is falling under the radar screen.
It's
time to update the face of the travel agent. The term
alone: travel agent, doesn't do the profession any justice.
The term itself needs an update. I prefer to use travel
consultant, travel advisor or travel expert, and you should too.But the task of making over your industry doesn't fall on the President's shoulders....it falls on yours. Each and every one of you that provide a stellar service, make dreams come true and serve a growing need to accumulate treasured moments and memories.
So how does one take on this task? By marketing YOU. Stop marketing your products and start marketing YOU. The other way to take on this task is to claim your expert status. It’s time to be an expert as SOMETHING. You choose, but get out there and walk, talk and act like an expert.
My mother grew up as an only child and because of her father's job, she moved frequently. She attended 6 different grammar schools in 8 years. One thing she learned was how to meet new people when you are the newcomer. She recognized that you have to get yourself out there, even if it feels hard or scary or uncomfortable. No matter how much you don't want to, you must push yourself to go to social events, get involved, and introduce yourself to strangers to meet new people and feel part of the community.
Marketing is no different. It doesn't always feel good. In fact, it can feel downright yucky. But it only feels yucky when you are chasing people. Whether you are aware of it or not, when you are pushing products and specials, you are chasing clients. When you DON’T specialize, you are chasing clients.
When you market authentically, by following the 4 legs: 1) Connect; 2) Inform; 3) Inspire; and 4) Call to Action, it doesn't feel like marketing and it doesn't feel yucky. People don't feel like you are marketing either.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT:Get over the fact that you don't like selling yourself, pretend you are a new kid on the block and push yourself to get out there. Be sure to follow the 4 critical authentic marketing legs in every marketing tool you use: 1) Connect; 2) Inform; 3) Inspire; and 4) Call to Action. For more information on how to do these things, please check out the Safari Guide Home Study System, www.safariguidesystem.com
©2009-2011 Meredith Hill, www.Safari2Success.com
Want to use this article in your E-zine or website? You can as long as you include this complete statement:
Travel business entrepreneur Meredith Hill publishes the "Binoculars" weekly e-zine. Visit her website at www.Safari2Success.com
A client recently asked me,
“Why isn’t my Facebook activity working?” After
digging deeper into how she defined “working” – building a following
and getting bookings, neither of which were happening for her - I
realized that the mistakes she was making are very common, especially
amongst the travel advisor community.Many people jump into Facebook because they hear that it’s the place to be, or that they HAVE to in order to survive. They feel their way around, posting at random, without an effective strategy. In this article, I hope to clarify the confusion and help you discover WHY you should be on Facebook and HOW to strategically build a loyal following that will eventually lead to new business.
THE WHY
First, I would like to address the “Why” of being on Facebook. Yes, it’s a fantastic source of new leads for most types of travel, and it’s FREE. But it will NEVER lead to new business if you don’t establish a relationship with those you are trying to connect.
One of the biggest mistakes I
see people making is getting on Facebook to get more
business. If
you are on Facebook because you want to get new business, then it’s a
complete waste of time and I suggest you stop immediately.
This
motive is coming from a place of fear.Instead, your motive for being on Facebook should be: TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS. That’s it. We ALL need to build relationships. It’s the one thing in business you should never stop doing. And eventually, your relationships will lead to business…but not always…they may lead to referrals or great resources.
Personal Page or Business Page?
The decision to use one’s personal page or fan page is a HUGE source of confusion. My advice (which might ruffle some feathers) is to start with your personal page first. Reason being is that building a following on a Fan Page is a 2-step process. You can only ask “Friends” from your personal page to “Like” your Fan Page. Thus, if you only have 100 Friends, in all likelihood, you will only get 25 Fans on your Fanpage. Marketing to 25 Fans will not get you anywhere. So I suggest you build a loyal following on your personal page and once you get to at least 2,000 Friends, then start a Fan page and get people to like it.
And YES, that means mixing business with personal stuff. Your real friends will not get offended that you are promoting your business on Facebook IF you follow the 4 Leg Strategy below. You are your business and your business is you. Don’t try to separate it.
The 4-Legs to Your Facebook Strategy
Just
like a chair needs four legs to stand properly and support a person
sitting on it, your Facebook strategy needs 4 legs to properly build
relationships and eventually grow your business. Once
you
have made the decision to be on Facebook, these 4 legs will guide you
in your Facebook activity. Incorporate all 4 legs and I
guarantee, you will build very successful relationships, a loyal
following and grow your business.Leg #1: Connect
The most effective way to connect with other people is by triggering emotion in them. How do you trigger emotion? By opening up and sharing a vulnerable side of yourself. When you do this, other people will respond in kind and a connection will be made.
There are a few ways that you should be strategically connecting on Facebook:
A) “Friending” other
people. When
you first get started on Facebook, this should be a large part of your
strategy. It’s the only way to build your
following. If you
don’t know WHO to “Friend,” start with your own circle.
Search
for classmates, church members, extended family members, friends of
friends, etc. Facebook will naturally recommend people for
you to
“Friend” too.
B) Posting your personality. Open yourself up to people with your posts. Upload a photo of your new haircut, report on your favorite restaurant, ask people what Pandora station they like? Get your personality out there with your posts.
C) Ask open ended questions to start a conversation.
D) Comment on or Like your Friends posts. This is where connection is made and I think it’s a huge blind spot for many professional travel advisors. Facebook is about 2-way communication. If you are only posting, you won’t connect with others. You must actively comment and like your Friends posts too.
B) Posting your personality. Open yourself up to people with your posts. Upload a photo of your new haircut, report on your favorite restaurant, ask people what Pandora station they like? Get your personality out there with your posts.
C) Ask open ended questions to start a conversation.
D) Comment on or Like your Friends posts. This is where connection is made and I think it’s a huge blind spot for many professional travel advisors. Facebook is about 2-way communication. If you are only posting, you won’t connect with others. You must actively comment and like your Friends posts too.
Leg #2: Inform
You want to be known as an expert and the best way to do that is to share good, helpful information. If you haven’t narrowed your specialty down, you will find this more difficult. Get known on Facebook for something and watch your following grow. Don’t be afraid to share your best secrets. If you give them the best, they will pay for the rest. So if you discover a fabulous restaurant in Miami, tell them about it.
Leg #3: Inspire
What’s the big promise you offer in your services? For example a client of mine specializes in Disney, and specifically, Disney for the first timer. The big promise she offers is that it’s possible to have your dream Disney experience, even if you haven’t been there before. So to inspire her clients on Facebook, she could post about success cases of clients who just came home. Or, she could talk about the smile on her clients’ face when she got off Space Mountain for the first time. Or she could post about the connection her honeymooners made on their trip. Or she could simply post a famous quote that inspires her. One final way to inspire is to plant the seed for future travel. Using this client one last time, she could post about birthday celebrations at Disney.
Leg #4: Promote with Calls to Action
Yes, you can promote your business in a subtle way by using calls to action. For example, if you are holding a free webinar about an itinerary you will be escorting, invite people on Facebook. If you have an “Irresistible Free Offer” on your website, tell people about it on Facebook and share a link for how they can sign up for it.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT:Plan out your own 4-leg Facebook strategy. Maintain an equal balance of all 4 legs and I bet you will finally see that your Facebook activity is “working.”
©2009-2011 Meredith Hill, www.Safari2Success.com
Want to use this article in your E-zine or website? You can as long as you include this complete statement:
Travel business entrepreneur Meredith Hill publishes the "Binoculars" weekly e-zine. Visit her website at www.Safari2Success.com
