The most successful marketing campaigns aren’t just thrown out onto the market without thought. Absolutely they aren’t. They’re well-planned and designed, keeping both your ideal client and “end goal” in your mind. This is the case whether you’re talking about online marketing or traditional offline.
If you’re looking to boost your marketing, take a look at these three questions prior to deciding how you plan your marketing strategies for the coming year ahead…
1. Why do my clients require me?
You should consider this from the viewpoint of your client. Really think about it. Do not just throw your standard “because I handle everything for them so that they can relax and enjoy themselves” or “because I’ve got twenty years of expertise.” This is great, but you need to go over the fact that. I read a fantastic article at Host Agency Reviews about why customers should choose to book through an agent instead of a web-based booking engine. The thing I liked most about it was that it offered the reasons why every travel agency hasn’t given! This is the type of thinking I’d like to see by reading this!
You must be able to provide clients with an explanation of the reason you’re relevant and valuable to them. When you understand the reason and what it means, you’ll be in a much better position to create your marketing campaign.
2. WHO is my ideal client?
Everyone has the ability to answer the simple part of that. Agents often respond with “people who are looking to travel to Europe” (or “cruisers” and others get a bit more involved by referring to “baby boomers wanting to travel to Europe.” This is great, but let’s get further!
Here’s the way I want you to think about this.
Pick 3 to 5 of your top clients. The ones that are enjoyable to collaborate with, who arrange the kind of trip you enjoy planning, and who give you a lot of recommendations. When you think of those individuals, Ask yourself if there are any shared characteristics among them. Take a look at the following scenario::
What age category do they fit into?
Are they women or men? (the person who conducts the actual planning along with you)?
Married? with kids? What is the age of the children?
What sort of job are they working in? Consider the field they are in as well as their title or job function.
What are their interests and hobbies? (golf, tennis, gardening, wine, scrapbooking, photography, sports, etc.)
What are their favorite magazines? (don’t be scared to ask them this in an informal conversation!)
What shows on TV do they like? (this is simple to inquire casually, such as: “did you see Downton Abbey last night?” regardless of what they answer, it allows you to inquire as to what shows they love.)
Why do they believe in?
Knowing the answers to these questions will allow you to have an understanding of the ideal customer and can help you focus your advertising to help you find many people who have similar interests to them.
What is the method I would like my clients to follow in their progress toward joining me?
A well-designed marketing plan does not put all your eggs in the same basket. Your marketing plan should include several different methods to reach your ideal customer. The most important thing to keep in your mind is various kinds of marketing target the customer at different stages of the planning process. It is crucial to be aware of both! In the case of Facebook, for instance. Facebook ads don’t usually reach out to people and then contact them until the end of the process; therefore, if you were expecting to create an advertisement and get instant bookings, you’re likely to be disappointed.
Understanding what the entire process is like, starting from curiosity or interest through booking to referring referrals to your marketing efforts are placed in this process, will significantly improve your marketing efforts. You’ll be able to determine which marketing channels you’ll want to employ and which calls to action are required to be included.
What would that process appear like? This is a query that is different for each person, and it’s an issue you must always be evaluating. You need to be able to answer several of these since not everyone will behave in the same manner! This is a major challenge for many agents as they often consider “I put this advertisement out there and then the bookings start coming into” without considering what happens after that (or perhaps there is usually some “in between” of the process). Here’s an example of how this could work for online marketing:
People who are considering an opportunity to go on vacation. They make use of Google to search for the various options for vacation.
Google leads users to my blog, where they can read about an article they are interested in.
They join my email list.
My emails start to go out to them
I have asked them to join me on social media.
They begin to get acquainted with me via social media, and they begin paying more focus on my emails and what I write on social media.
Once they have gotten to know me, they ask me an inquiry about a trip.
I reply to their inquiry and make an appointment to meet with them and begin the process of qualification.
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