As travel industry professionals, we think and plan ahead. We know rooms fill up and rates sell out, and when clients wait until the last minute, they are not happy picking through the leftover options.
We forget the overwhelming nature of booking travel. When you are marketing travel for the next year, you need to step into a client’s shoes and connect with them through your marketing copy.
Be Specific
Each post or email blast should just have one topic. If you try to talk about too many things at one time, you're going to lose your audience.
Lead With Common Objections
Why be negative and base your post on objections? Because it tells that potential client ‘I see you; I understand your struggles’ and that builds so much trust. It works because it meets them where they are.
It's not to start from the negative: we want to get to the client’s level and show them the advantages of booking early.
However, if you lead off just with the benefit, they won’t pay attention to your email or post. It will get ignored — you need to use language that will get them to open your email or stop their scroll and read your post.
Call Out the Issue or Question
Get their attention by calling out the issue or question they have.
Here are two examples:
Objection: What if I need to change my travel dates?
- Their Fear: If they pick dates and need to modify something, they are now locked in and lose their deposit.
- Post Topic: Pick a supplier you want to sell more of and give an example of what happens when you change dates for a rate that is flexible. Explain the process to them. Include pictures of you in the destination or on the cruise ship. This builds more trust in your marketing effort.
Objection: Do I have to pay for the whole trip when I book?
- Their Fear: people a lot of times think they must pay for the whole trip right when they book. This is a case of something we don't realize potential clients don’t know about. They've heard that the trip costs thousands and thousands of dollars, and they cannot fathom putting down that much money right now.
- Post Topic: Again, choose a specific destination/supplier/cruise that you want to sell more of. Get their attention by addressing the fact that they only need to place a deposit of $x to get their dates locked in. Then explain if there can be a payment schedule and also the final payment date.
Warning: Do Not Be Generic
You might be tempted to do generic posts about these objections. I’d rather see you do 5 different posts (spread out over a couple months) focusing on one specific product’s policies. Use photos from your site tours, FAMs, travel and make sure you have pictures of you in that destination.
The reason is specificity is what people are drawn to read. You might think you’re leaving people out by not covering everything you could possibly book. By specifically highlighting a product, you’re bringing the people in who are interested in what you are an expert in.
Remember: we live, breathe and know these details; the potential clients don't always know. Your marketing should be helping them realize that they can trust you and be confident that they can get a jump on next year’s vacation with your expertise by their side.
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