No matter the size or the age of your business, or how much revenue enterprising travel agencies generate, the fact of the matter is that all of them require a variety of tools to accomplish their goals. Trying to operate, engage clients, do travel branding or apply marketing strategies without tools or without the right tools is about as useful as trying to plow a field with your hands. It’ll be slow, ineffective, painful, and ultimately a huge amount of effort will be spent to achieve nothing. But there are many great tips for travel agents and SME travel groups that include branding for travel agents and websites for travel agencies, amongst many others… So what are some of the most important tools travel agents and travel agencies can use?

Logo

This may seem incredibly rudimentary but the importance of it cannot be overlooked and that is that your logo may well be the first symbol any customer sees. As such, it holds a special place of importance as it is going to be the symbol which must engage an individual enough to have them read your information or click on a link. Logos are especially important and bad logos can drive away business faster than bad reviews because a logo will oftentimes get your potential clients when they are most vulnerable and that is when they know nothing about you.

We have all been told to never judge a book by its cover but the fact is people do it, and a logo which looks like it was designed in Microsoft Paint is going to be a logo which will be shunned. Any industry that chooses to use that image as their representative in the world is going to be shunned with it. Good logos, however, can engage, inspire, or at the very least not offend. Logos should be made to help and if they cannot help should at least be designed to be neutral and do no harm.

Tip: Big platforms like Freelancer allow travel agencies all over the world to easily update or request a new logo that fits the travel agency look and feel without spending a ton of money on it.

Paperwork

We use the term paperwork but that’s kind of a misnomer as actually any of these can also be made into PDF files, put up on web pages, sent in newsletters, or subscribed to through emails. There is a whole host of information of this kind that includes things like business cards, brochures, flyers, and many other marketing styles of paperwork. These are important tools in a travel agent’s arsenal and one of the best tips for travel agents in branding travel is to learn how to make and use these kinds of promotional materials successfully.

Tip: Travel agents may have trouble creating some of these materials but fortunately, there are innumerable developers, freelancers, artists, and marketers available online who can assist travel agencies or travel agents in helping design engaging promotional materials from business cards to flyers and everything in between. You can also ask for some quotes from your local design/advertising agencies or freelancers that operate near your travel agency and compare their prices with the online information you gather to make a weighted decision that makes you comfortable and works within your expected budget.

Website

This is probably the single most important tool a travel agent has, and it links to many of the other tools. A website is your digital storefront to the world. Certainly, you can run Facebook campaigns, send out flyers or business cards, and have engaging logos but the fact is more likely than not all of those will culminate and meet here at your website. A website is where all of your marketing materials, your engagement with clients, and your branding all come together into this marketing funnel and it is essential to get this one right.

One of the best tips for travel agents is to splurge a bit on making high-quality websites for travel agencies. Websites for travel agencies are a requirement no matter whether you deal with a huge volume of clients for travel or just a few groups, and whether you’re a big travel agency or an SME travel agency. A website is a must-have and it is likely in this day and age that no travel agencies or travel agents could build a successful business without one. This is because websites are not just your storefront to the world, but it is also the mechanism by which your clients can interface with the travel industry itself and even book their trips.

Tip: Using tools like TTS Webook Suite, clients can book trips through your website, find their favorite destinations, and seek your help and assistance when they need it. The ability to book through your website with an internet booking engine as well as find other engagement materials is important for your clients, and making sure that they are all hosted on your website and easy to navigate is crucial. It makes a website the most important tool to get right and there are many ways to get it wrong.

Websites that are cheap, non-functional, have outdated information, don’t have an internet booking engine, or the ability to book flights through them are websites which are quickly going to be passed over for ones that are faster, more responsive, up-to-date, and allow clients the kind of freedom and experience they have come to expect from modern websites. The look, the color, the style, and all of your promotional materials should be updated on your website regularly in addition to any promotions or deals. This will keep individuals coming back to your website searching for new deals and suggestions. These deals can also be linked through your Facebook or Instagram accounts and you can create online social media campaigns which help to advertise to individuals who like or follow your travel agency to engage them further and let them know to check out and revisit the website.

Conclusion

Branding travel can be difficult but travel agents have their work cut out for them with the ability to create and update websites for travel agencies and to use booking tools like TTS WeBook Suite to allow their clients to book their own flights, generate high-quality promotional materials that can be designed to inform and engage – the tools that a travel agent can use are nearly endless. Never before have so many high-quality, high power tools and the convenience to use them been available to travel agencies, and if you are willing to use these tips then the future of your travel agency is likely one of engagement with clients, steady revenue, and ultimately success.

Find out more about TTS WeBook Suite.

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