Businesses survive recessions by focusing on what they are good at and reminding their customers what they can offer.
Managing your database doesn’t need to be hugely labour intensive, but a little bit of concentrated effort with a personal touch can go a long way.
Diary-date special occasions
The more reasons you have to make contact with your customers and build a rapport, the better. Note birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions people celebrate with a holiday.
Remember you may have seen their passport, so take a note of their birthday and add it to your database. Send a letter or birthday card or e-card with a personalised special offer enclosed. Include an offer of a birthday glass of wine or something similar to get them through the door.
Get social networking
Social networking sites give a valuable opportunity to interact with existing customers, build relationships with new customers and generate word of mouth.
Past and present customers and employees can interact on a Facebook group, posting comments, holiday photographs and sharing recommendations. Twitter is a useful vehicle in communicating news and views.
Post your Facebook, Flickr or Twitter feed on your website or include in mail-outs. Be prepared to engage in open dialogue and deal with both positive and negative feedback. Effectively handling a complaint can lead to a trustworthy reputation.
Maximise co-operative marketing support
Many operators supply co-operative marketing materials; make the most of this collateral as this is the most cost effective way of communicating latest offers to your customer base.
For example, Travel 2 provide agents with tailored direct-mail pieces, small gifts and competition prizes to add to an agent’s own marketing campaigns.
Be part of the community
Being an integral part of the community builds trusts and generates recommendations. Open evenings, coffee mornings or local charity events will get customers involved to create a buzz in the local area.
Do more than just sell. Offering your potential clients an open forum in which to seek travel advice is a great way of showcasing the friendly, efficient and approachable nature of their local travel agent.
Actively seek personal recommendations from clients on products and services. Ask if you can use a quote from them showcasing how satisfied they were with your services, this will establish your trust within your local community.
Befriend your local press, both written and radio. Offer your service as a travel expert and feed them useful tips that their local readers/listeners will find interesting.
Mining database gold
Treat your database like gold-dust. Make sure you listen to your customer and make notes of special requests and preferences such as favourite airlines so they receive targeted communications.
Run simple competitions and always ask for an email address, clearly allowing consumers to ‘opt in’ to hear more from you.
Analyse what your database tells you about the kind of clients you have and what sort of holiday they like. People who live in the same postcode area will generally enjoy the same sort of holiday.
Useful online resources
Answer 14 questions on the Royal Mail website regarding the scale of your current business and how you currently communicate with customers and they send you a ‘growth pack’ pack in the post packed with information and advice on maximising your current database (or developing one) and ideas for growing your business.
Look under the ‘resources’ section on the DMNews website for downloadable essential guides to topics such as search marketing, and managing lists and databases for expert advice from the trade magazine dedicated to the industry of direct, database and online marketing and advertising. Dmnews.com
Try the Chartered Institute of Marketing website. Look under ‘marketing resources’ for expert advice, reports and articles covering the whole marketing mix. As the largest organisation for professional marketers in the country, the Chartered Institute of Marketing also offers training courses and professional development.
Charlie Bateson joined Travel 2 in March as head of marketing and commercial, responsible for pricing and all tactical marketing activity undertaken by Travel 2.
Prior to this appointment, Charlie held positions as head of web and direct marketing at Hays Travel and director of marketing at Trailfinders.
Read more practical guides at travelweekly.co.uk/howto