Home Based Travel Agent Podcast: September 2022

Monday, September 26, 2022

447 - Dara Busch On How and Why People Are Spending Their Money On Travel And What They Expect

Show 447

Show Notes

Dara Busch, Co-CEO and head of the consumer team at 5WPR. 5WPR is the ninth-largest travel public relations company in the world. We have the opportunity to speak with Dara in today's podcast and discuss their recent investigation and report on consumer spending behavior. Specifically, we talk about how consumers are now spending their money on travel.

Consumers are traveling again. They don't want to be stuck at home, and they are anxious to get back to their pre-pandemic lives. The number two experience behind dining out is traveling and experiencing new destinations. People are looking for an outdoor experience, an active experience, and not just sitting on a beach. However, for some people, sitting on a beach is still appealing, but that's not the trend.

Consumers are looking for personal attention when they shop. They want to deal with real people, making shopping a personal experience, a local experience. The pandemic has made people appreciate their local communities, and they want to shop locally. This means that the travel agent should stand on the rooftop and shout that they represent the local community. You do this by participating in community events, the Little League, the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce, plus many others.

The trend is toward the local shopping experience, but the expectation of immediate results is a strong trend. People expect, when they shop, to have a product in hand when they leave the store. The traveler will want a trip in hand, a date set, and a ticket in hand when they walk away from a consultation with you.

These are other trends identified in the 5WPR consumer behavior report. Dara and I talk about some other trends in this podcast that you will want to hear.

“I think that travel is back in a big way, and I think it is going to continue to grow.”

"Consumers are really trying to tap into travel agents because they know what the here and now is for places because something that might have been a great destination, a great excursion, or a great place to visit three years ago might be very different today." "It might have a different feel to it [because of Covid]. "A travel agent is going to help navigate the changing landscape of destinations because Covid has ravaged many places.”

“Do anything you can to be out and around that local community; people know you, people want to work with you, they want to support you locally. And, the more that you shout from the rooftops, meaning the more you connect with local consumers across the board, the better marketing you will ever have.”

"To be able to spend time with a human being who's going to actually take away all the questions, 'am I clicking on this right,' 'did I book it right,' and just hand you what you're dying for, which is a great trip and that is worth its weight in gold."

"Testimonials are huge! Show that picture of that family zip lining in a remote part of the world."

Links to Items We Talked About in the Show

5WPR - Dara's Public Relations Firm

Podcasts Related to This Show

Show 418 - How to Find New Clients for Your Travel Business

Show 182 - Local Travel, A Trend You Can Profit From

The Fine Print

Thank you for listening to the Home Based Travel Agent Podcast. Barry, or the Show, receives no compensation from the guests on our show, or from the companies they represent unless we state otherwise during the show. We invite guests to our show because they offer something of value to the travel trade community. The Home Based Travel Agent Show is funded from the resources of Barry Kantz.

Thursday, September 01, 2022

446 - Social Media Tips for the Travel Advisor With Cyndee Harrison

Show 446

Show Notes

Maneuvering the ins and outs of social media can be a complex task but very important for your marketing efforts. Successful businesses today must have a social media presence and a marketing strategy to go with it. It doesn't matter if you are selling to a local market or you have a nationwide client base. You must be present on social media.

My guest today is Cyndee Harrison, principal of the Pawnbroker Network, a marketing and public relations company that serves all types of businesses. Cyndee outlines where to start your social media presence and what to do once you begin.

We talk about how to get your clients to engage with you on social media and even how to get them to write reviews and contribute stories about their trips. This type of engagement is essential, and Cyndee tells us how to do it.

Even if you have a strong social media presence right now, you can still pick up a few good tips by listening to this podcast. I encourage you to join us.

Cyndee Harrison

"We have to make sure that we are communicating the fact that we have the authority and relevance in the subject they are looking for … ."

"If you really want to have a broad range of content, get it from the people you engage with."

"The most overlooked channel for sharing posts is actually Google My Business."

"You really need a blog site, and you need to feed it and water it. … If you are going to all the trouble to generate really engaging social media content, then do yourself a favor and put it on your blog."