Running a travel agency is like planning the best road trip ever, but you need to know who’s coming along for the ride. That’s why it’s super important to understand your travel agency’s target audience’s needs, demographics, interests, and behaviors. Let’s dive into finding your travel agency’s dream audience, and we’ll keep it simple and fun!
Step 1: Getting to Know Your Target Audience
Before you start your adventure, you need to figure out who’s in your travel crew. Your “crew” is your target audience, the people most likely to become your travel agency’s customers.
Who Are They? Demographics!
Demographics are like the basics of your audience. Think of it as finding out their age, gender, where they live, education, occupation, how much money they have, and their family size. Knowing this will help you personalize your services to attract people most likely to take a desired action
What Makes Them Tick? Psychographics!
This is basically what your prospective customers are interested in. What gets them excited about travel? Do they dream of relaxing by the beach or going on wild adventures? Different people have different travel dreams, and that’s what psychographics are all about.
Meet Your Travel Heroes: Customer Personas
Imagine creating characters for your favorite book. That’s what customer personas are all about. In defining your customer persona, you need to give him/her a name, what they need that your travel agency provides; demographics such as age, gender, where they live, education, occupation, how much money they have, and their family size.
Not sure where to start? No problem! Start with your current customers. What is their average age? Are most of them males or females? What type of travel adventure are they thrilled about? How much are they willing and able to spend on traveling? What are the common behaviors among them? Are most of them family set-ups or single individuals
seeking to traverse the world alone?
Imagine creating characters for your favorite book. That’s what customer personas are all about. In defining your customer persona, you need to give him/her a name, what they need that your travel agency provides; demographics such as age, gender, where they live, education, occupation, how much money they have, and their family size.
Step 2: Spy on the Competition
It’s not cheating; it’s learning from the best. Check out the websites and social media platforms of other travel agencies that are doing well in the travel industry. Who are they targeting? What’s working for them? What are the strengths and weaknesses? Implement what’s working and improve on their weaknesses. This will put you at par or even better than
them.
Step 3: Google Analytics, Social Media Analytics and
Content Management Systems
Google Analytics, social media analytics such as Meta Business Suite, and content management systems such as Hootsuite can help you up your marketing game. Analyze the key metrics such as demographics; and engagement in terms of likes, shares, comments, saves, or clicks, you can get a full image of what your audience looks like.
Don’t forget to read the feedback and reviews from past travelers. You can also talk to friends and other people who might be interested in what your travel agency offers.
Step 4: Ride the Trends and Seasons
Travel trends change like the weather. Sometimes it’s all about sun and sand at the coast, and other times, it’s about watching wildebeest migration in Maasai Mara Game Reserve. Stay flexible and go with the flow to keep your travelers happy. Never miss the trends: take your crew where they want to go.
Step 5: Hook Them with Great Content
Think of your website as a treasure map. Use words and stories that travelers are searching for. You want to make Google Trends, UberSuggest, and AnswerThePublic your closest friends because they will give you ideas of what your target audience is looking for. If they want to know about “Family-Friendly Resorts in Naivasha,” be the one who tells them.
Step 6: Make use of Local SEO
If you have a physical travel agency, don’t forget local customers. Use local SEO such as “Google My Business” to make sure your agency gets listed when people search for ‘travel agencies near me’ or any other keyword that relates to your travel agency.
Final Thoughts: Your Dream Voyage
Finding your dream customers for your travel agency is like planning an epic journey that never ends. knowing your target audience, having the right tools, and being ready for adventure is just the beginning.
Travelers’ dreams change and new places become popular so you cannot afford to ignore the voice of your audience. Let your target audience tell you what they want you to do for them; and not you telling them what you want to do for them. As Scott Cook would have it “A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is—it is what consumers tell each other it is.”
