How To Take Advantage Of Free Marketing For Your Travel Business
Social media is good for your business. It is legitimate free advertising. I capitalize on this all the time with my use of platforms like Instagram. If you don’t like free advertising, you can go ahead and skip this post, but if you think that your business could benefit from utilizing a form of marketing that can cost you absolutely nothing except the time it takes you to show up and share content, then keep reading.
All that is required of you is doing a better job at putting out the type of content that allows your clients to connect with you and helps new clients find you and be attracted to your services.
No other type of marketing or advertising allows you to get in front of your clients on a daily basis and engage with them like social media, and specifically Instagram. We are given a visual platform that people engage with on a daily basis — multiple times a day in fact.
But here is what we have to remember— our clients aren’t on social media to be marketed and advertised to. Sure, it’s happening. But that isn’t what they logged on for. You understand that, it’s not what you log on for either!
It’s our job to add value to their lives before then even become our clients. We are sharing who we are and what we do, from a perspective that actually helps them. That way they enjoy following us on social media, start to see us as the expert in our niche, and know all about how we can help them travel better.
My advice? Approach your social media posting as if you were at a cocktail party.
Think about it... if I was at a cocktail party I’d tell people who I was, I'd tell them about my business, and then we would probably find a few things we had in common we could continue discussing that would be of interest to the both of us. This could be hobbies, shared interests, the best new restaurant in town, etc.
They might ask about my favorite destination (because doesn’t everyone always ask that?!), and their ears would perk up if I shared anything they thought might be helpful to them. People always pay attention when it benefits them.
The conversation would continue because we're talking about things that are of interest to them, and it’s a conversation they find valuable.
Social media is a conversation.
Unfortunately there aren’t any cocktails involved. These conversations though are happening online through photos, videos, captions and the like, and the idea is the same. Social media is most successful when you realize what people are actually on the platforms for, and you begin to create and share content that furthers the conversation you are having with your followers.
The posts that further the conversation and develop that know, like, trust factor? I call those strategic posts. In boxer terms those would be consider your jabs.
Your right hook comes when you have obvious marketing posts. You ask for the business. You give away a freebie in exchange for an email address. You point them to your blog and ask them to engage with you off of the platform. These right hooks are most effective when they aren't the thing you are serving up post after post.
If you find yourself struggling with what your strategic posts should be, here are some general themes and ideas to get your wheels turning. Remember: These are small snippets of information, but if people find it valuable they will pay attention!
Personal travel experiences
Behind the scenes of your business
Inspirational posts
Introduction to who you are
Hobbies and interests
Your “why”- Share the passion for why you do what you do
Don’t be afraid to throw in the personal. So many times we focus on travel-related stuff, but the truth is, people are doing business with US because of US. They are choosing to do business with you the person, so it makes sense you begin to share a little bit of who you are. When you do talk about business related things, have it be the things they are going to find valuable, and not just the posts where you get them to try and do something or simply tell them about your services. Here are some examples:
Travel Tips
Packing advice
Destination info related to your niche
Upcoming client travel they could be inspired by
Testimonials (that do a good job of highlighting what you do)
Your travel expertise
What are you sharing that is GIVING insight, information, and entertainment to your audience? Most of us have a hard time figuring out what that should be. I encourage you to think about your client. Really hone in on what they are struggling with, what they are worried about, what their pain points are in life right now and how you can help!
The best place to start is by better understanding what our clients want to see from us and what they find valuable.
I’m currently working on a step-by-step process to help you really take advantage of the free marketing that Instagram provides for your travel business. I want us to be able to approach this type of marketing without overwhelm and by using it to our benefit to grow our business and attract more of the clients we love working with.
If you’d like to be one of the first notified, pop in your email HERE and I’ll be sure to keep you updated!