IC Travel Agent June 2014
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TRAVEL AGENT THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE FOR ICs, OSRs & HOME-BASED TRAVEL AGENTS JUNE 2014 The ART of Selling Travel from HOME AN SMP TRAINING PUBLICATION
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The SPAM Issue - No Permission / No Commission
Transcript of IC Travel Agent June 2014
THE HOW-T
TRAVEL AGENTO MAGAZINE FOR ICs, OSRs & HOME-BASED TRAVEL AGENTS
T
of Selling
from
AN SMP TRAINING PUBLICATION
JUNE 2014
he ART
Travel
HOME
4 EDITORIAL
Selling travel from home doesnot have to be a puzzle when you
read IC! Find the host agencythat best suits your needs.
Share your money making ideasin IC and help your IC colleagues.
CONTACTSteve Crowhurst
www.ic-travelagent.com
Publisher:SMP Training Co.
www.smptraining.com
ContributorsSteve Crowhurst
IC TRAVEL AGENT is owned and publishedby Steve Crowhurst, SMP Training Co. AllRights Reserved. Protected byInternational Copyright Law. IC TRAVELAGENT can be shared, forwarded, cut andpasted but not sold, resold or in any waymonetized. Using any images or contentfrom IC TRAVEL AGENT must be sourced asfollows: “Copyright SMP Training Co.www.smptraining.com” SMP Training Co.568 Country Club Drive, Qualicum Beach,BC, Canada, V9K-1G1 Note: SteveCrowhurst is not responsible for outcomesbased on how you interpret or use theideas in IC TRAVEL AGENT.T: 250-738-0064.
6 MEET REBECCA, ALEX, LISA AND ROB…
7 GROWING YOUR LIST
8 NO PERMISSION (NO COMMISSION)
10 PROFESSIONAL PLAINTIFF
13 WORK LIFE BALANCE by Jill Wykes
15 WHO PAYS THE BILL?
17 B2B COMMUNICATION
18 NO SPAM E-MAIL TACTICS
19 E-MAIL SIGNATURES
20 AWAY NOTICE + OPT-IN…
21 LOCAL ADVERTISING
24 SPAM LITE by Steve Gillick
27 ANTI-SPAM COMPARISONS (GLOBAL)
29 APPROVAL IS THE GAME
31 THE CONSENT REQUEST
34 NOT ALL HOST AGENCIES ARE ALIKE… by Jill Wykes
35 PRESS RELEASES / BLOGS
37 RADIO SHOWS
38 SPAM ‘N’ CHIPS
41 SELLING TRAVEL WITH STEVE
TABLE OF CONTENTS – IC JUNE 2014
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No Permission – No Commission
YOWZER! And I don’t say that word too often. Well, it seems like we’re heading back into the
good ole days when winning new clients was all about how you advertised and used what we
called attraction marketing. Then there were press releases and consumer events, cruise nights
and bill boards, road signs, non-addressed fliers and a whole bunch more activities to spur a
prospect on to make the call, to make contact and to ask for your help in arranging their vacation.
This back to the future feeling comes about through the latest anti-spam legislation to be
launched in Canada come July 1st, 2014. The legislation also affects US travel agents who market
north of the 49th. Suppliers too. Tourism boards…
The theme to carry in your head is No Permission No Commission. That’s about it pure and simple
PLUS the return to what we have termed “traditional” or “off-line” marketing. The current rules
and regulations offer some leeway as travel agents start asking each of their current clients to
“opt-in” and give their expressed consent to receive electronic communication such as emails.
The Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) is wider than just email however, it encompasses all
forms of communication and especially if you are selling something, and you are.
See you inside.
Don’t forget to check out the new titles at The Travel Agent’s Store.
Here’s to your continued success!
Best regards.
Steve Crowhurst, CTC
www.ic-travelagent.com
Steve Crowhurst, CTC, Publisher
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Work in the comfort of your own home!
Rebecca, Alex, Lisa and Rob are independent contractors and newcomers to selling travel from
their respective home based offices. Surrounding them is a group of strangers and it would be
perfectly legal for our four newcomers to strike up a face-to-face conversation with someone in
this group and ask them directly for their vacation travel business. If our four newcomers sent a
“book with me” prospecting email to any of these people without their permission to do so then
our four newcomers would be in violation of the new anti-spam legislation. The challenge: if you
cannot email someone to ask for their business without their permission how do you grow your
business? How do you even start to build a client base?
From here on, each page in this issue is dedicated to attracting would-be clients by means that
fall outside of complying with the CASL and CANSPAM programs. Once you attract a new
customer then you must comply with CASL and CANSPAM.
Meet Rebecca, Alex,Lisa and Rob
Growing Your List
From July 1st on Canadian travel agents must endeavour to re-sign their clients so that each
client has agreed to receive all forms of CEMs – commercial electronic messaging. Emails being
a biggie. Although there seems to be a three-year period that allows Canadian travel agents
and all other businesses to work their magic to comply with CASL – there is no time like the
present to start building your client list and request a person’s permission from the start.
Decide the growth factor you need and calculate
how many new clients you’ll require to meet
your financial plan. If you wish to grow by
another $200,000 this year in sales (not revenue)
and your average sale per person (not booking)
is around $2,000 then you’ll need 100 new
clients. Break that down to a monthly figure and
that’s 8.3 new clients per month.
You can start by asking for referrals from your
existing clients that have agreed to opt-in and
give you their consent / permission to receive
your emails and other forms of communication.
Even though it is an existing client who is making
the referral, you must include your client’s name
and address when contacting the person or
couple they referred. That done, then you advise
the referred couple to “register” with you and to
opt-in, giving you permission to send emails to
them etc.
Before you kick your new client acquisition plan
into high gear make sure you have every element
covered off and very importantly the
unsubscribe function and process. Make sure
this is done before launching your ad campaign.
EXISTING CLIENT LISTEach person MUST be
contacted for their Express
permission and to prove
they have opted-in to
receive your email and
more.
TO PROFIT YOU
MUST GROW YOUR
CLIENT LIST
You’ll need to return
to the old ways,
traditional, off line
prospecting
techniques,
supported by social
media activities…
PROSPECTS
To grow your
client list as of July
1st 2014 you can
no longer reach
out by email to
prospect for their
business unless
exemptions apply.
No Permission…It’s one of those days. It’s a day that you know you should be preparing for but then, well there
are other things to do. The American CANSPAM laws have been in effect for some time as has
the Canadian PIPEDA program and each has a bit of a bite for those who flaunt all things spam
and no doubt some spammers have paid the price. The latest anti-spam legislation, this time
from Canada, is said to be very tough with fines of up to $1 million for an individual and $10
million for a corporation…
… yet still, those spammers, whoever they
are and wherever they hang out, are still not
heeding the law, the legislation or my opt-
out and unsubscribe requests. So what’s it all
about?
It seems it’s down to
“catching” the small
business person who
is trying to generate
an income to support
their family and that’s
where this new
legislation will cause a
huge challenge on both
sides of the 49th.
As I always like to say, it’s not a department
that’s decided this new law, it’s a person.
There is always, someone who has to sign off
on such a law and I can tell you right now, he
or she is not running a small business and
chances are they never have. It’s someone
thinking they should leave their mark on the
world and screw up every small business and
in “our” case – travel agencies in general and
new comers to selling travel.
No need to mention that the anti-spam bods
should focus on the huge, relentless,
spammers and close them down somehow
and allow the small business customer to
delete or opt-out of bone fide emails seeking
their business or accept a travel product
promotion, in our case, to an existing, or
long lost client.
However that’s all pie in the sky at this point
the deal is done. No permission - no
commission.
The Anti Anti-Spam Plan
So it’s time to put on your
hiking boots and take a
stroll as you ponder how
YOU will handle this new
legislation.
American companies pitching across the
border to Canadian travellers – and I receive
quite a few offers from various US based
travel firms – will come under fire should any
of those Canadians being contacted
complain to the people running the CASL
project.
Canadian travel agents too, are on the hook
for contacting their countrymen without
prior permission.
The anti, anti-spam plan then will include
non-direct contact marketing activities.
Actually it will fall into the category of
advertising and events. These are marketing
activities that you can conduct without
causing yourself or your prospective client a
problem. Reason being, you are not
contacting the recipient directly. You are
putting information ‘out there’ where the
general public is reading off-line and
searching on-line. They then contact you.
Back To Attraction Marketing
Here’s where the Baby Boomer travel agent
might be able to teach the younger Gen X &
Y agents a thing or two, as a thanks for the
social media education so many have passed
on to their elders! Playing it forward.
Step One
Okay… let’s go with the flow and make sure
“we” have our current clients signed up. That
means each existing client has given you
their consent / permission to be contacted
by you / your agency.
You’ll require a filing system that locks those
digital or hard copy forms away should CASL
ever come knocking on your door. The only
reason that will happen is if one or more of
your clients complain to CASL / CANSPAM
that you are spamming them and/or
contacting them in a manner that
contravenes the rules.
The other reason for CASL / CANSPAM to
contact you would be a purge on the retail
travel industry in general. This type of action
is enacted when numerous complaints are
received by the general public overall. So
you’d be caught up in the sweep.
Step Two
With your existing clients signed and sealed
and opted in to receive anything you would
like to send them – let’s move on to how you
can attract new prospects and build your
client list on the right side of the law.
1. Think about what it is you are trying to
sell and don’t be the one that says “we’re
not selling anything…” because that will
get you into trouble. You’ll be selling
your services, your niche, your
experience, a discount on the next cruise
to the Caribbean, passing on a supplier
special to Europe or perhaps seats on
your own custom tour.
2. Now you think about which would be the
best medium for your message.
Remember, according to CASL you
cannot make direct contact with any new
prospective client without their consent
– and you cannot ask for their consent,
without their consent! What has to
happen is that you ATTRACT your would
be prospect to contact you and that’s
when you ask them to opt-in to receive
your emails and more.
3. Referrals are still the way to go and so
one way to boost your client list is to rev
up your referral plan and ask your clients
– the ones who have given you
permission to contact them, to refer
their friends, family and colleagues.
When a referral makes contact – don’t
forget, you are now obligated to have
them opt-in and give you their Express
permission to be contacted.
Traditional Marketing Techniques
Remember, when prospecting, you cannot
send any form of communication to anyone
without having their Express and
documented permission to do so.
The Non-Contact Advertising & Promotion
Plan states that you could make excellent
use of traditional marketing techniques.
Let’s explore some more.
Keep reading!
Be Warned of the
"Professional Plaintiff"By Peter Hoppenfeld
A client recently received the ultimate "shakedown" letter—claiming violation of the CaliforniaCAN-SPAM law as a result of getting eight emails, demanding $80,000 in statute-mandateddamages, yet willing to settle for $2400.
Unfortunately, this has become a cottageindustry. The California law has a private right ofaction that has been taken advantage of by a fewnoteworthy legal vigilantes. Their actions havecreated a template for the "shakedown."
To add insult to injury, the"professional" victim opted-inherself for each of the lists thatshe claims issued a spam email.I'm fairly sure that she probablyhas a cyber-ambulance chasingattorney ready to pounce on acontingency basis.What do you do?
The American Corporate CounselAssociation has issued a whitepaper that is very helpful. Seems like the SPAMdemand toolkit left out one key defense—if yourISP has reasonable processes in place to preventspamming, the statutory damages in Californiaare reduced from $1000 to $100 per occurrence.
Quoting my letter:
First, it is clear that you are following a textbook(albeit outdated) approach of a "professionalplaintiff" under the California anti-spam law.Attached is a copy of a White Paper prepared bythe Association of Corporate Counsel that clearlyrebuts each and every point that you have raisedin an attempt to coerce my client to pay youmonies.
We are in possession of proof that you opted intoa number of email lists as proof that these emails
are not unsolicited. Even if unsolicited, all of myclient's emails contain compliant opt-out linksand you have not elected to take advantage ofthat option.
The element of the California lawthat you conveniently ignored isSection 17529.8 which reducesthe potential statutory damagesto $100 per occurrence. Pleasenote:
"... working with reputable emailservice providers (ESPs),advertisers can be more confidentthat recipients did opt-intoreceive commercial email. ESPsgenerally maintain or can
produce evidence of each opt-in, in the form of IPaddress from which the consumer opted-in,date/time stamp of opt-in, and otherinformation. {NOTE: ALL IN OUR POSSESSION.}
While plaintiffs may contest the veracity of suchevidence in a proceeding, once the evidence isproduced, the burden to show it is inaccurategenerally shifts to the plaintiff [NOTE: WE AREUNAWARE OF ATTORNEYS WHO WILL TAKE AMATTER ON CONTINGENCY WHEN THERE AREBURDENS OF PROOF SUCH AT THIS.}
More importantly, statutory damages under theCode of $1,000 for each spam are reduced to$100 for each spam, when there is evidence thata defendant established and implementedpractices and procedures reasonably designed to
This post has been reprinted with kind permission from Melissa Ward, Managing Editor, Target Marketing magazine
and Peter Hoppenfeld (filling in for regular Reinventing Direct blogger Gary Hennerberg),.
Peter Hoppenfeld
effectively prevent spamming. {NOTE: SUCHPRACTICES AND PROCEDURES ARE IN PLACE.}
Accordingly, we deem your demand a "shakedown" and a nuisance, and to save time andexpense offer you the sum of $800 in full and final
settlement of this matter. No monies will beprovided to you unless you agree in writing: thatno Spam violation took place; to maintain theterms of this arrangement confidential; and toagree to a penalty of $10,000 if it is determinedthat in the future you are engaged in any
attempt to assist others to assert this type ofclaim against my client.
The matter settled, but the complainer remainedindignant. Unbelievable.
Key takeaways: Have a complete understanding of the
CAN-SPAM laws. Use an identifiable "from" email, a non-
deceptive subject line, include a physicaladdress, provide for an opt-out link andremove people who opt-out within 10days.
Even more importantly, if affiliates aremailing for you, make sure they "scrub"their lists against your Suppression list.
Good Luck All. It's a jungle out there.
Peter Hoppenfeld is an attorney and adviser inthe representation of direct marketers, speakers,authors, information marketers, "thoughtleaders," entrepreneurs and domestic andinternational training companies and theirfounders. Reach him at: peterhoppenfeld.com.
Given Canada’s anti-spam legislation and the huge fines for not following the
rules, a professional plaintiff as presented in Peter Hoppenfeld’s post could
be a sign of the times for Canadian Travel Agents. Expect The Unexpected is
your mantra from here on as you continue to prep’ your agency team to
always make sure each client has opted in to receive your emails and more.
Remember the phrase:
NO PERMISSION – NO COMMISSIONMake sure you fulfill each step outlined in the
CASL documentation and as provided by your host agency’s HQ and trade association.
Are You On The List?As a member of The Travel Agent’s Store you’ll receive advanced notice of new
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Work Life BalanceHow often do we hear about busy people complaining about how difficult it is to
find a balance between working and their personal lives? Is work/life balance
actually achievable?
Travel agents have historically been
disadvantaged in this respect. Working long
hours to deal with changes to files, or waiting for
suppliers to get back to them, or working with
clients who are only available after office hours.
Dealing with call backs from tour operators and
then trying to locate clients at night or on
weekends and holidays. Assisting corporate
clients who have a sudden change in plans. Or
how about mall hours? Endless evenings and
weekends.
Retail call centres are open even longer …often 7
days a week, requiring shift work and odd hours
from their agents.
The shift in the travel industry towards home
based agents goes a long way to solving this
problem for the many agents who are signing on
to this trend. Perhaps work/life balance is one of
the reasons 50% of the agents in the U.S. and the
U.K. are home based.
Working from your own home office affords
many personal benefits and puts you back in
charge of your life, both personal and
professional. It gives you control. The kind of
control you will never have as long as you work
for somebody else.
I can personally attest to this, because as I write
this, after 20 years working in a large travel
corporation, I am sitting on my sofa, coffee at my
side, watching the sunrise. A few short years ago
I’d have been in the shower, rushing to dress
professionally, put on make up, do my hair (all
the while, checking my blackberry to see if my
bosses need anything) and get in the car to race
to the office, sitting in traffic along the way.
I am not a travel agent, but the trend towards
home offices is not exclusive to travel. A growing
number of Canadians now work from home in
many different professions.
Home based agents will tell you many reasons
why they are happier working from home. They
can be home when their children come home
from school, weekends are free if they want
them to be, they have regained the hours they
By Jill Wykes
spent commuting, and they have the freedom to
fit whatever else they need or want to do into
their day. They can choose the hours they
work….and don’t get me wrong, these agents
work hard….but it can be when it suits them.
So what’s the catch? Surely it is not all a bed of
roses? Actually, it pretty much is.
But, one thing that is important is to carefully
select your host agency to make sure that they
can support your schedule. Check out what they
offer in terms of training time, conference calls,
sales support, reporting, BSP ticketing, etc.
Be sure to find out how often you receive your
hard earned commissions ….working from home
and being your own boss also means having
greater control over your finances, and the time
to pay attention to them.
Something else you will want to look for, and
that you might miss from working in an office, is
the sense of community with your co-workers.
How can you connect with your fellow home-
based agents both professionally and socially?
Brought to you by
The Travel Agent Next Door
Coming soon to The Travel Agent’s Store
Look For Our Managerial E-Books In The Fall
We know that travel trade managers are starved for new information, current tips, tools and
techniques to help them better manage a present day workforce, deal with all things digital
and market to a new and changing client base. Topics to include human resources, sales and
marketing plans, strategic planning, managing the plan, stepping into management and more.
Content will be current, cutting edge, projected forward
and not dated to the 1990’s or before!
Who Pays The Bill?Oh dear! Well you won’t know how this actually plays out until someone somewhere decides
to challenge the sending of emails to their email address after they have opted-out and or
unsubscribed from your list. It could be that their name was not removed from your list and so
they received another dozen or more emails. Then follow up emails, too. Initially the client
remained calm and deleted. Now they are angry, upset and they’ve found out about CASL and
CANSPAM where they can take their complaint.
Here’s one slide from a
presentation that compares
the American CAN-SPAM
program with Canada’s
CASL.
The CAN-SPAM program
puts the onus on your client
or prospect to opt-out if
they do not wish to receive
your emails any longer.
Failure to remove them
from the list causes
repercussions and small
fines. The Canadian CASL program is very aggressive compared to the CAN-SPAM program and especially
regarding who is liable for that $1m to $10m fine. And guess who that would be?
If you are the agency owner manager, host
agency owner manager, on the corporate team
and or have travel counsellors working for you,
you’d best make sure that everyone for whom
you rely on to do an impeccable job, is well
trained on how to satisfy CASL compliance.
That would mean they understand the rules and
regulations and agree to sign off that they will
not endanger the company by being frivolous in
sending emails to just anyone.
If an existing client or prospect complains about
a member of staff’s emails, it could well be YOU
challenging the fine in court.
The image above was captured from a
presentation on SlideShare.net and it is
worthwhile clicking through the 40-page
comparison between CASL and CAN-SPAM.
Rather than wait for the hammer to come down
inadvertently or not (read the article The
Professional Plaintiff) make a plan to work with
your front line team, your host agency HQ and
anyone else who might in some way shape or
form cause you to be involved in a legal dispute.
Make sure all your paperwork is updated, your
existing clients receive an opt-in document or a
link to your website where they can update their
profile, opt-in or opt-out etc.
If you do not have an email management
program, time to get one ASAP and have your
lawyer review all your fine print to make sure
you are complying with CASL / CAN-SPAM.
Published This Month
If you are looking for a new industry segment to add to your existing services or to focus on a specialty
niche then this eGuide will help you. It presents 27 services that a typical corporate account is looking for
and each one could become a profitable niche service for you. Air, hotel and car is where most travel
agents battle for the account however there are more opportunities than those basic elements. Try
meetings, incentives, conferences or new traveller training for instance.
Click here to view the Attracting and Retaining Corporate Accounts Preview.
B2B CommunicationThe CASL program also applies to B2B business practices and so it will have some implicationsfor travel trade suppliers communicating with both travel agents and corporate accounts thatdeal direct with suppliers. Here’s the information from CASL that applies to B2B.
Business-to-business communications.
CASL applies broadly to all CEMs. However,
the new regulations include exemptions for
CEMs sent within a business, and CEMs sent
between businesses that are in an ongoing
business relationship. The messages must be
sent by an employee, representative,
contractor or franchisee, and be relevant to
the business, role, function or duties of the
recipients. Similarly exempt are
communications sent to third-party business
partners, such as marketing agencies,
recruiting firms and insurance carriers.
Messages sent to consumers in response to
a request for information.
The new regulations address this
unintended consequence by exempting
messages sent in response to requests,
inquiries or complaints. (This is why the use
of Attraction Marketing works for you.)
Messages sent to enforce a legal right.
Examples include messages sent for debt
collection, licensing & enforcing contractual
obligations.
Messages sent from outside Canada.
These include messages sent by foreign
businesses (provided the sender could not
reasonably know the message would be
received in Canada) and internationally-
based Canadian organizations.
Third-party referrals. To qualify for the
exemption:
The individual who sends the message
must disclose in the message the
ordinary or full name of the person who
made the referral.
The individual who made the referral
must have an existing personal or family
or business relationship with both the
sender and the person who receives the
message.
Non preferred suppliers might want to review
how they will continue to pitch their products to
travel agencies who are by contract not allowed
to sell any supplier other than preferred. A
continual series of emails might be considered
spam by HQ unless the HQ gives their express
permission to the non-preferred supplier.
Corporate travel agencies, travel management
firms dealing with a business versus a consumer
should also review how the B2B component of
CASL affects them, if it does.
Best practices would suggest that when dealing
with corporate accounts it would be better to
establish a conference call or face-to-face
meeting and discuss CASL and arrive at an
immediate solution which might range from no
one cares, keep emailing… or they will select
their own preferences.
No Spam E-Mail TacticsHow many times can it be said and read? No communication without permission. Answer: you
need a way, a strategy, a plan to win a prospect’s email address. The reason you are hunting
for email addresses is this: more than 75% of people outside your agency prefer to receive
product offers by email – NOT by social media. So to win that email address, your marketing
plans should include a tactic that causes someone unknown to you just now, to enter their
email address, thus opting in. Giving you permission to follow up.
From this report comes sixteen tactics marketers
are using to encourage would be customers to
send in their email addresses. Review them and
check to see if you can use the same ideas.
1. General email sign-up form on website
2. Require email to create an
account on website
3. Sign-up requests specific to different
sections on website
4. Registration with immediate incentive
5. Email capture via Facebook
6. Promote content via social media that
requires email registration to access
7. Drive online loyalty program
registration requiring email
8. Paid search advertisement that drives to
landing page with email opt-in
9. Capture email during inbound sales calls
10. Capture email during inbound
customer service calls
11. Sales associates request email as
part of check-out process
12. Email acquisition tied to loyalty program
registration promoted in-store
13. Require email to register mobile app
14. Email acquisition tied to emailed
receipt or ticket delivery
15. Option to opt into email when viewing
content on mobile app
16. Paid mobile ads
If you like the ideas listed here, you’ll want to
create something your prospects would like to
sign up for – to trade their email address for.
Typically that might be your travel agency
newsletter, or a competition of some kind
(hopefully not at too much expense to you such
as a free trip when dinner for two at a local
restaurant can generate the same result).
Each tactic listed here is intended to cause an
INBOUND surge of email registrations. You are
not spamming anyone because you are
promoting your sign-up offers via means such as:
your press releases, blog posts, newspaper ads,
bill boards, branded clothing you wear and
anything else you do that generates a call-to-
action, sign-up, opt-in email response.
E-Mail SignaturesTime to beef up your email signature and make sure it complies with
all things anti-spam based on the legislation for your country and
some of you may be affected by state or provincial laws too. Be sure
to check out which tune you are dancing to. The infographic on the
right is linked – so give it a click and check it out. It was sourced from
evercontact.com.
Here’s a layout idea for your emails:
Another unsubscribe instruction could be: To stop receiving email from us
click the Remove Me link here.
You might want to add a selection of social media icons linked to your social
network pages and inspire your email recipients to opt-in and connect via
Facebook etc.
It is also important to add this line to your email: Please add (your agency
email address) to your address book whitelist and change junk filter
settings to ensure delivery to your inbox.
There are numerous e-signature websites where you can create fancy signatures. Be careful how the end
product is “read” by the recipients email program / spam filter. Signatures that appear as JPEGS or images
may be read as spam. US agents can make use of the CAN SPAM rules that rely on the client opting out,
not in – so you could use a sign off like this: The email you’ve received today is an advertisement. To
remove yourself from our email list please click here now. (Your full address follows…)
Away Notice + Opt-In +Quite often after I complete an e-blast / mass email to the travel agents on my lists there are
of course many that bounce back with an auto-response advising that the recipient is away,
and will not return until a certain date. The auto-response is a marvellous tool that can be
turned into an opt-in generator. Not only that you can use the same auto response to help you
sell more travel.
The Opt-In process should now be part ofyour everyday communication with yourexisting and prospective clients.
It means that throughout every form ofcommunication you always offer two things,to opt-in and to opt-out and or unsubscribe.
You should also make a note as to the levelof your compliance with both anti-spamprograms depending upon where youragency resides and where you do business.
You might create a script similar to this:
ABC Travel complies with our Federal Anti-Spamlegislation and would appreciate your help inmaintaining our track record. To do that wewould ask you to click on the OPT-IN link andregister as a bone-fide client of ABC Travel andthen we are free to communicate with you as youdesire.
Or… New anti-spam legislation for all businesseshas come into effect and to comply with the newlaws we must request your permission tocommunicate with you via email, social mediaetc. Please click here to access our OPT-IN pagewhere you can select your preferences. Apologiesfor the inconvenience, however, you only have toopt-in once.
Or… To continue sending you our travelpromotions and to communicate by email andsocial media we must comply with new anti-spam laws. To comply with these new laws wemust ask for your express permission tocommunicate with you. You can click here to
access our OPT-IN page where you can selectyour preferences. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The following was a post e-blast auto-response that came to me and I thought itwas very ingenious and a great way to haveyour auto-response carry on the salesprocess in your absence setting up apotential meeting upon your return:
I am currently out of the country untilWednesday May 14th. Check out the videoand you will see where I am. (This wasfollowed by a YouTube link.) I look forwardto helping you upon my return.
Over to you! Check with your host agency for
auto-responder templates should they have
a preferred common theme, wording,
layout.
Next, make sure you have an email capture
system such as MailChimp or Constant
Contact that will manage your opt-ins and
outs. If you do not have an email list
management program or service use this
script and make sure you follow through on
removals: To unsubscribe: if you no longer wish
to receive emails from (your agency) please send
a reply email with UNSUBSCRIBE typed into the
Subject Line. Thank you.
Once in a while it’s a good idea to purge your
customer list and clean it up.
Local AdvertisingThe usual term for this is Local Store Marketing, however as advertising is a step in the
marketing process we’ll go with Local Store Advertising instead, then again why don’t we go
with LOCALYOU ADVERTISING? It is ALL about YOU isn’t it? Yes of course it is. So then our
mission in this issue is to take YOU to market in ways that do not conflict with the anti-spam
laws heralded by your country, state, province, region and or association. Let’s go!
If you are not, by law, allowed to make a direct contact to find
a suspect that becomes a prospect to convert into a lead –
then you must return to using traditional methods and
factor in social media to build inbound requests.
Okay. If you understand the term INBOUND then
you will know the premise here is to market
yourself and your agency’s services in such a way
as to attract people you do not yet know, to
make contact with you. This is inbound
marketing. It means the customer contacts you.
The fact that the customer is
contacting you is of course implied
consent / permission – they
want information from
you. When you respond
you provide the
information and at the same
time “sign them up” as a client and
you do this by requesting their
permission to continue sending
them emails, social media posts and
more.
But first – you have to attract them to make that
call or send an email request. Think of this as a
fishing trip each day every day. You must be
dangling a lure in the marketplace, attracting
potential clients to nibble, then bite and finally
to be landed on the deck of your fishing vessel
named “Closed!”
Let’s review some of the long lost local store
marketing techniques that do not fall prey to the
CASL or CAN-SPAM legislations.
Every Thing You Do Points to Your WebsiteYou’ve read this so many times in IC Travel Agent
that you should have rebuilt your
website by now making is a real
zinger! If you have not yet
created the hottest website in
town, then call in your host
agency BDM and get their
assistance. If it means
forking out a few more
dollars to have someone
revamp your website than
make it happen. Put the moola on the table and
stand back.
Assuming your website is now that very, very
cool place to click to, you can be very proud to
mention it in every advertising campaign you
undertake. Why don’t we start locally and take a
look at using your community newspapers and
local magazines too.
Community NewspapersBelieve or not community newspapers are well
read and they also carry tucked inside them a
bunch of flyers from local stores.
Here’s where you can search for local
newspapers in Canada and each US state. As you
know, many towns and cities have more than
one community paper. Click on the images.
The Ad, The Advertorial, The Press Release,
The Flier and the Event Listing…These are the five major advertising
opportunities waiting for you at your local
community newspaper office.
First things first – find out the cost for each of the
five opportunities listed above.
A Display Ad is what you want to place versus a
classified ad although some travel companies
have built themselves from zip to a multi-million
dollar company using just classified ads.
The Advertorial is similar to a press release
however you’ll be paying for it like an ad. Review
local papers and magazines to see how it’s done.
The Press Release is a newsworthy tip that you
send out to all media and if it is newsworthy it
might get printed – for no charge.
The Flier would be a full colour, one pager that is
inserted into the newspaper. If your local paper
has a circulation of 20,000 then you’ll be
providing them with 20,000 copies of your flier.
At 5 cents a sheet, that’s roughly $1,000 at 10
cents, that’s $2,000 at $1… that’s $20,000! This
type of promotion is worthwhile chatting about
with your preferred suppliers and asking for co-
op funds.
The Event Listing is often free to list and here’s
where you can promote your consumer night, or
destination discussion such as how to pack for
first time cruisers etc.
EACH OF THE ABOVE AD ACTIONS MUST HAVEYOUR WEBSITE LINK FEATURED
PROMINENTLY.
The key to generating response that generates
inbound calls and email requests, is to offer
something compelling. If your display ad is
nothing but text, you’ll be wasting your money.
Make sure you work with a pro and create an ad
that is image based and with a title that tells a
story that attracts and pulls people in.
Here’s a great website to visit. It’s US and the
content will help anyone anywhere to better
understand how to work with their local
newspaper.
Around The CommunitySometimes you can be led astray thinking that by
buying into the social media phenomena that
you’ll win business from far and wide. Could be,
however proven over time is the fact that a
typical business in a typical community attracts
customers from within a 3-5 mile radius.
Here’s a website where you can plot your 5-mile
radius on line and survey what’s around you.
http://www.mapbusinessonline.com/Solution.a
spx/RadiusMapsForSalesPlanning
Once you know the lay of the land which means
you’ll have the residential areas plotted,
business parks, churches, stores, schools etc.,
and everything else that has travel potential
then you can start to plan your local store
marketing activity program.
Compatible Stores: Look for stores that relate to
travel. Fashion, luggage, gadgets, cameras,
outdoor clothing, books, niche related… and
then approach the owner / manager to discuss a
cross promotion.
With the privacy act in place you can no longer
share customer lists, however, the store owner
could mention your travel agency to his/her
customer base and you can promote your
‘partner’ to your list.
The cross promotion would be based on you
placing a poster in their store window and for
your new marketing partner you would offer
your website and social media sites as your
window on the world – plus you can blog about
their services and products too. In other words,
you’ll mention your new cross promotion
partner/s in all the local advertising and
marketing you do.
Take Ones: These are generally small plastic
holders found on shop countertops, at check-out
locations in restaurants and the like. It means
printing a postcard sized promo piece that’s
attractive and one that people will pick up and
take home. A QR code on the card would shorten
the selling cycle allowing the person to use their
smartphone to scan the code and visit your
website immediately.
Local Notice Boards: The take one idea can also
be applied as a typed one pager pinned to local
notices boards. It has a heading that advises the
reader what it is all about with a telephone
number, email address or once again the QR
code. Notice boards can be found here:
Cafes
Grocery stores
Laundromats
Local businesses
Local Events & Consumer Nights: Some travel
agencies still arrange and promote travel events
to attract newcomers to their agency and you
can and should do the same thing. A local travel
event is a great way to meet 50 people in one go,
versus trying to locate new clients one couple at
a time.
Work closely with your preferred supplier BDMs
as they will have more knowledge on what’s
working in your area when it comes to pulling
local people to such an event.
Then there is the local movie theatre which is not
expensive to rent for an off-hour time period.
Promote a travel feature video, add in a bag of
popcorn and be well practiced when you take
the stage to sell yourself, your agency and your
latest tour AND reasons to opt-in to your list.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg really, the rest
of the iceberg you can find in this e-book.
Build your business with proven tips and tools.
SPAM LiteWe can talk about internet SPAM horror stories and how the new Canadianlegislation (July 1, 2014) may affect future business. While some regard this asa serious threat, some see it as a tempest in a spam can, and others, using theirsense of humour and hamming it up a bit, appreciate the wider significance ofthe role of SPAM as a travel-related culinary niche market. OK, Lighten up!I’m talking about this…
Of course I am referring to the product that wasdeveloped by Hormel Foods Corporation* in1937. The name of the product is said to be anacronym for “spiced ham”. In 2007 it reportedlysold its 7 billionth can of meat and sales havebeen steadily increasing since that time. Possiblythe most famous marketing boost the productreceived was in the 1970’s when the comedytroupe Monty Python introduced their “spamskit” which featured a restaurant that servedevery dish, from bacon and eggs to LobsterThermidor, with SPAM. This was followed up byEric Idle’s 2005 musical “Spamalot”, where Idleexplained “I like the title Spamalot a lot. It comesfrom a line in the movie which goes: "we eatham, and jam and SPAM a lot."**
Laugh all you want, but SPAM is an internationalfood sensation. My one and only encounter withthe product was on an adventure tour inMorocco in 1996, where we camped in tentsevery night and cooked food for the group. Asthis was a budget tour, SPAM figured high on themenu as far as the provision of meat wasconcerned. And you know, if you mix it withvegetables and sauces and fry it up, it tastespretty good. However we also had manyopportunities to try the local cuisine and as muchas we loved SPAM, we tended to lean moretoward kebabs, couscous, harira, mechoui andtanjines. There’s no accounting for taste, right?
SPAM is available in 41 countries and many haveadapted the dish to their own cuisine. This may
be comforting news to those travellers wprefer to stay away from local dishes for thown reasons. I’ve met many travellers along tway whose choice of destination depends on tavailability of western food and associatwestern fast food establishments. This is thcomfort food level. And there is nothing wrowith this, as long as the client sees value in travand has melded their food preferences into thtravel style. Who are we to judge?
However based on this culinary truism, ocould take the attitude that SPAM servMexican style with huevos rancheros (the formname is actually Heuvos SPAM Cheros), or Spaserved New Orleans style in Jambalaya,Hawaiian/Japanese Spam Musubi (similarappearance to sushi—the spam rests on a smblock of rice, wrapped in seaweed); offer SPAcomfort to those in need, while gently exposithem to local tastes.
The tradition of eating SPAM may have begduring the Second World War as soldiewelcomed the product during times of merationing. Therefore countries in which US armbases were located and in some cases, are slocated, tend to have a SPAM tradition in thcuisine. Okinawa, Japan is a prime exampPork is the main meat served in Okinawa recipand SPAM, which contains pork shoulder, fright in. Goyu Chanpuru is a popular dish thcontains Goyu (a bitter green gourd) with to
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eggs and SPAM. Locals eat the dish with Orionbeer, which is only available in Okinawa.
Other destinations with a strong SPAM traditioninclude Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, thePhilippines, Hawaii and Saipan. According toWikipedia, Hawaii holds the record for thegreatest SPAM consumption in the UnitedStates, where select Burger King and McDonald’srestaurants feature SPAM dishes on their menu.Of course full details of the American infatuationwith SPAM may be found at the SPAM Museum(sometimes referred to as the Guggen-ham orthe MOMA (Museum of Meat-ThemedAwesomeness) in Austin, Minnesota.
In the United Kingdom you can try deep-friedSPAM fritters or SPAM sandwiches. In someAsian countries you can indulge in SPAM-burgers. Cha chaan teng is a Hong Kong dish withSPAM, instant noodles and fried eggs. In SouthKorea you can try SPAM Kimbap (a variation ofthe famous dish “Bibimbap”) where SPAM ismixed with rice and vegetables and wrapped inseaweed). In Israel you can get Glatt KosherSPAM. There is in fact no shortage of SPAMrecipes available on the internet including:
Variations on SPAM Musubi using differentvarieties of the product such as TeriyakiSPAM or Bacon Honey Chile SPAM
Jalepeño SPAM quesadillas
SPAM and gravy on biscuits
SPAMaroni and Cheese
Veggie SPAM skewers (emphasis onveggies—they still use SPAM)
Nutty SPAM Surprise (using peanut butter)
And various SPAM desserts: everythingfrom SPAM Smores to SPAM Cakes andSPAM-apple turnovers.
For those with a nose for wine, various internetsites suggest that SPAM dishes pair well witheverything from Champagne (with the snootycomment that “you can never go wrong withChampagne”) to a good German Riesling, toBeaujolais, Pinot Noir, Loire Cabernet Franc andValpolicella. One writer suggested “going for thefull Monty (Python) by considering a WhiteZinfandel” with SPAM. ***
And then there are SPAM events to sow yourenthusiasm. The SPAM Jam in Waikiki just tookplace on May 3, 2014. The 14th AnnualSpamtastic Festival will take place in Shady Cove,Oregon on June 28, 2014. Unfortunately wealready missed the Isleton (California) Spam Festthat took place on February 16, 2014.
Niche Travel markets come in all shapes andsizes. Special interest travellers don’t necessarily‘just’ travel for one interest, but like to combinea few pleasurable options—perhaps one majorone (such as culinary) and one or more refinedinterests, such as beer or markets or SPAM.
And now you are in the know the next time aclient either expresses hesitation about eatinglocal foods, or expresses a specific interest in aham-related experience. Now you can hog thespotlight, knuckle under, relate some pig-tales,and plan an ‘epig’ adventure that provides value.
One person’s travel trivia is another agent’scommission cheque!
References:
* www.spam.com ** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spamalot#cite_note-1 *** www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa051019.html
Steve Gillick is the president of www.talkingtravel.ca
and you can contact him directly at [email protected]
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Explain the primary purposes of financial planning and accounting; Determine whether you should hire a bookkeeper; Define the link between customer relationship management (CRM) and accounting; Identify the components of external financial statements; Describe the importance and functions of internal financial reporting; Analyze the relative financial strength of your business; Improve your cash flow; Use several different strategies to analyze the performance of your business
You can get this e-book and other helpful tools to make your business prosper by visiting our“Resources for Professionalism” section in our bookstore. Travel Institute members save 10%.
Anti-Spam ComparisonsHere is a great overview of the CAN-SPAM
program in the US and Canada’s CASL
program coming into effect as of July 1st 2014.
Click here to view it on SlideShare.net.http://www.slideshare.net/DentonsGlobal/comparing-casl-to-
canspam-22498536
As you review the various anti-spam programs
by country on the grid below, you will notice
some countries have stronger penalties than
Canada’s ten million dollar fines.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.The following table represents laws in respective countries which restrict the use of Email spam.
Note: Countries marked with red are listed in the Spamhaus' Worst Spam Origin Countries.
Country Legislation
Argentina Personal Data Protection Act (2000)
Australia Spam Act 2003
Austria Austrian Telecommunications Act 1997
Belgium Loi du 11 mars 2003
Brazil None (loosely; Movimento Brasileiro de Combate ao Spam)
Canada Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act 2000 (PIPEDA)
Canada Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act 2010
China Regulations on Internet email Services - Death penalty risked by spammers
Cyprus Regulation of Electronic Communications and Postal Services Law of 2004
Czech Republic Act No. 480/2004 Coll., on Certain Information Society Services
Country Legislation
Denmark Danish marketing practices act
European Union Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications
Finland Act on Data Protection in Electronic Communications (516/2004)
France Law of June 21 2004 for the confidence in the numerical economy
Germany Act against Unfair Competition
Hong Kong Unsolicited Electronic Messaging Ordinance
Hungary Act CVIII of 2001 on Electronic Commerce
India None (loosely; Information Technology Act, 2000 §67)
Indonesia Undang-undang Informasi dan Transaksi Elektronic (ITE) (Internet Law)
IrelandEuropean Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (DataProtection and Privacy) Regulations 2003
Israel Communications Law (Telecommunications and Broadcasting)
Italy Data Protection Code (Legislative Decree no. 196/2003)
Japan The Law on Regulation of Transmission of Specified Electronic Mail
Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Act 1998
Malta Data Protection Act (CAP 440)
Mexico None
Netherlands Dutch Telecommunications Act
New Zealand Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007
Pakistan Prevention of Electronic Crimes Ordinance 2007
Russia None (loosely: Russian Civil Code: Art.309)
Singapore Spam Control Act 2007
South Africa Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002
South Africa Consumer Protection Act, 2008
South KoreaAct on Promotion of Information and Communication and Communications NetworkUtilization and Information Protection of 2001
Spain Act 34/2002 of 11 July on Information Society Services and Electronic Commerce
Sweden Swedish Marketing Act
United Kingdom Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003
United StatesControlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 (CAN-SPAM Act of 2003)
It’s a good idea to review the anti-spam
legislation of countries where you might intend
to do business, by promoting inbound or
outbound tours, or custom travel services. Might
as well stay on the right side of the law, all laws
in fact versus facing a penalty ranging from $100
to death!
Make sure your own email program cannot be
compromised by overseas spammers who
search for unprotected computers through
which they will spam the universe from your ISP.
Your anti-virus program may appear strong,
however it may not protect you from hackers.
Wi-Fi, if not set up correctly can be an open door
with a welcome mat for that same hacker /
spammer. Tighten everything up 100%.
APProval is the GameGot time? Got money? Got Apps? Ya do… well good on ya! Here’s where you might be able to
join the rich and famous if your app takes off and wins you thousands of people who join, play,
subscribe and pay to use your app. Why would they do that? What’s in it for them? Well there’s
something happening out there in the app world and it’s huge. People are downloading free
apps and then paying for the upgrade or in terms of a game, paying to go to the next level –
overall to win the prize. Let’s explore the app strategy with travel in mind and gaining those
permission based sign-ups.
First things first click to this post. Read it and
decipher the content in terms of your own
business as I review one or two of its comments.
http://www.colloquy.com/article_view.asp?xd=11294
I like this one, as the amount is staggering and it
is based on purchases made once someone has
downloaded an app and then made additional
purchases via that app….
… revenues from in-app purchases predicted to
top $18 billion worldwide this year…
Another staggering number is this one:
…102 billion apps downloaded in 2013…
This is a worthy note to remember:
A Localytics study of nearly 30 million app-
users found that of all users who made an in-app purchase, 44% didn’t do so until they
had used an app at least 10 times.
Okay, read the report, state the obligatory WOW
and then start pondering how you could create
an app, a travel related app that could do one or
more things: generate sales of the app and
generate sales of travel. You might want to be
thinking a travel game. Gamification works.
Games as you well know are big business and not
restricted to the younger generations. If,
however you are chasing those GEN Y clients,
then you have a perfect match. Your challenge
now is to create an app, a travel app, a world
adventure app, a travel game that delivers points
and badges and trips of a lifetime to the winner.
Get your head onto this idea and work with your
suppliers to determine who can best fit into your
app plans.
Nothing is free any more. You don’t have to give
it all away to collect an email address or sell
something. We’ve moved from Free to Fee and
that means you keep that momentum going as
you ponder creating a profitable app through
which you can attract more clients and sell more
travel.
Your app will be marketed, downloaded, shared
amongst like-minded people and the base will
grow. You will not be spamming anyone or
challenging the CASL and CAN-SPAM laws.
Look for an app creation program like the one
shown below and see what you can come up
with as your App image.
The Consent RequestAs always my good pal and sender of all things on the edge, Mike T. forwarded an email to me
with a subject line reading “My first request…” – and sure enough there it was and here it is.
As I read the request I thought it was good enough to weave a few travel related words and
phrases into a similar layout. See below…
Try this…
We hope that you find the travel brochures, promotions, updates, newsletters and invitations that we sendyou insightful and valuable. Canada's anti-spam legislation (CASL), which comes into effect on July 1, 2014,requires us to obtain your consent to continue to receive emails and other forms of communication fromus. Keeping you advised is very important to us and we would like to continue providing you with the travelinformation that is relevant to you. But, in order to stay in touch, we require your consent.
Please provide your consent to continue to receive relevant and timely information from us. You maywithdraw your consent or update your preferences at any time.
Yes, I give you my consent No, I do not give you my consent.
You will need to create an opt-in and opt-out / unsubscribe link and then you should be ready to acceptthe updates from your clients. Email this consent request to your entire customer list and follow up byphone with those who did not respond.
When you need one-to-one training contact the
Home Based Travel Agent Trainer…
If you would like a one-to-many training session, invite your local home-based colleagues to
your home office then gather round your computer screen for the training session.
All sessions are conducted using Skype –
so be sure to download the program here: www.skype.com
Send your topic and request an hourly or project training quote.
Marketing Tip
What have you got planned around the FIFA World Cup event?
It’s a prime time to be promoting your tours to South America and to
take advantage of the TV coverage as they showcase Brazil.
FIFA World Cup 2014 begins on Thursday, June 12 and ends on Sunday, July 13
Not all Host Agenciesare alike….
If you are thinking of becoming a home based agent, or you already are a home based agent
but you feel you may not be getting all the support your need, there are a variety of things you
will want to consider.
It is important to shop around and compare
programs that are offered by various companies
with At Home networks.
If you currently work in an agency or in a call
center, take a moment to think about all the
things that you likely take for granted. Things
like marketing, accounting, GDS systems, IT
support, telephone system, advice and support,
camaraderie, product training, fams,
conferences, and your pay cheque!
You will want to replace as many of those as you
can when you move to running your own
business from your home. Your host agency
should be able to support you in every way.
But it is not just a question of ticking those boxes.
You need to ask the right questions about these
things.
Let’s take Marketing….how much is available, is there
a cost? Do they do it for you or is it all up to you?
How about invoicing? Do you control when and how
you invoice or is this done centrally? And what is the
turnaround if you have to send your invoicing to a
head office?
What about BSP ticketing? How fast is the
turnaround? And your commissions, how often do
you get paid?
What is the accounting system like? Is it user
friendly? Will you receive adequate training? Will
you be able to see your sales and know where you
stand at any time during each month?
Training is very important. Ask how much dedicated
training do you receive as an experienced agent when
you start with their company? This can vary widely.
What about the telephone system or do you just
work off your mobile? Is there vacation assistance
while you are away with an experienced agent who
you would trust your clients with?
Does your host agency provide referrals? How does
this work?
And finally, does your host agency provide a sense
of community? Will you be able to have contact with
your fellow home based agents and how is that
provided?
Keep this checklist with you when you are
shopping around for a host agency!
By Jill Wykes
Brought to you by The Travel Agent Next Door
Press Releases / BlogsAhhh… the long lost press release. Once it held a worthy role and position in the marketing
activity of travel agents, but today, not so much. Mind you, it might have morphed into what
we now call a Blog and if you are a blogger then you’ll be way ahead of the game. So Press
Release or Blog… the concept works nicely with anti-spam laws. If you are not writing and
submitting press releases, it’s probably time to do so.
A press release is created and “released” to
various media people and businesses who would
read it and use it as filler – something that fills in
the white space in a magazine or newspaper –
when the day is short on news.
As the press release is not sent directly to a
consumer, you’ll not fall foul of the anti-spam
laws. You will be in a B2B mode, a business-to-
business transaction and the business that
receives your press release will be the likes of
local newspaper and magazine, radio stations
and local TV stations too.
You might also choose to blog to the world and
to the general public e.g. to no one in particular.
If you send your blog to someone you do not
have on your permission based list then you are
running against the anti-spam laws. The mass
media blog is the best way to go and consumers
will access it based on their online activities and
once they read it and like it they might just click
on the RSS button to subscribe to it. By doing
that, they would have opted in to receive further
blog posts.
The thing about RSS news feeds is that the
consumer inspires the connection and it is your
computer, internet, newsfeed technology that
transmits your post to those that register to
receive it. You are in fact not sending it direct.
Your press releases and blogs should however
encourage readers to sign up, to join and opt-in
to your main list. Then you can make direct
contact with permission to do so.
PR WEBThis company has been around for a while now
and by using their services your press release will
go out to their subscribers. I subscribe to PR WEB
and often receive press releases of interest to
me and of course I opt-in to get further
information. The same event will happen for you
should what you write compel someone to
follow up with you. The basic press release
service is $99 per release.
PR LOGThis service offers a free program – and it does
work. Although it took some time to go
somewhere my releases were picked up.
TRAVPR
A dedicated travel
trade PR service is
TRAVEPR and it is
one of the best.
Rates are excellent
and very affordable.
Your Own BlogYour website might have a blog attached to it
and if it does then click on the tab to activate it
and try writing a new post.
I use the Weebly website program and it comes
with a built in blog. Someone wishing to
subscribe would as mentioned, click on the small
RSS icon in my blog, or your blog.
Blogging WebsitesThere are many websites that will take your post
and or your press release and show them to the
world. You’ll need to review each website to
make sure the recipients match the travel profile
you are looking for and want to attract as clients.
BrooWaHaA share-your-news website where you can post
your post. You cannot be selling anything here,
so your press release should be more of a
compelling story about travel that encourages
the reader to make contact.
TravelPodHere’s a dedicated travel blogging website
where you can open an account and start posting
right away.
THINGS TO KNOWAre you ready to write? Of course you are.
Choose your best story, support it with your
fabulous photographs and videos if you have
them. Stop by this 57 Tips checklist when you
have time to read and apply the information.
Keep it in mind that when you post to certain
websites your press releases cannot be a direct
sales pitch. It is your artful use of words and
phrases and the ability to write compelling and
interesting articles that will attract a reader to
become a client and book their trips with you.
Search online or look locally for training on how
to write a press release and how to blog about
travel.
VNR - Video News ReleaseAs you well know, video sells travel. It can also
pitch your news much better than text – just as
long as your video is captivating and the
spokesperson is well trained to speak on camera.
Search for a VNR service in your neck of the
woods and / or add a video to you current press
release, blogging activities.
SlideShareAnother idea, making use of a well-known tool,
would be to tell your story via PowerPoint and
then post it on SlideShare.
The concept of write and release is now a skill
worth learning. Blogging too. Either way, you can
also send your news to the clients who have
opted-in to receive all communications from
you. Now you can send those same news
releases out into the world to attract more
clients who will click to join if what you are
writing about, intrigues them enough to make
the click. The more you write and release the
more chances you’ll create for building your
client list. It’s a matter of factoring in the time to
do so, and perhaps link it all to your social media
activities.
Radio ShowsOkay, who likes to chat, have a natter, talk about travel? You do? Excellent. Well if that’s true
for you then why not go with that traditional activity travel agents have done in the past and
get yourself invited to chat with a radio host on your local radio station. Yes you can go old
style. Meet at the radio station studio, sit opposite the program host and deliver. Digital radio
stations are beaming out to those who have downloaded their app adding another radio show
option. Let’s explore this prospect generating tool:
Today, radio is for listening via huge headsets,
mini speakers and your in-car radio speakers that
synch to a digital device. Fact is radio is one of
the best avenues to promote yourself and your
travel products, tours and services.
A quick chat with the radio station sales team
and you will find out the best time slot to reach
the audience you wish to attract. No spamming
here of course as the listeners are tuning in of
their own volition.
The 30 Second SpotYou can say a lot in 30 seconds. Work with the
radio ad development team and also check for
voice talent. You could do it yourself, but if you
do not have that all powerful, deep rich voice for
men or that captivating voice for women, then
let the pros deliver your message.
The Travel ProgramIf the local radio station does not have a travel
talk show then jump on that situation, write it
up, package your idea and head off to make a
presentation. Chat with your preferred suppliers
first to find out if they would like to support you
and underwrite it if and when required.
The radio station might be looking for something
new and exciting, especially how to travel and
where to travel in the present day given all the
challenges the world is facing right now. If you
can talk about smart handheld devices, travel
apps PLUS offer a competition to win a trip
(working with your suppliers) even better.
Gaining ProspectsThe radio station is very familiar with rules and
regulations and they can advise you about
responding to those that opt-in to participate in
the travel promotion. You will be on the right
side of the anti-spam police – so no worries.
Here’s where you can source your local radio
stations for Canada and the US by province and
state.
http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/page?page=provs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_radio_stations_in_Canada
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Lists_of_radio_stations_in
_the_United_States
You might just become the talk of the town as
you talk about yourself and INVITE listeners to
visit your website, subscribe to your blog and
request more information and all without a spec
of spam!
Spam ‘N’ ChipsAs you may well know “one person’s spam is another person’s interest” – however most
countries are forging ahead with their anti-spam rules and both the USA and Canada have very
tight legislation with Canada presenting one of the toughest which also affects US businesses
if they are emailing north of the 49th that is. The challenge is that the rules and regulations
although meant to protect everyone, the aspiring travel agent and the new home-based travel
agent are going to have a hard time gaining new clients unless they go social.
The US have had their CAN SPAM rulings for
some time now as has Australia and the UK and
many other counties. There are some pretty
harsh penalties if you’re caught bothering the
average person online. Not that it’s stopped
certain drug, lawnmower or birdseed spammers
from loading up my email with trash! And those
telemarketers still disturb my evening meal!
Why is it that the “crooks” can always get past
the rules despite my being on a “no call” list and
having anti-spam / anti-virus installed?
But then the rules are written not for the crooks
– only to prevent the good guys from generating
a decent dollar – or so it seems. The Canadian
spam laws are going to hinder any new travel
agent from building a book of business unless
they work their magic in accordance with the
rules and also invest more time in building social
media connections.
Check In With Your HostIf you have not yet done so, American HBAs
should check here at this link and also explore
what your local and state rules are too.http://www.fcc.gov/guides/spam-unwanted-text-
messages-and-email
Canadian HBAs can check here for their spam
information: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/casl-lcap.htm
Next is to check in with your host agency and ask
how they suggest you handle the anti-spam
rules. You cannot do very much to avoid them
but you can make sure you are using the right
tools and correct text. Your host agency should
be ahead of the game and have ready-made
templates and or scripts for you to use.
Going SocialSocial media is going to play a bigger role in how
you build a mailing list. Better start now and
create an account on any and all social networks.
Travel is very attractive and if your host agency
has ready-made social media tools then now is
the time to apply them.
You’ve got to go Facebook as most people using
social media are on it. Then there’s all the other
social sites and although you’ll be spending more
time at the keyboard to pump up your social
buzz, it’s got to be done. So you’ll be Tweeting
about your recent and most fabulous trip to
entice someone to make contact. Same for what
you pin on Pinterest. Got to be such a powerful
image that pulls people to you. Keep going…
make sure you take a look at all current social
networks and even the niche networks that
service only book lovers, golfers etc., whatever
your travel niche is, be sure to locate the social
network that serves it.
More Ad Money TooYou’ll need to fund more local advertising to
attract would be customers to opt-in to receive
your newsletter or simply to subscribe to your
email list to give you what all spam laws are
requesting: a person’s permission to email them
or send messages to their mobile phone. That’s
spam law and the chips are down!
You must be aware of what you send out unsolicited to someone’s
mobile phone – however you can post that fantastic video of your
most recent trip and post it on YouTube, Facebook and Tweet about
it and eventually that social media marketing activity will be picked
up, watched, forwarded, shared, sent viral – all the things you want
to have happen to your post BUT your video content must be BEST.
Not only must it be BEST, you’ll want to build in a call-to-action to
encourage whomever receives your post to connect to you socially
or opt in to your email list.
As mentioned before in previous issues of IC TA it’s time for you
to become very familiar with creating video, using your own
images and learning to write about your travels – all being done
in an attractive format that suits social media and aimed at
building the list you need and want.
You’ll want to study a variety of tools such as Animoto,
PowerPoint, The Logo Creator, Snag It and a host of other
easy, DIY creative tools.
At this point Canadian home-based travel agents should start
to take a hard look at what they have to do to meet the June
deadlines. American home-based agents should double
check the federal and state anti-spam laws should there be
any updates caused by the Canadian program.
For the rest of the world, if your anti-spam laws are not so
tough at the moment they will change in due course. It’s the way it is. So it’s best that you start working
more social media marketing into the general marketing activity.
LOCAL CONSUMER EVENTSYou’ll be familiar with the word Mixer as it applies to
monthly gatherings of small groups of travel agents
mixing with suppliers, enjoying a few hours together
after 5pm to share knowledge, learn something new,
develop relationships, taste some food and sup some
beer. The MIXER concept is a terrific spin off of the
generic consumer event – the Cruise Night, the day time
Coffee Event etc. You would do well to start a series of
consumer mixers, you being the speaker and perhaps
involve some of your known clients to chat about their
travels. If you can work with a supplier or tourist board
do so. Now with the arrangements made – start
marketing the event. Here’s a rough layout that you can
use to kickstart your own ad ideas.
The Photo Page
Vapour TrailsTaken with an iPhone 5
Sometimes it’s
with the sun
The Sp
t
Steve CrowhurstSteve Crowhurst
just there. In this case I looked up and two vapour trails were crossing and fluffing out
setting to the left. What came to mind was a marketing campaign called “X Marks
ot”. Starting with a title on the image as you can see “Airfares to Europe” and
hen perhaps a list of key cities and the rates could follow underneath.
©Steve Crowhurst
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Owner
Text Box
Reprinted with kind permission from Canadian Traveller magazine.
A HOME FOR THE HOME BASED AGENTS
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yage
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Thank you for choosing to travel with MyEscapades.com. We take pride in providing one-of-a-kind travel experiences in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. The majority of our clients require a trip customized to their likes, interests and budget. Whether you wish to travel in the lap of luxury or choose to indulge in an authentic adventure (we call it ‘roughing-it’) we will create a trip to suit your preferred tastes. In other words, we will give you a travel experience that goes beyond your expectations. Rest assured, MyEscapades.com is your perfect traveling companion.
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TOP 6 WAYS WE ARE DEDICATED TO THE HBA:
1. Easy to use, do-it-yourself, 24/7 online print-ordering store.
2. No design/setup fees – choose from our selection of pre-designed templates or Design Your Own.
3. Full use of our image gallery at no extra charge.
4. Travel related marketing products such as calendars and magnets plus all your standard business products – business cards, envelopes, letterhead, flyers, and more.
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