Are you taking advantage of digital communications to grow your travel program?
In our increasingly connected world, the technology you use at work can be leveraged to streamline and improve travel operations. Webinars and video conferencing can be useful tools for affinity travel planners.
Most of us have attended a webinar at some point, but have you ever hosted one to communicate with your travelers? In much the same way you use video conferencing to meet with colleagues, communicate with vendors or learn about potential travel destinations, you can also use it with your travelers. Some of your members are less tech savvy than others, but they they likely all use some form of digital communication, so hosting travel webinars can be a great way for them to engage with you from the comfort of their homes. This can strengthen your relationship with them, helping you grow your travel program and advance your organization’s mission.
Here are some ideas about how to make webinars and video conferencing work for your travel club.
Building Buzz
The possibilities are vast for using webinars. They can generate excitement for upcoming tour announcements, spotlight specific trip opportunities, hold know-before-you-go meetings, share post-tour videos and photos, solicit feedback and share upcoming changes. I especially appreciate webinars that help generate buzz and excitement about upcoming tours. Try using webinars to tell potential travelers about a new trip that you’re offering for the first time. This will entice people to join the webinars and, hopefully, book trips.
Sharing Pre-Departure Info
Many travel clubs have a know-before-you-go meeting for each tour, but it can be a challenge to find a time that works for everyone to meet in person. Making the meeting a webinar can solve that problem. It’s a great way to make sure everyone receives details about the trip, what to pack, and departure and return information. If you record the webinar, a replay link can be sent to group members who couldn’t attend it live. There’s also a lot of room for creativity, which can help build excitement for the upcoming trip.
Inviting Guests
Having a webinar allows you to invite guests to speak to your group without them making the trip to your physical location. To make sure this works out well, meet with the guest speaker ahead of time to plan the event. Discuss what the guest will talk about and the messages you want them to convey.
If your guest speaker is a vendor who is helping you promote a tour, decide whether they need to introduce and build trust with their company, market the trip, or help you build trust with your travelers. Whatever your objective, make sure your guest speaker is onboard. Without direction, your guest speaker could make comments you are uncomfortable with. Reviewing an agenda together before the webinar can help avoid this.
Adding Giveaways
Let’s face it — webinars can be boring. To make sure people look forward to yours, find ways to make them more appealing. Giveaways or discounts on travel for those who join the webinar can add excitement, but make sure only those in attendance get the reward.
Choose your giveaway in advance and use it as an incentive when you market your webinar. And when you introduce your travelers to webinars, offer as many benefits as possible to entice them to join. Some members who have been traveling with you for a long time may be slow to embrace change, so use your creativity to come up with perks that will motivate them to try something new.
Meeting One-On-One
Did you know that most video conferencing tools allow you to screenshare? This feature comes in handy during one-on-one meetings with clients, especially those who may need help with digital registration. If your travel club takes cruises or travels internationally, vendors frequently ask participants to submit some information in digital formats. This could include creating a website account or filling out a visa application online. If someone is having trouble, you can use screen-sharing to walk them through the process.
Building Trust
Using video conferencing to communicate with your travelers increases the number of touchpoints you have with them. The more you interact with your travelers, the more they will trust you. That trust is a key component of your relationship with members, so create as many interactions as possible to reinforce it.
There are endless ways to use webinars and video conferencing to help build your business or connect with your travelers. Get creative and explore how technology can give you more connections.
