Who’s Launching Startup Travel Businesses? With an economic revival likely for the coming 5 years, entrepreneurs are intrigued about investing in and launching a travel startup. And the people jumping all over this opportunity are millionaires and people like you and me. Starter Story’s recent post on “How profitable is a travel agency?” suggests this…
How to Build Content Breadth to Capture High-Volume Leads Let’s use a simple analogy of a tall needle-like building vs Mount Everest to discuss content expansion. If the tall building represents a niche-obsessed content marketing campaign, it means it can’t reach high enough or broadly enough to capture the traffic volume and rankings, topic coverage,…
Grow Your Travel Business Online With the Trump 2.0 era just ahead, the US economy will surge, and will lift the travel industry. It will be driven by: lower interest rates for credit lower income tax deregulation of industry lower fuel prices rising employment wage levels The mood of Americans is lifting as the Thanksgiving…
Why Search Engines Are Essential for Your Travel Business Success Given the promise of the incoming Trump 2.0 government with its pro-business agenda, both personal travel and business travel will see a big boost in 2025. And with travelers using digital tools such as Google to plan their trips, its absolutely necessary to build visibility…
Freelance Marketer vs Digital Marketing Agency — Which Should You Hire? Are you considering further reorganization due to a budget squeeze? One area you can do it is not in marketing. Digital marketing freelancer may be a more cost-effective way to reach audiences and engage them. You’ll be weighing a talented versatile freelance pro or…
2025 Travel Market Looking Promising If your US-based travel agency enjoys having Americans as your primary customer, you may be in for quite a year ahead. Along with a booming US economy, the rising US dollar will make most foreign destinations very affordable. With private sector job growth, increasing wages, lower taxes, and lower interest…
Travel AI Agents vs AI Travel Agent Planners AI travel technology is transforming how people plan their trips and how travel businesses serve their clients and customers. Your current platform or tools may soon be outdated and represent a liability for your business. Travel AI systems are what travelers want and what businesses need. If…
Personalized Travel Experiences: Where Consumer Travel is Going The travel industry is undergoing a transformative shift in 2024, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) software technology. As an agency owner/manager, you’re likely aware of these AI-powered trends. However, if you glanced over them, the real potential make the extensive business advantages – from marketing…
Using AI Software to Enhance Content Marketing Strategy and Production The way tech is intruding on everything these days, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s the center of attention in digital marketing. As productive solutions grow for small businesses, owners are feeling confused and insecure about how to use it well to achieve real…
Business Owners Looking for Certainty If you’ve been underperforming in your business for quite a while, it’s no surprise. It’s been booming for big multinational corporations, but not so much for anyone else. Delete the S&P 500 and you get a view of the real economy and the stock market. For real small businesses (not…
The Essence of Stellar Travel Content Arguably, the biggest weakness of most small travel companies online is weak content. It’s a money-losing weakness that not only undermines an agency’s credibility and likability but also misses out on future sales. And now in the era of generative AI, a top drawback is that so-called personalized, AI…
The Rise of User-Generated Content in Travel Marketing Any serious travel company needs to produce authentic content to draw traffic, engage customers, and build its brand. In terms of authenticity, helpfulness, and immersion, it’s a tough task for most travel companies to produce. That’s why augmenting your current content strategy with the help of your…
SEO Expertise vs AI SEO: Which is Best? Artificial intelligence software is making big waves in the marketing sector, part of what’s called Marketing AI. There’s big hope and hype, and yes, we will have to learn how to use these tools soon. AI SEO Content Creation tools are beginning to make a contribution, at…
Unlocking the Power of Creativity As a travel business owner you’re not really paying for marketing execution anymore. AI and marketing software are responding to that need. The real weakness or gap is with creativity and imagination in your marketing and promotion. More focus needs to be placed on developing the creative powers that will make…
Jasper AI – Powerful Small Business Marketing Assistant As we approach 2025, it’s easy to see digital marketing is being transformed by artificial intelligence. There are plenty of trends in marketing and we’re all struggling to keep pace with fast rising expectations. The solution we discover here is that a product called Jasper AI could…
How to Build Your Content Marketing Strategy In the travel sector, content is vitally important. Creative, helpful, trustworthy content pieces are a big part of travelers’ pre-purchase experience. Yet, what should those assets be, what topics do they want, and what messages should those articles/videos/graphics be communicating? A lot of marketing companies create a publishing…
Mastering the Art of the Offer No matter what business you’re in, whether travel, property management, real estate sales, SaaS software, financial services, or retail sales, the selling offer you present to prospects communicates everything about your brand. And as we’ll discuss here, if you build your brand magic into your sales promos, then even…
Seriously Sprucing up your Website! Do Expedia, Booking.com, TourRadar, hotels.com or Travelocity spend much time to make their websites as effective as possible? Yes they do, because that engagement and interaction with customers on their site translates to bookings and upsells. They could do more. But here’s the problem. Most business owners are stuck on…
Content That Brings High-Quality Customers Who is the bringer of high-quality customers? It might be a talented, spirited content stategist who just doesn’t seem to understand limits. But we know it’s really you, the business owner. You enable and launch the marketing project, grow it and nurture it to succeed. I’m here to help you…
Great Customers are the Fix for Everything Whether you manage a real estate brokerage, digital marketing agency, software company, e-commerce retailer, or travel agency, your business is your customers. If your customers are not good, your business will suffer, as you might already know. And when you’re not acquiring the most qualified, enabled, and stable…
Making Impact on Your Visitors is High Priority For a decade now, marketers have been focusing more on the visitor experience and user engagement. Yet the first part of experience and engagement is the impact your content and brand make on visitors. You may have some great product shots, a nice-looking webpage, and a…
Why not Have a Dedicated, Active Brand Ambassador? One of the most common issues with digital marketing campaigns is while they’re designed to meet advertiser needs, they often fail to create the kind of compelling human connection that resonates within travel consumers. Instead of leaving a lasting impression, the ads, messaging and landing pages often…
Get Your Guide’s Fall 2024 Travel Experience Report Smart travel business owners and marketers should get access to insight travel market research. It drives smarter business decisions so you’ve got the right presence for your brand for the exact audience you need. Bold, confident, profitable decisions are driven by real data and insights. A healthy…
Best Travel and Tourism Research Websites The success of your marketing and advertising campaigns is highly dependent on good customer research. Without it, you’re kind of flailing in the dark. In this post, I introduce 7 helpful sources of travel market research for tour companies, DMOs, and travel agencies. For entrepreneurs, content strategists, sales pros…
Why You Should Hire a Travel Content Strategist 2025 and beyond should present you some great opportunities to grow and profit if you’re strategic and committed to winning. Is doubling or tripling your revenue all that outrageous? I mean there’s a massive travel market out there, and 2025 should be a good year economically for…
Travel to Boston, Massachusetts Travelers from across North America, Europe and Asia travel to Boston to experience the history of the United States. There is no better city to revel and be immersed in America’s history to really understand what Boston represents to the New England area. There are exquisite art galleries, impressive museums, churches,…
Getting Deep Insights into Your Targeted Travelers As you know, your target travel customer has unique wants in their travel experience. Which means, they intend to buy the trip, accommodations and tours that fit the travel adventure they visualize in their minds. Knowing what the customer intends to do, is the subject of predictive analytics,…
Explore the Incredible Colorado Rocky Mountains My last visit to Denver and the Colorado Rocky Mountains was an exhilarating trip. I discovered it’s a different experience than Banff National Park, Yellowstone or Glacier National Park. There’s much more to do, more interesting unique towns, and lots more for adventurers. If you’re struggling trying to decide your…
Visiting Yosemite Park in Picturesque California Yosemite Park in the California Sierra Mountain range is one of the world’s most spectacular scenes. And if the natural beauty of the the Golden State isn’t enough for one vacation, Yosemite National Park takes the nature experience to its pinnacle. Soaring mountains, massive sheer rock cliffs, towering trees,…
What are Today’s Travel Business Challenges? What challenges is your travel business facing right now? Likely, they’re the exact same issues that plague all the others. It’s all part of changes in the economy and travel industry. I can help you respond to your lead, revenue and loyalty erosion with improved marketing — strategy, content…
Improving Your Agency Tours and Packages The tour and travel package sector has been strong for two years now. Travel agencies are doing well. Competition however is increasing as eager entrepreneurs sense the opportunity. However, as the competition for travelers increases and as old sightseeing tours become too mundane for repeat travel buyers, your agency…
Reaching Babyboomers and Senior Aged Travelers A statistical fact that might shock many today, is not only the size of the senior population in America and globally, it’s how many are traveling. By 2050, seniors 60+ will comprise nearly a quarter of the global population. In contrast to Gen Z’s and Millennials who are unfortunately…
Mapping Out a Path to Market Your Skills Who cares about progressive travel marketing skills today? Travel business clients might appreciate outstanding skills they can leverage to achieve their marketing goals. Can one skilled, versatile marketer make a difference? You have to believe you can. Our big challenge for marketing our skills might be problem…
Blogs Drive Engagement, Leads & Revenue Why would a blog be the core of your content strategy? It’s because blogs speak directly to your customers on the issues most immediate and important to them. Blogs are more authentic, trusted, and engaged with. They’re fresh with helpful info, insights, resources, and experience. Visitors may spend…
Putting the Wind in Your Agency’s Sales Is your travel company floundering a little as 2024 progresses? It seems travelers have pulled back spending a little of late however, Expedia’s CEO believes the upcoming holiday travel season should be better. Maybe this is the time to rejig your ship, pop up the sails and…
Hiring Smartly for a Digital Travel Marketing Role As a travel agency owner, DMO CEO, hotel owner, tour operator or SaaS travel software entrepreneur, you’re tasked with the challenge of hiring the right marketing people. Can a single person have real impact on a small travel company? Is that realistic given you’ve already set sail…
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness Have you wondered how a small travel company could ever compete with the big travel portals and brand names online? It is a challenge for sure, but still doable. I’ve been competing against Goliath companies for 26 years now and even today, there’s a chance to win. Google’s ranking algorithm…
Tips to Modernize your Travel Business There isn’t a person alive who doesn’t rest on their laurels. It’s human nature to rely on our strengths, expertise and experience. You’ve likely developed some excellent capacities that power your agency. Unfortunately, at some point, our strengths can become our biggest weakness. Because such rallying around our strengths…
Travel USA! This year’s travel market outlook revealed that many travelers prefer to visit the good old USA rather than venture out into increasingly hostile and overcrowded international travel destinations. Travel research company Phocuswright reports that the US is now the largest travel market in the world. Travel is booming and contributing a great deal…
The Rise of Influencers in Travel Marketing Travel marketing companies have a challenge today. If they’re unable to draw enough qualified traffic and convert them to customers, then it could be the consumer market has changed. And keeping clients relevant, visible, and generating leads is becoming more difficult. With SMBs web traffic and social media…
6 Unique Groups of Travelers 1.3 billion lucky people today enjoy the amazing benefits of enriched travel experiences. The quality, access and variety of travel options possible is creating a different view of traveler’s personalities, wants, and buying behavior. Because very unique experiences are available to everyone of any age, background, or sex —…
DIY Low Risk, High Return Marketing Test Project If you’ve avoided digital marketing, it’s understandable given how competitive and challenging the channel is. There’s the risk, the investment, the time and expertise, and confidence needed too! But any challenge can be conquered with faith, determination and strategy. The first part of the strategy is to…
Travel Business Startups There are plenty of good reasons to launch a travel business startup including profit opportunity, new directions, and just being in a business you’ll really love and meeting people engaged in life. A travel agency, tour operator marketplace, or travel software provider might be one of the most investible business opportunities of…
Pay Per Click Campaigns for Travel Businesses Travel businesses rely heavily on pay per click campaigns and paid social boosting to reach targeted travel consumers. It’s hard to beat the placement and reach of online advertising. It’s extremely fast and powerful, yet it’s competitive. The required minimum bids will shock you. Before you spend…
Attack Your Competitor’s Strengths A commencement speech from Roger Federer at Dartmouth College recently, offered one really important tip for entrepreneurs and future CEOs in the audience. He spoke about his challenges in becoming the greatest tennis player of all time. He mentioned having to work hard and shore up his weaknesses, become disciplined, managing…
Advanced Content Strategy: Power in the Creative Mix Every travel agency owner, travel management software manager, and tour company CEO has to decide what their blog content theme will be. Because a company blog creates the lion’s share (up to 90%) of web traffic. Which means content choices will decide how much traffic, rankings, impact…
Why Banff Alberta Has to be on Your Trip List Having lived in Calgary, Alberta for 10 years, and continuing to visit when I can, I can recommend Banff as an epic vacation adventure. Banff is more than just mountain tops although that’s often enough for sightseeing visitors here. You’ve been captivated by the images…
The Power of New Ideas How would you win a best design competition at the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival? Would you show up with the usual round balloon with a different color scheme? Or would you brainstorm a brilliant unique design that evokes their imagination and resonates with balloon festival spirit? Would you have…
Tour Radar – Innovation in Business Tour marketplaces are big business. Very lucrative but challenging to make successful. In this post, you’ll discover one firm which was spawned in the booming travel sector, innovated and grown, learned from their mistakes, upgraded their sales channels, and adapted their business model to fit the actual, real, not…
What Makes the Top Tour Companies the Best? If you’re investigating the opportunity of investing in tour companies or to launch one yourself, you’ll want to take a closer look at the top market leaders and comprehend deeply why they are successful. The best have the most inbound traffic, are marketing-driven, offer high-quality tour…
How to Change Travel Consumer’s Minds Tourists and travelers of all kinds have particular tastes and preferences. Sometimes strong, sometimes not. How profitable would it be to change travel consumer’s minds about their loyalties, tour choices and destinations? These are well targeted, influential, and loyal customers to your customer list. Such insight in…
Top 21 Challenges of SMB Travel Companies If you’re a travel entrepreneur planning and launching a startup travel agency, travel SaaS management software product, tour operator, or a tour marketplace, you’re into an exciting project, perhaps more joyful and fulfilling than any other industry. However, as you know, the market poses some significant challenges…
Selling Your Tours more Effectively After you’ve built a massive source of traffic and presented a compelling, significant trusted brand, and perked up tourists’ interest, you have the final challenge of selling your tours. If your tour involves riding camels in 120-degree desert heat, you’re going to need to be really good at tour…
Travel for Health, Enjoyment and Healing It might be said that all travel companies are actually in the business of selling the joy of travel. Because joy is a powerful motive. It’s the single, primary emotion travelers experience before they purchase. Their real intent is to feel this thing called joy during their trip, whether…
SEO & Content Strategy Can Deliver Great Results Travel agencies, Tour Companies and travel management software firms can easily double/triple bookings and build a solid loyal customer base. However, if their website traffic is weak and poor quality, it will be tough to squeeze revenue out of that small funnel. Sometimes, you need a wide…
What Makes your Audience Click? What really excites your customers? What does your target audience really want? There likely aren’t more important questions to ask because you can only sell what they want. If you crack these tough questions right, you’re liable to make a big impact on them and open up a big sales pipeline….
Market Leader is the Best Positioning When business owners think about the phrase “market leader,” they often envision everyone but themselves. Many North American business entrepreneurs are too modest, not realizing that they could actually become the market leader in their sector. And those who lead the market last longer — and earn more profit….
Why Do People Travel? Travel agencies and tour company managers should really dig down to discover the real reasons people travel. And travel marketers and tour company owners must be experts in the needs and motivations of travelers. Your customer’s wishes are the source of your revenues. Because, the answers for travelling are uniquely personal,…
Empower Your Creative Content Team The travel agency CEO, DMO manager, or tour business owner is the key source of business success. Your understanding, strategy and decisions determine what your creative team believes, does and will achieve. I’m not the ultimate expert on travel business success, but I still want to give you a…
The Power of Iconic Brand Symbols If you’re not up on branding or impressed that brands have any power, you might want to take another look at it. Because a brand is your biggest asset once you build it. Brands have many dimensions, promises, value points, and touchpoints with travel consumers. And your travel content…