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 besides competition. You might be wondering what they are and which are most important. That’s our worthy topic today.
You’ll be competing against established travel brands, so being seen and respected won’t be easy. And visibility and branding are just the beginning. There’s software choices, partner choices, marketing budgets, and hiring the right mix of expert talent.
As with any startup, efficiency is vitally important. You’ll likely solve that with excellent travel management software and a clever, creative content creator with a competitive instinct.
More than You Can Shake a Stick At!
Let’s look at 21 key challenges of SMB travel companies right now. These should be in the inputs of your business model and revenue model. Focus on profitability and demand, to build the right product offering to the best customers.
And today’s customers must be constantly wooed. There’s no standing still until your travel brand has made you the market leader.
What you believe your challenges are defines who you are and where you’re going. So realistically brainstorming your challenges and prioritizing them is the beginning of going in the right direction.
Let’s start with a general list and with an open mind.
21 Key Challenges for Travel Companies
- establishing a credible online presence (unique engaging website)
- having the courage to go where the travel market opportunity will be (market forecast)
- establishing a credible, compelling, unique and significant brand (unique, significant, iconic, inimitable)
- crafting your brand and communicating it laser clear (brand development)
- building substantial, well-targeted, online traffic who are highly interested (target marketing)
- creating engaging, moving, unique content that is more than common generic information on destinations and tours (creative, distinctive, lively, compelling)
- marketing and promoting strongly and managing prospect engagement (strong marketing-first budget)
- staying top of mind to hang onto customers and get prospects to take action (continuous reach/contact)
- maintaining a great standard of service that communicates “problem-free” (customer service as they like it)
- managing massive inquiries and leads professionally so you’re on top of all (travel marketing software)
- offering real time bookings and trip adjustments (SaaS travel management software)
- offering convenient, optimized booking procedure (SaaS travel management software)
- automating administration and eliminating operations tasks (SaaS travel management software)
- creating excellent travel experience management travel product seller integration (SaaS travel management software)
- travel product seller integration (SaaS travel management software)
- maintaining priority relationship with tour operators, airlines, restaurants and venues
- customization of travel services and products (product development)
- keeping expenses under control (SaaS travel management software, smart hiring, virtual operations)
- maintaining cash flow (continuous promotion and reselling and upselling)
- finding talented not mediocre travel staff
- finding budget to allow for travel for content creators and marketers
It Really Does Begin with You
As a travel entrepreneur, you likely know much more about the actual difficulties of keeping a travel business viable.
And that is what can inform and inspire the powerful marketing content that will wow customers, create engagement and inquiries, leading to bookings, and customer loyalty.
It might all come down to the courage to innovate and get ahead of the traveler market. Winning those battles on tour products, accommodation features, destinations, and more puts you in driver’s seat.
Of course, your Iconic travel brand should be positioned where the market magic is happening too.
And if you’re not being found online, then you’re not positioned to receive those travelers and thus having to chase the market and catch up. Great travel management software, free travel consumer traffic, impactful content, and a great offer to customers should be your top priorities.
Do you need someone to lead the way in optimizing your reach, impact and prospect engagement?
Find out more about Gord, and reach me at 416 998 6246.
