It’s common to see lots of hugging at travel industry events as old friends and colleagues run into each other. Catherine Heeg, an industry marketing veteran, says the industry has always been like that: a business based on personal relationships.
It’s that focus on personal contact and face-to-face meetings that has made it difficult for longtime travel agents to adapt to the new world of social media. But times have changed, and agents must change, too. Heeg hopes to help ease agents into social media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn through her training programs.
Oasis, a Florida-based host agency, is among those companies sponsoring Heeg and other industry speakers to help get agents up to speed on social media. Oasis has scheduled “Let’s Get Social,” a series of free webinars designed with Heeg to teach home-based agents social media strategies to build their business. The webinars start this month.
“We recognize that social media is a critical component of a marketing strategy,” Kelly Bergin, Oasis vice president of business development, said in a statement. “The answer to the million-dollar question — “Why use social media?” — is, because your customers are. By providing our agents with simple, practical social media and blogging tools they can effectively reach more customers and prospects via this explosive new medium.”
According to Heeg, 50% of Facebook users are 35 and older and 13% are 55 and older, which she calls “perfect demographics for our industry. If we’re not involved, we’re missing opportunities.”
“The tourism industry has historically been highly relationship-driven,” said Heeg, who is CEO of Customized Management Solutions. “In this high-touch industry, many tourism professionals have found it challenging to adapt to the high-tech world of social media. That is why it is so gratifying to provide them with the expertise and support they need in to fully leverage this game-changing new technology.”
In a podcast on her website, www.cmsspeaking.com, Heeg discusses how travel agents have used social media to boost their sales. One Houston agent had a conversation on Facebook with “friends” who were also clients about cruises. Other Facebook friends of the clients followed that conversation and became interested. The result was several bookings for the agent from new clients.
In another instance, a tour company used a Facebook fan page to issue new tour brochures. Hundreds of Facebook users responded with “likes,” drawing attention and business to the company.
For more information, visit www.oasisagent.com, or see Heeg’s website for a sample of the webinar content on social media.