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Travel Agency Branding
When it comes to travel agency branding, website design is the key. A well designed website can help attract potential customers and give them the information they need to make a booking. It should be visually appealing, easy to navigate and include all relevant information about the services the agency offers. To attain success, the website should be optimized for both desktop and mobile devices, and include clear calls to action. Additionally, the website should be kept up to date with the latest industry trends and technology. With the right website design, tours and travel agencies can maximize their branding efforts and reach more customers.
The Importance of Travel Agency Branding Strategy
Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) are digital platforms that allow users to book travel services such as flights, hotels, tour packages through their websites. They resell trips, cars, flight tickets and vacation packages provided by others. Listing on OTAs is still a big marketing strategy for your travel agency, but it has certain drawbacks too. Your business gets absorbed by their brand identity. For example, a traveler who is using Trip advisor for travel services will come across the thier branding throughout the website. So, it is important to build branding outside these websites.
There are many reasons to do it, let’s see four main reasons:
1. Branding increases more conversions & enquiries
People will be more likely to use your service, when your travel agency looks legitimate and professional. Branding gives voice to your business. It helps your business to stand out as the best option and also provides a safe experience for the customers.
2. Branding improves recognition of your identity
Branding gives face to your business. People will not only remember your name but also your logo. Customers will instantly recognize your business when they see your ads, videos or emails.
3. Branding makes you memorable in customer mind
Branding is not just a logo and slogan. It’s more than that. Branding helps your customers to be loyal to your company. Not just for weeks, but people will remember your agency for a long time. Branding is a unique experience that you create for your customers.
4. Branding increases your travel agencies value
Having a popular name will help your travel agency to be the leader in your niche. It helps in the further expansion of your travel agency. Consistency and building a stronger brand will help you to increase your brand equity. It adds value to your agency, allowing for customer loyalty.
How to Create a Memorable Travel Brand?
Now let’s create a memorable travel identity.
Branding must be given priority even if you have a well established company or if you are just starting your own company. Your tourism business will grow by early branding. Consider a particular niche instead of focusing on a large number of people. It will improve your online visibility and also give you a competitive edge.
These 6 steps will help you to build a brand identity.
1. Create a brand story
There is a back story in every business. A travel business mostly starts from passion. It can be passion for adventure, the destination or the community.
Sharing your story will help your company to build trust, credibility and also principles to guide your business decisions. Think about why your travel agency started, that is your story. It doesn’t have to be long and perfect; brief is best. How did you start? Where did you get the idea from? What inspired you? How is your agency different? What makes your team outstanding? By adding answers to these questions, you will get your brand story.
2. Identify your target audience
You can target a specific group of audience by providing them with attractive offers, as the preferences of the people may vary as per their needs. Researching your target audience is important so you will be able to connect more with your audience. You should consider certain things like who’s most likely to book a tour and activities, their age, where they are from, etc. Create a strong brand identity and find out more about your target audience. Find out where they spend more time online and what they frequently search online.
3. Position your identity with your destination brand
Destination Management Companies (DMCs) build the destination brand. It is a unique travel experience based on everything a place offers. The aim of it is to generate visitor interest. For example, people who travel to Ireland visit the Emerald Isle for pub culture, castle hopping and traditional folklore. ‘Tourism Ireland’ promotes it as a destination that will “fill your heart”. So people will expect heartwarming moments. This also provides hints about what they can expect from this trip. People will expect certain things from this trip because of the destination brand. They will plan things and book according to these expectations.
If your travel agency provides what they are looking for and gives them a positive experience, then it will help in the growth of your business and it will meet their perception about that destination also. You have to give priority to brand identity, along with destination branding. Make a connection between these two.
4. Workout your brand voice and tone
When you communicate with others, they will understand your personality, attitude and values. Likewise, every message given by your travel agency (online or offline) reveals your company’s mission and characteristics. This is the brand voice of your company. It must be in clear language and be the same across all social media channels. Then only will it be effective. It helps in our interaction with the target audience and to have a good position in the marketplace.
It should also be consistent across all channels and media. This way, people will get an accurate idea of your business and will not be confused. Unlike brand voice, tone can be different according to the situation. It reflects your mood. Payment requests can be serious and confirmation booking can be joyful. This creates an emotional impact on the reader (customer).
The company’s mission statement and values, current content, common themes, how your target audience communicates and destination branding will help you to figure out your tone and brand voice. Tone can be flexible, but it should not go too far away from the brand voice.
5. Give your travel brand a makeover
A memorable logo, unique typography, etc., will provide a great first impression. Create a look for your tour and activity business. Visual elements also play an important role in brand identity. Let’s check what some of these elements are:
There are 4 things your brand design needs to get noticed,
1. Logo
The logo of your company can be seen everywhere, whether on social media or promotional materials. It should be simple, memorable, timeless and must match your business mission. Logos can be a logo mark or a logotype.
2. Typography
Fonts also have personalities. Some represent maturity like Serif fonts, while some give a progressive vibe (Modern fonts). So select suitable fonts for your business. It influences how the audience perceives your business.
3. Color palette
Colours can make your audience feel a certain way. Like fonts, it has an emotional impact on masses: red for passion, green for natural and blue for trust. Use the right mix of colours.
4. Imagery
Photos and videos show people the kind of experience you offer. It also inspires people and they also imagine having that experience. Use it wherever you can. Brand images should also have unity. Use presets to promote uniformity.
Build consistency in your tour website
By visiting your website, people get a clear picture of your business, who you are, how you function, etc. People visit your website to gather more information about your tours and activities. The website is like a digital storefront, a face of your company. Maintain consistency in your website. No matter where people click on the website, it should be similar. The look, voice, feels everything should resemble the other.
Here are some ways that will help to show off your brand on your website:
1. About us page
Create an about us page and share your brand story. Some people may want to know more about your business. They can visit the about us page. You can also give an outline about your core values and mission on this page.
2. Relevant Keywords
Know your target audience and find out what search queries they use frequently. Use these keywords throughout your page titles, headers, body text, meta descriptions, and URLs.
3. Uniform design
Make your brand recognizable. Use the same color palette imagery and fonts throughout the page. Keep the logo at the top right corner and also next to your URL, this will remind them that they are browsing.
4. Brand voice
Every content that you have written on your website must stick to your brand voice. A blog can be used to establish this further and whoever continues this should follow the same content style.
5. Customize booking process
It is best to use an online booking system that doesn’t lead to a separate page and also allows customization. Customers shouldn’t feel like they left the site when they go to book. Build your booking page the same way you did with the website.
Other Travel Agency Branding Ideas
- Post contents on social media channels that your target audience uses.
- Facebook contest to create hype of your brand.
- Partnership with travel influencer that fits your brand.
- Hire a professional videographer to take high quality videos.
- Hire a professional photographer also.
- Different slogs and tests that gives best results.
- Use Answer the public and Quora, Reddit etc. to get relevant blog topic ideas.
- Guest posts to publications within the travel industry.
- Make tour guides into brand ambassadors.
- Allow your staff to take over the social media.
- Reward your guests with discount codes.
- Design template for email marketing that follows your brand design.
Summary
To create a memorable brand identity, agencies should share their story, understand their target audience, align their services with destination expectations, and develop a clear voice and tone. SkyBook Digital is a Digital Marketing company with expertise in Marketing for Travel & Tourism companies. For a free appointment to discuss your pain areas and for queries, do submit the form so that one of our representatives will contact you.
