On Site: Travel Leaders Launches New Marketing Opportunities at National Meeting

Travel Leaders
Steve Loucks, chief communications officer, Travel Leaders Group, and MC of the National Meeting

Travel Agent is currently attending the Travel Leaders 2015 National Meeting in Orlando, FL. This year’s theme is "Expect the Best," and it seems that Travel Leaders is telling its agents that they can really expect the best opportunities when it comes marketing

Travel Leaders has announced that its Business Travel Center of Excellence is offering its associate agencies the new Travel Leaders Outsourced Corporate Sales and Marketing program. This new marketing program is designed to help agencies increase their business clients without having to produce a full staff of their own.

“If you want to grow your business faster, if you want to grow at all in business travel, if you are dissatisfied with the performance that you had with your business travel sales over the past couple of years, if you just want to have support in sales and market and lead generation … this program is for you,” explains Michael Boult, vice president of Travel Leaders Franchise Group’s Business Travel Center of Excellence.

There will be two options for this new program. Either all corporate prospecting is handled directly by Travel Leaders, or the program will supplement the associate agency’s existing efforts. Both programs will allow the agency to get a steady stream of qualified new leads.

There will also be a marketing effort that includes more personalized marketing for agencies and agents. This movement will help agents build their client base through boosting their personal brand.

Customization options include:

  • A personalized welcome letter on the inside front cover of Postcards, Travel Leaders' 52-page magazine.
  • Direct mail campaigns that will include the agent’s name, contact information and a call to action
  • Travel Flash emails that will be set up as if they were sent from a specific agent, not agency.

At the 2015 National Meeting, Travel Leaders also introduced Volume 1 of Destination Bliss, the new wedding and destination publication that will be published annually. Destination Bliss can also be customized with an agent’s information.

“The inside of the book is filled with all kinds of engaging editorial and inspiration for your wedding couples,” explains Stephen McGillivray, chief marketing officer for Travel Leaders Group. He also told agents that they will be able to present this branded magazine instead of just supplier brochures to potential clients. 

Travel Leaders also presented a new online marketing campaign to help agents answer the question, “Why use a travel agent?” This new campaign,  #iTravelBetter, will include a print brochure, e-brochure, video, web page, email template, social media, and travel agent customizable options. All of these aspects will help agencies to offer up evidence on why it is important to use a travel agent.

“With this campaign we are going to take customers on a journey,” says Brian Hegarty, vice president of marketing and destinations for Travel Leaders franchise group. “Your dream, your journey begins with a Travel Leaders agent.”

For more information, keep reading Travel Agent. Also visit travelleaders.com and www.jointravelleaders.com for more information.