Social Media: Survival Tool for Agents

The use of social media outlets to promote one’s travel agency has become ubiquitous within the industry. The savvy travel agent, the one who wants to get ahead, needs to know how to best leverage this resource. The educational tool and webinars ASTA offers are instrumental to that success, said ASTA CEO Tony Gonchar announcing the launch of a new webinar Travel Agents Attack Social Media – 100 Days of Online Marketing with the Travel Blog Project.

ASTA says agents interested in stepping up their social media presence and gleaning inside tips and advice for making their blogs more engaging and higher ranked should attend ASTA’s upcoming webinar. The webinar will be held Aug. 31 at 2:00 p.m. ET and be presented by George Oberle, who will share the lessons learned from this novel project. 
 
Everyone who registers will receive a copy of Oberle’s e-book, “Travel Blogging Lessons Learn.” George Oberle, the force behind The Travel Blog Project, which guided 225 travel agents through a 100-day online marketing effort encompassing SEO, social media and blogging, will be on hand to share best practices from this innovative project.
 
“Travel agents are the most powerful force in marketing travel. I also believe that social media such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter are perfect venues for travel agents to brand themselves as experts in their niche and sell travel experiences,” said George Oberle, creator of The Travel Blog Project.
 
This informative webinar will provide an overview of the Travel Blog Project and touch upon such areas as target marketing via the keyword phrase, SEO for blogs, how to post for web traffic, travel agent SWOT analysis, incorporating a blog into a Facebook page or Twitter stream and more, ASTA says.
 
Oberle, a second-generation travel industry veteran, has owned and operated two travel agencies over a 20-year period, each with successful vacation and corporate travel departments. Currently, he works for a large regional agency as a webmaster and SEO specialist. He also operates a user-generated resort and cruise review site--www.ReviewResorts.com--that welcomes travel agents to post reviews and travel deals free. Oberle has a bachelor’s degree in management from Saint Mary’s College of California.

Visit www.ASTA.org.