Last updated November 29, 2023
Landing pages are the unsung heroes of travel agency marketing. If you're looking to boost your travel agency leads, you've come to the right place.
First things first. Let’s make sure we’re on the same page and define what exactly a landing page is.
A landing page is simply the destination that a link in your marketing, whether it’s an email, social media profile, or specific social media post, points to. It’s where a website visitor (aka a potential travel lead) lands when they click the link.
Simple enough to define, but they take some technique, as well as a bit of trial and error, to execute well.
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Why landing pages are your new best friend
You wouldn't send a traveler to a foreign country without a map, right?
Similarly, in the digital marketing landscape, landing pages act as your map to guide a potential client right into your sales funnel. They're a crucial part of any savvy travel agency marketing strategy, designed to convert curious clicks into committed customers.
Instead of just sending someone to your homepage, take some time to think about what you where they’re clicking through to your website from, and what should be waiting for them there.
Are you running a paid Facebook ad for a free opt-in to increase email list signups? Instead of sending a website visitor to a generic “get the freebie” page, create a specific landing page that’s designed to pique their interest and help turn them from travel website browser to travel business customer.
Do you run Google ads that come up for specific travel industry terms? You can create a specific landing page to speak to that target audience and help you find qualified leads.
Building blocks of a great landing page
Creating a landing page is like packing for a trip—you need the essentials but don't want to overdo it. Here's what you'll need:
Headline: This is your "Welcome" sign. Make it catchy but clear. For Search Engine Optimization (SEO) purposes, it should be formatted as a first level heading, or H1.
Conversion focused copy: The copy, or the words you use, need to be chosen to take the reader, your potential travel lead, on a journey. They start out curious, and the goal is to have them primed and ready to take a specific action after they finish reading. That action can be anything from providing their email in exchange for a free download to scheduling a consultation call. Your copy needs to answer a potential customer's questions and make them feel seen and understood.
Imagery: A picture is worth a thousand words, especially if it's of a dreamy beach or a historic landmark. Make sure it’s tied in well with your content, and compliments without dominating.
Call-to-Action: Without a call to action (CTA) you’re wasting your time. Tell people exactly what you want them to do. Do you want them to schedule a consultation call? Tell them that. Don’t leave them wondering what to do next.
How to create your first landing page
Alright, enough theory. Let's get our hands dirty.
Creating a landing page for your travel agency website is easier than you might think. If you’ve already created a website, all you need to di is create a new website page and you’re ready to get started.
If you don’t have your own travel agent website, or your host agency controls your website, there are still options for creating specific landing pages.
ConvertKit lets you create customized landing pages that you can use for anything from growing your email list to creating a full destination or services page.
Now that you know where you’ll build your landing page, decide how people will get there.
Are you creating a social media post encouraging your audience to contact you about travel to a specific destination? Use that (or something similar) as a starting point.
Let’s say, for example, you’ve created an Instagram post about planning a trip to the 2024 Paris Olympics. Instead of sending people to your standard travel agent “contact” page or your website homepage, head over to ConvertKit and create a specific landing page.
Give it a title like “Start Planning Your 2024 Paris Olympics Experience!”
Write some copy about what they can expect, get them excited about starting the planning process, give them a place to enter their name and email address, and tell them to click the button to submit their information and get started.
If the template you chose has a place for an image, include something Paris or Olympic themed to round out the visual aspects of the page.
Now head back over to Instagram. If you use a link in bio service like Later that allows you to connect individual posts to specific links, connect the post to your new landing page. If you use Instagram’s regular link features add your new landing page as a link, and make sure it’s crystal clear which link will take them to the Paris Olympics page.
Just like that, you have your first landing page!
Optimizing your landing pages to generate travel agency leads
You've built it, but will they come? Only time will tell, but once you have visitors you’ll want to start testing to see what drives engagement for your specific audience.
A/B testing, also called split testing, allows you to compare two versions of your landing page to see which performs better. For example, you can use two different headlines, and with an A/B testing service, the only difference is that some people who go to your landing page see one headline, and some people see the other.
Over time, you can see which headline (or graphic, specific copy, or CTA) gets more of the results you want.
One thing to keep in mind with A/B testing is that you should only test one element at a time. If you create an A/B test with different graphics and headlines, you have no way to know which one actually made the difference. Do one test of just the two headlines. Once you have a winner, use that headline and do another test with just the two graphics. And so on.
You also need to have enough traffic to your website to get an accurate A/B test. If you only have a handful of visitors, you won’t get any clear results. But if you’re attracting several hundred website visitors per day, or even several thousand, you’re in ideal A/B testing territory.
Another thing to check on your landing page is mobile responsiveness. ConvertKit’s pages are mobile friendly, but if you create a landing page on your website builder you’ll want to check and make sure it’s optimized for mobile.
Tracking your landing page metrics
Once your landing page is set up and getting some traffic, you’ll want to keep an eye on a few metrics to see how it’s performing and make changes as needed. Make sure you’re monitoring:
Conversion Rate: How many visitors are taking action and turning into a travel lead? If that rate is lower than you’d like, you’ll want to work on your CTA.
Time Spent on Page: Are people sticking around long enough to absorb your message? If not, work on your copy.
Bounce Rate: Are visitors leaving without taking any action? Take a close look at your headline and work on making it more appealing.
The bottom line
And there we have it—a whirlwind tour of landing pages and how they can be your golden ticket to more travel agency leads.
Don't just be a travel agent; be a lead-generating machine! Now, it's your turn to set sail on your own landing page adventure.