Published January 3, 2025
You’re a travel advisor, trying to grow your travel business. Which means finding new clients. And working on your travel agent marketing. And everything else you’re supposed to be doing as a travel advisor.
You’ve heard lots of things about a marketing strategy and finding more clients. Things like telling your family and friends, posting more on social media, asking clients for referrals, starting a facebook group, networking more. The list goes on and on.
None of those are bad. And some may give great results…for some people. The downside for all of these? They’re (mostly) out of your control.
You know what you CAN control? Your email list.
Sure, social media is fun. Social media marketing and content marketing can (sometimes) help you find clients. Referrals are fantastic. Online or digital marketing is a great way to find more clients when it's part of your travel business marketing strategy.
But an email list? That’s where the magic happens. It’s like your personal VIP club of potential clients who actually want to hear from you.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I may get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase, at no cost to you.
Why You Need an Email List
Picture this: a potential client visits your website. They love what they see but then…they leave. If they aren’t ready, right then and there, to contact you and start planning their next trip…poof! They’re gone. Without a way to stay in touch, you’re left hoping they’ll come back someday.
But when you have an email list? You don’t have to hope.
They’ve invited you into their inbox. And you show up. Regularly. Your potential customers get to know you from your emails.
You're giving that little nudge because you're talking about a great destination they’ve wanted to visit. Sharing great travel tips and nuggets of information about those off-the-beaten path places that they love.
And when they’re ready to book, they want to talk to you because they feel like they know you.
Clients don’t always book the first time they find you. They’re looking, but could still be saving up for their dream trip. They could be looking at more than one travel company or considering multiple advisors. Maybe they’re waiting for vacation approval. There’s a lot of reasons why they may not want to contact you right now to talk about booking a trip.
But joining your email list? That’s something they can do now without the pressure of booking a trip before they’re ready. Your emails keep you top of mind. It gives them a chance to know you better. And when they’re ready to plan that dream trip, you’re the first person they think of to make it happen.
Don't forget, using email marketing to regularly communicate with your potential clients can be a great travel marketing strategy. Do what you can to warm up those leads and prime them to be ready to buy!
The Basics of Building Your Email List
Creating an email list doesn’t have to feel like climbing Mount Everest. You can start with a few, easy steps. And your travel agency marketing plan will thank you.
Step 1: Offer a ‘Freebie’ They Can’t Resist
People love free stuff! Give them a reason to hand over their email address.
Think of something valuable you can share. Things like:
A Family Travel Packing Checklist
5 Hidden Gems of Europe
Top 10 Underrated Honeymoon Destinations
Don’t overthink it. Your freebie doesn't have to be groundbreaking. But it does have to be useful.
Think of what a potential client could be interested in. Maybe it's travel tips. Travel content. Destination guides. Information about popular destinations (or not-so-popular…pique their interest!). Use your experience selling group travel to your advantage. Or pull from your own travel experience.
The content you choose for your freebie should be aimed at your ideal client. After all, he or she is the type of client you want to book travel for! Think about what could appeal to your potential traveler.
Tools like Canva make it easy to design something professional, even if you’re not tech-savvy. And if you’re stuck for freebie or marketing ideas, AI tools can help you brainstorm (ChatGPT is especially good at this).
Just remember, AI shouldn't write it for you. Your potential clients want to hear from you. AI can be a great addition to your travel agency marketing plan and gets those creative juices flowing.
Step 2: Build a Simple Signup Form
Once you have a freebie, you need a way for people to say they want it. That’s where your signup form comes in.
Place it front and center on your travel agent website. Use a clear call-to-action like “Get Your Free Family Travel Packing Checklist”. A potential customer wants to get something that's valuable enough to hand over their email address!
Don’t be dull and say something like “Join My Newsletter”. People don’t wake up wanting to get more newsletters!
If you don’t have an email provider (or if you don’t like the one you have), we highly recommend using Kit (formerly ConvertKit). The signup forms and commerce pages that you’ll see here at The Savvy Travel Advisor are done in Kit before adding to blog posts or web pages. We also use Kit for our travel business.
Step 3: Promote it Like a Pro
Your freebie and form are ready. Now what?
Tell the world! Share your freebie on social media, link to it in your Instagram bio, and mention it (where appropriate) in travel-related Facebook groups. Questions asked in travel-related Facebook groups can be a great source for marketing ideas! You can even invest in a small ad campaign (like Google ads) if you’re so inclined.
The more people see your offer, the faster your email list will grow.
But this means they have to see it. Here at The Savvy Travel Advisor, we did a deep dive into more than 200 travel advisor websites. Shockingly, 90% weren’t getting any organic traffic! Meaning when a potential client is searching on Google, those travel business sites aren't included in what Google shows them.
That’s a whole separate problem. Potential customers can't join your email list if they aren't getting to your site!
If you aren’t sure if your site is getting traffic, Google Search Console can tell you if (and how) people are finding you on Google. If that's too technical, we can dig deeper on your behalf and tell you what's going on with a Website Checkup.
How Long Does It Take to See Results?
Building an email list isn’t instant gratification. But it is worth the effort.
Think of it like planting a garden. Putting seeds in the ground and waking up the next day to fully grown plants would be amazing! But gardens just don’t grow that way. They take time, patience, and consistency.
It’s the same with email marketing. In 3-6 months, with consistent effort, you should start to see growth.
The key is emailing your subscribers regularly. This doesn’t mean once a month. That isn’t often enough to stay top of mind. Weekly is ideal. If that's too much for you, try every two weeks to start.
If you’re stuck on what to write about, AI can help you brainstorm ideas. (AI brainstorming works for social media marketing too!)
Share travel tips, destination inspiration, travel industry trends, updates…whatever is relevant to your ideal client. Sending regular, good content keeps your audience engaged and builds trust.
Why Email Marketing Outshines Social Media
Social media is great, but it does have its limits. Algorithms can bury your posts. Followers can come and go. Platforms can go down. You don’t control how you engage with your audience.
But your email list? That’s yours. It’s a direct, reliable way to connect with potential clients without worrying about algorithm drama.
It keeps you connected with your existing clients too! Being consistent in your marketing efforts helps to build your travel brand and keeps you top of mind with your ideal client.
The bottom line: Good travel agent marketing starts with your list
If you’re serious about growing your business, an email list is a must-have. It’s your direct line to people who dream about travel and want your help to make it happen.
Start small, be consistent, and watch your email list turn into one of the most valuable tools in your business.
The best part? You’ll build a steady stream of engaged potential clients who are ready for you to book their next big adventure.
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