Why SMS Marketing is a Game Changer for Travel Agents?
21 June 2024
Dhaval Gajjar
Nowadays, globally, the travel culture has changed entirely. People travel to enjoy a vacation, weekend gateway, and for their work. The easiest and quickest way for them to book their trip and experience hassle-free travel is to contact a travel agency. If you run a travel agency and want to stay ahead of the marketing game, you need to opt for the best ideas related to marketing for the travel industry. One of them is to implement SMS marketing.
SMS is the perfect and effective way to constantly connect with prospects, existing customers, and travellers who are already on a trip with your assistance. Using SMS and MMS messages, you can assist prospects in booking their trip and give confirmation and travel assistance. It shows SMS is the perfect technique for travel agent marketing.
Sounds unbelievable?
Check these numbers.
- Text message offers approximately 98% open rate and 45% response rate.
- As per the study, the SMS market is expected to grow by a CAGR rate of 20.3% by the end of 2025.
- Mobile users are expected to reach around 7.5 billion by 2025.
- The US SMS industry is predicted to cross $12.6 billion by 2025
I think these stats are enough to convince you to use SMS as one of the preferred travel agency marketing ideas to boost your travel business.
If you are still unsure about choosing text message marketing for your travel agency, check its benefits in the next section.
What are the benefits of SMS marketing for travel agencies?
Texting is the best way for travel agents to assist their leads through booking and ensure they have a sound and safe journey by sending timely updates. By opting for SMS messaging, travel agents can offer support during their entire travel by staying connected with them, and ultimately, they can enjoy the following benefits for their travel agency business.
1) Brand Building
Generally, people choose a travel agency that is highly reliable and offers top-notch services with utmost professionalism. Regarding brand building, emotional attachment to customers plays a major role. So, you can use an SMS marketing strategy to establish a solid brand image.
You can offer continuous support to your customers via SMS, increasing the agency's trustworthiness. When customers trust your business, they will remain loyal to you. It will ultimately improve retention rate, which will lead to increased sales for your travel agency.
2) Improved Customer Satisfaction
Using text messages, you can easily reach customers directly and personally, no matter where they are. It will help you build solid relationships and trust with your customers. Travel agencies are responsible for their tourists’ safety and comfort. So, whenever any emergencies arise, they must remain highly responsive.
Using SMS marketing, travel agencies can have instant access to their customers’ phones so they can easily and quickly inform them about emergencies or updates. When customers receive timely updates from an agency and trust that you are there to help them at any time, it can increase customer satisfaction and let you enjoy increased ROI for your business.
3) Enhanced Consumer Experience
SMS is simple to use. Even if the customer is not tech-savvy, they can read, open, and send text messages easily. So, when a travel agency uses text messages to build solid connections with travellers and help them plan their trip, it improves the customer experience and drives more business for the agency.
4) Building a Subscriber List
Travel agencies are a highly competitive industry, so they face challenges in growing and acquiring new customers. If you are facing the same issue as a travel agency owner, SMS marketing can help you overcome this challenge effectively. You can give some incentives for signing up, run some reward campaigns, or offer discounts on flights or hotel bookings to attract new customers. You can even promote your SMS program on other platforms like email, website, and social media to attract new clients from different places.
For example, you can include a banner in your email newsletter saying, “Do not miss out on our exclusive text messages”
Or use Instagram or Facebook stories to tell your target audience why they should join your SMS club.
This can help you grow the number of subscribers who are truly interested in hearing from you.
So, if you find growing and acquiring new customers challenging, try SMS marketing for your travel agency business.
Now, one question will pop into your mind – what should be included in the text message of marketing for the travel industry?
Read on to get its answer.
What should you include in your travel agency SMS messages?
- When you send text messages to your existing or prospective clients regarding your travel agency, you must give them the option to opt-out anytime.
- You should never flood your target audience with text messages.
- Prioritize giving relevant and essential information.
- While providing them with information regarding their booking confirmation, travel itinerary changes, upcoming trips, or offers and discounts, you must balance between being formal and personal and informative yet concise.
Hopefully, now you know what to include in your travel agency SMS message.
Travel Agency Marketing Ideas – SMS Templates For Travel Agencies
You can include an SMS marketing strategy by using ready-to-use SMS templates for your travel agency in the following ways.
- You can use SMS to send booking confirmation notifications to travellers.
Hey [First],
I have good news for you.
Your booking for [destination] is confirmed!
Check your email for more details.
Start packing for your dream trip.
Reply STOP to unsubscribe.
- Give promotions and discount deal details to prospects and increase sales.
Hi [First], get ready to unwind!
Get 20% off on Europe tour package.
Offer valid till [date].
Visit [link].
Reply STOP to unsubscribe.
- Give clients travel updates.
Hi [First],
Your flight to [destination] has been delayed for [hours].
The new time is [time].
Check your email for more information or call us on [number].
Reply STOP to unsubscribe.
- Ask for customer feedback to improve your business strategy.
Hey [First],
We hope you enjoyed your [destination] trip to the fullest.
We would be happy if you provide feedback.
Here is the link to a short survey: [link].
Revert STOP to opt out.
- You can give prospects customized travel suggestions based on their travel history and preferences. Besides, you can also give them personalized travel suggestions and recommendations for future trips and even inspire them to repeat bookings.
Hey [First],
It’s good to know you enjoyed your [destination] trip.
How about exploring [destination] next?
You can check our exclusive offers here [link].
Reply NO to opt-out.
- Through SMS, you can even inform customers about your loyalty programs, reward points, travel deals, etc. It can help in building a loyal customer base.
Hi [First],
Thanks for being our valued customer.
You have earned 1000 loyalty points.
Redeem them on your next booking at [link].
Reply STOP to unsubscribe.
Tips to Maximize SMS Marketing Effort Impact
SMS marketing is effective and can take your travel agency to new heights, but remember the following tips to get the best results.
- Get the client’s permission before sending them text messages.
- You need to comply with TCPA and 10DLC to send SMS.
- Include a clear opt-out option for customers if they don’t want to hear from you.
- Keep monitoring your SMS marketing campaign performance. Measure metrics such as open rates, conversion rates, click-through rates, etc, as it will help identify areas of improvement.
- Constantly optimize your SMS campaigns using different message content, timings, segmentation strategies, CTAs, etc.
- SMS marketing should be included in the overall marketing strategy, such as social media marketing, email marketing, etc.
Get Started Texting Today With Textdrip
Are you ready to uplift your travel agent marketing strategy? Try Textdrip’s 30-day free trial to experience tailored, effective, and seamless SMS marketing. Textdrip offers impressive features like quick response, bulk messaging, two-way messaging, automation, a user-friendly interface, etc, which will help you reach more customers, increase engagement, and get more trip bookings.
So, sign up for the demo and take your travel agency to new heights by engaging with your target audience, driving more sales, and fostering loyalty through your smartphone!
FAQ's
| How can SMS marketing benefit travel agencies? |
Through SMS marketing, travel agencies can send promotional messages, timely updates, and alerts to customers’ mobile phones. So, it will provide a high open and engagement rate with instant and direct communication, leading to high conversion rates. So, travel agencies can enjoy improved consumer engagement, increased bookings, and provide better customer service.
| What are the costs associated with SMS marketing for travel agencies? |
Generally, SMS marketing is cost-effective as compared to other traditional marketing channels. However, the exact costs differ from SMS marketing platform to platform. Here is the text message marketing pricing associated with Texrdrip.
| How can travel agencies use SMS marketing to improve customer loyalty? |
Travel agencies can offer discounts on future trips and advance bookings. Besides, they can give exclusive offers, discounts, and access to lounges to improve customer loyalty.
| How often should I send SMS to my consumers? |
Keep the balance. Do not overwhelm your customers by sending too many messages. Send 1 to 2 messages per week. So, you can stay top-of-mind of your customers, and your customers won’t get irritated by receiving too many messages.
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