Home Based Travel Agent News: December 2009

Tuesday

5 Ways to Grow Your Local Business with Social Media

1) Start a Local Group Online

Most social network platforms offer some form of group creation. Any member has the ability to start a group around a niche or pretty much any topic – including a local topic. Sites such as Flickr, Facebook, LinkedIn and Slideshare all allow members to create and manage groups.

For example here’s a local independent merchant group in Austin, TX using a Flickr Group to promote it’s “Keep Austin Weird” slogan.

This Boston Networking Group on LinkedIn was founded by Jeff Popin, owner of BostonEventGuide.com. With over 3,000 members, there’s a pretty good bet this group serves as a conduit for Popin’s main business locally.

2) Find and Network with Local Bloggers
Using tools such as Placeblogger, outside.in, Bloglines you can locate bloggers in your community that might have an interest in writing about your business or industry or actively linking to your blog.

Networking with relevant bloggers locally, commenting on their blog posts, and maybe even contributing a post is a great way to create additional local exposure. Don’t forget to seek out and add blogs from traditional media publications locally as well. Most radio, TV and news journalists have been asked to write a blog as part of their job, these can be great local social media contacts if you take the time to build relationships though their blogs.

3) Hold Meetups and Tweetups
Using a social media tool like MeetUp, you create and promote local events and tap the user base of MeetUp to create additional awareness about your seminars, product demonstrations, open houses, and grand openings.

Here a home remodeler in Encinitas, CA is offering a workshop on green remodeling through MeetUP.

TweetUps, a gathering of people in a community using Twitter, have become very popular ways to meet others locally that believe in the power of social media. That alone can be enough common ground to network on. Search locally for the term TweetUp and don’t be surprised to find one schedule in your community.

The online social media network Biznik allows members to join its online platform, but belong to a local community and promote in-person local events on the site.

4) Find local leads
Finding local prospects or potential strategic partners on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter is pretty simple through the use of the powerful search interfaces built into all. Simply searching by City is a great way to find other people using social media in your community. A service such as Twellowhood or LocalTweeps may aid in your search to find other businesses in your community using Twitter.

Many smart marketers are also employing some of the advanced features of Twitter Search to find people locally and filter their tweets to turn up leads. An auto body shop might set-up searches for people talking about being in an accident and reach out to them with advice for what to do to get the best quote. A computer network service provider can use advanced search to find people locally complaining about their network being down.

Naked Pizza in New Orleans uses Twitter to publish exclusive offers to followers and attributes a significant rise in business using to this tactic.

Cupcakes on Wheels, a Los Angeles mobile cupcake business, tweets its location throughout the day so followers can find its signature brown vans.

Facebook’s Ad Targeting is also another great way to reach only local prospects on the Facebook platform. One of the targeting criteria is geography, so you can create ads that promote your web site or Facebook Fan page that are only shown to people in the geographic region you choose

5) Enhance Local Search Results
No matter how you put social media to use to create engagement locally, simply creating profiles on dozens of social media sites and linking those sites with local keyword content back to your main web site will help your site do better when people search locally. Creating very brand and local optimized profiles on sites like YouTube, Flickr and Slideshare will help with overall links to your site. Creating and enhancing local profiles on Google Maps, Yahoo and Bing Local will help you show up higher in the local results.

Finally, don’t forget to get active with the social review sites like Yelp! and Insider Pages. Ask, and even teach, your local customers hot to write reviews about your business. Currently Google Maps and Bing Local add these reviews to their local profile database too.

Using the technology and ability to access large groups of social media users locally has become a proven small business marketing tactic and is a great way to further enhance the face-to-face relationship building you already do.

Author John Jantsch is a marketing and digital technology coach, award winning social media publisher and author of Duct Tape Marketing.

Home Based Travel Agents Learn and earn! Seminars @ Sea

Travel agent School, Learn and earn! Seminars @ Sea

The National Association of Career Travel Agents offers all travel agents an amazing opportunity to sail on the best ships at special agent rates. In addition, unique educational seminars are provided onboard and led by industry experts. http://www.nacta.com/NACTASeminarsatSea.aspx

Learn how to become a travel agent and open your own online home based travel agency. http://www.HomeBasedTravelAgents.org

Book A Trip, Vacation or a Cruise and SAVE a Childs LIFE

The statistics are alarming: Malaria kills 1 child ever 30 seconds, Tuberculosis kills 1 person ever 15 seconds, and HIV/AIDS kills 1 person every 13 seconds.

By booking your next trip with a “MASSIVEGOOD” travel agent you can help with a donation of $2, this is the cost to treat two children suffering from malaria, it pays for much needed medicines and health care in 3rd world countries.

This program grew out of the Millennium Foundation for innovative finance for heath, a group charged with finding new funding sources to combat these world-wide epidemics. “MASSIVEGOOD” harnesses the power of travel agents and the tourism industry in an ambitious global effort to collect $2 from each person who goes on a trip or vacation.

The money raised will be administered by the Millennium Foundation to UNITEAID network of partners. (UNICEF, UNAIDS/WHO, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The William J. Clinton Foundation and Stop TB).

What A Trip Vacations, http://www.whatatripvacations.com/ a nation-wide travel agency and AARC host agency http://www.homebasedtravelagents.org/ a travel agent school have pledged to support “MASSIVEGOOD” in its initiative to help raise funds to treat the sick and hopefully save the lives of many children.

For more information go to http://www.massivegood.com/

Monday

Crystal Academy Launches 2010 Europe Online Training Course

Crystal Cruises announced the latest course to its online training program, Crystal Cruises Academy: Europe 2010. The new course provides selling tips and highlights of Crystal’s dozens of Mediterranean, North Cape, British Isles and Baltic itineraries. It also details benefits of Europe 2010, including two-for-one fares, free business- or economy-class air, onboard credits, the Family Memories Program, and the Crystal Assurance Plan. Easy-to-navigate pages keep track of agents’ viewing history, allowing them to save their progress and check their knowledge with quizzes along the way.

Ideal for agency-affiliated and home-based agents alike, the course can be completed in as little as an hour. Agents passing the final exam receive certification as a Crystal Cruises Expert Travel Agent, a Crystal sales kit, CLIA credits toward ACC and MCC accreditation, CEU credits from the Travel Agent Institute, weekly email communication summarizing the best current values, eligibility for the free fam cruise program, and a Crystal logo gift.

In 2010, Crystal offers 33 voyages from seven to 14 days in Europe and trans-Atlantic for Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity. Cruises depart from Venice, Barcelona, Athens, Istanbul, Rome Copenhagen, London, and Stockholm, and most feature at least one overnight call. To register, agents can visit www.crystalcruisesuniversity.com. For more information, call 800-446-6620 or visit http://www.crystalcruises.com/.

Learn how to become a Home Based Travel Agent http://www.homebasedtravelagents.org/

NCL Launches "Year of Freestyle Vacation" Promotion

Norwegian Cruise Line is ringing in the New Year three weeks early with promotions marking 2010 as “The Year of the Freestyle Vacation.” All new reservations from Dec. 14 through March 14, on any of the 10 Freestyle Cruising ships, will receive up to a six-category upgrade and onboard savings certificates of up to $400. In addition, bi-weekly promotions will feature special offers on select ships and destinations. The first offer from Jan. 4-17 includes reduced deposits and kids’ fares from $249 for bookings on Norwegian Epic’s seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises.

“It has been 10 years since Norwegian first introduced its innovative Freestyle Cruising, so it is fitting that we celebrate 2010 as ‘The Year of the Freestyle Vacation’ as we move to introduce the next phase of Freestyle Cruising with the launch of Norwegian Epic in the summer of 2010,” said Kevin Sheehan, NCL’s chief executive officer. “We encourage travel partners to take advantage of these value-oriented offers to help spur consumers into booking their Freestyle vacation.”

Travel agents can find more information and numerous marketing tools, including customized flyers, banners and emails, to help promote “The Year of the Freestyle Vacation” at a customized microsite, www.nclagentsalesevent.com. All travel partners with qualifying bookings made during the promotion will be entered to win one of five cruises. In addition, travel partners registered as NCL U students will receive emails, bulletins and widget updates and be given the opportunity to earn points toward Freestyle Certification by completing a new course devoted to “The Year of the Freestyle Vacation” promotion. For more information, call 866-234-7350 or visit www.ncl.com.

Learn how to become a travel agent. www.HomeBasedTravelAgents.org

Tuesday

Travel Agent Training Conference & Trade Show

Home Based Travel Agent Training Conference and Trade Show at Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center June 27 - July 1, 2010

Over 150 hours of profit-enhancing classes

3 General Sessions filled with the latest industry information
A Trade Show packed with Preferred Suppliers, destinations and more
Hands-on demonstrations to increase your skills
Personal trainers in the Experience Room
Inspirational Power Speakers
3 captivating Think Tank sessions
World-class entertainment and events
Valuable networking with industry insiders

A low nightly rate of only $109* for single/double rooms for 3 days BEFORE, DURING and 3 days AFTER Conference!

Monday

Globus Unveils New Itineraries

The Globus Family of Brands has announced that it has news to share at the 2009 Luxury Travel Expo.

First, Avalon Waterways has created over 30 new itineraries for 2010 and will also be christening two new ships - Avalon Felicity and Avalon Luminary.

Here are five new river cruises that Avalon will announce at the Expo in Las Vegas.

1. Paris to Normandy's Landing Beaches, eight days, Paris to Paris

2. Grand France, 16 days, Paris to Cote d'Azur (or reverse)

3. Castles on the Rhine to the City of Music, 13 days, Zurich to Vienna

4. A Taste of the Danube, four or five days, Vienna to Budapest (or reverse)

5. Christmastime in Germany & Austria, 12 days, Frankfurt to Vienna

Next Monograms will unveil new 2010 vacations and services, with almost 150 travel packages available. Monograms provides travelers a Local Host in destinations around the world. This expert helps travelers get to know the destination with tips, suggestions, facilitating travel and guiding tours. Each of the new travel packages are customizable and are available in 31 countries.

Monograms is also offering special programs that cater to cruise-goers for 2010. It will introduce two-night pre/post packages for cruisers in 14 European cities. Each package will include a two-night stay including breakfast, taxes and port transfers.

Finally Globus, in keeping with the popular travel theme of 'savings,' is introducing European vacations with savings up of to 20 percent. Some include:

Italy's Great Cities, nine days; Rome, Florence and Venice; priced from $1,599

Introduction to Ireland, eight days; Dublin, Ennis, Killarney and Waterford; priced from $1,039

Imperial Splendors, 11 days; Munich, Prague, Budapest, Vienna and Salzburg; priced from $1,599

Normandy, Brittany & Chateaux Country, Nine days; Paris, Caen, Mont St. Michel and Blois; priced from $1,789

Visit http://www.globusjourneys.com/Tour-Globus/Special-Offers/

Travel Agents wanted FT or PT http://www.homebasedtravelagents.org/