6 Steps To Build A Strategy Around Word Of Mouth Marketing For Your Travel Business

Word of mouth marketing is one of the most impactful ways for travel businesses to gather new customers and create a buzz around their brand.

A travel purchase is typically a considerable investment. When it comes to spending money, people tend to place great value on the opinions of their peers. Use this to your advantage by creating an easy-to-follow word of mouth strategy for your company.

We’ll share six crucial steps your travel business can take to command this marketing technique and bring more traffic to your site.

Six Steps To Earn Word Of Mouth Marketing For Your Travel Business

1. Give Your Customers The Best Experience

The travel industry is filled with competitors and challenges that come with differentiating your brand from the rest.

Why not start with how you treat your customers?

We know that we’ll most likely mention a bad experience with a brand to our friends and family. It may even lead to a bad review online or the total loss of customer loyalty.

That's why it's so essential for your customers to feel as though they are being heard and assisted in every way possible, no matter the situation.

Go above and beyond for your clients, and watch as they spread news, offline and online, with others of their unique experiences.

2. Sell Quality Products and Services

There is little to be said about less than perfect services or products, so make sure those elements are flawless.

As a travel enterprise, your trips, tour leaders, operations, and related aspects should leave your customers feeling they have received the best their money can buy. Their perception of your product or service will have them reliving their experience with your business, and you'll want those to be positive memories.

These experiences should make your company word of mouth worthy for it to manifest socially in the form of reviews and other verbal expressions.

Here, word of mouth marketing can spread simply from satisfaction over the quality of your tour package, guides, retreat offerings, etc.

Your customers' opinions matter, and it all begins with what your company is selling to them.

3. Use Storytelling To Create Wow Moments

This digital age has made capturing and sharing our experiences all the more fun and accessible. Weave storytelling into your narrative and create wow moments for your guests to capture and add to their memory banks.

Your tour leaders and guides can strategically lead guests on a sensory journey that ignites their emotions. As they build up a sense of drama, connection, and anticipation on the trip, guides can maximize the impact of the surroundings for travelers, creating moments your guests want to capture.

Now, your clients have visually appealing photos or videos that are perfect for sharing on their socials and with friends.

This beautiful content may receive likes, comments, or be posted to others' feeds or stories, ultimately creating a chain of sharing that'll reach a larger audience.

4. Have Simple Payment Options

Online booking is necessary for today's climate where meeting the client where they are at is everything. Customers want things to be convenient and easy, especially when it comes to making payments.

In business, you will have to deal with deposits, payments, refunds, cancellations, or postponements at times. If you are signed up to a platform like WeTravel, this will make it easy for you and your customers to navigate these transactions.

As a WeTravel customer, you will have secure online payment options to offer your new and existing clients. It will also make booking management for both sides simple and straightforward.

All this convenience will undoubtedly result in happy travelers and great word of mouth marketing for your business.

5. Create An Engaging and Easy-To-Navigate Website

You can elevate your site goer's experience by improving the general layout and aesthetics of your travel website. Make sure it has a quick loading time and speed.

For your travel company, add ways to compare and contrast your products, whether that’s tours, activities, packages, or accommodation.

Above all, make it easy for your customers to find the product and service they want with a detailed description of it, including price.

As for customer support, consider adding a chatbot or messenger service to your site to answer FAQs and other common questions travelers might have. If possible, have 24/7 customer support or a quick reply time on inquiries and emergencies.

Having a good website can increase your conversions exponentially. Go ahead and invest time and energy into making your web pages beautiful and convenient so your customers have something to talk about.

6. Encourage Ratings and Reviews

As is the case for most major purchase decisions, people trust reviews from their family and friends, then peers, in that order. Word-of-mouth is the most organic verification your business can get from its customers.

A good review and high rating on Google My Business can help you improve your standing on search engine pages. Most of us are looking for services and products with a 4/5 rating. We'll also spend our time reading a few reviews before we make up our minds.

Use this to your advantage. Don't be afraid to encourage and ask your clients to share their opinions on your business.

You can ask for a review by sending a personalized email to the customer, making it clear how easy and quick the process is. Also, let them know how much it would mean for you that they do it.

Final Thoughts

If you're a new business starting out on a budget, a word-of-mouth marketing strategy is a perfect solution to grow your audience.

At the same time, no matter how large your company becomes, don't forget the value your customer's voices can add to your business's growth.

Want to know more about WeTravel? Watch the short video below or contact us for a demo.