Travel seems like the product that sells itself, but the truth is more complicated. While travel is inherently enticing, selling your travel product can be challenging because you’re competing with so many others who offer similar packages. To gain a competitive edge in a market saturated with products, you have to identify and connect with your target audience. Finding your target audience will help you define your brand, get more bookings and grow your business. That’s true whether you’ve already been in business for a while or if you’re just starting out. Here’s where to begin.
1. Identify: Start with who you know
Even if you’re in the earliest stages of building your travel business, there’s a chance that you already have a group of people who frequently sign up for your trips. Maybe it’s a group of your friends and peers, or maybe it’s a group that’s connected by their membership with a church, association or alumni group. Either way, think about this group abstractly. What are their ages, genders, income levels? Demographics like this can help you build the profile of your target consumer so you can begin to tailor your trips to suit them. But don’t stop there; think about this group’s common interests, travel goals and preferred activities. If you’re unsure, ask. Because you already know them, you’re likely to get some good information from your travelers.
2. Identify: Find your niche
Another way to find your target audience is to think about what you do well. Thousands of travel companies are selling trips to any given destination, but having a particular niche will set you apart from the crowd. And you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. If you always get compliments about how well your historical commentary sets the scene, your ideal audience is going to be people who enjoy history. If your trips are known for fun, after-hours pub crawls, your target audience will love to party. If you have a hard time thinking of a particular niche, ask your travelers what about your trip stood out to them. They might say the small group size or the high-quality food. Either way, use your strengths to home in on your target audience.
3. Identify: Keep it small
While it might seem like the key to expanding a business is to appeal to as many people as possible, sometimes the opposite is true. Catering to a smaller, more targeted group of people can be better for business than trying (and probably failing) to appeal to everyone. It can build brand loyalty and strong relationships with your customers and keep them booking trip after trip. If you’re not sure your audience is large enough, adjust your marketing strategy and give it some time before you switch up the search for your target audience. That audience can make or break your brand, so it’s a move that requires a lot of time and planning.
4. Connect: Study this audience
Once you’ve identified your target audience, it’s time to study them in-depth to figure out the best way to connect with them. There are many surveys and reports that go out each year on popular travel-related media channels that describe consumer patterns. Staying up-to-date on those trends and what they mean for your target audience is critical. If one report finds that older travelers are pinching pennies, and your target audience is people over 70, highlight the economic aspects of your trips to connect with them. Find out what questions they’re asking and come prepared with answers. Direct surveys are another tool to study which factors make people more likely to book trips and, therefore, what you should use to connect with them. Ask your travelers about their travel habits, what they prioritize when they’re traveling, what their ideal price range is for a trip and what made them book your trips. That insight is invaluable when connecting with your target audience.
5. Connect: Meet them where they are
You’ll need to know where this audience is — both in the real world and online — if you want to connect with them. Start with social media. There are many marketing platforms and blogs that offer statistics on the demographics of the average user of each social media site. Do some research to figure out where your target audience is most likely to spend time and prioritize sending your marketing content out on those channels. Don’t just hang out online where your target audience does; find them in real life, too. If your target traveler goes to church, hang flyers around local churches. If they’re the physically active, adventure-seeking type, head to local gyms. Get creative by seeking existing networks to spread the word about your travel business and connect with the right audience.
