The stories you tell — and the way you tell them — can make or break your tourism business.
That’s what Justin Brady believes. As a former journalist and a current communications expert, Justin has helped dozens of companies identify their real brand stories and figure out how to communicate them better. Justin joins this episode of the podcast to discuss how travel entrepreneurs can get beyond their echo chambers, identify their brand stories and tell them in a way that drive sales.
Justin shares how companies can identify their best customers and leverage customer inquiries to tell better stories. He also recommends simple communications strategies for building trust among strangers and turning them into travel customers. Plus, we have news about the growing impact of group travel; a Road Tip about finding new kinds of trips for your group; and a Hot Minute about what to do — and what not to do — on FAM tours.
Podcast: Embed
Insights from Justin Brady
Justin had a lot of great ideas about how travel entrepreneurs can build their businesses by telling better stories. Here’s what he suggested about finding your brand story and figuring out how to communicate it:
“It’s about spending time with customers and not selling…. Get your head out of the data, go talk to people, go listen to them, go observe. Spend time with and watch the habits of your customers…. Spend more quality time with your customers that doesn’t involve selling at all. Ask about them obsessively. Don’t pitch yourself at all. Build a profile, find out how they tick, find out what keeps them up at night.”
Plus, he had insightful thoughts on:
- The hidden challenges in your mind that make brand communications difficult
- Why business growth requires an intentional communications strategy
- The roles of traditional and new media in building your travel brand
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Learn more about Justin Brady and listen to the Justin Brady Show at justinbradyshow.com.
Connect with Justin Brady on LinkedIn.
Apply to attend our OnSite FAM in Louisiana’s Capital City region here.
Apply to attend our student travel FAM in Myrtle Beach here.
See all our FAMs and sign up for email notifications at grouptravelleader.com/fams.
Learn more about train travel in our podcast episode Seeing the World from a Train.
Learn more about service travel in our podcast episode Volunteering on Vacation.
Key Moments From This Episode
1:12 — Travel News: Studies outline the size and scope of the group travel market
2:32 — Road Tip: Five new types of trip to try in 2025
7:35 — FAM opportunities in Louisiana and Myrtle Beach
12:43 — What is corporate communications, exactly?
13:58 — Why companies struggle with communications strategy
15:45 — Why the best companies don’t always win
19:15 — Why your customers’ questions might be your key to growth
21:23 — Why communications strategy is critical for business success
30:14 — How important is polish in your company communications?
32:34 — How to get the right media coverage for your organization
51:23 — Hot Minute: Are you doing FAM tours wrong?
Watch the Full Interview
See the full interview with Justin, including content not in the regular episode, on our YouTube channel.
Thanks to our sponsor Visit Atlantic City for making this episode possible. Learn more about group travel to Atlantic City at visitatlanticcity.com.
About the Podcast
Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly.
You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.