4 Simple Planning Tips to Save Your Travel Business Time, Money, and Energy
The tourism industry is constantly changing, and if you want to compete in the marketplace and reach potential customers, then you must plan accordingly.
Yet many travel-oriented businesses fail to stick with their strategic plan. This error brings about the headaches and stress many tour operators and B&B owners experience-an error which could easily be fatal. Over and over, companies fail to take the time to create a marketing plan that is based on thorough research, one that is broken down into measurable objectives and specific actions.
Here are 4 simple tips that will save your travel business time, money, and energy.
1) Plan for Every Action
Planning for every action you take allows you to focus and make intentional decisions instead of reacting to a crisis or jumping before you think things through. Being proactive instead of reactive will help prevent future problems. Create mini plans for overall objectives. For example, maybe you have written down and planned a postcard promotion in March. Is the plan broken down into how many people you will target, demographics, and budget? It should be. The more specific the plan, the easier it will be to track the success of the promotion and the implementation.
2) Create a Calendar
Creating a marketing calendar not only helps you stay on track, but it allows you to prioritize the most important actions first. The 12-month action timetable can be divided quarterly and then broken down monthly. How you choose to set it up is up to you, but the key here is to set a timeline to measure goals and activities, and mark when to incorporate new marketing activities or implement existing ones.
3) Keep Track
Why go to all the trouble to create a plan and not have a system to measure what works and what doesn't? Implementing a tracking system allows you to know the best way to reach your prospective customers and discover what marketing strategies work best. It will also save you money. Decisions can be made to reinvest in what works and discard what doesn't. And you will make decisions based on factual data rather than assumptions. The more efficiently you track your marketing records, the less money and energy you will waste.
4) Stick with It
If you commit yourself and your business to completing a plan for the year, you'll be in a much better position than you will be without one. However, many companies fail to follow the plan and stop giving 110% midway through the year or when the tourism season hits. This is the worst thing you can do. Remember, when you aren't actively marketing your business, you will pay in the months to come.
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