What do you think is the hardest part of the sales process?
Which phase do many travel and tourism pros stumble…or worse yet, procrastinate?
Which step is the most important?
We all know the 7 step sales process;
- Prospecting for leads
- Building rapport
- Identifying needs of prospect
- Presenting persuasively
- Handling Objections/questions
- Closing the sale
- Following up to earn future business/referrals.
Many people are perplexed by prospecting and find it really hard to get rolling in this phase. Yet, without generating leads through prospecting, you can’t sell anything. Therefore, I’d like to suggest this is the most important step.
Let’s Get Social
Social marketing can be an easy way to get the ball rolling! Imagine building relationships and warm contacts from the comfort of your office. (Fuzzy slippers and all)
As we think about the process of prospecting we need to have some type of hook or reason to reach out to people. With this hook the goal is for them to want to connect and start a relationship. Think about what may inspire you. Chances are it’s something you find valuable and FREE. Your prospects feel the same. Creating a lead magnet is the way to inspire people to connect.
Lead Magnet
A great lead magnet is something that’s relevant to your audience, easy to download and easy to digest. Leverage your lead magnet by ensuring it solves a real problem and demonstrates your expertise. Consider these lead magnet options and how they may relate to your travel agency, attraction or tour company.
- Destination guide
- Pack tips
- Trip checklist
- Before you Go checklist
- Restaurant guide
- Top 10 list
- Wedding Planning worksheet
- Cruise Tips
- Gadget Guide
Each of these lead magnets can take shape as a downloadable resource such as an infographic, e-book, video or simply a downloadable PDF.
Once you have your lead magnet created it will form the basis of your lead generation and social prospecting. You’ll be able to use this on your website, a landing page or an on-line sales funnel to collect emails and contact information.
Social Ad Audiences
Once you have a core list of email addresses and contact information, the real fun begins! Your gold-mine of contacts is the start of your strategy to build brand awareness and relationships.
Use your list of contacts that were generated by your lead magnet to create custom ad audiences on Facebook and Instagram. Mix these new contacts in with your existing client list to maximize your custom audience population.
Then using your custom audience as a base audience, create a Look Alike audience. (Here’s how) Facebook will look at the attributes of your base audience and create a new Look Alike audience with similar interests, demographics and behaviors. It’s an amazing way to grow your ad reach with people who have similar attributes and may be a good fit for your business.
Bonus: Amplify your ads with these 2 quick tips
Friends of Friends
While doing business with friends and family isn’t always easy, doing business with your 2nd level of connections (friends of friends) can be rewarding. Reaching these people is easy when you boost a post on Facebook. Simply choose to boost your post/ad to “People who Like your Page and their Friends”. How about creating a post revolving around your lead magnet and then boosting it to these friends of your friends? Easy!
Lead Generation Ads
Put your new lead magnet to work again when you create Lead Generation ads on Facebook and Instagram. Setting up this style of ad allows you to customize the information you collect. You may want to ask some types of need-based questions to start the process of needs assessment so you can tailor your future conversations. You can even set up a ‘thank-you’ screen shown to your prospect once they’ve completed your lead form.
Consider creating on-line sales funnels that reap rewards of a flow of new leads. Check out tools like Click Funnels, Lead Pages, InstaPage or even a tool as simple as Jot Form.
Your Social Ad Strategy
Like many new challenges or projects, taking the first step tends to be the most difficult. I think the reason for this is that first steps often come with uncertainty and maybe a leap of faith (or two!). Having a well-crafted strategy is a great way to alleviate misgivings and help you jump in with both feet.
Sticking to the above techniques will help you generate more leads and create a solid foundation for the 6 remaining steps of the sales process… and it might be easier than you expect!
How will you start prospecting for leads?
Related Articles
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Social Marketing Strategies for Travel and Tourism
About Catherine Heeg
Catherine Heeg is a recognized social media trail blazer passionate about social media and marketing in the tourism and hospitality industry. She takes the mystery out of marketing!
She creates and delivers meaningful, dynamic workshops that meet your unique needs in the Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Industry.
Catherine and her team help travel, tourism and hospitality pros design and implement social media marketing strategies and tactics that drive traffic to their social and web sites. Learn more…
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