Dear readers... I have combined all my blogs into pages that now run in my new digital eMagazine called SELLING TRAVEL. There you will find 20 pages of "how-to" ideas and commentary. Click here to read Selling Travel.

A Couple Of New Directions  – To Help Your Marketing Activities

I’ve been idea collecting this month. Looking at all the newsletters I subscribe to, thinking through the material in terms of how would this work for the travel trade – my usual mental state! Came up with a couple of new ideas that you might like and one little application that’s buried in your computer under Accessories that’s kind of neat. So quick and easy to capture an image and plonk it where you want it. So let’s start there because this Snip is a snap! You are going to click on Start, Accessories and then Snipping Tool.  Once you click on the Snipping Tool icon… you will see the toolbar.  And that’s it! You can now snip whatever you want from full screen to a wee bit off a graphic and save it, send it or place it. In my day-to-day activities of developing PowerPoint presentations and workbooks and self-study guides I make good use of the SnagIt software, it has more tools. However for a quick Snip (ooh!) this Snipping Tool is just perfect.

Okay, other things: Had a great first FREE webinar and thanks to all those who attended and showed their support.  The recording can be accessed on my webinar page – scroll down, lower right. This was a blended session as requested - effective time management and efficient marketing. No password required.  The material was based on doing more with less, streamlining, focusing etc. Here’s a few more ideas to add to that session.

1.       Arrange a series of low key, in-agency presentations, chats, travelogues – call them what you will, but do come up with a name for your series of get-togethers and then you’ll have something to market.  Once each month or every 3 weeks invite your clients to drop into the agency to hear about the latest tour, a report by a member of staff just returned from somewhere. For home based agents you could arrange similar gatherings too. You might have to be more creative in terms of location – the local library would probably be glad to have your group. Once this is underway – write a press release and push it out to all media.

2.       Here’s a couple of links for you to explore. Great websites and one where you can write and make money! That one would be mytourguide: http://www.mytourguide.com/Editor. For email marketing signatures you might want to explore this link: http://www.wisestamp.com/plans.

3.       The next go-to link is this one: www.wibiya.com – great idea for a web toolbar that links to social sites. You’ll have to go play to see how nice this is. Similar to this is Conduit: www.conduit.com

4.       Last but not least a new direction for your marketing might just be here: www.slideshare.com. After our successful May 12th webinar on webinars, you may want to stop by SlideShare and see if it could work for you as a new business generator.  You can even narrate your presentation and link back to your website.

5.       One more simple action item – The Agency’s Best Buy. It’s not a new idea – but it might be to you.  Start offering your Best Buys, your Top 3 Beaches, Two Cities You MUST See… you get the idea. Add these slogans to your emails, websites, newsletters and of course your social sites.

That’s it for this posting. See you soon, as and when. Until then – keep thinking NBG, New Business Generation.   

Steve Crowhurst, CTC,  is an author, columnist, trainer and keynote speaker. His specialty is New Business Generation.  He offers four newsletters: The Edge for Home Based Agents, The O&M for Owners & Managers, The Frontline for travel counsellors and BDM Extreme for travel trade suppliers. DIRECTIONS is published by SMP Training Co.  Contact: steve@smptraining.com  T: 250-752-0106

© 2011 Steve Crowhurst, SMP Training Co.

This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.