Last updated November 20, 2024
There’s one tool that every travel advisor should have in their marketing toolbox. I’m not saying that without it the world will end, or you’re guaranteed to fail if you don’t have it.
I am saying there will probably come a time that you’ll look back and, if you haven’t put it in your toolbox, you’ll think “if only I would have…”
What’s that tool?
Your email list.
Yep, that’s right. This is a time when social media reigns supreme. As a travel agent, you hear all about needing to be on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Threads, X, and Pinterest. And you’re told you should have a Facebook group.
That’s a lot of social media! Oh, and don’t forget to have a blog too.
Social media isn’t bad. There’s some great content out there. Frankly, social media can suck us all in at times with endless scrolling. 🙂
Being on social media can be an important part of your marketing strategy when you focus on the platform(s) where your ideal client spends time. But building your email list and doing email marketing is even more important.
Why is that?
Simple.
The benefit of a travel agency email list
Your email list, and every subscriber name on it, is yours.
You may have heard the phrase “don’t plant your garden in someone else’s yard”. It means someone else’s digital yard too!
You don’t own Instagram, TikTok, or even Facebook—you’re just a tenant, and the landlord makes all the rules. Remember when Facebook bought Instagram? It wasn’t just because Mark Zuckerberg loved sepia filters.
Facebook saw its audience jumping ship to the newer, trendier platform and realized it had to stay relevant. So, they bought it outright.
But here’s the catch. Platforms come and go. TikTok exploded while Snapchat fizzled. Vine was in for a hot minute and disappeared overnight.
Even Instagram is losing its shine because people simply aren’t seeing the content they’ve chosen to follow (hello algorithm changes!).
So what happens when you’ve spent years building an audience on a specific platform, only for your followers to move on to the next big thing? Your connection is only as strong as the platform holding it… and platforms change.
That’s where email saves the day. Your audience might move from Instagram to TikTok, or TikTok to some future app, but their email addresses will likely stay the same.
That’s why, when Facebook purchased Instagram, it wasn’t the end of the world. They could pair up all those Instagram and Facebook accounts. Even though people don’t hesitate to change social media platforms, they rarely change their email address.
People move, they change jobs, they get married and have kids, but that email address usually stays the same. It’s simply too much hassle to change email addresses, because it’s everywhere.
Anyone you’ve ever wanted to hear from, from crazy Aunt Betty to your college roommate, can contact you at that email address. If you change it you have to change it everywhere, and who has time for that?!?
What is a travel agency email list?
Let’s take a minute and start with the basics. What is an “email list”?
An email list is simply the list of names and email addresses of people who have asked to hear from you. They may be past clients, people who sign up through an online form or landing page, or people who download a free opt-in or lead generator that you create.
In exchange for their email, you provide them with something of value. Ideally on a weekly basis!
Maybe it’s travel information and ideas. A new blog post. Sample itineraries. Advanced notice of supplier sales or new itineraries that a supplier is releasing. It can be anything, as long as it’s relevant to your audience.
The emails that you send need to be valuable to your ideal client. Don’t send email marketing full of travel deals if your clients are looking for personalized experiences.
You're a travel agent - you know where your ideal client wants to go and what they're looking for. They should want to open your emails!
An email subscriber won't open every email you send. But if you provide valuable, well researched, informative content that is unique and interesting to them, they’ll stay engaged.
If you send them content that isn’t those things, they’ll unsubscribe. They may even decide to be on more than one travel agents mailing list and you'll lose your potential client.
It’s as simple as that.
Why you need a travel agency email list
1. To stay connected with potential clients
Having someone’s email address gives you the ability to stay connected with them for years. Since email addresses are rarely changed, you can have a potential customer on your travel agent mailing list for a long time before they’re ready to engage your services.
Let’s say a new subscriber just joined your travel agency email list. She’s a mom, with a teenager in high school, and isn’t in a place right now to take a big trip. But she loves to travel, and wants to receive your travel-related blog posts and articles.
Two years down the road, that teenager is close to graduating from high school. Mom is on multiple colleges email list and knows her teen is soon to leave the nest. Suddenly mom realizes that this may be their last chance to take that family trip they’ve thought about taking.
And there you are, in her inbox, like you have been every week for the last two years.
But the difference this time is that she’s ready to buy. She recognizes her travel agents email address and is excited about the possibilities. All she needs to do is reply to the email and ask you to help plan that amazing family trip.
Did you pursue her for two years asking for a sale? Nope. All you did was show up. Consistently. And when she was ready, you were there.
That’s the power of an email list.
2. You own your list
You don’t own your social media accounts. You don’t own Google, Bing, or any other search engine.
You may do your best with search engine optimization (SEO), but ultimately you don’t decide if your website shows up in every search result that you hope it will.
What you DO own is your email list. You decide what you send and when you send it. And as long as you provide good content that’s relevant to your audience, they’ll open it.
Not everyone will open every email, and that’s ok. With quality and consistency, you’ll nurture your engaged mailing list.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t grow your presence on social media or work on your SEO. It means that you shouldn’t do these things at the expense of your email list.
You should have an easy way for your website visitors to join your list, assuming you have a website.
Side note: Sections of the travel industry say travel agency websites aren’t relevant.
After doing website audits of 200+ travel agent sites and finding 90% weren't being found on Google, we understand why some people think they aren't worth it. But we have the data that shows they are. And what can be changed if it's not working. A website really is worth it.
On social media, you should point people to someplace where they can join your list. And if you have a great opt-in or lead generator, make sure you feature it occasionally in your travel agency social media!
As long as they take the one simple action of providing their email address, you own that connection with them.
3. Email is personal
You have an event coming up next week and you’ve partnered with the BDM from your favorite river cruise line to try and sell some Christmas Market river cruises for next year. You want people in your local area to come, and you need to get an invite out.
You can post the information on social media, and a couple people may show up. You're unlikely to get much traction, and you don't even know if people will see it in time.
But if you have a mailing list, or a segmented list, of local people who have the time and financial means to take a Christmas river cruise, you can send an email directly to them. You don't need a big fancy email campaign - just a simple email will do.
This isn’t an impersonal, mass market social media post. It’s a personal invitation, from you to them, that will be perceived very differently by the recipient. And unlike a paper invite, you don't need their physical mailing address, just their email.
Your email marketing can contain the exact same information that a social media post would. The email gets their attention in a way that a social media post simply can’t.
Plus, you decide when they see that email. If you post something on social media, you have no idea when or if your audience will see it. Facebook or Instagram could decide to show it today, in two days, or never.
But the email shows up in their inbox when you want it to. If you decide to send it today at 6pm, it will arrive today at 6pm. Whether or not they open it and read it is up to them.
You used email marketing to send them a personalized, targeted message. And it's simple - no need for a fancy email marketing campaign.
4. You can section or segment your list
Some of your clients and prospects are more interested in certain topics, locations, or types of travel than others. Some may have small children, others could be retirees with higher net worth and lots of time to travel, and some may only have interest in specific destinations.
You can tag all of these in your email marketing software and use it to send targeted emails.
Most families with small children won’t be able to take a 150-night world cruise. If you’re trying to sell one, isn’t it better to send an email only to the people who are the most likely to make that purchase?
Use your email marketing software to send a targeted email that the recipient feels is directed right to them. It's much more likely to be opened than a blanket email blast. Really, it comes down to being smart in how you use your travel agent mailing list.
By intentionally tagging your audience and sending targeted emails, you aren’t excluding everyone else. You’re choosing not to fill everyone else’s inbox with offers they simply won’t find value in.
Destinations work the same way. If you segment your list by travel style, you won’t send an email about “Things to do this fall in New York City” to people who hate big cities. And you won’t send “The 5 best beach resorts in the Caribbean” to travelers who have no interest in beach vacations.
Segmented email marketing is a great way to remind your clients and prospective clients that you know what interests them. And it keeps you top of mind when they're ready to book their next trip.
5. Email is private
It’s easy for people to choose not to engage on social media because it’s too public. It can feel like the equivalent of raising your hand in class and the teacher not seeing you. Remember that feeling?
We’ve all seen posts where someone asks a question, but the business doesn’t see it or doesn’t respond. It’s left hanging out there in the comments. It can leave people wondering if the business cares at all, or if they just ignore questions from clients and prospects.
It’s completely different when you see a business that responds to any questions with “thank you for bringing that to our attention, we’ve sent you a DM”. The conversation has become private, but everyone who sees it knows it’s been acknowledged. If you already do this with your travel agency social media, keep up the good work!
Email, on the other hand, is private from the start. Someone who never speaks up on social media, but is on your email list, has a private, personal way to reach you. And no one is left hanging, as long as you reply to their email in a timely manner.
The bottom line
Social media may be flashy, but it’s also fickle.
Stop renting, start owning. Your email list is your digital real estate - completely yours and built to last. It’s the foundation for meaningful, long-term relationships with your current and potential clients.
Yes, it takes time to build, but the effort is worth it. Start today and you’ll create a foundation that supports your travel business for years to come.
If you’re ready to start growing your list, check out the next post.
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