You know the old saying - “You have to spend money to make money”?
This is the mantra of marketing but for most small to medium sized travel businesses, finding this elusive cash cow and spending it effectively is quite often an overwhelming task.
For Australian travel businesses with a plan for future growth and sales, this magical marketing cash is not just a lifeline, it can be a game-changer. Here are some suggestions on how to make your travel business’ marketing dreams into a reality.
I have a cunning plan.
Do you have a goal? Want to increase organic site traffic to your website or grow your database? Want to promote an escorted tour and fill it to the top? Perhaps you’d like to move into a more specialist sector of the industry and need to start building your repeats and referrals. It could be straight out increasing sales of a particular brand, destination or style of travel. Whatever your goal, write it down – it will be the starting point for your marketing money adventure.
How, when and who?
Now you have a clear goal, let’s map out your ideas for marketing to make that goal achievable. What medium or mediums did you want to use – Print? Social? Digital? Radio? Letter drop? Film night? Perhaps you want to use a few together.
Next is who – who is your target market for this goal – is it local people perhaps, or Australia wide with a specific interest or even through some other group or community?
Lastly, when – when do you need to have your bookings in by, is there an expiry date you need to follow and what big events are on around your marketing time that may hinder or help your campaign.
Once you have these details thought through, you will need to work out costs associated with it and have it ready to present to your co-op partners, grant officials or marketing expert like The Social Spider (yes gratuitous plug there) who can also help you quote these costs and help formulate the plans above with you.
Show me the money.
Ready? Yes we are! We have a goal, a target, a plan and a budget – so, how do you get your hands on the marketing dollar cash cow? What tree is it growing on? In this blog, we uncover our research on who, where and when you can start building your own little marketing fund.
Government Grants.
The governments of Australia are very keen for small business to succeed and from Federal down to local council level, there are grants and schemes in place to help you start up, grow or even franchise your business.
This handy Federal Government site helps you find out what grants you may be eligible for and how to apply: https://www.grants.gov.au/ and you can register there to be notified when new programs become available. Remember that you can apply for growth grants, start up grants and all other kinds of grants. Don’t just limit yourself to tourism grants which may not apply to outbound operators.
On the state level, there are many pathways for business and business grants. Queensland for example has many grants coming through at different times: https://www.business.qld.gov.au/starting-business/advice-support/grants/schedule
And, in Queensland there is even a free mentoring program to help you navigate the grants and grow your business.
The Victorian Government has this one: https://www.invest.vic.gov.au/how-we-can-help/incentives-grants-and-programs/venture-growth-fund
New South Wales: https://www.nsw.gov.au/business-and-economy/support-for-startups
And so on.
At a local government level there are also grants and programs. Here for example is one from the Gold Coast: https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/Invest-do-business/Supporting-business/Business-incentives-investment-programs/Support-for-business-growth but it’s just one of many.
Taking some time to investigate these opportunities can net you some well needed cash to splash on marketing yourself and your product out to the Australian travel community. The great thing about a grant is that it isn’t a loan. You just need to spend the dollars on what you proposed.
Cooperation is key
Do you sell a lot of one cruise line, wholesaler or tour operator? Are you proving yourself in sales with them and would like some more? Take that hard work you’ve already put in, and ask for that meeting with your rep or account manager and talk marketing. Quite often these companies are looking for active marketing partners.
Don’t forget you have something to offer them too – access to your database!
Go to these meetings and offer a 50-50 partnership, make those government grants go twice as far.
Allocate time
Lastly, the key to any good plan is to dedicate some time to it each week. Set aside an hour or two each week to think about your travel business marketing, where you want to be this time next year and what months your business will need revenue help. Think about what did and didn’t work, then reevaluate again.
Reach out
The Social Spider is a social media management and travel marketing expert with nearly 30 years of experience. Set up a time to talk to us, obligation free, about your plans for the future of your business and spending your marketing dollars wisely.
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