40 Marketing Ideas For Your Travel Company

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Updated: June 3rd, 2021

Wondering how to market your travel company?

Marketing your travel company is certainly not easy, but there are many ways to promote and advertise your travel company.

We put together a list of the best marketing ideas for your travel company, so you can get your small business out there.

Here’s the list:

1. Referral Program: Launch A Referral Program

A referral program is the type of marketing where you state an offer to your existing customers for the act of creating a word-of-mouth referral that converts.

According to SEMrush, word-of-mouth is considered to be one of the top traffic sources for small businesses that practice affiliate marketing.

Launching a referral program is a great marketing strategy for growing a small business. An effective referral program enables startups to increase lead generation and an active audience.

Topic: Word Of Mouth
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $10-$100
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on referral program ➜

2. Handwritten Marketing : Send Handwritten Notes to Customers

Handwritten marketing is a common strategy used by sales and marketing teams that aim to maintain close relationships with their customers.

Sending handwritten notes to customers helps marketers achieve personalized marketing, improve customer loyalty, and improve open rates.

The concept of sending writing handwritten notes to customers is ideal in lead generation, sending thank you message after the customer made a purchase, retargeting abandoned shopping carts, and several other scenarios.

Topic: Relationships
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $0-$50
Result: Brand Loyalty

Check out our full guide on handwritten marketing ➜

3. Competitor analysis: Conduct A Competitor Analysis

Competitor analysis refers to a report analyzing your competitors' strengths and weaknesses relative to those of your own business.

For startups trying to break into the market, a well-researched competition analysis gives you the tools to reach strategic decisions.

A competitor analysis should be included in your marketing plan, your business plan, and all aspects of your high-level business and pricing strategy.

Topic: Sales
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Low - $0-$300
Result: Product Quality

Check out our full guide on competitor analysis ➜

4. Leverage Third Party Platforms: Leverage Third Party Platforms (Amazon, Etsy, etc)

Running a successful startup requires wearing a variety of hats at all times.

According to Forbes Report, startups should leverage third-party platforms to thrive.

Simply put, third-party platforms involve startups using an existing infrastructure and expertise built by the third-party platform to market and reach your customers.

Amazon, Etsy and Shopify are all examples of third-party platforms.

Startups that choose to leverage third-party platforms save an enormous amount of resources involved in hiring, training, and retaining in-house experts.

Topic: Sales
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Low - $0-$100
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on leverage third party platforms ➜

5. Pinterest ads: Pinterest Advertising

Pinterest Advertising is a fast-pass ticket to increasing your social media reach by targeting more than 450 million active pinterest users every month.

By running promoted pins, marketers can drive traffic, increase conversions, and boost brand awareness effectively.

For startups, Pinterest Advertising is a great way to boost your business.

Topic: Social Media - (Paid)
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $.10-$1.50
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on pinterest ads ➜

6. Meetup groups: Meetup Group As a Marketing Strategy

Marketing via meetup groups is a strategy to helppublicize a brand during an ongoing in-person or virtual meeting.

Meetup groups offer many benefits for marketing your business, such as finding clients, hosting meetup groups that attract your customers, and learning from like-minded entrepreneurs.

Therefore, if you run a local or global business, meet up groups can be a great strategy for publicizing your offer.

Topic: Events
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $5-$150
Result: Brand Awareness

Check out our full guide on meetup groups ➜

7. Networking Event: Attend A Networking Event

Networking event refers to social or economic activity where entrepreneurs meet with intention of forming business relationships, recognizing, creating, or acting upon business opportunities.

As an entrepreneur, creating connections and putting your brand out there is critical to the success of your business.

Attending a networking event you will meet like-minded people, exchange a business idea or two, and leave knowing you brought your brand some exposure.

Networking events could provide you a once in lifetime opportunity or connection that could take your business to the next level.

Topic: Events
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $0-$150
Result: Brand Awareness

Check out our full guide on networking event ➜

8. Tasks Automation : Start Automating Repetitive Tasks

Task automation refers to the application of modern technology to minimize or eliminate the need for human involvement in order to complete the task. Automation tools are one of the most effective ways to increase productivity and scale your business.

Think about all the redundant tasks you complete in a day. You would save a huge amount of time by using automation tools to eliminate the need for your involvement.

In this post, we look at task automation and tell you how you can automate repetitive tasks. . further, we will share an example of how automation has worked for our business. Let us jump straight in!

Topic: Automate
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Low - Automation tools cost $50-$200
Result: Product Quality

Check out our full guide on tasks automation ➜

9. Webinar: Launch A Webinar

A webinar is an event held virtually and attended exclusively by an online audience. Therefore, a webinar can reach a wide range of audiences from different locations.

Webinars are a great way to build your existing audience and create new customers. Webinars can also help with promotions, establishing clout and credibility with customers, and can help build your email list.

Webinars are a particularly effective marketing tool because they allow brands to connect with their customers.

Topic: Events
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Medium - $100-$1,500
Result: Trust & Credibility

Check out our full guide on webinar ➜

10. Guest Blogging: Start Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is a content marketing strategy that involves writing and publishing a blog post on another company’s website.

Guest posts include your byline and are highlighted by the editor of that website as being written by a guest author or contributor

Guest posts attract a new audience and ultimately boost brand credibility and awareness.

Topic: Content
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $0-$300
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on guest blogging ➜

11. Yelp ads: Create Yelp Ads

Yelp Ads refers to the placement of promotional content on Yelp with the intention to reach more customers who visit Yelp.

The Yelp advertisements will appear in the search results and on business listings.

Through Yelp ads, you can bring more people back to your Yelp business page so that they learn more about your business and ultimately decide to contact you.

Topic: Social Media - (Paid)
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $0-$350
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on yelp ads ➜

12. Corporate gifts: Corporate Gifting

Corporate gifting is the practice of creating a touchpoint with your existing clients and prospects through the use of a gift.

Giving gifts is one of the worlds oldest traditions. Why? Because it works.

According to Destination CRM:

Businesses that send highly personalized and modern gifts at key moments in the customer journey see a far better outcome—particularly with small and midsize businesses, whose customer relationships are crucial.

Topic: Sales
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $20-$500
Result: Brand Loyalty

Check out our full guide on corporate gifts ➜

13. Press Release: Get A Press Release Published

A press release is a marketing strategy that involves sending out a newsworthy bulletin.

Targeting journalists and potential customers, the press release provides a popular approach for getting immediate brand exposure.

For startups, getting more press is an attractive approach to gain traction, so that target customers know who you are, and what you are offering them.

Topic: Buzz
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Medium - $0-$2,000
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on press release ➜

14. Geographic Expansion: Develop a Geographic Expansion Strategy

Geographic expansion is a market strategy where an enterprise grows by expanding from its original location to additional geographic regions.

Geographic expansion is one of the preferred business growth strategies.

According to Frost & Sullivan, geographic expansion can help enterprises gain access to new markets and talent pools.

Topic: Buzz
Level of Difficulty: Hard
Cost: High - $5,000-$20,000
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on geographic expansion ➜

15. Business cards: Create Business Cards

A business card is a card bearing information about a business or an individual.

Business cards may seem like an "old" way to market yourself, but they still may be worth it.

A skillfully designed business card can be your best marketing tool especially if you meet many clients in person.

Topic: Print + Traditional
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $25-$200. Price depends on how many business cards you order.
Result: Brand Awareness

Check out our full guide on business cards ➜

16. Promotional videos: Create A Stellar Promotional Video

A promotional video is any type of video you record and post with the intention of promoting a particular marketing initiative, sale, or event.

According to Wyzowl, 83% of video marketers say video gives them a great ROI.

Creating a stellar promotional video grabs the audience's attention and draws them to learn more about the featured product or service.

Topic: Content
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Medium - $100-$10,000
Result: Brand Awareness

Check out our full guide on promotional videos ➜

17. Affiliate Program: Launch An Affiliate Program

Affiliate marketing is a great way to bring in a new revenue stream, especially when you don't sell products or services.

Simply put, an affiliate program is an agreement where a business pays another business or influencer ("the affiliate") a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way.

The affiliate typically gets a unique link where clicks and conversions can be tracked.

Topic: Affiliate
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Low - $50-$500
Result: Lead Generation

Check out our full guide on affiliate program ➜

18. Outsourcing: Business Outsourcing

Outsourcing is an agreement where a business contracts a third party to perform services and job functions that were traditionally performed by the company’s employees.

Any business operations that can be performed from an offshore location can be outsourced.

Examples of business operations that can be outsourced include call center services, bookkeeping services, inventory management, IT services, Payroll solutions, etc.

Topic: Automate
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Medium - $100-$2,000
Result: Product Quality

Check out our full guide on outsourcing ➜

19. Publicity Stunts: Plan A Publicity Stunt

Publicity stunts are generated by a certain campaign or promotion (initiated by you) and are intended to raise awareness for your business.

Press could result in the form of TV coverage, write-ups in local newspapers, mentions in magazines and of course social media.

Topic: Buzz
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Medium - $100-$2,000
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on publicity stunts ➜

20. Side Project Marketing: Find A Side Project Marketing Idea

Side project marketing consists of building an entirely new product or service that solves a need for your customer.

This side project typically has it's own branding, but can share common characteristics with the main brand.

Topic: Buzz
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Medium - $100-$2,500
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on side project marketing ➜

21. Quora: Write Viral Answers On Quora

Quora is a platform where you can contribute and obtain knowledge. It's a place to ask questions and connect with others who offer insights and answers to specific questions.

By contributing answers on Quora, you can promote your business and drive organic traffic to your site.

Topic: Content
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free - -
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on quora ➜

22. Podcast advertising: Advertise Your Brand On A Podcast

Podcast advertising refers to promoting your brand during a podcast.

According to Buzzsprout, podcasts currently reach over 68 million Americans on a weekly basis, and the number will continue to increase.

With so many Americans listening to podcasts, it is easy to get your message in front of potential customers. Therefore, embracing podcast advertising can boost your brand awareness.

Topic: Social Media - (Paid)
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Medium - $15 for a 10-second ad CPM. $18 for a 30-second ad CPM. $25 for a 60-second ad CPM
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on podcast advertising ➜

23. LinkedIn ads: Advertise On LinkedIn

LinkedIn Advertising refers to the use of paid LinkedIn Ads targeting the platform users.

The LinkedIn paid ads provide an exceptional benefit that will help brands to meet the specific business goals.

LinkedIn advertising is ideal for businesses that want to reach customers via a professional network.

Topic: Social Media - (Paid)
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Low - On average: $5.26 per click, $6.59 per 1000 impressions, and $0.80 per send.
Result: Lead Generation

Check out our full guide on linkedin ads ➜

24. Checklist Content: Create A Checklist For Your Blog

Checklists provide readers with a concise list of tasks for how to solve a specific problem.

This type of content typically drives your customer to download, use, and share your content - all great ways to improve your SEO and brand exposure.

Topic: Content
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free - There is no cost to create a checklist.
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on checklist content ➜

25. Lead Nurturing Sequence: Create an Email Lead Magnet Nurturing Sequence

Nurturing emails are a series of emails that that suit the needs of your customers based on where they are at in their buyer journey.

These emails are typically full of useful content and information and can be designed to promote a number of different offerings - such as marketing materials, website content, discounted deals, etc.

By creating targeted, segmented emails, you show your customer that you are aware of their interests which can help with conversions.

Topic: Email
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Free - No cost
Result: Lead Generation

Check out our full guide on lead nurturing sequence ➜

26. Interview Blog Content: Conduct Interviews For Your Blog

Interviews are a great way to get user generated content for your site - and oftentimes, they will generate quality traffic and interest.

Not only will your audience read this content, but the audience of your interviewee will also read and share this content.

Interviews are a great way to add value to your business while mixing up your blogging style.

Topic: Content
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free - No cost
Result: SEO

Check out our full guide on interview blog content ➜

27. Caption Contest: Run A Caption Contest

A caption contest giveaway is when brands share an image on social media and ask their audience to come up with a description for it.

Typically, whoever creates the best caption is chosen and rewarded with a gift or prize.

Not only can this engage your audience, but the results are often so clever that they can be used for future marketing material. You could even use the best entries to create a hilarious meme for your business. The opportunities are endless.

Topic: Social Media (Organic)
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $10-$500. Depending on the giveaway prize, the cost may vary.
Result: Engagement

Check out our full guide on caption contest ➜

28. Data-Driven Content: Create A Data-Driven Content Marketing Campaign

Data driven content is a strategy used for content marketing campaigns. This data is typically obtained from your brands buyer persona to create an effective marketing campaign.

Data driven content uses factual information generated from experiments (surveys or testing) to form conclusions.

Topic: Content
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Low - $10-$300.
Result: Trust & Credibility

Check out our full guide on data-driven content ➜

29. Medium Content: Republish Content On Medium

Medium is an open platform where users can read and share new perspectives on any topic.

The platform has 170 million readers and is open to anyone and everyone to check out.

As a contributor, you can share your stories with the world - regardless of background, affiliation, or expertise.

Topic: Content
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free - -
Result: Trust & Credibility

Check out our full guide on medium content ➜

30. Email Another Businesses Subscriber List: Email Another Businesses Subscriber List

What Does It Mean To Email Another Businesses List?

By blasting someone elses's subscriber list, you have the opportunity to generate highly targeted traffic to your content.

In order to successfully do this, you may want to have a campaign idea involved and ensure that you find the right partner for this.

Start on a small scale (email list) to see if this is worthwhile for you, and if you see positive results, you can always scale up and reach a much bigger list.

Topic: Email
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $100-$1,000 per thousand emails
Result: Brand Exposure

31. Print Media Marketing: Create A Print Media Marketing Campaign

Print media marketing is a form of advertising that uses physically printed media to reach consumers, business customers, and prospects.

Examples of physically printed media are magazines, newspapers, newsletters, consumer and trade magazines, and direct letters to target customers.

By creating print media marketing campaigns, businesses are able to reach a very wide audience and target different readerships.

Topic: Print + Traditional
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Medium - $500-$20,000
Result: Brand Awareness

Check out our full guide on print media marketing ➜

32. Seminar: Marketing Through A Business Seminar

A seminar is a business-sponsored event that focuses on circulating knowledge, new techniques, or even educating your customers on how to get more value from your products.

For businesses, organizing a seminar is a great way to raise brand awareness, market new products or services, and even bring revenue to your business.

In addition, a well-organized seminar can help you position your brand as a subject matter expert.

Topic: Events
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Free - Typically, business owners get paid to speak at seminars and it can be a very lucrative income stream. Here is what this opportunity can look like:- Newbie speakers: $500–$2,500- Beginning speakers: $5,000–$10,000- Advanced Speakers: $10,000–$20,000
Result: Trust & Credibility

Check out our full guide on seminar ➜

33. Infographic: Design An Infographic

Infographics are a visual document that shows data and complex concepts about a specific topic.

Infographics are a great way to present facts and statistics about your product or service.

Presenting information in a visually appealing way allows visitors to spend time on your site and share your content.

Additionally, infographics can make your product more credible if there's research-driven data involved.

Topic: Content
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free - Infographics can be created using the free version of Canva or even using a google doc.
Result: Brand Awareness

Check out our full guide on infographic ➜

UGC is a way to get your customer involved in your marketing process - often times, without them even realizing it!

Any time your customer has an opportunity to share your product/service, they are generating content for your business.

When others see this, they are more likely to become interested in your brand as they saw it from a friend, a colleague, or someone they follow.

Topic: Word Of Mouth
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free - The best part about UGC is that it's completely free. Your users are creating content for you and you get to then share that with the world.
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on user generated content (ugc) ➜

35. Twitter Advanced Search: Find Customers Through Advanced Search In Twitter

Twitter advanced search is an underrated, little-known tool that's been extremely effective for marketers and small business owners.

Advanced search is available when using the web app and is perfect for:

Finding new customers
Measuring the satisfaction of current customers.

This search puts leads right in front of you and allows you to reach people who have a specific problem that your business could help with.

Topic: Social Media (Organic)
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free - -
Result: Lead Generation

Check out our full guide on twitter advanced search ➜

36. Pay Per Click Advertising: Set Up A Pay Per Click Campaign

Pay-per-click (PPC) is a performance-based marketing method that allows you to show specific ads for services or products oriented to a very defined target, with the goal that the user visits your website or landing page.

Topic: Affiliate
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Low - Average is typically $1 per click
Result: Brand Exposure

37. Product expansion: Expand Your Product Line

Product line expansion simply refers to a way of focusing on your customer's requirements and offering them variants of the current products that they already love.

Before undertaking the product line expansion strategy, consider listening to customers' feedback. Focus on understanding their current pain points and look at ways to make your products appeal to a broader market.

It's important to note that adding new products and diversifying may not be in the cards for you right this moment, and that's okay. You can always consider it down the road.

Topic: Buzz
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Medium - $100-$2,000
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on product expansion ➜

38. Trade Show: Attend A Trade Show

Tradeshows refer to an exhibition where companies in a specific industry display and demonstrate their products or services.

Although this tactic may seem traditional, tradeshows remain an effective and important marketing strategy in business today.

With attending a tradeshow, startups can reach their target audienceand also attract new customers.

Topic: Events
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Medium - $200-$5,000
Result: Lead Generation

Check out our full guide on trade show ➜

39. Case Study: Create A Case Study For Your Website

Case studies are a great way to show your audience real-life success stories from other customers.

When a potential lead see's how your product/service made a difference for an existing customer, they are likely to have more confidence in your brand and convert into a customer. Case studies are essentially used as social proof, which can be a very persuasive form of marketing.

Topic: Content
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free - Case studies can be created on a simple word document or powerpoint. To create a powerful case study, all you need is time and focus.
Result: Trust & Credibility

Check out our full guide on case study ➜

40. Whitepaper: Publish A Whitepaper

A whitepaper is a persuasive, authoritative, in-depth report on a specific topic that presents a problem and provides a solution.

Ideally, a white paper covers a complex issue and its purpose is to advocate that a certain position is the best way to go.

When used for a marketing purpose, the white paper focuses on influencing the decision-making of current and prospective customers

Topic: Content
Level of Difficulty: Hard
Cost: Medium - $50-$4,500. If designed on own, the cost to publish a white-paper is next to zero. However, many businesses outsource this to an expert as it can be time-consuming and challenging, which usually costs an average of $4,500.
Result: SEO

Check out our full guide on whitepaper ➜

meet the author

Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.

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