In this blog we will explore social media as a channel for home-based travel agents to reach and keep in touch with their customers.

The first thing that is important to stress, is that social media will NOT reach all your customers. We all know the diehard “I will never be on Facebook” people and many more who wouldn’t have a clue how to tweet. Never mind Pinterest, Reddit, Instagram and many, many more that many people have never heard of.

And yet the younger generation relies heavily on social media, and so do some of their parents. You can’t afford to ignore this channel. And what’s more, it’s essentially free.

Now if this is sending you into a mild panic, relax! Many host agencies have addressed social media as part of their marketing programs. You will hear the word tossed about a lot. But some offer far more comprehensive social media marketing tools and technology than others, so when you are looking for a host agency, be sure to really explore how they will help you reach your clients and potential clients using social media.

And, most important, ask what the cost is for the templates and technology to do so.

First, you will need your own website. Then ask your host agency if they can provide you with the ability to post messages to a lot of social media sites simultaneously. Do they provide templates for the social media sites? How easy is it to create your message or flyer? Are there social media-appropriate messages for you to adapt as your own?

Social media messages need to be short, to the point, funny, clever or poignant, and need to attract attention. Does your host agency help you with this? Social media is not the place for hard sell, so you will need to tailor your messages to fit the medium.

Instead of “Punta Cana hotel & flight $599”, you will want something more along the lines of “Office getting you down? We can have you on the beach next week for $599 #bestagentever” reachme@gmail.com”

You get the idea. The key is to ask all the right questions of your host agency so you can tap into this amazing marketing tool.