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If your fall marketing strategy is basically posting a gorgeous photo of Santorini with “Who’s ready for a vacation? DM me!” every few days, we need to talk.
Because that is not a sales strategy.
And as much as I wish clients would magically appear in our inboxes because we posted a pretty picture, that’s not exactly how this works.
If you want more travel clients this fall, you have to be intentional about what you’re selling, who you’re selling it to, when you’re talking about it, and why someone should take action now.
The good news? Your travel sales strategy does not need to be complicated.
In fact, I’d argue that the simpler and more focused you make it, the more likely you are to actually follow through with it.
So instead of throwing random travel inspiration onto social media and hoping someone asks for a quote, let’s create a fall travel sales plan that actually has a purpose.
Stop Marketing What’s Happening Now
One of the biggest marketing mistakes I see travel advisors make is this:
We market what’s happening right now instead of what people need to BOOK right now.
Those are two very different things.
Think about September.
Your social media feed is probably filled with fall foliage, Halloween events, Oktoberfest, Disney Halloween parties, cozy destinations, and all things autumn.
And that content can absolutely be fun and engaging.
If you’re at Disney during Halloween, please show me the Mickey pumpkins.
If you’re in Germany for Oktoberfest, I absolutely want to see the giant pretzel.
But we can’t confuse engagement content with sales content.
Your sales content needs to look ahead.
Instead of asking:
“What’s happening in travel right now?”
Start asking:
“What does my ideal client need to be booking right now?”
That one shift can completely change your marketing.
Depending on your niche, fall might be the perfect time to start talking about spring break trips, winter escapes, summer Europe vacations, Alaska cruises, Disney during school breaks, river cruises, holiday travel, or trips happening well into the following year.
The point isn’t that everyone should sell the same thing.
The point is that you need to know what your clients are buying next.
Then back up the timeline.
If you want to sell summer Alaska cruises, don’t wait until May to start talking about Alaska.
If you want families booking spring break vacations, don’t start marketing them in March.
If you want honeymoon clients traveling next summer, those couples may be making decisions now.
Your marketing should be meeting people when they’re making buying decisions—not when they’re already packing their suitcases.
Create a Fall Travel Sales Calendar
Here’s another mistake I see, especially with newer travel advisors: trying to sell absolutely everything.
Monday: Disney!
Tuesday: Sandals!
Wednesday: Alaska!
Thursday: Europe!
Friday: Royal Caribbean!
Saturday: Italy!
Sunday: “Did you know I can book travel anywhere in the world?”
Yes.
And now your audience has absolutely no idea what you actually specialize in.
You do not need to sell everything, everywhere, all at once.
Instead, create some focus.
Look at September, October, November, and December and decide what you want to intentionally promote during each month.
That doesn’t mean you can’t book anything else.
Obviously, if someone comes to you wanting a trip that isn’t currently part of your marketing plan, you’re not going to tell them, “Sorry, Alaska is October’s product. Please come back in three weeks.”
We’re talking about your proactive marketing.
What are you intentionally putting in front of people?
What conversations are you starting?
What are you featuring in your emails?
What are you educating your audience about?
What do you want people to start associating with YOU?
You might choose one major focus for 30 days. Or you might have one primary offer and a secondary offer.
For example, if you decide to focus on river cruising, your content could answer questions like:
- Who is river cruising actually for?
- How is it different from ocean cruising?
- What’s included?
- What are the cabins like?
- What do you do at night?
- Which rivers can you cruise?
- What’s the difference between the Danube and the Rhine?
- What are excursions like?
- When should someone book?
- Is river cruising really only for older travelers?
Suddenly you’re not randomly posting, “Book a river cruise with me!”
You’re creating an entire ecosystem of content that helps someone move toward buying a river cruise.
That’s marketing.
And don’t be afraid to repeat yourself.
You talked about river cruising Tuesday?
Great.
Talk about it again Thursday.
Your audience does not see everything you post. And even when they do see something, they may need to hear the message multiple times before they’re ready to take action.
Trust me: you are paying way more attention to your content than anyone else is.
Your Warm Audience Might Be Your Biggest Sales Opportunity
Everybody wants more leads.
More Instagram followers.
More Facebook group members.
More website visitors.
More people finding them on Google.
And yes, growing your audience matters.
But while you’re trying to attract complete strangers, there are probably people who already know you who could become clients.
There is money sitting in your follow-up list.
Think about your past clients. Your old inquiries. Your email subscribers. Your social media followers. Your referrals.
What about the person who said, “Maybe next year”?
The family who mentioned wanting to take the kids to Disney when they’re a little older?
The couple who told you Alaska was on their bucket list?
The person who asked about Europe six months ago but never booked?
The client who traveled with you two years ago and hasn’t booked anything since?
These people aren’t strangers.
They’re warm leads.
Go into your CRM and start looking.
Who haven’t you talked to recently?
Who mentioned future travel?
Who asked you to follow up later?
Who traveled with you before and might be ready to go somewhere again?
Then—brace yourself for this groundbreaking marketing strategy—
Follow up.
And please don’t make it weird.
You don’t need to message someone saying, “HELLO SUSAN. IT HAS BEEN 427 DAYS SINCE YOUR LAST VACATION.”
Although, admittedly, I would probably laugh if someone sent me that.
You can simply reconnect like a normal human being.
Maybe you remember that Susan wanted to take her family to Alaska. Reach out because you’re starting to see families planning upcoming summer travel and ask whether Alaska is still on their radar.
You’re not immediately pitching.
You’re starting a conversation.
This is also why keeping good notes in your CRM matters. You shouldn’t have to remember that Susan told you two years ago that she wanted to go to Alaska.
Your CRM should remember Susan wants to go to Alaska.
Your brain has enough going on.
Sell Travel Through Education
Once you know what you’re selling, we need to talk about how you’re selling it.
Because I do not want you creating 30 straight days of:
“Book now!”
“DM me!”
“Let’s plan your vacation!”
“Who’s ready to travel?”
That’s exhausting for you and your audience.
Instead, sell through education.
People don’t buy simply because you tell them something exists.
They buy when they understand why it makes sense for them.
Your marketing should answer five questions:
Why this trip?
Why this destination?
Why this cruise line, resort, or tour company?
Why now?
Why use a travel advisor?
Let’s say you want to sell Alaska cruises.
Instead of posting, “Alaska cruises are open! Message me for a quote!” teach your audience something.
Explain the difference between cruising Alaska and taking a land-only trip.
Talk about Seattle versus Vancouver departures.
Explain the Inside Passage.
Discuss whether someone really needs a balcony.
Talk about the different cruise lines and who they’re best suited for.
Explain when to book, what happens if someone waits, whether a land portion is worth adding, and which excursions might be worth the splurge.
Congratulations.
You now have weeks of content.
More importantly, every piece of that content is selling your services without screaming:
BUY SOMETHING FROM ME.
Your Expertise Is Part of What You’re Selling
This is where marketing gets especially important for travel advisors.
If all you’re doing is posting a picture of a cruise ship and asking, “Who wants to go?”
Why does someone need you?
They can look at pretty cruise pictures on the cruise line’s website.
But if you’re the person explaining why two itineraries that look almost identical on paper could create completely different vacation experiences?
Now I’m paying attention.
If you’re explaining why the cheapest cabin isn’t necessarily the best value for a particular trip?
I’m paying attention.
If you’re helping someone understand what they should know before spending thousands of dollars taking their family on a major vacation?
They’re starting to think:
“Okay. She knows what she’s doing.”
That’s what great marketing does.
You’re building trust before someone ever fills out your inquiry form.
You’re demonstrating your expertise.
You’re creating familiarity.
You’re answering objections before someone even asks the question.
And you’re making the buying decision easier.
Selling doesn’t have to mean convincing someone to hand you their credit card.
Good marketing helps the right person realize:
“Oh. This is exactly what I want—and this is the person I want helping me do it.”
Give People a Real Reason to Book Now
There’s one more question your fall marketing needs to answer:
Why now?
Because someone can absolutely love everything you’re sharing and still think:
“That sounds amazing. I’ll look into it later.”
And “later” has an annoying habit of turning into six months from now.
Your job isn’t to manufacture urgency.
In fact, please don’t.
Fake urgency drives me crazy.
Don’t tell someone there are only two rooms left if there are actually 47.
Don’t invent a deadline because someone told you urgency makes people buy.
Instead, use real reasons to act.
Maybe there’s a legitimate supplier promotion.
Maybe your group space has a deadline.
Maybe certain cabin categories tend to sell out.
Maybe a destination has a limited travel season.
Maybe booking earlier gives clients more time to make payments.
Maybe popular resorts during school breaks are already filling.
Whatever the reason is, educate your audience about it.
You’re not pressuring them.
You’re giving them information they can use to make a better decision.
And that is the kind of selling I want you doing.
Build Your Simple Fall Travel Sales Strategy
Your fall sales strategy does not need a 37-tab spreadsheet and a complicated funnel.
You need to know:
What am I selling?
Who am I selling it to?
Why would they want it?
Why should they book it now?
How am I going to consistently talk about it?
Then distribute that message across the channels you’re already using: social media, email, your Facebook group, direct outreach, your personal page, your blog, or your podcast.
And please stop thinking you need completely different content for every platform.
If you’re focusing on river cruising and write an email called “5 Reasons River Cruising Isn’t Just for Your Grandparents,” that idea could also become an Instagram carousel, Facebook post, Reel, Live, blog post, or podcast episode.
Stop reinventing your marketing every day.
Choose your message.
Then distribute it.
Your 30-Day Travel Sales Challenge
Here’s what I want you to do next:
Choose ONE travel product or experience that you’re intentionally going to sell for the next 30 days.
One.
Not Disney, Europe, cruises, all-inclusives, honeymoons, destination weddings, Universal, Alaska, river cruises, escorted tours, and whatever supplier emailed you a promotion this morning.
Pick. One.
Maybe it’s river cruising.
Maybe it’s Alaska.
Maybe it’s spring break all-inclusives.
Maybe it’s Disney Cruise Line.
Maybe it’s Italy.
Maybe it’s a specific group you’re hosting.
Whatever makes sense for your business, choose it.
Then make a list of:
- Questions clients ask about it
- Common objections
- Misconceptions
- Reasons someone should book now
- Reasons someone should book it with you
And congratulations.
You basically just created your content calendar.
Instead of waking up every morning thinking, “Oh crap, what am I going to post today?” you now have content with an actual purpose.
Because followers are great.
Likes are nice.
Comments are fun.
But we’re running businesses.
At some point, your marketing needs to move people toward becoming clients.
Stop Waiting for Clients and Start Marketing With Intention
As you head into the rest of the year, stop assuming people know what you sell just because they follow you.
Stop assuming past clients will automatically come back.
Stop assuming someone who requested a quote six months ago will remember to reach out.
Stop marketing only what’s happening right now.
And please stop trying to sell every destination on planet Earth simultaneously.
Choose what you’re selling.
Know who it’s for.
Educate them.
Follow up.
Give them a legitimate reason to take action.
Then talk about it consistently enough that people actually start associating you with that type of travel.
Your business absolutely needs strong systems behind the scenes.
But systems alone aren’t going to make you money.
Eventually, somebody has to walk through the front door.
Your marketing is how you invite them in.
So here’s your question:
What are you selling for the next 30 days?
Decide.
Create the plan.
And then actually talk about it.
-Lindsay
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