June 2012: How to attract new cruise customers and keep them

1. How to find cruise customers
and keep them
June 21, 2012

2. Today we’ll cover
• How you can become more pro-active in
generating customer demand
• Top tips and techniques for attracting new
customers using advertising, PR & social
media
• Best practice for getting repeat sales and
business
• The power of testimonials and customer
referrals

3. What you’ll take-away
• A better understanding of your brand and
USPs
• Be more effective in targeting your marketing
activity
• What advertising you should consider using
• How to use social media and PR to generate
“free” advertising
• Best practice for managing your customer
database to get repeat sales

4. Agenda
• 1pm: Welcome
• 1.05pm: Claire Riches, Travel Waves Marketing
• How to know and understand
your brand, your target market
and your USPs
• Workshop 1

5. Agenda
• 1.30pm Nick Henley – Media Planning and
Strategy Director Conrad Advertising
• How to get the most out of
your advertising budget

6. Agenda
• 2.30pm Ann Brine, AMB Marketing
• Developing PR and social media
opportunities
• Workshop 2

7. Agenda
• 3.30pm Danny Crowe
• Keeping your cruise customers

8. Agenda
• 4pm Julia
• The difference a travel agent
makes
• How to get referrals and use
customer testimonials
• Workshop 3
• Workshop Feedback by teams

9. Marketing – The Essentials
Claire Riches
Travel Waves Marketing
www.travelwaves.co.uk

10. What is Marketing?
“ The management
process responsible
for
identifying, anticipatin
g and satisfying
customer
requirements
profitably.”
Chartered Institute of Marketing
www.travelwaves.co.uk

11. The 5 Levers of Business
• Number of Leads
• Conversion rate
• Average Sales Value
• Repeat Customer
• Manage Costs
=
www.travelwaves.co.uk

12. Superbrands
• The best brands create
relationships with
customers based on
intangible qualities that
evoke strong emotional
responses.
www.travelwaves.co.uk

13. Building your Brand
• Name
• Logo
• Advertising slogan
• Graphics
• Colours
• & You….
• Your influence is huge
• You are the personal
representation to your
customers
www.travelwaves.co.uk

14. Your Unique Selling Proposition
Should:
• Attract attention
• Differentiate you
• Motivate customers
• Be Memorable &
Distinctive
• Fulfill a gap in the
market
www.travelwaves.co.uk

15. Developing your USPs
• List your top unique &
compelling service
offerings
– How do they make you
different?
– Is anyone else offering
them?
– If yes - they aren't unique!
• USPs allow you to easily
differentiate yourself
from the competition
www.travelwaves.co.uk

16. Your target customers
• Who are they?
• Where will you find
them?
• Are they of value?
• Are there enough of
them?
• Can you reach them?
• Are you fishing in the
right pond?
www.travelwaves.co.uk

17. Workshop 1
• Your time to get creative!
• Each team needs to create their own travel
agency
– What’s your brand name?
– Who are your target customers?
– What are your USPs

18. How to get the most out of your advertising budget?
Nick Henley – Media Planning and Strategy Director

19. Align your advertising with other marketing activities
Brand
Behaviours
Brand
Attributes Booking
PR experience
Brand
Essence
Sales
channels Advertising
e.g. “ We build
your cruise
around you”
Pricing Tailor-made Promotions
service
Customer experience

20. What is the role of advertising? What are your objectives?
MAGAZINES REVIEW SITE FRIENDS
INSPIRATION RESEARCH FIND A COMPARE SEEK OUT REVIEW FOR
& IDEAS DESTINATION CRUISE PACKAGES REVIEWS OTHERS
TARGETED ONLINE SEARCH MARKETING EMAIL

21. What do you want to invest and on what?
• Brand awareness vs. direct response?
• Share of voice vs. competitors in key channels?
• Timing and frequency of advertising?
• Media channels?
• How will you measure advertising performance?

22. Track the performance of all advertising/media channels
Call centre
Media A Phone calls
bookings
Website calls
Website visits
Website actions
Online
Media B Shop visits
bookings
Email response
Media C Mailing response
Optimise
Response
Media
Analysis
Selections

23. Which media channels?
Inserts
CUSTOMER
Press DATABASE
TV
PROSPECTING/ CRM/
Better LEAD ACQUISITION RETENTION/LOYALTY
Audience
SEO / PPC DATA Targeted Email
Targeting Future
Digital Display Website Digital Display
(Prospecting) (Retargeting) Sales
Visitors &
Classified Press Direct Mail Value
Convers.
E-Newsletters

24. Optimise your website performance first
• Effective landing pages for an integrated
advertising – website user experience
Improving your
• Onsite tracking to allow effective digital media website visit to call
targeting (Prospecting and re-targeting) conversion rate from
2.0% to 2.5% is
• Capture of all valuable onsite actions: equivalent to buying
media 20% cheaper
bookings, phone calls, brochure requests,
email registrations etc

25. Use PPC & SEO in combination to capture interest
PPC SEO
High
Performing
Keywords
Lower volume keywords Invest in Higher volume keywords
Low bid cost Both PPC Avoiding higher bid cost
Higher conversion rates and SEO Measure: Search page ranking
Measure: Cost/click
CONVERSION (WEB & PHONE)
COST PER ACQUISITION (CPA)
PROFITABILITY (ROI)

26. Online Display Advertising – Right People
Bid on impressions to
serve to relevant users
Showing interest in…
Target users who Med Cruise 2013
Demonstrate interest in
your product
Cruise offers
Target MSC cruise May
Avoid

27. Online Display Advertising – Right Price
Value users based on
their relevance
Showing interest in…
Med Cruise 2013
Cruise offers
MSC cruise May

28. Online Display Advertising – Right Creative
Specific ad creative generated
Winning ad creative and formats
dynamically for the relevant cruise
are up-weighted across campaign
line/destination in a template
Creative A Creative B Creative ?
Showing interest in…
Med Cruise 2013
Cruise offers
MSC cruise May
Campaign weighted to Campaign creative varies
serve Creative ‘A’ according to user interest

29. Be careful when attributing value – not just ‘last click’
Responses created
Brand 3 (E Unknown)
.g. Direct Calls
Footfall
Direct site
Brand 2 visits
CPA (£)
Brand 1 (E Brand leader)
.g. indirect site
visits Sales
Email
response
rates
Word of
mouth
Social media
Brand Awareness mentions

30. Press advertising, inserts and editorial still important
Responses created
Direct Calls
Footfall
Direct site
visits
indirect site
visits Sales
Email
response
rates
Word of
mouth
Social media
mentions

31. Work with an integrated agency
• Better focus on CPE/CPA rather than a specific channel
• Better creative integration to make it easier for consumers
• Better experience to avoid obvious mistakes
• Work with Conrad!

32. Making Friends…..
Or People Buy from People
ACE
18 April 2012
Ann Brine
www.ambmarketing.co.uk
32

33. Overview
• Good ol’ fashioned PR!
• How to write a press release and getting to
know your media
• e-PR – Blogs, Forums etc - the way
forward?
• Measuring effectiveness
• How social media pulls it all together
• Case study and discussions to finish
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 33

34. Public Relations – The basics
• It‟s like sales
• Talking to stakeholders including customer and
prospects
• A means of getting a positive review of your
business or services
• Build profile with key groups outside of your
network
• People believe words more than adverts
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 34

35. Public Relations
• Who are your stakeholders?
• How many different types of magazines, radio
stations and TV channels are there for your target
market?
• Form database of contacts
• Can you write or do you need some help?
• Look at the positives in your business
–New staff, Business Anniversary, Great figures
–Offers from the cruise companies
–Comments on issues
–Competitions, sponsorships
• Paid/free news boards for specific industries
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 35

36. Do it yourself or agency?
• How confident are you on the phone?
• Can you write?
• Can you or your team organise an event and
then support it with the „right materials‟?
• How much time will it take?
• Cost versus benefit?
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 36

37. e-PR
• Foster and build relationships with people you
know and their networks
• Remind customers and prospects about who you
are and what you do
• Overcome many of the cost and technical issues
associated with e-marketing
• Build communities and engage in dialogue
through chat rooms and forums
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 37

38. Social Media
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 38

39. Twitter Page for AM here and Ann
39

40. Twitter
• The ultimate easy to use biz tool
• Mobile or PC its easy to use
• Can be difficult to control
• 58% of Twitter users have tweeted about a
poor experience
• Easy to upload offers and promotions as well
as pass on positive coverage to your audience
• Most journalists are on Twitter
• Use smart links to build and monitor traffic to
your web site
• Be seen as an expert/ thought provoker/
comic
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 40

41. 41

42. 42

43. Facebook
• The social media network
• Reminds people/friends of what you do and why
they like you
• Majority of users are between 20-50
• MySpace and Bebo if you are young and trendy
• Other niche offerings for particular markets
• It‟s about trust and friendship groups
• Care and caution
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 43

44. 44

45. YouTube and Vimeo
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 45

46. 46

47. Blogs, Forums and Chat Rooms
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 47

48. So what can social media do?
• Can it replace a basic web site?
• It can build and foster relationships directly with
individuals/audience
• Enhance reputation
• Listen to what your
customers, partners, prospects, suppliers say about
you
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 48

49. Voyages to Antiquity
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 49

50. 50

51. When you leave today
• List your objectives
• Ask you team what do they use
• What are your competitors doing?
• Clarify your realistic targets and where you are
going
• How are you going to manage your time?
• Develop content
• Integrate with your other marketing activity
• Measure results and feedback into the process
• Refine
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 51

52. The success of your campaign
• Traffic to your web site
• Inbound enquiries and phone calls
• Value and frequency of business
– New
– Existing customers
• Twitter and Facebook
followers, retweets, mentions, direct messages, #
follows
• Personal success - LinkedIn followers
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 52

53. Monitoring tools
• Simple app on your mobile phone
• Tweetdeck
• HootSuite
• Klout
• Cube Social
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 53

54. Any questions?
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 54

55. Network with us!
• www.ambmarketing.co.uk
• www.ambmarketing.co.uk/blog
• www.linkedin.com/annbrine
• @annbrine
• @ambmarketing
www.ambmarketing.co.uk 55

56. Workshop 2
• How will you attract new customers to buy
from your travel agency?
– What advertising will you use?
– How will you generate PR?
– How will you use Social Media?

57. Keeping Your
Cruise Customers
Insight session with Danny Crowe,
Managing Director, Friday Travel

58. Make it Personal
Sometimes you want to go …
where everybody knows your name

59. Make them Feel Loved

60. Your Database is Valuable
• Make sure you have it in good order
• Understand it
• Manipulate it
• The Cruise Lines will pay top dollar to get to it

61. Remember Pareto
Come
from 20%
of your
customers
80% of the sales

63. What is a Good Database?
• Single view of customer transactions over
time
• Integrates different types of data including
Lookers and Bookers
• Accurate picture of each customer in different
customer groups (segments) for differentiated
investment in relevant communication and
service

64. What is a good Database? (cont)
• Informs the business on the current and
future profit opportunity
• Customer insight across the
organisation, supporting product
development, pricing and communications
• Accurately evaluate the effects of marketing
activity from acquisition through to retention
and referral.

65. Build It
• Is your data in an organised structure?
• Can you analyse it?
• Where is the data coming from?
• Is it clean?
• Make sure someone owns it!!!!!

66. Using It
Mailings Knowledge

67. Analysis/Segmentation
• Recency
• Frequency
• Value
• Identify your best customers through to the
worst
• And speak to them as individuals

68. Set the parameters

69. And they are all different!

70. Understand Share of Wallet

71. Use them all - together

72. The Customer Journey
Just booked • It all starts here
Almost on my way • Selling is a service
On My Cruise • SMS saying happy cruising
Welcome Home • How was it? We are interested!
Answer the Questionnaire • Tell us what your plans are
Relevant Comms • Right product/time/price
Campaign Messages • Supporting main sales
Tactical Messages • New ship launch
Customer Driven Messages • This time last year

73. Lookers are valuable too
• You spent a lot of money getting them
• They have held up their hands
• Treat them as your best prospects and don’t
let them go!
• Strangely, many other industries are accused
of treating their prospects better than their
customers. Do we?

74. Take one thought
• Put yourself in their shoes
• Always think “what would I think if I got that”
• And don’t always sell!

75. This time last month…

76. Summary
• Get your data in order
• Analyse what you have
• Segmentation
• Talk in a relevant way
• Find out what you can
• Mix up communications
• Turn selling into a service

77. The Difference A Travel Agent
Makes
Julia Lo Bue-Said

78. Agenda
Changing World
Creating Excellence
Winning formula
Rising to the Challenge

79. Challenging times
The World is changing at a whirlwind pace
• The UK travel industry continues to
undergo a radical transformation
– Atol Reform
– Online start ups
– No frills airlines
– Self packaged holidays
– Direct distribution
• Enhancements in Technology
• Mature market

80. High Street under pressure Total number of agents over
10 years
ABTA Retail Agents over time
–5702 agents in 2006
7500 –Nearly 1300 fewer than 1996
–Down 18%
7000
no: agents
6500
6000
5500
5000
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
total
Understanding Travel - ABTA 2006
80

81. Key Travel Agent Deliverables
• Wade through the confusion
• Reviews based on facts
• Understanding your customer‟s needs
• Trust
• Experience
• Product Knowledge
• Multi channelled offering
• Etc, etc, etc

82. First Time Cruisers
• First time cruisers
• In 2011, the percentage of first time cruisers increased
from 33% to 40%
• What part can a travel agent play in this sector?
• Ace training course launching in May

83. Customer Testimonials
• Best form of marketing FOC!
• Let your customers help spread the word
• Utilising customer testimonials on your
marketing collateral
• Build your own database of reviews

84. Customer Referrals
• Analyse the source of your sales - be clear on where your best leads come from
• Don‟t leave referrals by chance
• Put together an action plan
• Put a plan in place for referral generated sales
• Can you incentivise existing customers for referrals?
• Can you work with a local business on attracting referrals?
• Encourage staff to maximise referrals – it‟s a much more cost effective route to
customer acquisition!

85. Summary
• Don‟t lose sight of your value.
• Expertise, trust & knowledge
• People by from people
• First time cruising is a growing market
• Think about your referral strategy
• Utilise your customer testimonials and ask them to review your service!

86. Workshop 3
For your new travel agency
• How will you generate repeat business?
• What communications will you use with past
customers and when?
• How will you use customer testimonials?

87. Workshop Feedback
• 5 minute presentation by each team
• Introduce your brand & your USPs
• Tell us how you will you attract new
customers?
• What will you put in place to generate repeat
business & customer loyalty?

88. Actions
Write 3 actions you will
complete over the next
quarter to improve your
Marketing
Add your name &
company details
Address envelope to you

89. Any Questions