10 things every agent ought to know about ... Maximising website potential

01-Aug-08

While nothing can replace face-to-face client relationships, a website can provide a great way to show what your agency offers.

Ben Blackler, director of marketing, Abercrombie & Kent (A&K), says: "You have to clearly define its purpose at the outset. Your website is your retail window on the world." The site should focus on "your point of difference, the message you're trying to convey and the role you want your site to play in the buying cycle."

1. It's an opportunity, not a threat

With luxury extras to be up-sold, sites do not necessarily need booking engines, says Ian Anderson, business development and corporate director of digital new media agency twentysix. Clients want "expert knowledge and the reassurance that all the bookings have been made correctly and processed accurately. Luxury is all about personalisation and one-to-one service," he says. Blackler adds: "A website doesn't have to replace relations with existing clients. You can build an optimised site designed to attract new business, for example."

2. Understand your web users

"The challenge is how do you get someone on to your site and then get them deeper into the content and the offering and convince them to call/book," says Anderson.

"The most common mistake is really not understanding the audiences." He suggests segregating the clients and researching what they want online, which differs from what they want from a brochure.

3. Prioritise user groups

"You need to commercialise the value of these personas so that you know how best to use your screen space - for example, if 1,000 of your customers account for 80% of your profits, but you have 100,000 customers, it's fairly obvious where your design and content focus should be," Anderson adds.

"There is no point investing in a booking engine online when, in fact, the customer wants a personalised experience and the knowledge of a sales agent."

4. Interact with users

"A lot of travel agents are not taking advantage of social interaction," says Anderson. "Faced with the might of the Trip Advisors of this world, it is about time the travel market started to interact with its customer base, rather than simply using the web to sell, sell, sell. The future dividend would be huge for the first to adopt interaction."

5. Showcase your assets - familiar faces

Travel Counsellors' website now features not only a separate home page for each agent, but also space to post journals about their holiday experiences in order to showcase their destination knowledge and expertise. Agents can upload their own photos, alongside a map pinpointing destinations they have visited.

6. Have a USP

Luxury travel agents can declutter pages by focusing on niche hotels, experiences and destinations. However, some fail to personalise the experience, and use the web as another form of brochure, says Anderson, sharing copy and images. Providing interesting information that clients can't find elsewhere could convince consumers to call. Inspire by showcasing the latest hotels and exclusive offers.

7. Invest wisely

According to twentysix, agents can assume costs of £75,000 upwards for a top 25 digital design agency to deliver a business-changing solution. However, the company claims its work on the A&K website reduced bounce rate (those who view only one page of the site) from around 25% to under 8%.

8. Maintenance

Blackler says: "You can employ someone to maintain it in-house or use an external supplier. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. When using external suppliers, the key is to be a big fish in a small pond so you don't get bumped to the bottom of the list when larger clients come calling."

9. Start a dialogue

The A&K website is a tool to kickstart, not replace, communication, says Blackler. "It starts the dialogue with the customer. Our hope is that those seeing it will want to continue that dialogue by phoning or emailing us."

10. Move forward

A&K, for example, launched its website in August 2007. Further planned developments include offering more up-to-date news and travel inspiration to clients from A&K offices around the world.

CASE STUDY - TRAVEL COUNSELLORS

Steve Byrne, managing director:

Our business is becoming more bespoke and upmarket and we felt our previous branding and site did not reflect this.

Nor did it reflect the expertise our agents have in providing a tailor-made concierge service.

We created a website with a fresh look, detailed travel information and a host of functions to enable our agents to connect with potential customers.

They have their own pages with customer testimonials so visitors get first-hand feedback.

We offer users the ability to have a one-to-one relationship with a travel expert and expect this, over time, to increase business by 20 per cent. www.travel counsellors.co.uk

READER OFFER

Twentysix is offering every reader a free website MOT (worth £5,000), and search MOT (worth £3,000).Readers will also receive 10% off all work contracted to twentysix before December. Contact Ian Anderson on 07970 625625 and mention 'Luxury Travel Offer'. www.twentysixlondon.com.