In the last few years, more and more people have looked for ways to work from home. With the flexibility that comes with working as a travel agent, it is possible to create your own online travel agency and work from the comfort of your home. However, you may feel lost as to what steps to take and how to start an online travel agency from home. There are a few things to check off your list before your big launch.
A launch like this can seem scary, but the truth is that today’s technology makes it much easier for people to set up their online travel agency. Digital platforms will help simplify your travel business, increase your earnings, and manage your customers.
Name and branding
The first step towards becoming a work from home travel agent and starting your online travel agency is choosing a name for your company. It has to be something that represents your brand and that will make your clients remember you. But with a company name comes branding. You must create your logo, choose your slogan, and select the colors you want associated with your brand. These will be the details that make you stand out in people’s minds.
Registering Your Online Travel Agency
In order to have a legal and functioning business, you might think you have to register your online travel agency. However, there are platforms that can allow you to sell under their seller of travel licenses, making the process easier for you! If you do choose to go it alone, every state will have its own set of laws you must follow and fees you must pay to get your agency up and running. The Department of Commerce is a great resource to get you started and figure out what you need to do for your particular business.
Funding
Launching an online travel agency from home can be expensive. You will have to pay for branding, licensing and registration, a website domain, advertising, and employees if you decide to have them. Funding will be a key element when it comes to the successful launch of your agency, and there are different options. You can pay for everything out of pocket, hoping your revenue will make up for it. You can find investors who will provide what you need to get started. Or you could use a crowdfunding platform where people donate money to businesses with values that align with their own. A great way to save money is to use a ready-to-launch travel selling platform, so you don’t have to pay out of pocket for technology set-up or deposits to suppliers.
Research Your Market
Before starting a business, you must do market research to find out who your competitors are, what they offer, and what are some market needs. As an online travel agency, you must find out who are other local travel agents, what kind of clients they work with, what sort of deals or offers they have, and where you could stand out in the market. This will allow you to position yourself not only as a new alternative, but as one that can meet the needs others haven’t yet. It is important to understand where and how your online travel agency is inserting itself in the market.
Select Your Niche
Ambition may tell you that you can do everything and as a travel agent you can target all kinds of travelers. However, in order to succeed, it is best to select your niche and work with a target audience. For an online travel agency, there are multiple possibilities. You could focus on family vacations, creating packages with activities for children. Work with companies and arrange all of their traveling needs. Focus on one region of the world and sell trips and packages to enjoy there. Whatever you choose to do, it has to be what your clients know you by.
When selecting your niche, it is important to have a portfolio that includes a decent selection of hotels, flights, car rentals, and activities. Luckily for those who want to start their online travel agency, there are companies who make it easier to increase your portfolio and select the perfect offers for your clients’ destinations.
Establishing a Digital Presence
As an online travel agency, you will need to exist in the digital world. This means two things: creating a website and having a social media platform. Your website must show your client exactly who you are and what you do. Showcase your logo, your slogan, your colors, and what you offer. The most important detail is that it must be user-friendly and easy to navigate. Your clients should be able to find the answers to their questions without looking too hard.
Social media will allow you to share offers, deals, and packages. But you should also use Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to interact with your clients. Share tips for travelers, new trends, and destinations not many are talking about.
To Hire or Not to Hire?
When you start your online travel agency from home you will want to decide if you will hire other employees or if you will handle things on your own. Maybe you start alone but as things progress you hire more people and offer other travel agents jobs remote.
But hiring employees for your online travel agency also means finance experts who can help with pricing and sales, marketing people to help with your brand, and an HR department who can help with employees. It will all depend on how big you want your agency to be.
Promote Your Online Travel Agency
Once you have everything you need to launch, you must promote your online travel agency. Social media will be very important because you can reach potential clients, so you must share your message and make it very clear what a travel agent is and why they need one. You can also advertise on social media by creating interactive and captivating ads that will redirect people to your website. What matters is that you showcase your online travel agency in a memorable light.