Selling Travel 101: More Travel Blog Tips
by John Hawks

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"This blog is more of a personal description of the travels and destinations that my groups and I have or are going on," Yeck says. "I find it a unique way of advertising. It shows the real world of travel and describes an account of what one might expect on a trip in an informal way. My clients look forward to my next posting, and it gives me a way of recalling my fond memories of the places I have visited."

Want to see more examples of travel blogs? Try these sites: www.TravelBlog.org, www.TravelBlogs.com, www.TravelPod.com, and www.RealTravel.com.

If you’d like to start your own travel blog in 2007, spend some time thinking about these issues before you start:

Hosting: Nowadays, you have lots of options for designing and hosting your own blog -- from free services like www.Blogger.com to fee-based services such as www.MovableType.com, and everything in between. You might consider getting your feet wet with a free blogging service; then, you can move your blog to a fee-based hosting service with more features (or simply start over with the new host). Many blogging services now offer very user-friendly software that makes it simple to design a basic blog, add a few images, and start blogging!

Theme: What primary theme do you want to build your blog around? For example, do you want it to contain your comments on travel in general -- or, do you want to focus on a specific travel niche? You should pick the theme before you delve too far into setting up the blog itself.

Content: Do you want to feature travel photos to draw in readers? Or, would you prefer a low-key approach with lots of text information? Do you want to include Web links in your blog, or would you rather leave out those links to keep readers on your own Web site?

Updates: How often do you plan to update your blog -- every day, every week, every month, or every so often? Any option can work fine, as long as you remain consistent. Of course, the more frequently you post new material on your blog, the more attractive it may be to your clients. (Remember to post a notice somewhere on your blog that tells your clients how often you’ll be posting.)

Features: As you grow more accustomed to working with your blog, you’ll be ready to add more features to it -- from polling questions you can ask you readers to the ability for them to post comments back to you.

After you’ve established your blog and kept it running for a couple of months, your next step should be promoting the blog to the world at large. For example, you should link your blog to the home page of your primary Web site, and you should include the Web address for your blog on your business cards and stationery (and in the signatures of your emails). Also, you can learn more at sites like weblogs.about.com about submitting your blog to Internet and blog search engines.

One final note: Don’t forget to check Scott Ahlsmith’s blogging service designed specifically for home-based travel agents!

(Next month, our “Selling Travel 101” topic will be selling incentive travel packages. If you have advice to share with your fellow OSSN agents on this subject, please send us an email!)

(Photo credits: AFS Stock)