IC TRAVEL AGENT May 2014 | Page 7

5 Screen Marketing There they are. The 5 Screens. TV, desktop, phone, tablet and laptop and as you know they each come in various brands, colours and sizes. It is through these screens that you engage your clients with your overall digital content in the form of e-mail and social media promotions with your website backing up each and every online promotion. To take advantage of your client’s 5 screens and to market your travel services requires a variety of tools that allows your content to “play” on all 5 Screens. Let’s explore: Does Your Website “Play” on Mobile? Start With Your Website If someone accesses your website from their smartphone will your website function on / in a mobile format? If not then that’s one screen that’s off the list and a very important screen it is too especially as most people who respond to your online / off line promotions will seek out your website to determine whether or not they like you and what you offer. Before we start creating a mobile version of your website let’s start with the agency website itself. You’ll know that very old acronym GIGO… Garbage In Garbage Out. Well it applies here to your website. If it’s a terrible looking website period, it will look terrible on any platform. It doesn’t matter of it is converted to mobile or not – if it’s not attractive it won’t pull, keep and retain a prospective customer. The route back to your website is the typical outcome of your promotions and the majority of people today want that information now – they will not wait until they get home or back to the office to their laptop or desktop before looking for you online. They will use their mobile phone. If your website is not mobile compatible that’s one screen down and many more prospects. It has to be said that so many, and it is truly the case, that so many travel agency websites are not the best they could be. They are old looking, dysfunctional, lack any pizzazz and when, today, there is literally no excuse for this lack of interest in having a professional website represent your agency. Nothing less than best should do.