Murphy says she’d expected the £100,000 booking milestone would ‘have taken at least a year’ to achieve, given she only launched her online agency in January.
The Wirral-based entrepreneur attributes her digital marketing background to the success behind her first company, one which specialises in ultra-luxury holidays with personalised itineraries.
Murphy began her career in travel as a teenager, studying tourism at college before cutting her teeth in a variety of roles in the industry. In 2016, she was hired by Hays Travel as a sales consultant, and later became the company’s youngest ever branch manager aged 24, working at its Didsbury store.
After five years with the well-known agency, she headed to Trending Travel, where she focused on booking luxury holidays for celebrity and influencer clients. It was this experience with high-profile customers, supported by strong mentorship from her supervisor, that Murphy says have her the confidence to go solo.
Today, her client list at Travelista includes people such as Harry Styles’ mum Anne Twist; fitness model and nutritionist Abby Pell; and TV producer Mollie Grosberg, along with a number of influencers from the arts and entertainment world.
Like many luxury travel advisors, Murphy has become something of a connoisseur of tailor-made holidays, going above and beyond to wow her clients with VIP service, unique destinations and exceptional hotels. She also credits her strong relationships with suppliers, liaising closely with a select few whom she says ‘understand the need for discretion’ when working with influencers and celebrities.
What sets her apart from many of her peers, however, is her unapologetically Gen Z approach to business. Murphy does not have an office, a shop, or by the looks of it, even a desk. Her entire workspace fits neatly in her pocket, giving her the freedom to do her job from anywhere in the world.
“I make 99% of my bookings from my phone,” she tells TTG Luxury. “Since I started at Trending Travel three years ago, I’ve probably spoken to just a handful of clients, out of hundreds, on the phone. People just book nowadays through DMs – they don’t want to talk on the phone anymore.”
“I do 99% of my bookings from my phone. People just book through DMs”
Find the ‘micro-influencers’
Murphy says her celebrity and influencer clientele is key to promoting her business, revealing that just one mention of Travelista on their social media profiles is marketing gold.
She is keen to emphasise, however, that a large following isn’t always better when it comes to exposure, especially if those followers aren’t actively interacting with the influencer.
“Millions of followers doesn’t necessarily equate to engagement. For example, some of the followers could be fake, or the influencer could be buying their likes,” Murphy explains.
Instead, she encourages travel advisors to look for ‘micro-influencers’, who have between 10,000 and 100,000 followers, and regularly update their grids and Stories. Studies have shown that these accounts receive an average 6% engagement rate on Instagram, while ‘mega influencers’ (those with more than 1 million followers) see far lower engagement rates at just 1.97%.
“Micro-influencers’ followers are sometimes far more dedicated than those who follow influencers with a million people,” Murphy explains. “I got more than 500 new followers and made five bookings via an influencer who had around 10,000 followers on Instagram. She just tagged me in a few Stories!”
DM your way to clients
Murphy is also a passionate advocate of the power of DMing (direct messaging) on Instagram, revealing that a simple introduction is sometimes all it takes to gain a new client. “Surprisingly, a lot of people, even celebrities, reply to the DMs,” she tells me.
She’s also strategic in who she contacts, scouring social media everyday to identify accounts that are trending on TikTok and Instagram.
“I try to find people who are growing on both platforms,” she explains. “Then I’ll check their profiles for engagement – followers, comments, likes. Then, I’ll look at that influencers’ list of followers too. It might seem bizarre, but it works!”
She says her inner circle is another invaluable resource for expanding and refreshing her client base: “I’ll ask my friends, ‘Who’s your favourite influencer this week? Who are you currently obsessed with?’.”
“Surprisingly, a lot of people, even celebrities, reply to the DMs”
Murphy also looks out for blue ticks on Instagram, which signify that the account is verified and belongs to a brand or public figure. “I spend so much time doing what I call ‘blue tick rampages’, where I’ll message accounts that I know are legitimate and have a good-sized following.”
Download TikTok, pronto
Murphy is hyperactive on TikTok, which is fast becoming the preferred social media platform for people under 30.
The app hosts a ready made community for the trade; there’s been a 410% increase in views of travel content on the site since 2021, and 71% of its users say they’re likely to book a holiday based on videos they’ve seen from scrolling.
“I post on TikTok now more than I do on Instagram,” Murphy says. “What works best on TikTok is a balance of funny and inspiring content; humorous memes, but also videos about amazing hotels. You have to think of so many different things.”
She adds that when she’s close to exhausting her own content, she reaches out to hotels for some images to use instead. “If you stop posting, you’ll go to the bottom of TikTok’s list.”
Murphy believes one of the most effective tools on TikTok for travel advisors is its Creator Search Insights feature, which informs creators what topics people are searching on the app.
“For example, it will give you terms like, ‘Girls’ trip, Portugal.’ You then know that if you make a video on that topic it will get more views,” says Murphy.
What is clear, regardless of whether a travel agent is generating business entirely online or not, is the value of using social media. Murphy acknowledges that, while much of her clientele is Gen Z or Millennial, she has also seen a recent increase in bookings through Instagram from older users.
“Social media is the thing that’s going to boost sales,” she says. “If you can get influencers and celebrities on board, it will change your game entirely. And it’s free. The most I spend is on boosting Instagram posts – which costs me around four quid!”
