Agents with mobile-optimised, bookable websites are most likely to appeal to the lucrative millennial market.
That was the message from digital marketing expert Oliver Yeates, chief executive of digital marketing agency Clicky Media at The Global Travel Conference.
He told delegates that millennials used smartphones as their “number one internet device,” with two out of three young people tending to use their mobiles to book holidays.
Yeates advised agents to be “as visual as possible” on their websites and on social media, to attract millennial customers.
“Millennials are more willing to spend money on experiences rather than possessions, so tell stories about destinations and experiences on your websites,” advised Yeates.
He described the millennial generation, and those born after the year 2000 in particular, as being “always connected” and dependent on timesaving apps and sites as part of daily life.
He encouraged agents to use live video on social media to drive engagement to their websites, citing Snapchat, Facebook Live and Instagram stories as examples.
“Personalise all outbound marketing as much as possible, record previous bookings from millennials and remarket to them,” Yeates also urged.
Since today’s younger people are less likely to own houses, they have more disposable income, and are happy to spend more on their holidays, he added.
Agents can take advantage of this by appealing to their interest in experience-focused holidays, he said.
Yeates also suggested that agents use data tools, such as Google analytics, to see how their customers are engaging with them via social media and on their websites, providing further insight into how to appeal to a younger demographic.