tour and travel

9 Inexpensive and Effective Ways To Find More Group Business:

If you want to increase the number of motorcoach tours at your museum, you need to find the groups most likely to book with you. Capitalize on the resources you already have to build a good list of leads. Here are nine of those resources:

1. The list of groups that have visited your site in the past

Tour operators and groups who have already booked with you are natural candidates for more reservations in the future. Keeping good group tour records — including contact names, addresses, and phone and fax numbers — is critical for continued marketing efforts.

2. Phone inquiries that come into your museum

Do you keep a log of all inquiries about group tours, including full contact information? You should. Even if people who call don’t end up booking a tour now, it doesn’t mean that they won’t in the future.

3. Lobby cards, visit evaluation forms and group tour flyers

Individual visitors can be an excellent source of group leads. In fact, if they have enjoyed their visit, they’re likely to be your most enthusiastic sales force. Take advantage of that by asking for their help. Have group tour flyers prominently displayed with a headline that says, ” If you enjoyed your visit to the Yourname Museum, the groups you belong to will, too!” And on your lobby cards or visit evaluation forms, ask visitors if they know of any groups that would be interested in hearing about your group tours. Include space to fill in the group name and contact information.

4. Your associate group, board, staff and volunteers

It’s easy to overlook the obvious. But before these people can help you build your motorcoach trade, they need to know that you want to build it. Tell them, and ask for their assistance.

Photocopy some group referral forms and pass them out at meetings, along with group tour flyers. Ask everyone to suggest a group tour to at least one group they belong to or know of, and ask them to fill out a form with contact information for that group. You might even consider running a contest to see who can generate the most bookings in three months. There’s nothing like a little competition to get things rolling!

5. Your newsletter

This is a great vehicle to use to let members and others know that you’re actively seeking group business. Consider adding a “group news” column to keep readers apprised of your progress and new tour offerings. If you list names of groups who have recently visited, send a copy of the issue to those group leaders. Highlight the name of their group and attach a note saying, “Thanks for visiting. We hope to see you again soon. ”

6. A group tour page on your website

Devote a complete page of your website to group tour promotion. Instead of simply mentioning that you offer group rates, write a tantalizing description of the kinds of experiences available to groups and what your group tours include. For example, is there some form of authentic entertainment you can offer? Can you provide them with tea on the porch or a candlelight tour? Great. Tell them about it. Also show them how they can turn a visit to your museum into an entire day trip to your area. List some popular nearby attractions, shopping spots and restaurants. Groups are always looking for new and different tour ideas, so the more creative you are, the better.

7. Inquiries generated from special interest websites that link to yours

Whatever type of object your collection is strong in, there are groups of hobbyists out there who collect, study, build, create or paint it. Many of them probably already provide a link to your website from theirs. If not, do some Web searches, find compatible special interest sites, and e-mail their webmasters. Ask them to consider linking to you. Include a brief description of your collection and a sentence like, “Your visitors may also be interested to know that we offer special in-depth tours to collector/genealogy/quilting/whatever groups. They can e-mail groups@tyourmuseum. org for more information. ”

Such a communication may not only generate a link, but also a write-up about your tours on their website or in their ezine. (To find out who is currently linking to you, go to AltaVista and type link:www. yourdomainname. org into the search box. The list of results that comes up will be websites that link to yours. )

8. Lists of tour operators who have requested information from your local convention and visitors bureau, regional tourism promotion agency, or state office of tourism

If you receive lists like this, are you using them to your best advantage? You aren’t if your typical response is to stick a couple of brochures in an envelope, mail it off, and do nothing more. Lists like these require telephone contact — and the sooner the better. Before you mail anything, make a brief call to each name on the list that looks like an appropriate lead. These aren’t tough phone calls to make because the recipients have already expressed an interest in your city. The purpose of your call is simply to thank them for that interest, to ask if they have any further questions about the area, and to offer to send them your group tour materials. You’ll be able to tell from the course of the conversation whether or not they’re really potential customers. If they are, add their name and contact information to your permanent leads list or database after you mail the brochures. Even if they don’t book now, they may in the future.

9. Inquiries resulting from press releases sent to group tour industry trade magazines

Send press releases to these publications several months before your major special events, and whenever you have a dazzling new group tour or tour package to offer. Links to major trade publications can be found in our Links Library. To familiarize yourself with each magazine and its editorial style, request a media kit and sample copy. If submission guidelines and deadlines aren’t listed on the website, call the publication and request that information. One last tip: Subscribing to one or two trade periodicals is a great way to learn more about the group market and how you can best serve it.

hope this helps!
cheers!!