The first thing that anyone will say about starting a business is that networking is going to be the key element for success. The larger your network becomes, the more successful you will be with your venture, and this is an extremely relevant part of the tourism sector.
How to find your target audience among hundreds of platforms?
The tourism sector has all kinds of professions available for those who are interested in getting involved in this industry. Some people choose to become destination marketers, others get involved in accommodation services and another group prefers to focus on selling specific products and DMCs offer to those who have already picked a destination and a place to stay. And, the common work is promoting the destination by building good, effective and consistent networking.
Effective networking isn’t a result of luck – it requires hard work and persistence.
Lewis Howes
Regardless of your specific type of job in the industry, you should network with every single one of those professionals. Tourism is human-oriented. Even your competitors should know about you because alliances can always happen with other people that share the same profession that you have.
Exhibitions and roadshows are good occasions besides the fun of one-to-one sales visits. But now we must admit that time has changed. International brands do great work in adapting to new technology through virtual exhibitions, and events. But the question is how to select the most effective one that suits your real needs and budget.
This is where ed-tech helps – if you are a trailblazer tourism pro!
The key is to get involved!
One of the biggest mistakes which people make while networking is that they expect individuals and business ventures to reply to them just because they sent them a message with their contact info. The truth is that networking requires that you build rapport.
This means that you need to get involved in forums, topic discussions, and all kinds of interactive activities on a physical or virtual platform. You have to become part of an active community if you wish to be acknowledged. Otherwise, your message might be lost among the other thousands.
Persistency in networking is a must in the travel trade.
I know there are hundreds of platforms and solutions nowadays. One of the biggest challenges I experienced was to select the most effective community to build my network with visible results way and never forget the password!
If you want to get good at networking, you need to reflect on yourself as a person, who is looking for long-term relationships with others for mutual benefit. This is the best way to become a valuable addition to any travel trade network. And this is where the persistence in the networking challenge begins!
“Your network is your net worth.” Porter Gale
No one can compress the whole travel world into one digital platform. But some people can design innovative, community-first, platform-specific, B2B strategy-informed learning contents that cut through on learning and delivers industry-leading marketing ROI. The new world is full of ed-tech changes and business potential in every corner!
Are you looking for a long-term and cost-effective digital solution for a real-world networking problem? Don’t wait for the paid stone to become precious. We bring you the diamonds.