3-Step Travel Agency Marketing for Small Business Saturday

Hear ye, hear ye! Small Business Saturday is coming up on November 30th, 2024. Maybe you're thinking, "More planning! More work! More time spent on aimless marketing initiatives and less time spent booking! OMG! Holidays! Bookings!"

Don't fear. This year, we're keeping it simple with a few refreshed social media posts you can share on your social media platforms! You can plug it into your favorite social media scheduler and call it a day.

Here's our 3 steps to your last-minute Travel Agency Small Business Saturday.

1. Take a social shareable (or two or three) from HAR. No need to credit us, or worry about altering it. Just take it and run!
2. Go to our travel hashtag buffet to find a few popular travel hashtags and pepper them with a few of your own.
3. Check with Local Networking Groups to Participate in Events/ Promotions

1. Social Shareables from HAR

Usually people "save the best for last," but I'm going to go ahead and put the best right up front: HAR's social shareables. If you do nothing else, do this: Share these social posts in the week leading up to Small Business Saturday. Why? They're eye-catching. They're clever. They take all of 2 minutes to share on your page, and you can even slap on your agency logo if you care to. What's not to love?

2. Pick your post verbiage!

You have other things on your mind, so we want to make it really easy. Here's some content you can use to plug into your post!

[option 1]

🌍✈️ Small Business, Big Adventures with [your agency name]! ✈️🌍

This Small Business Saturday and beyond, let's plan your next travel adventure together! From personalized service to incredible destinations, we've got you covered. Book now and enjoy exclusive perks. Access our free social media images here: [Insert Link]. Thank you for choosing us! Happy #SmallBusinessSaturday! #TravelTogether #SupportSmallBiz

[option 2]

🎉✨ Uncover Extraordinary Travel Experiences! ✨🎉

As a small business, we at [your agency name] are dedicated to creating a journey customized for you. Celebrate Small Business Saturday by booking your next getaway with us! Special offers and unique itineraries await.

Thank you for your ongoing support! Happy #SmallBusinessSaturday! #TravelDeals #ExploreMore

[option 3]

🌟✈️ Discover Your Next Adventure with [your agency name] ! ✈️🌟

On this Small Business Saturday, let's turn your travel dreams into reality! Enjoy exclusive deals and personalized service when you book with us today.

Thank you for supporting small businesses! Happy #SmallBusinessSaturday! #TravelGoals #SupportLocal

Easy as can be! Next up, here's a few ways to customize your hashtags!

3. Quick Hashtag Tips (Psst! You can just copy and paste them to your post)

How do you know what hashtags to use to accessorize your great social posts? We have some quick tips on how to choose which ones to use ¹

1. HASHTAGS in 2023: Less is more

Stuffing as many hashtags as possible into a post will bring you diminishing returns and it can look spammy. What's more, Sprout Social has pruned the suggested number of hashtags for most social accounts. What’s the optimal number of hashtags to use in 2023? Here's a birds-eye view:

• Facebook: 1-2 (Make sure your hashtags are specific and relevant to your post)
• Instagram: 1-2 According to Sprout Social, the hashtags that work best are those that are timely, since users typically use FB for events and news.
• X (FKA Twitter): 1-2 (and don't forget to hashtag your retweets and replies)
• LinkedIn: 2-3 Sprout Social advises a mix of niche and blanket hastags for Linkedin
• TikTok: 2-5 (and keep it trendy)
• Pinterest: 0 Mic drop
• YouTube: 3-5 total (1-2 in your title and the rest in your description).

But which ones should you use? You can mix and match from the categories below!

2. Create a branded Hashtag

Consider creating a branded hashtag. This may not result in unique searches, but it's a good step in developing your brand on social media.

If I started a travel agency called Steintime Travel it could be:

• #SteintimeTravel (go simple and use your biz name only)
• #TravelwithSteintime (use your biz name, plus a popular travel keyword)
• #SteintimeHoneymoons (use your biz name and niche)

3. Niche or destination-specific hashtags

Do you focus on a particular kind of travel or destination? Using that in a hashtag helps you target your audience to those who are most interested in what you sell. These kinds of hashtags (even if they're not common) may lead to the most quality engagement.

Here are a few examples:

#[Niche]Travel (i.e. #FamilyTravel, #NatureTravel, #LuxuryTravel, #AdventureTravel)

Choose to tag specific to your destination (if applicable):

#[Destination], #[Destination]Travel, #[Destination]_Insta #Insta (e.g. #Italy, #ItalyTravel, #Italy_Insta)

4. Top Small Business Saturday hashtags

For Small Business Saturday, you'll want to use one of the hashtags below:

#ShopSmall #SmallBusinessSaturday

5. Top Travel Hashtags

Below are some of the most popular travel hashtags. Pick a few that are relevant to your post. For example, if you’re posting one of HAR’s social shareables, it doesn’t make sense to use a hashtag like #TravelPhotography (even though it's extremely popular).

Here are some travel hashtags that will cast a wider net:

#travel #travelgram #photoshoot #italy #india #trip #wanderlust #vacation #adventure #instatravel #mountains #traveling #travelling #travelblogger #europe #traveler #tourism #traveller #traveltheworld #Travel, #Trip, #Traveling, #Traveler, #TravelPhotography, #Travels, #Traveladdict, #Travellife, #TravelPhoto, #TravelPics, #TravelBug, #TravelAwesome, #TravelPic, #Travelers, #Traveldeeper, #TravellingThroughTheWorld, #Travellers, #Travelmore, #Exploring #Explorer #Wanderer #Wanderlust

Keep in mind that while these tags might be the most popular, they won't necessarily lead to more engagement for you since your post is more likely to get lost in a sea of other Instagram posts. So don't overload your post with the most popular hashtags.

6. Instagram Travel hashtags

Instagram has its own breed of hashtags too. So if you want to get #insta_specific, check out a few of the options below for your insta account:

#igtravel #instatravel, #instatravelling, #travelawesome, #instatraveller, #instatraveltips, #instago, #instavacation, #instanature

7. Use the most popular hashtags in your bio

You can also plug a few of the best hashtags into your Instagram bio. Make sure the hashtags you use in your bio are relevant to your business.

3. Check Local Networking Groups for Events/ Listings

Do you want a little press for your agency? Research local or online guides to see if they have a small business directory guide (in print or online). What are the chances another local travel agent is chomping at the bit to participate?

Use Small Biz Saturday to take advantage of potential lead opportunities like these. Google [your city of residence] small business directories and see where you can plug in hyper-locally.

Coming up blank on your networking group brainstorm? Get tips of building a travel agent work community here!

You're Ready for Small Business Saturday

That wasn't so bad was it!? You're ready to go for Small Business Saturday! Do you have any of your own tips and tricks for getting the word out there for your business? Post them in the comments below!

Footnotes

1. Sources: Sprout. ↩