These quick tips are designed to help you get through these hard times. If you have any tips that you want to share, send them to marketing@tourismtiger.com(opens in a new tab)
Never underestimate the value of reviews, especially now. Besides the tour content itself, reviews about your tours, your guides, and your tour company in general not only create the first impression with prospective customers but can be the deciding factor in securing a booking. During these difficult months, unfortunately, you won’t be able to provide any tours with new clients to then generate reviews. But by reaching out to recent customers (or even further back to past clients in special cases) you can minimize the gap between your last tours reviews and your next ones. That way, when business picks up, you’ll have up-to-date content for all of those eager travelers planning their next trip!
Start by Asking, and Say Thanks!
So how should you go about getting reviews? Start by asking! Now more than ever, honesty is a great policy—show your human side when you reach out to recent clients. This is probably not the time for a generic request. By explaining how much their review would truly mean to you personally, your wonderful guides, and the ongoing success of your business, you’ll increase the likelihood of getting a response. If you can, a bit of personalization can go a long way too. And when you do get reviews, be sure to publicly respond to them as well(opens in a new tab). You’ve gotten your validation, so keep the good vibes flowing by showing your gratitude(opens in a new tab) to that former guest who took the time to post a review, no matter how short or detailed.
There’s Not Just One Way
Reviews come in all shapes and sizes. They can be on TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook, Yelp and so on. They can be a post on any of those sites, a comment directly on your own website, they can be a video testimonial or caption to use on your Instagram. You could even send out a survey that you could then pull information from and post. There are tons of options available for you to be creative with. Consider providing additional incentives like a discount on a future tour—this could be a great option for generating revenue when you’re able to start offering tours again. Moreover, on a personal note, incoming reviews during these challenging (and quite frankly demoralizing) times offer a bit of a confidence boost and much-needed reminder that you’re great at what you do, and people appreciate your tours!
Therefore, while reviews may give you an added push right now, it’s important to remember that they are a crucial part of a successful tour company at all times. There’s a ton of excellent ideas out there for you to further explore on encouraging customers to leave a review(opens in a new tab) and tips for getting the highest number of reviews(opens in a new tab). Start reaching out today, so that when things pick up you’ll be prepared for business as usual!
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