Building different kinds of affiliate networks is no stranger to the travel industry. What’s more, it can be considered as an integral part of the travel ecosystem.
Take independent travel agents and small travel agencies as an example. Every independent travel agent or a small-sized travel agency will have to consider a few things while setting a business on solid grounds. They should decide whether to run their business independently or partner with a larger agency and get the needed tools and resources to help them stand out. That said, choosing the smartest way to run a business seems like a no-brainer.
By choosing to partner with a host agency, independent travel agents, and small-sized travel agencies have a chance to get plenty of benefits that will help them stay relevant and survive in the harsh economy.
On the other hand, host agencies must search for the best ways to attract independent agents and small travel agencies to partner with them. By growing their affiliate network, host agencies can increase their revenue and skyrocket their business goals. And since there are many of them in the market, they need to go above and beyond and ensure their offer is attractive to prospective affiliates.
That said, here’s how you can grow your affiliate network as a host travel agency.
Offering education programs.
Continuous education is vital to growing and nurturing any business, especially in travel, where everything changes quickly. Independent travel agents and small to mid-sized travel agencies are well aware of this fact. That’s why they will always rather choose to partner with a host agency that offers a reliable education program than the one who doesn’t.
That said, if you want to grow your online affiliate network as a host agency, make sure to offer a well-developed education program to your affiliates. Those programs can include plenty of things such as weekly sales training calls, webinars, on-location training or travel learning opportunities.
Offering marketing Programs
One of the reasons for signing in with a host travel agency is the fact they offer a wide variety of marketing materials that help independent travel agents and small agencies grow their business.
Furthermore, suppliers often partner with host agencies to promote specific products and services which can be an excellent perk for independent travel agents and small-sized agencies who choose to partner with a host agency.
That said, to grow your affiliate network as a host travel agency, make sure to have a wide array of marketing programs and perks to offer to your affiliates.
Ensuring your affiliates know you’re advocating for them.
Since the travel industry changes quickly, it’s understandable that independent travel agents and smaller agencies are concerned about their survival in the harsh market. Signing with host agencies can be comforting since they usually have representatives actively participating in organizations such as the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) or the Professional Association of Travel Hosts (PATH), ensuring that even the smaller players in the market get their voice heard.
Host agencies interested in growing their affiliate network should advertise this aspect of their work, making them more attractive to prospective partners.
Offering competitive commissions.
If you want to grow your affiliate network as a host agency, make sure to offer competitive compensation packages. To make your agency more attractive to prospective affiliates, consider cutting start-up and monthly management fees or quarterly incentive plans (or make them minimal) and try to offer higher commission rates than your competitors.
Advertising your bookkeeping and sales tracking services
For small agencies and independent travel agents, bookkeeping and sales tracking can be time-consuming and costly.
To attract new affiliates and grow your network, you can offer your affiliates support and allow them to focus on building their business.
Offering consumer leads.
At the beginning of their business journey, independent travel agents might find it hard to grow their book of business. To attract them, you, as a host agency, can offer to provide consumer leads if they sign in with you, which many find to be an attractive perk.
Using the right tools!
To grow your affiliate network and become one of the preferred host travel agencies, you have to use the right tools.
Thomalex online booking solution focuses on small to mid-sized travel agencies, enabling them to grow their online sales. As an independent travel agent, you can easily launch your new B2C online travel site and start generating revenue by selling your travel content to your customers. As a host agency, you can now create and manage any number of affiliate sites and expand your business by offering your services to other non-IATA agents. All you need to do is to request a free trial!
