Marketing Tools

Marketing Tools for Companies in the Travel Industry

Marketing very easily determines a company's success. It is the basis from which a

company gains a clientele and longevity. It is the very offering of a company's goods or

services. Each company must ascertain which marketing techniques are best for it based on

criteria determined by the industry. From there, the four "P's" of marketing form an overall

plan for price, product, place and promotion. Customer service is also essential in realizing a

company's worth and marketing success through personal interaction and accommodation.

Finally, recommendations are always necessary as they offer insight from an outsiders' point-of-

view that the company may not have considered.

Criteria

Criteria for assessing the marketing elements of any company are important to define.

Such elements for a web-based company would include: target audience, competitive advantage,

available information, and value of each site. The criteria serve as a basis for assessing the

success of a marketing scheme and, in addition, are necessary to even begin creating a marketing

plan. The ultimate goal of any company is to create a connection between the company and

consumer in an effort to pursue a lasting and satisfying relationship.

The target audience for travel industry companies would consist of young to older adults.

Primarily from ages 24 to 65, with emphasis on both ends of the spectrum. The reason for this is

that younger people tend to travel for work, post-graduation from college, and for fun. Older

adults travel more upon retirement age in high volumes. Middle-aged adults account for much

less of the traveling population due to the constraints posed by raising a family and more

demanding schedules. Therefore, emphasis should be focused on marketing schemes that are

based around adult interests, younger and older adults in particular.

Competitive advantage is essential to marketing in the way that with only a handful of

companies in the online traveling industry, it is even more important to define oneself. Since the

human brain tends to remember groups of seven, remembering names like Expedia, Priceline,

and