You’ve crafted the perfect international programs, set up a stellar website, and dutifully share inspiring tidbits about traveling abroad on your Facebook and Instagram channels, but you just can’t seem to reach your goal for inquiries. Maybe you’ve googled how to promote your travel business and found more ways to get creative on social media, or maybe you’ve even set up a CRM system with sophisticated lead capture forms on your website, but it’s still not cutting it—you just need access to a larger audience.
This is where GoAbroad comes in—we are a comprehensive marketing platform that allows you to share your amazing international education and travel programs with the audiences that are looking for them. With 1.2 million unique monthly visitors, GoAbroad is THE resource for meaningful travel and the go-to search engine for study abroad, intern abroad, teach abroad, volunteer abroad, and so much more. Adding your program listings to GoAbroad’s directories = more inquiries and more participants for your programs!
The best part? Anyone can add their program listings to GoAbroad for free! So, once you’re signed up on GoAbroad, here’s how to promote your travel programs in the best ways possible.
How to promote travel programs on GoAbroad
We’ve curated our top tips for marketing your travel programs to our users so that you can sit back and watch those inquiries roll in!
Tip #1: Write effective and attractive program listings.
First, determine how to set up your listings on GoAbroad. Mirroring your website, create an individual listing for each corresponding program landing page. For example, if your website has three separate program pages for Study Abroad in Barcelona, Summer Study Abroad, and Study Abroad in Madrid, this is how your GoAbroad listings should be set up as well.
When users select a country or subject, you might have multiple programs that fit their criteria. In this case, we will bring them to a default listing (in the example above it would be Study Abroad in Spain). Create a default or umbrella listing for your programs and organization if you’d like.
[Related: Guide to Writing an Effective Listing]
When you’re writing your listing and choosing what images and media to include, think about what your target user is looking for. What are the most important pieces of information? What makes your program unique and special?
Pro tip: Ensure that your photos are high quality, colorful, and have real people in them. Profiles with more attractive imagery are proven to get better engagement.
Tip #2: Make sure you’re set up to receive inquiries (leads) & follow up with them immediately.
We will send you two different types of leads through your GoAbroad account to the email address you specify. If you’d like to update who these are sent to, just let us know. Here’s a breakdown of the two types of leads:
Direct Inquiries. The first type of lead is a direct inquiry. This user clicks “Inquire Here” or “Contact Provider” from one of your listings and leaves information on a lead capture form on our website. You are the only organization who gets this lead and we do not filter these. This lead is emailed to you.
Online Advisor Inquiries. The second type of lead is through our Online Advisor tool. This user comes to GoAbroad and asks for program recommendations, and our advising team has matched them up with your organization based on what you offer. We send their information to up to five other providers, so it is important to follow up with the lead quickly.
These leads are distinguished by a note at the bottom that says “**NOTE: This lead was generated by GoAbroad through our advisors or advisor tools. This individual may not have requested information from your specific organization, but has requested information about your type of program(s) in your country or region(s). These leads are a free service provided by GoAbroad for all partners. If you do not wish to receive these leads, contact us at: information@goabroad.com.”
In addition to being emailed, both types of inquiries are available in your Partner Dashboard under the Inquiries tab. To export inquiries, select the ones you’d like to export and click “Export.”
Once you’re set up to receive leads, perhaps the most important tip for how to promote travel programs on GoAbroad is to ensure that you follow up with the lead immediately and with a targeted, customized email.
For example, if you get a direct inquiry, you know that they are interested in a specific program you offer, so you should tailor your follow up to that program and an immediate next step they should take.
If you get an Online Advisor inquiry, then you know that it is a more general inquiry (e.g. Study Abroad or Australia), and your response should be tailored to give them more detailed information about the programs you offer of that type or in that location.
[Related: 11 Must-Have Resources for Travel Program Participants]
Tip #3: Collect reviews on all of your GoAbroad program listings.
Reviews are an important part of your GoAbroad profile because they give users an idea of what the program will be like and allows them to read what actual participants have said.
You’ll stand out when users compare programs in MyGoAbroad, be above other organizations in a tie for search results ranking, and get more click-throughs. In fact, our user testing has revealed that GoAbroad users are significantly more likely to click on program listings that have reviews.
Here are two easy ways to add reviews to your GoAbroad profile:
- Share any past reviews with us. These can be paper, SurveyMonkey, emailed testimonials, or any other types of reviews. We are usually able to add them as GoAbroad reviews as long as they are not already published online.
- Reach out to alumni and ask them to review your program.
- Each of your listings have a “Review this Program” button so alumni can easily add their own review of the program.
- To send past participants a list of your programs (so they can choose which one they went on) you can send them to our Write a Review page. From there, they’ll select your name and find a list of your programs.
Pro tip: Add our review widget to your website! Add your GoAbroad rating to your own website through our simple code-generator. This widget will automatically update as your GoAbroad rating updates.
Steps To Add:
- Log in to your Partner Dashboard, click “Reviews”, and then click “Widget”.
- Decide if you’d like a provider-wide widget or a program-specific widget.
- Choose your layout.
- Pick a theme.
- When you have the correct widget you’d like, click “Generate code”.
- Embed the code onto your website.
[Related: 5 Reasons You Should Source More Reviews on GoAbroad ASAP]
Tip #4: Invest in Premium (Linked) Listings & targeted promotions on GoAbroad.
GoAbroad offers a variety of advertising options for every budget, starting at just $500 per year. With these options comes undeniable benefits.
First and foremost, the best way to promote your travel business is by getting interested users to your own website—the one you’ve spent countless hours perfecting for conversions!
With our Premium (Linked) Listing option, you can add a custom URL to each one of your program listings on GoAbroad. This is the #1 way to make sure you’re getting the most out of your GoAbroad presence, and you can have it for just $500 per year. Take a look at our Advertising Guide for a full breakdown of what’s included in Premium Listings.
In addition, GoAbroad offers comprehensive options for targeted advertising, all with the goal of getting you more website referrals, more inquiries, and ultimately more conversions. Here are some examples of advertising options you can get today:
- Directory Landing Page Advertising. Users on Directory Landing Pages (e.g. Study Abroad) are in the process of searching for a program abroad and know exactly what type of experience they want. They are more targeted than Homepage users. From this page, users can click to your website or select filters to reach a Search Results Page.
- Newsletter Advertising. GoAbroad Newsletters are sent out on selected weekdays to our subscriber base made up of eager meaningful travelers. Each newsletter feature is a unique email marketing opportunity to get your brand in front of our community of travelers.
- Article Directory Advertising. GoAbroad Articles receive over 6 million visits every year! Get your brand featured in targeted articles about the directory and/or destination that fits with your mission and maximizes your marketing potential.
Ready to get started with advertising? Book a meeting with our Partner Relations Team.
When it comes to how to promote your travel business, GoAbroad is a great way to access a larger audience, showcase your programs, collect reviews, and get more inquiries and leads for your business. With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to successfully promoting your programs on GoAbroad.