New E-Book: Travel Agents Attack Online Marketing

Online, October 18, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Travel agents are the most significant force in travel marketing when they fully utilize the free marketing opportunities provided by the Internet. George Oberle, founder of the Travel Blog Project has written a step-by-step guide specifically for travel agents to promote and brand themselves online via Facebook, Twitter, blogging and search engine optimization.

This new e-book is a compilation of the lessons learned during the Travel Blog Project, a 230 agent, 100-day online marketing effort that provided travel agents help setting up a blog, creating a professional looking Facebook fan page, Twitter account and instructions how to post for greater web traffic. The book also provides posting ideas and themes to help travel agents become better online marketers.

George Oberle, author of the e-book stated: "Travel agents who take advantage of the free marketing opportunities available to them online will thrive, while agents that don't will complain about the business and ultimately fail."

Online marketing allows travel agents to target market and craft their business mix by incorporating keyword phrases into their posting content. The e-book provides detailed instructions how to find and use keyword phrases for greater web traffic.

The e-book has a chapter about a SWOT analysis the Travel Blog Project completed with agents examining their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. "We capitalized on strengths and opportunities and turned weaknesses and threats into positives which created great posting opportunities" said Oberle.

Oberle further said "Some Travel Agents are hesitant to charge fees. Yet, if agents analyze the tangible and intangible value they bring to the vacation planning process, they would not hesitate at all." The SWOT analysis helped the agents understand the true value each of them provides.

The e-book puts it all together with the "Action Plan" which is a multi-channel marketing effort to sell a custom travel experience. The action plan used each of the agent's online assets in a holistic manner to feed traffic to their website for leads and conversions.

"Travel Agents Attack Online Marketing" is available FREE from: www.TravelBlogProject.com

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About the Author
George Oberle is a second generation travel industry veteran. He owned and operated two mid-size travel agencies over a 20 year period each with successful vacation and corporate travel departments. He was a webmaster and SEO specialist for a large regional travel agency for five years. He recently created the Travel Blog Project which guided 230 travel agents through a 100 day online marketing effort encompassing blogging, social media and search engine optimization for websites.

In September of 2011, George was a session speaker about SEO at the American Society of Travel Agents' THETRAVELBLOGGERSHOW. He has also conducted ASTA webinars entitled "SEO for Travel Agent Websites" and "Travel Agents Attack Social Media - Lessons Learned from the Travel Blog Project."
Oberle has a bachelor's degree in management from Saint Mary's College of California. For more information please contact George Oberle at 408-500-2536 or email: George@TravelBlogProject.com