In the tour industry, there are few roles more important than that of tour guide. Guides--with their vast knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm--inject life into tours. And good guides can transcend the cultural barriers that many long distance visitors face, bringing entire groups together and leaving them with exhilarating experiences and a new understanding.So, when it comes to finding the right guides for your business, just where do you look for a pool of certified, experienced guides with outstanding personalities to lead your tours? Here a few leads.

1. Tour Guide Community Websites

Though tour guide community websites—such as Tours By Locals, Siroube, and Who's My Guide—are typically used to pair individual guides with travelers seeking guided tours, the sites will also allow tour operators to join and contact local guides to pitch job opportunities. There are few places that make it easier to view licensed, qualified guides in your area and message them all at once.

2. Tour Guide Associations

There are several large tour guide associations you can join that will allow you to post job listings on their sites and newsletters to connect with local guides. These organizations exist on all levels, including international, national, and local. For instance, there is the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations and the National Federation of Tourist Guide Associations. Local guilds include the SF Tour Guide Guild, Guild of Professional Tour Guides of Washington, DC, and The Professional Tour Guides Association of Houston. To find an organization in your community, simply Google "tour guide guild [your city]."

3. Visitor's Bureau or Travel and Convention Bureau

Your city's local travel bureau will most likely offer a free partnership or paid membership where local businesses can join, attend events, connect with other members of the community, and gain access to job bulletin boards where you can post job listings. They may also be able to provide leads to qualified tour guides or companies already working with them.

4. Social media.

Post your job listing on your Twitter page using hashtags such as #tourguide, #tourismjobs, #tourguidejob, and #licensedguide. For instance, we used the hashtags #tourguide and #jobs and found several job postings. You should also be using these hashtags to find and follow tour-guide related Twitter pages with whom you can interact. For example, we found Guide Trip@guide_trip (a company that connects tour operators and guides) using the #tourguide hashtag.You can also type "tour guides [your city]" into Facebook. This will produce a list of local guides, who you can then message about job opportunities. You can also message and/or join tour-guide related groups or pages that already have a following of tour guides. For instance, typing "Tour Guide Jobs" will lead you to find Get Tour Guide Jobs, a tour guide job posting site, where you can post job listing directly on the page.

Post your job posting on Twitter and Facebook to reach more potential tour guides

5. Use LinkedIn.

Create a company page, then create a job posting that links to your company's careers page or a job application. Once that's done, conduct an advanced search for "People with tour guide titles" or "Groups about tour guides,"and send invites to connect with people and groups of interest.

6. Coolworks.

Coolworks is a tour guide job network that acts as a virtual staffing company for tour guides and trip leaders. Tour operators can sign-up, create a profile, and after a brief verification process, create a job application and start connecting with applicants.This is a short list of ideas that will help you find a pool of qualified guides. To get the best results from your search, post your job listings using all of the above. And although you only have a need for a limited number of guides, create a database to keep records on all qualified applicants and let it be your go-to source for future hires. It will save you a lot of time and money on job listings and hiring a staffing company.If you've hired the staff, and now need a reservation platform to manage bookings and availability, check out Peek Pro.

Whether you're working with a large or tight budget, it pays to spend your marketing dollars wisely. That's why it's so important to make sure you invest in marketing and advertising strategies that generate the highest return on investment (ROI).These days, small businesses are spending approximately $6,800 on online advertising each year, and small and medium-sized businesses spend $17,000 per year on web marketing services, according to a report from Borrell Associates. Those dollars need to be poured into strategies that will connect your company to the most receptive audience and, in turn, help you drive more bookings.So to make sure you're spending your money smartly, here are some marketing strategies that have proven to have the highest ROI.

Paid Search Advertising

Online advertising is one of the fastest growing platforms in the marketing and advertising industry. Digital advertising encompasses everything from banner ads to pay-per-click advertising. It may benefit you, however, to focus on targeted ads versus traditional banner ads since 54 percent of users don't even click banner ads because they don't trust them, according to Bannersnack.As a tour and activity operator, you'll get a better ROI when you run ads on the Google Display Network (Adwords) where your ads appear on search engine results pages. Search advertising is more effective, according to the experts at HubSpot, because you can target your ads to appear on the search engine results pages of a particular audience. For example, somebody searching for “kayaking in [yourcity]" may see your ad on the sidebar or in the sponsored section of the search engine results pages. These ads feature a headline, two lines of copy, and a link or contact information. Since you can select your audience and customize each ad, you have more control over the entire process—and will generate more clicks that actually turn into bookings as a result.You can determine your return on investment using the Adwords dashboard. Ways to measure success of an ad include monitoring click-through-rate and conversion rates—the number of clicks that led to an actual booking. The dollar amounts will vary significantly by advertiser since each advertiser will use different keywords and target different audiences. But you can easily determine which ads are performing well because Google provides this data in real-time.

Facebook Advertising

Unlike other forms of online advertising, the minimum ad spend on Facebook is just $1 per day. The experts at Moz point out that Facebook ads are also the lowest cost per 1,000 impressions, averaging around 25 cents per 1,000 impressions. This means you can reach thousands of prospective customers with a targeted Facebook campaign even if you're working with a small budget. The question is, how effective will your Facebook ads be?One of the unique features of Facebook ads is that you can not only customize the entire ad with images and text, but you can also target different types of audiences. Your ad will show up in the right-hand sidebar on a user's news feed and you can include a link to your website, or even your booking page. Facebook allows you to select your audience based on a variety of factors, including age range, interests, and even Facebook pages they like. You could target your ads to 30- to 40-year-olds who live in your city and enjoy reading Travel + Leisuremagazine, for example. All Nipon Airways did exactly that with their Facebook advertising campaign, selecting keywords to target users interested in traveling and Japanese culture. Their ads had a 25-percent click through rate—1 in 4 users who saw the ad actually clicked on the ad, which means they were driven to the ANA website.

Direct Mail Advertising

Traditional advertising methods, such as sending postcards or letters in the mail, are a valuable way to reach out to your target customers. According to research from the Rochester Institute of Technology, direct mail-driven sales per $1 of advertising dollars equated to a $15.48 return in sales, whereas radio ads had a return of $8.09 and magazine ads had a return of $10.06.Whether you decide to send out miniature brochures featuring all your offerings, postcards with promotional offers, or a friendly letter in the mail, you'll generate interest in your company that may lead to reservations. Create materials that feature high-quality photos of your tours and activities and detailed descriptions of various packages and experiences. (We shared some tips on how to write powerful tour and activity descriptions for your website here.)No matter what type of print materials you send, make sure to include contact information and a link to your website so that the recipient has different options for getting in touch with you and making that reservation. Including a business card or a personal, handwritten note to say "welcome" can help to personalize the materials you send via snail mail, which will make you stand apart from the competition.

Sending postcards or letters in the mail will generate interest in your company and has a higher ROI than other advertising methods

E-Mail Marketing

The same research data from the Rochester Institute of Technology reveals that every $1 spent on email marketing generates $36.70 in sales. This is a significant return on investment for any small business owner.A recent Silverpop study reveals email open rates for the lodging and travel industry are almost 57 percent. For tour and activity operators, there is more than a 50-percent chance that the email will get opened and read by a customer—which, in turn, could lead to a click back to your website, redemption of a special offer, a phone call, or a confirmed reservation.We shared some valuable tips on how to grow your email list here so that you can start sending customized emails to your subscribers regularly. Making sure you capture emails from all customers at any point of contact and taking the time to send out monthly or biweekly newsletters can help you keep these customers engaged. You can use an online booking software program, such as Peek Pro, to capture emails and organize your lists for newsletter sends.From paid search advertising to email marketing, tour and activity operators can maximize their marketing and advertising dollars by investing in the most impactful strategies. Use these tips to create your marketing campaign for the upcoming season or year to help drive more business — even during the slower months.

It's more than likely that you followed your passion when you got into the tour and activities industry. But whether you're in the business of bike tours or the brewery business, your company is just that: a business. While every day is another chance to cash in on more fun and adventure, you're in business to make money. And with tour operators making up $7 billion of the $1.3 trillion travel and tourism industry, there's plenty of money to be had. But like any growing industry (there are now 2,400 tour operators in the industry), competition is getting tougher. To set yourself up to make the most money possible, follow these eight strategies to boost your success and your bottom line.

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1. Don't Compete on Price.

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Instead of trying to be the lowest priced tour or activity operator in the market, focus on being the most unique. Do you have exclusive access to a certain area? Focus on one thing and maximize your quality. While you should always keep an eye on your competition and understand price ranges for your market, the best way to stand apart is by being different.

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2. Generate New Leads Through Content.

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Companies with blogs gathered 68% more leads than those without, according to research by HubSpot. But you can't leave your blog stagnant. The study found that blogs start to impact lead growth once they have more than 20 articles posted. Blog posts should be optimized for keywords and include a clear call to action, such as a button that leads the reader to your booking page. Posts that contain those two elements increase conversion rates by 87%, according to HubSpot.

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3. Attract Customers By Using Social Media.

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B2C businesses using Twitter generate two times more leads than those without a Twitter account, according to HubSpot. Twitter users with several hundred followers had approximately twice as many leads as Twitter users with followers in the double digits. In other words, social media is a great way to attract new customers and engage existing ones—so it should be a priority in your overall marketing efforts.When posting on social media, make sure you follow the 80/20 rule, posting promotional information just 20% of the time, and offering valuable information, such as tips and industry news, 80% of the time. This approach will make you look like an expert in your field.

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4. Form Strategic Partnerships.

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One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is trying to do everything alone, according to Forbes. You will sell more tours and activities when you partner with other companies and suppliers. For example, add more value by combining offerings with a restaurant or spa. Or create alliances with other businesses and cross-promote your services. Make sure you work out the details in advance on how to price your events. For example, you can each discount your offerings by 10% to 15%, and sell the activity at a flat rate.

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You will sell more tours and activities when you partner with other companies and suppliers

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5. Invest in Employee Training and Engagement.

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Service with a smile isn't just a cliché; it impacts the bottom line. A study done by researchers at Bowling Green University and Penn State University found that customers who were served by smiling employees felt more satisfied by the overall experience and more likely to return. Make sure you properly train employees, even providing scripts to improve their performance. Empower employees to make their own decisions and create an employee culture of fun so the atmosphere spills over into the customer experience. A study by research firm McLean & Company found that organizations with highly engaged employees had an average three-year revenue growth of 20.1%, versus the average 8.9% revenue growth rate.

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6. Segment Your Marketing Based On The Time of Year.

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Use the season to decide which customer base to target. If you live in an area that has higher bookings during the summer, use this time of year to beef up tourism marketing to out-of-state visitors. Give your information to the concierge at local hotels, distribute information through tourism offices and reach out to influential travel bloggers.During the off-season, go after locals who are already in the area. Residents can be an often-overlooked source or revenue for travel and tour companies, but this market can be lucrative and recurring. Send a press release offering discounts on group events to your local news stations, advertise in community newspapers, and reach out to local organizations, such as scouts, church groups, and schools.

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7. Plan Ahead for Slow Periods.

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Based on prior year sales, identify low-demand periods and plan for them. For example, provide discounts on certain days of the week that are traditionally slow. Or fill spots by creating special group bookings that you plan for these off times. You can also use the slow season to work on your marketing. Send emails to customers who visited you asking for a review of your business; 52% of consumers trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations, according to HubSpot. Or, send an enticing marketing campaign during the winter inviting customers to book their summer travel plans now—92% of vacations are booked at least a month in advance, according to BusinessWire.

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8. Focus on Existing Customers.

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Small businesses are realizing the impact of existing customers versus new customer acquisition. According to a study by research firm Manta, 61% of small business owners report that more than half of their annual revenue comes from repeat customers. Existing customers spend 67% more than new, according to Inc.com, so increase your emphasis on the customers you have. Collect client details such as email addresses, birthdays, and anniversary dates during booking—and constantly improve the quality of your offerings. Then reach out to customers through strategic email and social media marketing campaigns.In the increasingly competitive tours and activities market, it pays to focus on the best ways to increase your bottom line. So start hyper-focusing on these tips, whether it's fine-tuning your social media strategy or segmenting by type of year, and you'll see revenues balloon.

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Read about Dylan's Tours and how they grew their tour business into one of the largest operators in San Francisco.

Examine the industry's current and future growth, and see how your company stacks up.There's a shift in how Americans are spending their money. Mostly spurred by the proliferation of the Millennial generation, they're now prioritizing experiences rather than material items — saving up their money to go new places and take part in new activities. A large beneficiary of this changing mindset: the recreational rentals industry, whose growth is currently outpacing the average annual growth of other retail and service industries. The industry is made up primarily of businesses renting equipment for people to experience recreational activities, including kayaks, mountain bikes, skis, surfboards, scooters, Segways and even luxury cars.But coming hand-in-hand with the increasing number of people trying these activities is heightened competition, along with additional administrative tasks. While the industry has long relied on traditional pen and paper to take reservations, track equipment and update calendars, with a growing customer base and booming industry, it's time for rental business owners to consider how they can improve efficiency, streamline their services and ultimately set their businesses apart utilizing new technologies.

In this research report, you'll discover:

• How much the recreational rentals industry has grown, and what experts forecast for its future.
• What that growth looks like on a per firm basis, and whether your business is keeping pace with the industry or falling behind.
• How your firm's annual revenue and operating expenses compare with industry averages.
• How technology can improve your business processes and give you a competitive edge.

An Industry on the Upswing

By and large, Americans are becoming more interested in travel and trying new things. At the forefront of this movement are Millennials, who are almost twice as likely as non-Millennials to travel for a hobby, according to research by the Boston Consulting Group. This generation also travels “more for personal interest, food and wine, entertainment, outdoor activity and shopping than non-Millennial leisure travelers," BCG reports. But this push for new experiences spans generations. The average age of the leisure traveler (those not traveling for business) is 47, and mature travelers — those older than 55 — comprise 36% of the leisure travel population, according to the U.S. Travel Association.For this large swath of the population searching for new activities, the recreational rental business plays a key role in making these experiences come to life. And whether they're renting kayaks, sailboats or skis, their collective revenues have been growing. The industry garnered $1 billion in revenue in 2014, with those revenues increasing by 5.7% annually for the past three years. That growth has outpaced the 3.3% annual revenue growth of the broader retail services industry, and placed recreational rentals in the top 40% of all retail industries[2].The increased popularity of renting combined with the continued interest in experiences bodes well for the industry's near future. Kentley forecasts that the recreational rental industry revenue will grow by 4.9% per year for the next five years[3].Boating and Watersports Take OffWhile the industry as a whole has benefited from the uptick in rentals, there's one segment of the industry that's exploding in popularity: boating and watersports. In 2013 alone, more than 88 million people — or 37% of the population — participated in some form of recreational boating. That's near an all-time high.Additionally, the public now views marinas as recreation destinations, instead of simply places where people store their boats. And marinas have responded in kind — nearly one-third of marinas now offer boat rentals and 18% provide water-toy rentals, according to research conducted by the Association of Marina Industries.The desire to be on the water has also boosted interest in stand up paddleboards, and opened a new rental market in the process. Stand up paddling was the top fastest growing recreational sport in 2014, according to the Outdoor Foundation's most recent Outdoor Recreation Participation Report. The sport grew by 38% compared to the previous year, with more than 2.7 million participants — many of whom were likely renting their boards from a local shop. That's nearly triple the number of people who tried the sport a mere five years ago.Is Your Business Keeping Pace?The recreational rental industry is undoubtedly on the uptick. But knowing whether your business is keeping up with current and projected industry growth can help you determine whether the status quo is sufficient for business growth — or if you need to make changes to remain competitive.According to the Kentley research, the average annual revenue per recreational rentals firm was $500,000 last year. The firms surveyed experienced an annual revenue growth rate of 2.9% over the past three years[4].But while most businesses were seeing their revenue rise, whether they were actually profitable is a different story. Just 51% of recreational rental firms are in the black, with their average net income representing about 10% of their revenue. The picture may be better for the marinas, according to a survey by the Association of Marina Industries and Dock Age magazine. Of the more than 250 marinas surveyed, 69% reported that they expected to be profitable.For the rental industry overall, operating expenses have grown by 4.8% per year for the past three years — notably outpacing revenue[5]. Operating costs per firm averaged about $387,000 annually in 2015.So what do rental companies spend their money on? Depreciation and amortization charges for equipment tops the list, followed closely by employee payroll. Combined, those two cost centers account for 70% of total average expenses. Property costs accounts for 6.2% of expenses and IT accounts for just 1.1%[6]For most rental companies, great employees can make or break the business — which is often reflected in their pay. In 2014, the average employee earned nearly $30,000 annually, with an annual increase of 3.8% over the past three years. That wage puts the recreational rentals in the top 20% of service industries when it comes to employee earnings[7].One thing that may explain why only about half the firms are profitable: their focus on growth. Companies are putting their revenue toward providing new services or opening new locations. For instance, in 2014 the number of firms grew by 2.8%. Forecasts for the next five years reveal that growth, on average, should remain just under 3% annually[8]. Additionally, the number of rental establishments — which includes multiple locations owned by the same company — also grew by 3%. This figure should continue to increase by 2.3% annually over the next five years[9].

Technology Offers a Competitive Edge

Today, rental businesses faces ever-increasing competition as existing firms expand and new ones enter the market. And with only half these firms earning profits and operating expenses continuing to rise, many business owners are likely asking how they can get to cash-flow positive faster. Investing in online booking technology may be part of the answer.Online booking has taken the travel and tourism industry by storm over the past few years. For example, global traveling booking has grown at 4.3% annually since 2011, while online bookings have increased by an average of 10% each year, according to research by Phocuswright. And though bookings via desktop still dominate, mobile bookings are quickly gaining ground, accounting for 11% of all U.S. online travel bookings last year.So if you're not yet offering online booking, you're likely missing out on a significant number of quality customers who prefer using the Internet to arrange their equipment rentals. Indeed, many rental business operators report that online booking software not only helps their business grow, but also streamlines their operations.

The benefits of moving your booking online include:

• The ability to maximize your reservations. When you rely on staff to make reservations over the phone, you're limited to bookings only when your employees are available to answer the call or handle a walk-in customer. Online reservation systems allow customers to make reservations around the clock. Additionally, if one of them cancels, another customer can immediately fill that spot — ensuring that your equipment isn't sitting unused because of a no-show.
• An opportunity to maintain or reduce payroll expenses. For most firms, one of the biggest cost centers is payroll. An online reservation management system can help you maintain or reduce the staff you have working reservations, even as you grow, by allowing your customers to reserve online instead of over the phone.
• Improved inventory management. For many merchants, keeping track of what's rented and what is available is a challenge. Online management tools allow you to track all your inventory in one place so there is a single source resource for that information.
• Faster payments. With online booking software, customers typically prepay for their rentals. You don't have to wait for payment, and you have greater insight into your business' pending revenue. That way you can activate deals to fill gaps or reduce staff to cut expenses.
• Easier up-sells. Give your revenue an effortless boost by offering up-sells and add-ons to your rentals — such as dry sacks and wetsuits for a kayaking trip or meal packages for long excursions — as your customers are making their reservations online. Customers will get a fuller picture of your offerings and be able to take advantage of any current deals or packages. And the power of so-called ancillary revenue to boost business in rentals and other related travel is impressive: In the airline and cruise industries, for instance, it can account for 30% or more of a company's revenue.
• Improved time management. Online reservations allow you to check your business' booking and availability in real-time, from any device or location. It enables rental businesses to better allocate their staff, and devote employee time to improving the customer experience

Personalization and customization—two buzzwords in the travel industry and among the top travel trends.Today's travelers are not only seeking out unique experiences but also want their options delivered to them in a certain way. Whether this involves receiving updates about the latest tour packages via email or keeping up-to-date with your company on social media, customer behavior is shifting with a demand for a more personalized approach. Cookie-cutter communications, such as a standard email newsletter that is sent to everybody that signs up, or maintaining a website with basic list of tours and activities, are no longer enough to attract and retain customers.Today's successful travel companies need to take extra steps to engage and reach these customers in new and creative ways. Here's a closer look at how your tour and activity company can drive business with personalization and customization.

Customizing Email Distribution

According to the “At the Big Data Crossroads" study by Amadeus, four out of 10 travelers are willing to share data in the interest of personalization. The information they're willing to share could be anything from their categories of interest, how much they spend (on average) on vacation, and how often they plan to visit a certain destination in the upcoming year.You can customize your email correspondence to cater to these travelers by segmenting your lists to target different groups. For example, a subscriber who shares they are planning a trip within the next six months and enjoys outdoor adventures might receive a series of emails every few weeks showcasing your outdoor adventure packages. For a subscriber who shares that they plan family getaways regularly and seek out deals and special offers, send a customized email every few weeks or every month with an offer targeted to the whole family.If you have a subscriber base of less than 500 people, you could have a staff member send these emails manually and set up categories for your list—family travelers, planning to book within 6 months, single travelers, etc—so that you are sending a certain type of email to a certain type of subscriber. For larger lists, consider using a third-party email management program, such as OmnistarMailer or Benchmark, that allows you to segment lists automatically using certain criteria.At the very minimum, you can and should divide your list into prospects and existing customers so that you are sending different types of emails to each group. Prospects would receive general marketing emails promoting your tours and activities, and perhaps an introductory offer on a certain tour or activity. Existing customers might receive emails that provide information about upcoming events in the area, customer appreciation events and invitations, and return visitor discounts.Use an online booking software program, such as Peek Pro, with a built-in email customization tool. This tool allows you to set up templates for different types of customers so that you can segment your list directly from the customer database. As each customer signs up or provides personal information as they go through the checkout process, their contact information and details are stored in the database. Business owners and certain staff members can retrieve this data to learn more about your customer base and create targeted lists for email newsletters and email marketing sends.

Strengthening Social Media Relationships

This infographic about the impact of social media within the hospitality industry reveals that 48 percent of those who used social media to research travel plans stuck with their original plans and that 55 percent have liked a Facebook page specific to a vacation. These statistics tell us that almost half of all travelers are very active on social media—especially during the planning stages. This opens up several opportunities for tour and activity operators that want to stay at the forefront of these trip planners' minds during the critical trip planning process.If a prospective customer has never visited your site before, they may be able to find you in another way: social media. Consider how many prospective customers are searching for interesting photos on Instagram with the hashtag #travel, #yourcity, or something you offer (e.g. #kayak, #hiking, etc). Or, Facebook users who see a post of a friend sharing a photo of themselves on a tour you offer with your Facebook page tagged in the post.Anybody who sees these posts may be clicking back to your Instagram feed or Facebook page to get learn more about what you have to offer. Some may even start following you on social media just to receive more updates, which may translate to a booking if the follower's interest level is high enough. Interacting with these prospects—even though they have not become a customer yet—can make them more comfortable with your company and personalizes the entire customer service experience from the very beginning.Focusing on strengthening social media relationships, whether you are active on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or multiple social networks, could help you stay in touch with prospective customers right at the time they are planning to book a trip. You could run social media contests to show up in your fans' and followers news feed with exciting news and to generate buzz about your company and offerings. You could also respond positively to customers who tag you in a post or share something on social media related to your location or venue. You could maintain a regular Facebook posting schedule so that your audience can learn more about you and even share something of interest with their entire social network. (We shared some best Facebook marketing practices here.)

Focusing on strengthening social media relationships could help you build relationships with prospective customers

Finding different ways to engage with these customers publicly helps you maintain a positive image in the public eye and may even generate some bookings when a traveler is in the mindset of making a reservation.

Boosting Revenue with Ancillary Sales

Any sales made outside of direct reservation bookings are ancillary revenue for tour and activity operators. Add-ons, such as souvenirs, equipment and gear purchases, or gift cards, are a few examples of ancillary sales. You can boost revenue per customer by giving your customers more options to make their booking unique—offering add-ons, such as a gift card to an area restaurant, souvenir purchases, or equipment to purchase instead of renting for the tour, can give the customer a chance to customize their visit at their leisure.Charles River Canoe & Kayak, a company that offers kayak rentals and paddling classes, does exactly that with custom outing services. The company offers customized group tours where the customer can choose from a set of guided trips or head out on their own, order catering, or hire an expert instructor to teach for a portion of the trip.Capital Cruises offers a unique experience with its bat-watching tours with the option to enhance the experience with live music, children's entertainment, or murder mystery and entertainers for groups. These add-on options give customers more opportunities to enjoy the general public tour in a new way.Use an online booking program, such as Peek Pro, to configure add-ons on your checkout page. The software program is set up with easy drop-down menus for you to select different add-ons for certain tours and activities. Just make your selections and these add-ons will appear on the customer's checkout page.

Providing Curated Experiences

The experts at Tnooz point out how curated experiences and the chance to "live like a local" are some of the emerging trends in travel. Travel companies that can provide customers with a completely customized itinerary, the chance to learn something new, or expand the visitor's horizons in some way may be able to appeal to this growing market.Bespoke concierge companies, like NINE, which cater to the luxury travel market, are thriving with a business plan based on this concept. Busy customers who simply don't have the time or knowledge to create an itinerary leave the task in the hands of NINE concierge service staff members to provide insider information about the area and ticket details for various experiences based on the customer's personal preferences.Even though your tour and activity operator isn't serving as a travel agent or concierge, they can serve as an adviser by recommending complementary tours and activities, providing recommendations on where to eat before and after the experience, and tips on how to prepare for the experience. The idea is to connect with each and every guest in a way that makes them feel as though the entire visit was orchestrated and organized for them.From taking the time to strengthen social media relationships to providing a curated experience, tour and activity operators have several options for personalizing and customizing the customer service experience. Use these tips to develop your revenue generation and marketing strategy for the upcoming season.

So your tour and activity business is thriving. You have multiple locations up and running, a recognizable brand in various markets, and a competent team set up to keep things ticking along at a steady pace. But as executives, there's never a time to rest on your well-earned laurels. There's always something—whether it's smoothing over divots in operations, tinkering your marketing strategy, or brushing up on new demands and trends in your industry—to help both attract more customers to grow your revenues and to improve your reputation.Whether you oversee kayaking tours at multiple locations, offer sailing tours to the luxury market, or coordinate several themed adventure tours at popular vacation destinations, here are 10 ways travel executives can grow their tour and activity business in any season.

1. Position yourself as an authority in your industry.

Sharing your business knowledge and setting yourself apart from the competition as a leader in the industry can help you increase visibility to potential customers. This might take the form of speaking about the state of travel marketing at a conference or by crafting and sharing blog posts on LinkedIn.Anybody who searches for the CEO's name or does some basic online research about your company will find a variety of blog posts or media, such as video clips, podcasts, or even self-published books, that demonstrate credibility and trustworthiness. This can be a valuable asset to any CEO looking to expand their reach and build a strong online presence. Customers conducting an online search for the CEO's name are likely to form an opinion based on what they see on the first page of Google search results, and that first page gets 79 percent of all clicks. (We shared several tips on how to develop a stronger online presence in this blog post: How Tour and Activity CEOs Can Be a Trusted Expert in the Industry.)

2. Stay relevant by offering tours aligned with travel trends.

Catering to the needs of today's travelers involve staying abreast of the latest travel trends and travel booking behavior. For example, recent research from Bing reveals how millennial and Baby Boomers are prime markets for experiential and adventure travel. The latest statistics reveal 62 percent of millennials plan shorter trips (five days or fewer), which means many will be interested in single-day or weekend experiences. According to AARP's Travel Research: 2015 Boomer Travel Trends, Boomers and mature travelers are expected to spend $120 billion on leisure travel and 57 percent are doing so to “get away from normal, everyday life."You can cater to both of these markets by focusing on the experiences you offer and promoting the value of adventurous getaways. To do this effectively, consider modifying your offerings and marketing strategies to communicate the concept of unique—even customizable—experiences. Whether this takes the form of creating and promoting seasonal getaway packages or customized itineraries for single-day visits, the idea is to make your tour or activity an attractive "bucket list" activity for guests with a strong focus on the experience.

3. Expand your marketing reach.

Don't limit your marketing efforts to target customers that are interested in booking a summer vacation or planning an itinerary for the holidays. Some travelers who are already near your property for other reasons—a family reunion, a wedding that demands an extended stay, or even a sightseeing tour of the area—may be seeking out local deals and activities to enhance their trip.According to a report from Expedia Media Solutions and comScore, mobile bookings account for more than 70 percent of all travel booked, and more than 40 percent of family and luxury travelers turn to their smartphones when searching for last-minute activities during their trip. This means that you can not only market to a traveler during the trip-planning stage, but also tailor your marketing efforts to those who are already at your location.Have your marketing team come up with creative ideas to position yourself in front of these travelers. This could take the form of local marketing campaigns, connecting with local travel companies that may be able to cross-promote your offerings, or even Facebook advertising and pay-per-click advertising campaigns.

4. Use booking software data and statistics to your advantage.

Statistic Brain reveals more than 57 percent of all travel reservations,including those for tours and activities, are made using the Internet. Another 54 percent of travelers surveyed by Carlson Wagonlit Travel reported that booking online is faster than contacting a travel counselor directly, and 46 percent say booking online is simpler. If you're accommodating for these tech-savvy travelers by offering online booking options through your website, mobile site, and even on your Facebook page, use their data for future marketing campaigns.For example, if you find that you get an influx of Facebook activity or mobile bookings right around Christmas and New Year's when people are looking for last-minute gift ideas, you may want to promote gift cards and winter getaway packages leading up to prime shopping season. You can also monitor booking trends using the backend of your software program to determine when your peak and slow booking seasons are—and engineer your marketing campaigns around those times to maximize bookings.

5. Create or maintain a customer retention strategy.

In this blog post about ways to grow your business quickly, Siimon Reynolds, a mentor to business leaders around the world, explains that one of the three main areas of business a CEO should focus on is how to get customers to purchase again. If you want to keep your reservations calendars full every season, don't overlook the value of marketing to past customers to encourage them to come back for another experience.Tap into the database to determine whether the visitor is a return customer, a new customer, and if they have noted that they are celebrating a special occasion or are interested in learning something new by signing up for an introductory class or similar. Encourage staff members to pay attention to these details so they can greet these customers using this knowledge—a birthday greeting upon arrival, asking about the customer's last visit and what they are looking forward to this time, or a complimentary souvenir for those signing up for a class are a few personal touches that can set your company apart from the rest.You could also use customer data for your email marketing campaigns. Segment your email list by number of visits, age group, or special interests so you can send custom campaigns that encourage the customer to come back. You could reach out to these customers at least once a month to stay in touch, extend a return customer discount, or announce a special offer or last-minute booking special to generate repeat business.

6. Set yourself apart by offering personalized experiences with a personal touch.

An interview with American Express Travel for Travel Market Report reveals more than two-thirds of travel agents surveyed spend the majority of their time creating customized itineraries for travelers that are more than willing to splurge on travel enhancements, such as on-trip activities. Consumers are looking for more personalized tours where they can enjoy a unique experience and are willing to pay for "bragging rights"— experiences that nobody else or very few fellow travelers have had.Your company can capitalize on these trends by offering special, themed experiences or customization options where the traveler can create their own multi-activity itinerary, take advantage of add-ons such as workshops or classes, and enjoy a more intimate experience with tour guides and fellow travelers.

7. Run website checks regularly to cater to a cross-device world.

If the booking process is compromised because of slow load web page load times or you have a site that is difficult to navigate, you may lose customers without having the chance to introduce yourself.Consider that your typical traveler isn't only jumping on the web via their desktop computer to research options anymore—many travelers now use their mobile devices, such as a smartphone or iPad, to plan and research their trips. eMarketer reveals six in 10 leisure travelers turn to search engines and book travel across multiple devices these days. Making sure your guests can access a mobile-ready version of your site and even book their reservation using their smartphone or mobile device can keep you one step ahead of your competition.Testing your site across multiple devices and making sure both your desktop version and mobile version are easy to navigate on all browsers is an important step—especially if you have recently updated your site with new content images, video, or other media. Make sure your web development team and other team members are running tests regularly and reporting any site issues that may be compromising the booking process.

8. Take advantage of paid search advertising opportunities.

Showing up on the top search results is more important than ever since most customers now turn to the web to research options. Search Engine Watch reports on recent studies that indicate 67 percent of the buyer's journey is now done over the web. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising means your ads will run on major search engine results pages and you can fine-tune your efforts to target a certain demographic.Your online marketing team and online advertising manager should be able to provide reports on keyword data that is bringing traffic to your site and information on PPC advertising options that will perform best based on your goals. Take the time to schedule meetings with this department to determine which ads need to run at any given time, how much of your budget to allocate to paid search, and monitor performance regularly to ensure your ads are getting the clicks you need.

9. Maintain a positive brand reputation online.

What does your company look like to someone who has never visited your website before or knows nothing about you? More than two-thirds of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, which means any indications of unhappy customers can damage your reputation.Make sure you have a team or a manager in charge of monitoring your online brand reputation so that appropriate parties can take action immediately. The goal is to quell any negative comments and address low ratings at the earliest opportunity. You can also make sure your company stands apart from the rest by promoting any positive feedback your receive and taking steps to rectify the situation when a customer is unhappy. (We shared some tips on how to handle negative reviews online here.)

10. Boost marketing and advertising efforts in the right seasons.

You probably already have a clear understanding of your travel market's peak and off-peak travel seasons. Consider that many travelers are more likely to book travel a few months before peak season since they are in "buying" or "research" mode. WordStream reports that December through January are the prime months for winter travel and June through August are prime months for summer travel. This means your marketing strategies to target winter and summer travelers may need to be developed and executed at least two to three months before prime travel season. You could create seasonal specials or promote your company and offerings more aggressively during these months to capture the market right around seasonal peaks.From reaching out to certain travelers with targeted marketing campaigns to maintaining a positive brand reputation online, there are several ways CEOs of tour and activity companies can generate more revenue and improve business operations overall. Use these tips and strategies to boost revenue and build your business steadily throughout the year.