By Madigan Pratt

Travel marketing has never been more difficult than it is today. And don't expect relief in the near future as new technologies and increasingly complex distribution channels continue to expand at dizzying speeds. Along with this complexity comes the ever shrinking budget - or at least that seems to be the case.

A harsh reality has overtaken travel marketing and the establishment of proven return on investment for each component of the marketing plan is upon us. Proven ROI has lead to significant increases in the use of direct marketing and promotion in recent years. Sophisticated database driven marketing and sales oriented web sites are replacing the static, "brochure" sites of yesterday.

In an effort to stay competitive travel marketers are also redefining their customers and developing more effective ways to satisfy them. There is a relentless demand to balance the quest for new customers, retain existing ones, meet sales goals and thwart competitive advances.

Through the 1980's and 1990's the mentality of travel marketing moved from focussing on "selling the product" to "satisfying the customer." Early approaches to emphasizing "customer satisfaction" resulted in increased focus on the ultimate end user of the travel product or service. While this was a significant improvement over the "selling the product" approach, more successful marketers realized it was not enough.

They understood that there are many invaluable customers along the way that play an integral part in bringing their product to market. It was the marketer's ability to reach out to and satisfy all these customers that helped define success.

An earlier article discussed the importance of communicating effectively to your own staff and making sure they understand your mission and share your values. Getting your internal customers clearly focused on both the objectives and strategies of your organization will result in higher productivity.

The bottom line is that individuals have a choice as to not only whom they will work for, but also just how hard they will work. This is especially true in today's tight labor market! So getting your internal customers organized, satisfied and having them choose to extend themselves on the company's behalf has never been more important.

Today the absolute numbers of travel products and services vying for the ultimate consumer's attention and wallet are mind-boggling! And along the way between supplier and consumer is a multitude of intermediaries who are somehow touching and hopefully adding value in the process - travel agents, wholesalers, third party sales forces. And while all these intermediaries are interested in generating a profit and growing, just like your own staff, they also have the power of choice. Not only do they have a choice of which products they wish to sell, they also have a choice of just how much effort they want to put into selling them.

For example, the growing emphasis on consortia is providing travel agents with financial incentives to sell particular products. And while money is certainly an important part of the equation, it is not the only thing. Unless you are the least-cost-supplier in your category, relying too heavily on price-based selling will result in ever decreasing profits.

The more successful marketers are taking a broader view of intermediaries as customers. And just as they deal with the ultimate end user, these marketers understand that if money was the only thing, then everything would be sold simply on price - which it is not.

They know that to be successful in motivating intermediaries to choose to sell their product over a competitor's they have to provide those intermediaries (customers) with a greater level of overall satisfaction then competition does.

These marketers are concerned about creating and measuring intermediary customer satisfaction gained though promoting and selling their products. That satisfaction is gained through more than just monetary reward. It includes the psychological benefit of dealing with a reputable company where problems are resolved quickly, payment is received promptly, information and research is shared widely, educational and professional opportunities are provided and recognition is given for a job well done.

Travel marketing has indeed become more complex and bottom line oriented. Still, unless you are working for a short-term, profit-oriented company dominated by bean counters at the top, when developing your marketing plans you do have to go beyond ROI. (Might I remind you that you do have a choice as to who you want to work for?)

You should take a closer look at the level of satisfaction you are providing to all your customers - not just those who ultimately consume or experience your product. And as you do, remember that everyone along the way does have the freedom to choose to do business with you or your competitor next door.