However, the only agents to be discouraged are those that are not creative enough and who view competition as a bad thing. But to the savvy travel agents like you, all it requires is a little realignment and polishing up the branding strategy to gain a competitive edge, despite all the lunacy taking place in the industry. Presented here are killer tips for travel agents to revamp their branding so that they can get the most despite the current competitive nature of the industry.

Take one more look at your website

It is unfathomable to think that there could be a travel agent operating at this time and age without a website. For those who have website, the first tip towards enhancing your travel agent branding is to take a keen look at the website and discover what is working and what needs to be changed. Check if the information presented in the website is up to date and reflects on the nature of your agency. For instance, if your niche is targeting older clients, are your products and services suited for this particular group of people? While tweaking the website for better performance, remember to have the following in mind-:

• Make it responsive – this is to take advantage of the humongous number of mobile traffic, since there are many people accessing the internet using mobile devices than those using desktop devices.
• Simplify the design – Use a simple design which makes it easy for the users to find the information they are looking for.
• Test the site – use various website testing tools to check how effective your website it. Track to get an understanding of how your visitors behave and also test the loading speeds to ensure that you don’t get high bounce back rates due to low speeds.
• Update regularly – maintain a regular supply of fresh content on the website. It is out of such updates that the site visitors will be eager to visit back more in the hope of getting new information.

Take advantage of the social media

Most people trust the recommendations they get from friends and family and this is why the social media is a powerful low cost tool for marketing travel agencies. The number of social media platforms that can be used by travel agencies keeps on increasing and it is imperative for every agency to build a strong network of followers on the relevant platforms.

Sites like Facebook remain the preferred social media platform for travel agents and tour guides. With proper Facebook marketing, it is possible to grow a formidable number of followers, out of which you can get leads for your travel agency. Additionally, Facebook has powerful inbuilt features including Graph Search and Audience Insights which are powerful should you decide to venture into paid advertising for your agency. Learn how to market effectively on Facebook and take its full advantages of spurring your agency to the next level of growth.

Build your database with email marketing

A large and responsive email database is one of the most valuable marketing assets a travel agency will ever have. Put in place strategies to continue growing your email lists while you encourage the current lists to subscribe for different newsletters you have for them. In this manner, you will manage to segment your list so that your campaigns become more targeted and effective. Also be sure to have an opt-in page in your websites where you encourage people to sign to help you continue growing your email list. Additionally, you must have an active newsletter going out at to your lists at different intervals. This is how to create value and make the subscribers eager to hear from you and also to try out the offers you recommend for them.

Work together with travel aggregators

Each year, millions of travelers book their accommodations, flights, and meet their other travel needs through aggregator websites such as SKyScanner or Kayak. Despite the fact that the aggregators will charge some fee to include your business in their websites, you will benefit immensely from the huge volume of targeted traffic that the sites usually have. Besides, the travel aggregator websites dominate the search engines and by partnering with them, you also make it easier to get a chunk of the search traffic. Add your travel agency to the relevant leading aggregators in your industry and start reaping their benefits.

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In only a few years, Google has managed to achieve a lot in branding, something that would normally take other companies decades of work with millions of dollars worth of resources. Their colorful logo is now a staple of the online experience that’s enjoyed by millions across the globe. But behind the beautiful logo that’s now the trademark and benchmark for online search experience, there is a rich history. It has undergone lots of transformations though the concept has never moved away from the typeface logo we see today. Here is a brief explanation detailing how Google came to have their current logo.

The story begins in 1996 at Stanford University where one of the co-founders, Larry Page was fledgling a research project code-names “Back Rub”. The project was later renamed Google, following a misspelled version of the word Googol. The idea was to demonstrate that Google had far much processing powers than any other search engine during that time.

The first Google Logo was designed by Sergey Brin, a co-founder in 1998 using the Gimp Software. This marked the beginning of the several iterations that were to follow under the supervision of Ruth Kendar, a professional designer hired by Google to oversee the development of a logo that would connect with their audiences and also match their marketing needs.

By 1999, Google’s success was already dwarfing the competition, and the Google logo was becoming more and more popular. It was at this point that the company brought in Ruth Kendar, a professional designer to continue with evolving the brand. Back then, Kendar had no idea how big the company would be, but she was happy to take up on the task and continue with the evolution of the brand.

Kendar’s first attempt at redesigning the Google logo was done with the Adobe Garamond as the typeface. Kendar’s idea with this first attempt was not to meddle up with the text since it would have interfered with the eligibility of the logo. She simply added her whimsy using two-dimensional O’s and primary colors. She then used a small pattern to join the Os together as a symbol of infinite connection. This design was liked by Brin and Page.

The second attempt by Kendar on the Google Logo saw her focus her attention mainly on the Os in the middle of Google. She introduced a further hint on the infinite pattern as well as a target to symbolize the search engine’s accuracy in helping people find what they are looking for on the internet. Her reason for doing was that the founders wanted to pass a message to the competing search engines that Google was a reliable search provider, and most importantly, it had an algorithmic complexity but an easy to use application.

The next redesign of the Google logo saw a modification of the layout and the typeface. The designer decided to use overlapping circles and ITC Leawood and joined them with a cross hair to show that the business was intertwined and had a global presence. But Kendar thought that her new design was more like an Olympics logo and not that of a leading search engine. This made her thinking on how to change the logo to remain within the context of the business.

In the later version, Kendar came across Catull, the typeface that is now synonymous to the Google logo. This typeface gave the logo more corporate looks while at the same time appearing to be slightly playful in the sizing of the letters. Though this was a step towards the right the direction, the overall design appeared to be busy, and it was difficult to mark out the final meaning from the Google logo.

With the feedback from the previous design, which featured a magnifying glass and a crosshair Kendar simplified the redesign, eliminating the crosshair but keeping the magnifying glass and adding on it a smile – to reflect on the great user experience of the now world’s largest search engine.

Slowly, Kendar realized that she was on her way back to her very initial iteration, and once again reverted to the Leawood font. She introduced a touch of dimension as well as some shading to the top of the Google logo. The reason for this was to make the Google logo appear to be floating on top of the white layout. At this point, Kendar was advised to try more simplified approaches that will make the Google logo simpler while retaining its corporate look.

Finally, Kendar got the design right after playing around with the colors and never deviating from the typeface. She ended up using primary colors, but rather than having the colors go in order, she used a secondary color on L, to illustrate the idea that Google doesn’t have to follow the rules at all times. That is the current logo you see each time you use the giant search engine.

The Google logo has stood the test of time and is now an iconic mark that has helped the company realize the immense success they have had in the past few years.
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