Most travelers aren’t ready to book when they first come across you. They’re somewhere on a road, and that road has three stops. This article is the written version of the video above: what each stop looks like, what your future client is thinking there, and the marketing that meets them at each one.
It starts with a knee
Say you’re out for a run and you hurt your knee. Right away you know something’s wrong. That’s being problem aware.
So you look at your options. Maybe it’s physical therapy, maybe it’s surgery, maybe you stretch at home and hope for the best. You do some reading, you talk to a friend, and you decide physical therapy is the way to go. Now you’re solution aware.
You’re still not done. You have to pick which physical therapist. You read the reviews, you ask around, you look at who seems to know what they’re doing. Now you’re product aware, and then, and only then, do you book the appointment.
Your future travel clients go through the same journey before they ever book a trip with you.
The road from stranger to client
Picture a road. On one end is a traveler who has never heard of you. On the other end is you, the advisor. Between you are three stops: problem aware, solution aware and product aware.
A lead who walks this road one step at a time, with you showing up along the way, is what we call a nurtured lead. Let’s walk it with one couple.
Stop 1: Problem aware
A couple wants to go to Ireland for their 25th anniversary. They’re excited, but they’ve never planned a trip like this. They don’t know where to start, which part of the country to see, how to get around, or what it will cost.
That’s problem aware. They don’t know about you, and they’re not looking for an advisor. They just know this trip feels big and they don’t want to mess it up.
What meets them here: organic social
This is where organic social media shines: Reels, TikToks, YouTube Shorts and Facebook posts that speak straight to the problem. Things like:
- The three mistakes people make planning Ireland
- What a trip to Italy actually costs
You’re not selling here. You’re being the person who understands their problem, and you’re showing up consistently, so yours is the face they remember.
Stop 2: Solution aware
At the second stop, our couple looks at their options, just like the knee. They could plan it themselves, use a booking site, or call a tour company directly.
Here’s the thing: a lot of travelers don’t even know travel advisors still exist. They think we went away with the internet. Then one day they’re scrolling, a video stops them, and for the first time they think, “Wait, can someone actually plan this trip for me?”
That’s solution aware. They’ve decided that working with an advisor might be the right way to plan this trip.
What meets them here: long-form content and email
This is where longer content does the heavier lifting: a YouTube video, a blog post or a podcast episode that shows what an advisor actually does. The perks they’d never get on their own. Who picks up the phone when a flight gets cancelled.
It’s also where email comes in. When someone downloads a guide from you (a packing list, a planning checklist, whatever it is), you get a conversation going in their inbox, on your schedule instead of the algorithm’s.
Stop 3: Product aware
Now they know they want an advisor, but which one? It’s the same moment as picking the physical therapist, and this is where trust wins.
What meets them here: trust, community, ads and mail
- Testimonials, and photos from real clients on real trips
- A community, like a Facebook group, where they can watch you help other people
- Ads that follow up with people who already watched your videos or opened your emails. Not cold ads to strangers, but a friendly reminder that you’re still here
- Mail: a postcard or a handwritten note stands out, because almost nobody sends them anymore
That’s product aware. They’ve picked you. And when they book that call, it’s a completely different conversation. You’re not convincing a stranger; you’re helping someone who already trusts you.
The road isn’t straight
To be honest with you, the road doesn’t always look this neat. Some people walk it in a week. Some take two years. Some go forward, step back and come forward again. Some skip straight to the end because a friend sent them your way.
At any given moment, you have people standing at every stop. That’s why one channel is never enough:
- Organic social meets them at the problem
- Long-form content and email show them the solution
- Trust, community, ads and mail help them pick you
“Your job isn’t to drag anyone down the road. It’s to keep showing up at every stop, so whenever they’re ready, you’re the one they call.”
Recap
- 1Problem aware: they know they have a trip they don’t want to mess up.
- 2Solution aware: they’ve decided an advisor might be the answer.
- 3Product aware: they’ve decided that advisor is you.
This is just the map. Each of these stops deserves a deep dive of its own, and we’ll be covering every one of them on our YouTube channel.
Will Lee
Co-founder & Marketing Strategist
Will builds the systems he writes about, then teaches them inside The Travel Agents Academy. Every play here was run on a real agency first.
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