Agent Snapshot Tips
Important – Complete this workbook BEFORE starting
to create your Agent Snapshot page.
Creating your very own Agent Snapshot page is a great way to introduce your capabilities to the world in
a professional manner. You can customize your Agent Snapshot profile to communicate your unique value
proposition, including:
• Your Photograph
• Biography
• Specialties
• Links to Your Social Media Sites
• How to Contact You
As the adage goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. It is vital to take some time to
strategize about how you would like to present yourself before diving into creating your profile. Think about
what your goals are, and what kinds of consumers you would like to do business with. Let this workbook be
your guide.
You never get a SECOND CHANCE
Two make a FIRST IMPRESSION.
Step 1: Brainstorm
Before you start writing or updating your profile, jot down answers to the following …
Who are your target audiences?
Obviously it includes travelers in your geographic area, but dig deeper. Is it young families seeking
budget-friendly all-inclusive resorts? Retired couples going on luxury world cruises? Honeymooners
heading to New Zealand or looking for adventure travel?
Who are the specific types of clients you love working with? List up to 5 audiences.
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What makes you unique?
Imagine you are on the phone with a potential client who is deciding between you and 3 other agents who
serve the same geographic area, or who specialize in the same destination or travel interest. She asks, “Why
should I work with you instead of these other agents?”
What do you tell her? List up to 5 differentiators.
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Step 2: Write your title and bio
Write your website display title.
Titles matter because they determine whether a person continues to read an online listing, or skips and
moves on. You want to make sure your choice of title resonates with your target audience, so they are more
likely to contact you.
Look back at your audience lists from Step 1. Pick one or two that are most important for your business, and
write a headline that captures your specialty in 5 words or less. Be specific.
Note: the top of your profile will automatically include your name along with your city and state. So you
should not include this information in your headline.
Bad titles:
“Travel Agent”
“Travel Specialist”
“Jane Smith”
“Nashville Travel Agent”
“I’ll help you book the perfect vacation”
Good titles:
“Luxury River Cruise Specialist”
“Honeymoon & Adventure Travel Expert”
“Certified Peru Travel Advisor”
“Africa Safari Consultant for 25 Years”
“Mexico, Caribbean & Jamaica Specialist”
Write your full bio.
People on the web are in a hurry and rarely read pages word-for-word. If your bio is full of marketing fluff or
clichés, people will head for the Back button. Follow these best practices to make your page engaging.
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Keep your audiences in mind. Refer back to your audience lists and make sure your bio mentions
them and speaks to them.
Be personal. Remember to express what inspires you, and what you love about travel!
Write like a human. Imagine you’re telling your story to a client face to face. Avoid industry jargon
or big words.
Keep paragraphs short. No more than 3 sentences per paragraph.
Include numbers and facts. Certifications. Awards. Years of experience. Number of countries
you’ve visited. Number of clients you’ve sent to Mexico. People like facts, especially facts with
numbers. For scannability, be sure to write numbers as digits, not spelled out (27, not twenty-seven).
Capture what makes you unique. Look back at your differentiators list from Step 1 and integrate some
of those into your bio. Turn these into facts where possible.
Cut the fluff. After you’ve written your bio, read it over and remove anything that’s redundant
or unnecessary. Focus on content that’s truly useful to audiences trying to determine if you’re a good fit for them. Having trouble cutting? Show your bio to colleagues and clients and ask them to tell which
parts you can eliminate.
Avoid typos. Nothing hurts credibility faster than typos. Utilize the spell check function built into
Agent Snapshot.
Let someone review it. Don’t be afraid to have a co-worker, friend or family member review your bio.
Sometimes a second set of eyes can bring a fresh perspective.
Additional bio ideas
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Write about a recent trip. Just returned from a destination or currently planning a trip for yourself? Share this in the additional bio area. Potential clients are interested in what you’ve experienced. Again,
imagine you’re telling the story to a client face-to-face.
Include testimonials. Have clients provided you with positive feedback in the past? Get their permission
to include their quotes in your bio, along with their name and city. (Ask to use first name and last initial
if they are concerned about privacy.) Testimonials are an excellent trust builder.
Share an amazing trip you planned. What is the most detailed, extravagant or unique trip you’ve ever
planned for a client? Describe this to show that you stop short of nothing to ensure your clients have
the experience of a lifetime.
Step 3: Fill in the rest
Now that you’ve gotten the most difficult part out of the way, you can complete the remainder of your
expert bio page to make your profile online eligible. The following must be provided:
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Profile image
Website display title
Bio teaser
Full bio
At least one: featured specialty
At least one: featured destination
Carefully select Destinations, Special Interests and Partners
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Chose specialties and destinations where you truly can stand out – find your niche. Your
specialties and destinations should support what you’ve already written in your bio.
Make sure to select the preferred partners that you know best.
Don’t hesitate to adjust your destinations, specialties and partners seasonally to take into account
the desires of your target clients.
Highlight your accomplishments!
Take the certifications and awards you mentioned on your full bio and call them out again in the
Certifications and Awards section.
As always, never assume the consumer is well versed on travel industry jargon – they’re not. Avoid acronyms
and abbreviations whenever possible.
Review your profile on Vacation.com
Once your profile has been approved to display online, review it one more time. Keep an eye out for any
formatting issues. Remember, we only get one chance to make a first impression. Make it a great one!
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