Member Article

New tech for global travel brand on growth journey

Renowned B2B tourism brand Online Travel Training (OTT) has invested in new marketing automation technology to fuel greater client engagement and acquisition.

The partnership with UK-built and managed Force24 will support OTT’s future growth strategy, at a time when over half of the target base plans to spend more on learning and development in 2018. The GDPR-compliant solution will also ensure adherence to the new data protection overhaul.

Although no stranger to using martech, OTT was seeking a more partnership-led approach to automation including the provision of greater account management support. It was therefore hoped that the decision to switch would enable more powerful conversations with the organisation’s 150,000 global contacts.

To avoid any communications downtime, the new technology was set up – including the creation of welcome, course abandonment and course completion journeys – before OTT stopped using its old system. The data migration phase is now also complete.

“The move to new technology definitely mirrors our more intuitive approach to quality over quantity communications,” explains OTT’s product and marketing director Louise Honan.

“And we see Force24 as an integral part of our end-to-end solution for travel partners. “We’re sending less emails, but with greater relevance – a data-driven strategy which will reduce costs whilst boosting engagement and conversion. We’re safeguarding our members (travel agents) as a result, by using their information responsibly. This savvier strategy will ensure we deliver a more effective, compliant service to our partners too.”

OTT is the leading product training and marketing platform for the travel industry. The brand’s digital presence is also used as a marketing platform that allows industry suppliers to ‘reach and teach’ via their own content management system.

“We’re renowned throughout the world of B2B travel, but as with most businesses, there is still more that we can do,” adds Louise. “We’re going to be tracking user engagement better, analysing more behavioural data and using this insight to enhance the experience for both our audiences. I see this transition being a key part of our best practice journey.”

A re-engagement programme – now underway for seemingly inactive contacts – is the first of many new campaigns that OTT is set to embark on. A new client acquisition strategy is also in the pipeline.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Katie Mallinson .