"Email automation" sounds like one of those things you should be doing—right after you fix the van, update your pricing, and find one more guide to cover Saturday. But if you’ve been wondering where to start (without making it your new full-time job), this is for you. These are the first automations that actually make…

Intro What Is the FareHarbor Distribution Network? It’s a FareHarbor program that lets you earn commission by selling tours from other FareHarbor operators—no extra software, no tech headaches. Think of it like a local referral system on autopilot. Other FareHarbor businesses list their tours as available to “distributors.” You choose the ones that make sense…

It’s mid-season for many of you, and things are busy. You're giving solid tours, juggling bookings, managing people, probably doing some troubleshooting before breakfast. You’re in it. Meanwhile, your guests are talking. Not always in reviews. Not directly to your face. But in the backseat on the way home, in group texts, in half-finished social…

Most tour operators don’t spend much time thinking about their email sign-up form. I get it. You add a little box in the footer, maybe a checkbox on the contact page, and that’s that. But here’s the problem: just because the form is there doesn’t mean it’s doing anything. One of our clients found that…

FareHarbor is great at what it does — bookings, payments, etc... all in one place. But when it comes to pre-tour communication, there are some limitations. Right now, you can send one reminder before a guest arrives. That’s it. One reminder might work if someone books the night before and shows up the next morning.…

Let’s say you run scenic trains across the state—three of them, each with its own brand, website, FareHarbor dashboard, and team. Totally separate operations. But your customers don’t care about that. They just want to ride a cool train. If your dashboards aren’t connected in a smart way, your marketing efforts treat them as two…

When someone visits your site but leaves without booking, it can feel like watching a fish slip off the hook. Luckily, both FareHarbor and TourAdvantage offer ways to help you reel those guests back in — but they do it in very different ways. Depending on your goals, having both might actually be the smartest…

You know the type. Booked the tour two weeks ago. Calls the morning of asking what time it starts—and shows up 15 minutes late with no sunscreen, no water, and no clue where to go. And you? You’re standing there, wishing your emails could’ve done more than just exist. It’s Not Just About Sending More…

Totally fair question. If someone only books one tour and never comes back, it might feel like email marketing is a waste of time. But that’s only true if you think of email as a once-and-done “thanks for booking” message or a means to send (unhelpful) newsletters. If you treat it like a sales tool…

Ever clicked onto a website, thought about buying something, and then left without pulling out your wallet? Yeah, me too. And that's exactly why lead magnets—those handy little freebies businesses offer in exchange for your email—exist. A lead magnet (or opt-in) is basically a friendly bribe. You offer visitors something genuinely helpful or interesting, and…

"Social media is the best way to get bookings." You post great photos, write engaging captions, even throw in the occasional giveaway. And while people like, comment, and share… very few actually booked a tour. Sound familiar? The truth is, social media is great for visibility, but it’s not where most people make buying decisions.…

A first-time customer is great. A repeat customer? That’s gold.  When someone comes back to book again, they’re showing you they trust your business, love your experience, and are willing to spend more.  But are you treating them any differently from a brand-new visitor? Repeat buyers often fly under the radar, but if you’re not…

We see it all the time. A tour company spends time and money building an email list—past guests, inquiries, website visitors—but that list just sits there. Maybe they send out a newsletter every now and then, maybe a discount when bookings are slow, but for the most part? It’s a wasted goldmine. The biggest mistake…

If you run a tour company or an experience-based business, you’ve probably heard about email marketing. Maybe you’ve even sent out a few emails promoting your tours.  But email marketing and email automation aren’t the same thing. And if you’re juggling bookings, answering guest questions, and trying to keep everything running smoothly, automation can save…

I'm a fan of integration tool Zapier. I really am. I use it for my business in all sorts of ways. But it's not the be-all-end-all solution for your data integration needs. When it comes to using it for your tour operation eMail marketing, and more specifically your FareHarbor email marketing I have to draw…

Whether email marketing is part of your tour company’s strategy or not, you should read and understand this important message. On February 1st of 2024 Google and Yahoo, two or the world's leading email clients, are putting in place a policy that will most definitely impact email deliverability.  Have you ever had email find its…

We all know that waivers are the best way to protect your company from liability. If you choose the right waiver system, there’s hidden ROI that can more than help pay for the cost.  Email collection.

Let’s talk about an upsell that’s often overlooked.  The coveted post tour upsell.  The repeat customer.  The goose that lays the golden egg.  Remember that by definition an upsell is a marketing strategy that’s implemented with your customers – not your leads.  A post-tour upsell happens sometime after they’ve toured with you. I want to…

You’ve decided to automate an upsell email, and now it’s time to craft it. You sit down to a blank page… without a clue what to write. Let us help! Personalized subject Yes, you can send an email with “Hi Paul” in the subject line… but including someone’s name is the least personal way to…

Forrester research tells us that recommending another product as an upsell can add 10%-30% to your bottom line. What does it mean to upsell? Simply put, you are just trying to get your current customer to spend more money.  Let's define 'upsell' first In tour companies, there are generally three ways to do it. You…

Our email partner Drip just released original research from a study of 1 billion pop ups. Here are three key statistics from that report and how to apply these lessons to tour businesses. Using urgency Urgency is one of the great motivating factors in compelling marketing, and lead magnets are no exception. While it doesn’t…

We are often asked if it’s necessary to have a lead magnet professionally crafted in a sleek, printable PDF and the answer is no.  In fact, with a few exceptions, a PDF is not the ideal method for delivering your lead magnet. In this article we’ll discuss the three delivery types and when to use…

We’re continuing our discussions about lead magnets this month. Specifically, how you should follow up after the lead magnet is delivered. Because dropping your lead magnet and then ghosting your prospect? Not a good strategy. Key to successful impactful follow up, though, is knowing… -   Has that person bought from you in the past?…

The average opt in rate* for lead magnets is just under 2%. If you’re looking to match that average (or blow it out of the water) then there are two things you can do to optimize for it. One idea is to change up the type of opt-in you use. We’ll talk more about that…

If you have an offseason don’t miss the opportunity to spend at least a portion of it on advanced email marketing opportunities. Not just any email marketing, but thoughtful, in the moment story telling that will help maximize on the upcoming rush.

For those who see even a small amount of purchases up to 3 days in advance, here are three “set & forget” workflows to maximize your bottom line.

Triggering your campaigns based on the date of the booking is great, and head and shoulders above what most experience providers are already doing. But to really take your campaigns to the next level consider making use of the date and time the event actually takes place.

Browse Abandonment: sending the right message to the right person at the right time.

When we hear that an experience provider is reluctant to implement cutting edge, e-Commerce level email marketing strategies, it’s usually for one primary reason.   “I just don’t think I have the time for this!”   Trust us – we get it.  As Akila McConnell of Unexpected Atlanta said in our joint Email Marketing workshop…

Someone walks up to your ticketing area and tells you they are interested in what you offer, but they’re just not ready to buy. Would you turn your back on them? Walk away without responding? If you do that in real life – or in the virtual world – you are leaving a ton of…

Segmentation. It its core, segmentation means placing your customers and prospects into various groups, or “buckets”, on order to market to them more effectively. It’s all about telling your customers and prospects a story. And not just any story – a story that is customized for their individual persona.

One of the questions we get frequently is whether or not email is worth the investment for tour businesses with little to no repeat business. While emails sent after the tour is taken will probably annoy your customers more than help them, there are email marketing techniques you can use to generate more revenue and…

In August 2018, SEMrush commissioned Forrester consulting to explore how organizations are using their various types of marketing research data across channels. They suspected that the marketing research was only being used within one area of the organization, rather than across multiple areas.

We love MailChimp. It’s an Atlanta company like Sunstone, after all…and we spent many years leveraging their platform with success. But as our needs expanded (and the needs of our clients) we had to break off our love-affair with MailChimp and look elsewhere.