Before you spend $ or time marketing your service / website, ensure that your brand itself is quite strong.

For example, if your name or domain is awkward, ambiguous, or off-putting, then every dollar and hour you spend promoting your brand will work less efficiently in your favor than if you were spending the same amount of money and time marketing something more robust and attractive.

Totally understand this problem, since we faced it very early on. I helped grow our travel community from 0 to over 70,000 travelers in less than a year and worked with JetBlue and Lufthansa Ventures at the accelerator that Dropbox and Paypal came from and this question came up over and over.

My best advice for you would be to create a brand around your business instead of competing with the Expedia's and Kayak's of the world for paid advertising space.

What this looks like in practice is essentially pivoting your social media strategy into a travel influencer brand that offers travel content to its audience and builds depth with the travel community. The difference between this and what someone like Kayak is doing is the following:

Paid advertising scenario:
Sally wants to fly. She goes to Google and types "flights to Houston". You can't outspend Kayak for this search. If your strategy depends on SEO or PPC, you're dead.

Branding scenario:
Sally wants to fly. She goes to the website of the famous YouTuber/Instagramer who has a travel app that she's always wanted to try out. She willingly consumes their travel content daily because it's fun, entertaining, and it makes her want to travel more.

You can only win on the branding scenario. It plays to your unfair advantages/disadvantages. You don't have money to compete with Expedia on PPC, but unlike Expedia, you as the CEO of the startup can curate or create content that is much more informal (memes, Q&A's, funny videos, travel bloggers) that gets you in front of your audience every day.

Happy to talk more about your business!

Best,

Juan (@juannikin)
NomadApp.co

Your best bet for creating fast growth is to try and get the people who currently promote your competitors to convert to your service.

For example, start showing domain expertise in places like Reddit's /r/digitalnomad and /r/travel, hashtagnomads.com, nomadforum.io, and other sites where people are frequently asking questions about (and actually booking) flights and hotels.

Once you've developed a reputation, you can start working on partnerships with key influencers in the space (affiliate links, etc.) to encourage more links and referrals to your service.

I used this strategy, along with strong inbound marketing on the site itself, to grow a digital agency to the point it couldn't take on additional work.

Feel free to hit me up for a call if I can answer any follow-up questions or go over specific strategies.

Good luck!

Developing the initial critical mass in place to entice normal consumers to stick with your site is critically important. Naturally I'd recommend reaching out to your existing social circle to generate a base of user content, usage, reviews, and feedback. Beyond those circles, have you considered reaching out to teams abroad to generate activity from their local regions of interest? This could be a great way to build activity from local experts, and avoid any diluted fluff.

Feel free to reach out to me to discuss more, I'd be happy to consult. Also, you may be interested to hear about my most recent epic travel adventure, to run the 2015 Pyongyang, North Korea marathon.

Cheers

You have to collaborate with influencers (YouTubers, Instagrammers) or complementary companies (luggage, travel pillows, etc.) with a bigger audience than you. If they recommend your site in their blog or video and vice versa, then that will grow your audience.

When it comes to growth hacking strategies for a travel website focused on flights and hotel bookings, there are several tactics you can employ to acquire and retain customers. Here are some effective strategies to consider:

Targeted Content Marketing: Create high-quality, informative, and engaging content related to travel, destinations, tips, and advice. Optimize your content for search engines to drive organic traffic. Use social media platforms to share your content and engage with your target audience.

Referral Program: Implement a referral program that incentivizes your existing customers to refer your website to their friends and family. Offer discounts, rewards, or exclusive benefits to both the referrer and the person they refer.

Personalization and Customization: Utilize data and customer insights to personalize the user experience. Tailor recommendations, offers, and suggestions based on individual preferences, browsing history, and previous bookings. This can help enhance customer satisfaction and encourage repeat bookings.

Email Marketing Campaigns: Build an email list and send targeted campaigns to engage with your audience. Offer exclusive deals, discounts, or personalized recommendations based on their travel preferences. Use captivating subject lines and compelling content to drive engagement and conversions.

Social Media Engagement: Leverage social media platforms to create a strong online presence. Share visually appealing content, travel inspiration, user-generated content, and customer testimonials. Encourage user engagement, respond to comments and messages promptly, and collaborate with influencers or travel bloggers to expand your reach.

Partnerships and Collaborations: Establish partnerships with complementary businesses or influencers in the travel industry. Collaborate on joint campaigns, cross-promote each other's services, or offer exclusive packages together. This can help you tap into new audiences and increase brand exposure.

User Reviews and Testimonials: Encourage customers to leave reviews and testimonials on your website or popular review platforms. Positive reviews build trust and credibility, while negative feedback allows you to address issues and improve your services. Display these reviews prominently to showcase your website's reliability and customer satisfaction.

Loyalty Programs and Exclusive Offers: Implement a loyalty program that rewards customers for repeat bookings. Offer exclusive deals, discounts, or perks to loyal customers. This encourages customer retention and increases the likelihood of them booking through your website again.

Remember, growth hacking is an iterative process. Continuously monitor and analyze your strategies, test different approaches, and optimize based on data and customer feedback. Adapt your tactics to the evolving trends and preferences of your target audience to ensure long-term growth and success.