Eric Damier - Founder of EarthPix and TravelSmarter

In this episode, Eric Damier, founder and CEO of EarthPix and TravelSmarter, talks about his inspiration for starting EarthPix and how they’ve kept a loyal following. Jeff and Eric discuss why he started TravelSmarter and how he built a platform to pass wholesale travel savings to the customer. Listen in to hear Eric share his thoughts on advertising through social media, his community of photographers, and why when his audience talks, he listens.

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Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 01:00 – Introducing Eric, his journey, and the beginnings of EarthPix
• 01:30 – He grew up in L.A. and got into sales and real estate at a very young age; he started playing poker after the market crash of 2008
• 02:15 – He learned a lot about YouTube technology and built his own YouTube network in 2011-2012; he learned about the power of social media and influence
• 03:00 – He also learned about Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and helped brands use influencers as distribution channels
• 03:30 – He and some others built EarthPix as a way to aggregate the beautiful photos others had taken around the world; they went from 0 to over 500,000 in 2 months
• 05:07 – He’s in the digital space now and is passionate about growing audiences and engaging people; he’s grown EarthPix for the last 6 years
• 06:30 – He loves Anthony Bourdain and was inspired by his time in India when he started a call center there
• 08:15 – 2.5 years ago he began travelling more and learned how to take photos and pilot a drone
• 10:15 – At first they were criticized for sharing content without credit; as they grew they learned to credited appropriately and photographers started wanting to be featured
• 11:15 – Eric is friends with Tom Anderson of Myspace who loves to travel and became a great photographer
• 13:30 – What makes EarthPix stand out from the rest
• 13:45 – They’re always the first to find beautiful and engaging content and get the first rights to a photo; they have a viral affect
• 14:50 – They have a team behind the social media strategy of the account; they have a network of photographers that send them excellent content
• 15:39 – They don’t post ads which keeps them respected by followers; they aren’t focused on monetizing their audience, rather, they provide value
• 17:15 – The underwater hotel room in the Maldives and the experience he had at the Conrad Resort
• 18:20 – The Conrad had worked with other accounts for exposure; when he approached them, he asked them about their goals and what they need
• 19:00 – They wanted to be the most followed resort in the Maldives and Eric made it happen; they told him about a secret project
• 19:30 – The underwater villa was the project and a stay at the villa is now at least $250,000
• 20:11 – The trip he and his team took to do this for The Conrad was valued at about $350,000; it was gorgeous
• 23:00 – Information about TravelSmarter
• 23:20 – Eric has engaged with his audience now more than ever before; they are passionate about travel but many say they don’t have the money
• 24:40 – He discovered a way to build a platform so that travel savings could be passed on to the customer/member/follower
• 26:05 – In the first two weeks after launch, they had over 5-6 bookings and one customer saved $3,500 in a one-week stay
• 26:45 – TravelSmarter clients are flexible and budget-conscious; by booking in advance, you have more options
• 29:00 – People are very happy with their bookings through TravelSmarter; the site is clean and clutter-free
• 30:48 – Airlines are different; their margins are thinner so savings aren’t as much
• 33:00 – On the site, you can compare their price to the public prices found on retail sites; flexible dates and places make for higher savings
• 37:20 – Pricing was based on case studies and community outreach; you can test it out for 30 days free
• 37:57 – After 30 days, it’s a 12-month membership for $9.97 a month; it’s great for domestic and international travel
• 41:20 – TravelSmarter will have a podcast soon where professional travelers will share travel tips and advice

3 Key Points

• Providing value to an audience, rather than simply trying to monetize them, is the secret to a large, loyal following.
• Eric listened to what his audience wanted and created a platform to provide it.
• Eric’s passion for travel fueled his desire to help others realize their own travel dreams.

Contact/Resources

• Partner - Party Poker
• Jeff’s Website – Jeff Gross Poker
• EarthPix – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
• TravelSmarter – Instagram, Facebook, Website
• Eric’s Social Media Accounts – Instagram, Twitter
• Conrad Maldives Rangali Island - Website