TRAVEL INDUSTRY, DESTINATIONS
What can Social Media do for my destination? | How do I use Social Media?
Where should I start? | Reality Check
Can I get help, is there a turnkey solution? | Let's get started!
- Travel is among the top purchases made online.
- The big travel brands…airlines, hotel chains, and cruise lines are among the most sophisticated users of social media
- But social media offers exceptional opportunities for the smaller travel businesses….communities looking to grow tourism, independent hotels and B&Bs, and travel agents.
WHAT EXPERTS IN THE travel INDUSTRY ARE SAYING ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA:
From bnet.com: “…reaching out to customers and potential guests on a more personal level than the traditional press avenues could be a good bet. While people are demanding lower prices and better deals from their go-to travel destinations, they also want better service, and communicating via social media platforms is an effective way to do it..”
From the Small Business Administration: “…given the constraint of small businesses' resources [like] time and money… develop a good company Web site and use social media marketing techniques to generate traffic to the Web site. “
WHAT CAN SOCIAL MEDIA DO FOR MY DESTINATION?
Social Media can increase your reach and depth exponentially. It is a powerful way to connect with and influence people.
Your customers and potential customers expect to find you online.
You advertise, you offer specials and packages through the mail or direct marketing. Now, Social media has become an expected part of the communications mix. Plus, it allows you to build relationships that traditional forms of marketing communications does not.
Customers are using social media to get information, to share their opinions and more importantly, to find recommendations. Sites such as tripadvisor.com, frommers.com, expedia.com and hotels.com offer customer reviews, advice and forums.
Customers, potential customers, employees and potential employees are looking for you in all the right online places.
Social media can help with…
- Recruiting - both future employees and customers
- Branding - represent your brand anywhere you can
- Call to action - post offers to your fan base
- Build Awareness - remind them of your unique value, describe the experience they can expect
- Internal Market Research - post questions and see what your fan base thinks
- Networking - people like to shop with people they know (or first hand referrals)
- Most important of all – social media allows you to listen. You may be surprised at what you learn.
Like all relationship activities, Social Media takes a long term commitment and an understanding of the game.
The Social Media formula is:
- Content creates Conversations creates Relationships
Some of the ways in which agents can use Social Media:
- Educate customers and potential customers
- Offer specials, discounts and packages. You can do it at a set time every day and drive traffic to your website through your offers on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
- Give your clients a voice and a place to connect with others. Allow your followers to post comments, tips, ideas, photos, recommendations, even criticism.
- Provide instant answers to questions
- Generate awareness, recommendations and referrals through the conversations of your community
- Give potential customers an open window into your personality, who you are, what you stand for, what sets you apart
- Conduct research with online surveys and use it to make changes to your products or customer service or selling strategy
- Feature customers’ travel stories and testimonials on your social media sites.
- Publicize worthwhile events in the community.
- Don’t sell. You earn the right to sell by providing content.
Social Media is all about CONTENT that is valuable and relevant to your target audience (which you want to turn into a community).