The popularity of social media relies on the fact that it is a normal human tendency to try to fit in. The fear of missing out or FOMO, as it is commonly called, is what prompts most of us to be active on different social media platforms. For brands across technology, travel, and lifestyle sectors, this presents a host of marketing opportunities.
The fact that social media marketing does not require a huge budget provides smaller travel businesses a fairground to compete with well-established ones. While this may seem like a perfect situation, the fact is today’s average traveler has a short attention span, and you need to stand out in the crowd if you wish to make an impact. To help you through it, here are some tips for marketing your travel business on social media.
Participate in Active Engagement
The key to successful travel marketing is fostering two-way communication wherein potential customers connect with the brand by following them on social media. Once a person adds your brand’s account as a friend (or simply subscribes to the page), you already secure a place in their daily life.
By organizing travel photo contests, destination-based games, interactive quizzes, or other social media activities, you further cement this relationship. Such regular communication will ensure that the potential tourists are familiar with your brand name, and that will make them more likely to choose you over your competitors when they set out to travel.
Also, make sure that your social media page is public and that you encourage your viewers to comment, like, and share your content. By commenting on your page, they increase the engagement on the post making it more likely to appear on the feeds of others.
Give Away Informational Content
As a travel brand, you need to realize that people who look to explore places are not impulsive buyers. Your target group is people who would do thorough research about the place they intend to dedicate their vacation days to. In such a situation, if you can help them in the research phase, the chances of them choosing you are higher.
Considering that people spend a good fraction of their free time on social media, this might be the best place for you to attract them through posts on awe-inspiring destinations, things they can do there, the food they should try out, etc. While it is acceptable for you to promote your travel brand by talking about the products or services that you offer, which will help travelers achieve their goals, try to restrict such posts to less than 30% of your overall uploads.
Encourage the Sharing of User Reviews
If you are not able to offer discounts, one of the most efficient ways of catching the attention of potential tourists is through user reviews. Encourage satisfied customers to record video testimonials of why they liked your service and upload them on your social media page. Also, ask people to tag your business account in their travel pics, and you can share the same (after getting their permission) for maximum reach.
Come up with an option wherein you ask users to post reviews of your service on your page. If you have a couple of not-so-good reviews, do not panic. Take them with grace and understand that these lend credibility to your social media page other than boosting engagement.
Have Your Content Available in Multiple Languages
As a travel brand, you cannot expect all your potential customers to speak the same native language as you do. To increase the reach of your social media content, try to have it available in multiple languages. For videos, you can always go for subtitles or closed captioning, whereas for pictures having the caption in multiple languages should do the trick.
Collaborate with Social Media Influencers
Social media has given rise to a new class of celebrities known as influencers, and most of them have millions of followers. Once you identify a social media platform for promoting your brand, look out for vloggers and influencers who post travel content. Approach them to see if you can engage in a social media collaboration with them.
Such collaborations will increase your visibility by giving you access to the followers of the influencer. The only thing that you need to be cautious about is that the influencer should be popular among your target audience.
Have Mobile-Friendly Content
Today, mobile phone is an intrinsic part of most traveler’s lives, and having your social media content in a mobile-friendly format will increase your reach. If you are uploading photos or videos, try to have them in portrait form. Keep your social media blogs short and use appropriate keywords to increase your online visibility.
If your budget permits, you may consider engaging in paid promotions on social media. Make sure that the advertisement that you create for social media marketing is optimized for mobile viewing.
Make the Most of Instagram
While there are several social media platforms, Instagram is the one that should be the preferred choice for a travel firm. As a social media platform, Instagram is all about pictures and videos and leaves room for minimal captions or posts. In the travel business, stunning pictures are one of the most efficient ways of showcasing a new travel destination to a potential customer. The secret of Instagram marketing lies in the appropriate usage of hashtags to gain maximum visibility and to know about the best time to post on Instagram.
Travel brands must realize that social media is a place where people come to unwind after a hectic day. Thus, the marketing content for social media platforms should be so designed that it caters to the relaxing vibe of social media. With the tips discussed in this article, you are now equipped to rise to the challenge and make the most of the social media platforms for your travel marketing needs.
Also Read About:
