Travel Technology Solutions with Amadeus GDS Integration
Amadeus GDS is one of the best global distribution systems today. Through web services APIs, Amadeu
Pujitha, August 22, 2019
Online travel market – Statistics & Facts
Making the most of social media marketing for your travel business
Around the year 2008, all social media websites had a combined viewership of approx 2.1 trillion page views. However, this statistic soon increased to mind-boggling numbers. In fact, Facebook alone managed to log about 1 trillion views per month around the year 2010. The dramatic increase of the influence of social media in our daily lives is not surprising at all. Social media has begun to play a huge role for individuals as well as businesses and organizations because it helps them to come closer to each other and provides them with a direct channel to interact with each other. Statistics have also shown that almost 46% of the travelers post their holiday reviews on social media and that 43% of the travelers actually read these reviews. More than 52% travelers are largely influenced by social media when it comes to travel planning as well. Thus, using the social media as an opportunity for travel agents, has become quite important. But, how does one really go about using social media?
What do the statistics say about social media influencing travel?
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Why has social media revolutionized the travel industry?
The travel industry depends a lot on the word of mouth. Social media simply gives people a platform to voice their opinion and listen to others just like them from all over the world. Thus, when a traveler voices his/ her opinion with regards to a travel agent on popular platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin, he/ she manages to get hundreds of other people acquainted with the travel agent in question. This acts as a major source of branding for the agent and creates a huge impact on brand awareness. In fact, almost 80% of the travelers have stated that they believed the recommendations made by their friends and contacts on social media. Most business models revolve around using social media as a major marketing tool to build leads by and share experiences.
Finding the right channel for social media marketing
It’s easier to engage with someone when you know who they are and what they like. So travel agents should keep a close eye on who’s following, liking and sharing their content across the various channels. Social media sites do a great job at providing the best tools and access to marketing. Some of the important channels for social media marketing include:
GMB – Google My Business
Google My Business makes it easy to create and update your business profile so you can stand out and bring customers in. Your business profile appears right when people are searching for your business or businesses like yours on google search and maps. GMB is a tool that lets you manage how your business appears on google search and maps. That includes adding your business name, location and hours, monitoring and replying to customer reviews, adding photos, learning where and how people are searching for you.
Facebook is one of the best places to start off as a travel agent new to social media. It has the maximum number of users and it is commonly used by people all around the world on a daily basis. Many travel agencies already use Facebook as their primary target market. Moreover, Facebook also offers your agency with ease of access, up-to-date information and an excellent lead generating platform.
Use Twitter to connect with your clients. Twitter can be intimidating to new users, but is a great way to interact with your clients and build a solid social reputation. Twitter has emerged as one of the most popular social media platforms in the recent past. It might not be as popular as Facebook, but it is certainly used by people looking for up-to-date information. You can use Twitter to showcase your latest achievements, promote the hottest deals and talk about the successful experiences that you managed to create.
Adding Pinterest to the social media marketing mix is important. Pinterest is an amazing visual tool that many businesses are utilizing to leverage their content to new audiences. Pinterest can be very useful in marketing the experiences of the customers and also for educating the customers. It is very important to have Infographics to market in Pinterest. Quality images are important on Pinterest and generate more responses. It’s an excellent platform especially for engaging those with a special interest or niche.
Instagram offers a close-up and often more personal took into how your business operates. Your audience on Instagram can easily share your fabulous travel photos with their Facebook and Twitter accounts. This also helps in branding and to get new customers for you. In travel business, sharing experiences is one of the most important aspects. Use this tool to make sure your target segment sees the great experiences you have provided to your customers. While posting on Instagram, hashtags are very important for your customer to identify you and relate to you.
Website Blogs
Blogs have become an integral part of marketing strategy for travel business. It is a great tool to understand and educate the potential clients about the travel industry. If you are able to create good quality content, this can be shared on all your social media profiles and is the best way to create curiosity among your potential clients. A website blog helps you generate leads and get good visibility for your website.
Travel agents commonly use Linkedin for business travelers. LinkedIn helps you to create social connections and puts in touch with people from the service and business industry.
Quora
Quora is a question-answer platform that allows users to ask and answer questions related to any topic or industry. Today, Quora has about 200 million active monthly users and this is BIG. You can use quora marketing and get more eyeballs on your business.
Youtube
YouTube remains the largest and most popular video-sharing platform in the world with more than 1.8 billion monthly active users. The platform is great for sharing videos and music as well as live streaming content across the web. It’s a powerhouse for any of your video needs. Have a brand presence on Youtube will definitely drive in customers and lead to sales.
Medium
Medium is an online platform that allows you to write your learnings, thoughts, tips and share them with a built-in audience for potential viral traffic. It is an upscale content management platform and a really great writing app. It’s slick and snappy and worth a deeper look for businesses and digital marketers.
Important Previous Posts :
1. Travel Aggregators in India
2. Changing Trends of Travel Booking Platforms
3. B2B Travel Software Features
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