The travel conversation going on over social media is huge.
People love posting their travel photos, sharing their experiences, and of course, looking for their next vacation spot or event destination.
So marketers everywhere are always on the look out for ways to supercharge their social strategy, and to be a bigger part of that conversation.
We’ve heard your wishes, and today we’re bringing you social media tips from experts in the industry! We went and asked some pros for advice on how destination marketers like you can use social media better, to inspire more travelers.
Check out our SlideShare (full screen for the best experience!), or read the tips below!
Social Media Tips from Industry Experts
Brian Peters | @Brian_G_Peters
Social Media Manager at Buffer
“As the online sphere gets more crowded, the brands that go out of their way to personalize content and build one-on-one relationships with their audience are going to ace social media.
By creating and posting content that “humanizes” your brand, it gives people the opportunity to build a more solid connection with you.”
Tara Hunt | YouTube
Digital Marketing Executive and Influencer at TrulySocial.ca
“Too many brands focus in on trying to create viral campaigns and one-off videos, but what they miss is that the best content is the type of content that builds relationships over a consistent period of time.
Travel is ripe for video content as there are endless topics and ideas to talk about in short, regular videos.
The bonus here is that video – and especially YouTube video — is incredibly SEO friendly. Videos will propel your content to the first page of any search. And if you are concerned with expense, don’t be. You don’t need big film crews to shoot compelling content. All you need is a compelling story and the patience to grow your channel one person at a time.”
Dave Fluegge | LinkedIn
Founder of Fluegge Consulting
“Know your brand, know what makes you special and what your audiences engage with more than anything, and embrace it! When it comes to imagery, tell a story about your destination, a story your audience can connect with.“
Stephanie Arbetter | @starbetter
Coordinator, Consumer Marketing and Social Media at Brand USA
“Use social media in the way it’s meant to be used: to engage and inspire. Remember that the social media can be used to cultivate a sense of community, not just as a one-way message platform.
Engage with your followers on a regular basis to find out what excites them, makes them come back for more, and what they’re looking for from your pages. Then use what you’ve learned and apply it to future content.
Whether it’s via Twitter chats, InstaMeets (local Instagram community meetups to take photos and videos together) or Snapchat behind-the-scenes videos, your job is to find ways to engage with them more efficiently after identifying what works best.”
Holly Galbraith | @HollyGalbraith
Tourism Marketing Professional & Social Media Strategist at Go Future Media
“Don’t feel like you have to be on every social media platform.
Select one or just a couple of social media platforms and put your energy into those rather than spreading yourself too thin across multiple channels. I call that platforming. Platforming is about consciously choosing the platforms/social media channels you will be active in and putting your time and energy into those to ensure they get traction and become effective tools for you.”
Maya Shoucair | @mayashoucair
Social Media & Community Manager at Uberflip
“Plan ahead! There’s a misconception that social happens in real-time all the time but to do it well, it takes careful planning.
I look at my social content on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis in Trello and then schedule everything out once a week in Buffer, using Feedly and Buzzsumo to curate additional content. This saves me tons of time, helps me better measure my campaigns, and gives me more space for creativity because I can look ahead to develop multiple posts and graphics for different audiences and networks.”
Erin Scott | @dot_of_scott
Digital Content Specialist at Visit Albuquerque
“Be genuine. Talk to people on social media like you would talk to them in real life! Taking the time to personalize your social efforts and respond to users who try to engage with you goes a long way in our highly automated world.”
Arabella Bowen | @arabellabowen
Travel Authority & Brand Strategist | Former Editor-in-Chief at Fodors Travel
“At Fodor’s Travel, we organically grew our Instagram library to 75,000 inspirational travel images, just by inviting travelers to tag their photos with #fodorsonthego.
While the hashtag should be inviting, it’s more important that it’s short and easy to type (especially if you want it shared on Twitter).
Be sure to socialize it everywhere–including printed marketing materials and advertising–and reward the best posts with a credited feature on your feed(s).”
Eden Spodek | @EdenSpodek
Digital Communications Strategist | Founder of Eden Spodek Inc
“Have a measurable strategy that aligns with your business goals and objectives! This point can’t be expressed enough. It’s great to know how to use a social media platform like a pro but if you don’t know how to use it to build your business, it won’t matter.
Ritu Ashrafi | @rituashrafi
Marketing Manager at CrowdRiff
“Use visuals! Photos, videos, and gifs are eye-catching, and really improve the engagement rates of my posts. 90% of all the social posts I schedule have a visual attached to it now.
Even though a tweet might be going out to thousands of followers, craft your social messages as if you’re only talking to one person.”
Now, over to you!
Apply these social media tips to amplify your social reach, and see what a difference they can make. With a strong social presence, no one will be able to (or want to!) ignore your destination.
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