How to run a social media travel competition

By James Mundy, marketing manager for InsideJapan Tours

We are reasonably active on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook and have a company blog called ‘Get Beneath the Surface’. Customer reviews are also fed live on to the website and is a good measure for potential clients.

But after attending a conference, we were inspired by speakers such as Steve Keenan - an advocate of the importance of video - to embark on a project that would produce inspiring digital material, using social media to channel people back to our site.

We thought we would explore the raw talent out there, in terms of creating video, photography and words. We wanted to offer would-be-travel bloggers the opportunity to create a blog explaining twelve reasons as to why they wanted to visit Japan.

The winner will receive an amazing trip to Japan from October 29-November 17, 2012, and, in return, create digital content along with a blog about their trip. InsideJapan teamed up with Virgin Atlantic who were keen to promote the competition through Twitter as well as provide flights.

In the month that we ran the project, we received 109 entries. The vast majority demonstrated the individual’s ability to produce video (of varying qualities) and display images. There were many different styles and there were a fair number of poor entries too - but we were surprised by the amount of talent out there.

Selecting the winner proved a very difficult task, so we selected a shortlist based on whether we felt that they would be able to produce a decent quality of video, take a good picture and write well enough to keep an audience for the trip. We then put the final three blogs to the Facebook vote, to engage with potential clients and create an interest in the blog project.

And the winner is…Glen Morris

Glen demonstrated an ability to present still and moving images along with amusing writing. TwoToTokyo also demonstrates some creativity which promises to keep the reader entertained and tuned to the blog. The blog and partner also demonstrated (elsewhere) that they are able to produce travel video to a reasonable standard.

We are sure that TwoToTokyo will develop a connection with Japan and the regular traveller. Perhaps surprisingly, travellers in their thirties are the largest age group amongst InsideJapan Tours customers and these bloggers (of the same age) will hopefully appeal to all.

He will blog everyday, post on social media platforms, produce several videos from the trip and plenty of images. As well as the material used in the blog, there will plenty of material to use in the future on the website etc.

The general brief of the blog will be one of a pro-Japan/Inside Japan nature. If something untoward did occur, then we are confident of the skills and judgement of our Japan office staff and that they will be able to assist and show InsideJapan in a good light.

Measurement of ROI is always tough, but the original goal was to obtain some decent quality video. To send a professional crew/photographer/travel blogger would potentially cost thousands of pounds. This project will actually only cost us a fraction in financial outlay, but although the video will perhaps not be as professional, it will give us more of a ‘genuine’ edge.

Social Media platforms have seen a direct increase in numbers engaging with InsideJapan - in the first week, we had 4,000 visits to our site’s competition page - and we have already seen some PR with mentions in national press. We envisage the actual blog to continue the interest - and hope that we may even generate some bookings!

This project has been a learning process. Depending on how the final blog develops and the quality of the resulting video and images, it is very possible that we will look to similar projects aimed at the US and Australia travelling markets.

A blog competition aimed at US and Australian travellers will likely demonstrate the slightly different cultures towards travelling and would also produce different styles and results in blogging than the current UK competition. Even at this stage, we are confident that this project has been a success.

InsideJapan Tours was founded in 2000 and is now established as the biggest independent Japan specialists in the UK