Shaping social media – what’s on the horizon for the travel industry?

Guest post by Ed Maule, Siren Communications

(Siren is a partner of the 2012 WTM Social Travel Market conference)

It would be difficult for anyone to argue against the impact of social media on our society as a whole. If nothing else, Twitter & Facebook certainly seem to make this world feel a little smaller.

But with all this social media noise that surrounds us every movement of every day, just how do we fashion something useful out of the fast-paced juggernaut that is online communications?

How can we carve out a portion of social media and make it work for us in the travel industry? What does this look like now and, vitally, what will this look like in 12 months’ time?

Let’s start with a key observation about travel; whether it’s buying a holiday, travelling for business, taking a round the world trip or enjoying a long weekend, travel sparks emotions. For this reason alone, the travel industry should harness the impassioned connection between people and travel to increase brand engagement and loyalty.

Just to be clear, I’m not breaking new ground here – those who travel already engage with social media across a variety of platforms in a number of different ways. A nifty infographic by Funsherpa brings to light a number of ‘sit up and take note’ facts about the social traveller. It’s well worth taking a look; but for those of you in a rush, here’s a few of their highlights:

• 45% of travellers sourced an initial trip idea online
• 24% read travel related blogs
• 70% update Facebook whilst on holiday
• 50% of travel companies surveyed agreed that social media generates bookings
• 76% will post photos to social networks whilst on holiday
• 55% ‘Liked’ Facebook pages specific to their holiday
• 46% post hotel reviews

Vital points to note here – research, real-time, review – social media finds itself permeating all elements of travel. The fact is, those who travel are using social media and they’re using it a lot.

We’re all aware of Facebook pages, Twitter feeds and blog posts, and hopefully most companies are utilising these social platforms; already talking with a certain voice, knowing where and how their audience wants to interact, engaging with those who want to connect and integrating social messages within their marketing strategy.

I don’t really want to delve too much into the detail of how to create/run a social media strategy, I expect most of you reading this will know what a social campaign looks like and are no doubt implementing it well.

However, if you do have questions on social media campaigns, how to plan, how to have impact, how to interact with customers, check out the sessions on offer at this year’s WTM Social Travel Market and get yourself registered. Alternatively, send me a message @Ed_Siren

So…let’s shield the social media glare from our eyes and, for a moment, stare thoughtfully into the distance and look ahead to how we can make social work harder for travel in the future.

‘A picture paints a 1000 words’ and a video – well, you do the maths…

At Siren Communications we believe the future of social media and online communications for travel companies lies in creating engaging content that centres around images and video. Image based platforms are out there, they’re available, they’re popular, they’re free to use and we think they aren’t being utilised nearly enough by the travel industry folk.

With the strategic use of visual platforms such as Instagram & Pinterest, consumer engagement with brands can be increased. Travel by its very nature is image led – for this reason the travel industry should be ready to run engaging image-based marketing campaigns. Such social platforms are already in place, but as yet only a handful of companies are really grabbing them by the scruff of the neck and making them work. Travel is a default category/board on Pinterest and the subject of the vast majority of edited Instagram photos.

More significantly, travel enthusiasts across the globe are already using these platforms – it’s a relatively untapped market for your brand, so why not talk to such enthusiasts in their space?

Let’s not forget that social media strategies need to focus on clear objectives; could it be brand engagement, exposure or a sales drive? One thing is certain – social media is about meeting the customer in a place they’re already in, talking to them in a voice they understand and building a stronger brand/consumer relationship. We know the impact of visual communications; we know how images reflect the personal, emotional and evocative nature of travel and, as such, they need to be central to any future social strategy.

Professional photos and videos have their place, but key to the future of social media in the travel industry is harnessing the power of user generated images and moving pictures – the personalisation of travel by those who know it best – the travellers.

A note on video: YouTube is clearly the world’s largest collection of user generated video content and still a highly valuable tool for distribution of personal/corporate video. But what’s the next big thing? We know technology is ever changing. The bright sparks of the development world are racking their brains for the next social media world-changer. Testing. Optimizing. Re-developing.

Insta-video (terrible name, but you get my thinking)… edited video content, shareable throughout an online community…is this the future of social media?

Whatever route image based media takes over the next 12 months, it’s paramount that the travel industry keeps up with the times. The social traveller already uses what’s available to them and you can be pretty sure they’ll be all over the next big thing.
The travel industry needs to follow them; more than that, it should lead and guide them in their consumption of online communications.

Siren Communications is already working with a number of clients on their image-led strategies and social campaigns. What’s more we can do this at an incredibly affordable price…social media doesn’t need to cost the earth!

We like to think of ourselves as a friendly bunch over here… so if you want to find out more tweet us @sirencomms or just give us a shout.

We aren’t ones to turn down an opportunity to grab a coffee!