Although estimates vary, there are about 100,000 travel agents in the US.
That’s a lot of competition for travel dollars. But, there are ways to stand out in the crowd.
Social media management is vital for travel agency marketing. If you’re not on several platforms, you’re missing a lot of potential clients.
Looking for some travel agency marketing help? Take a look at these 8 social media tips and get started today!
Develop a Plan
Start with a plan. Determine a few goals for your social media campaign. Possible ad goals include:
- Brand awareness and customer engagement
- Lead generation and sales
- Customer service
- Drive traffic to your website
The ultimate goal is always sales. But, romancing your target audience through brand awareness is a good start. Building brand awareness leads to sales down the road.
Your plan should include unique and effective ways to promote your brand.
Quality is King
Don’t go crazy putting out tons of social media posts. It’s better to post less high-quality content than lots of low-quality content.
You don’t need an expensive, high megapixel camera. But a medium-range camera is a good idea. The technical quality of the photo isn’t the only consideration. The images are a reflection of your brand.
Think about how the photo looks to anyone online who’ll see it. Is there anything offensive in the photo?
Continuity and Consistency Counts
Stick with a style that reminds people of your brand. Use your brand colors and logo. When people see your photos, they should think about travel. But you don’t want them thinking about generic travel agencies.
You want people thinking about your travel agency. Use a consistent “voice” in your photos. Do you specialize in a few destinations? Base your campaigns around those destinations.
But don’t jump back and forth. Spend a week or two showcasing highlights of one destination. Or build your posts based on an event calendar.
Once you’ve chosen which social media platforms you’ll use, post on a consistent basis. Post between 2-3 times per day. Don’t post more than that or you’ll annoy people and they’ll unfollow. Familiarize yourself with social media etiquette.
Instagram is the perfect travel agency marketing tool. The platform focuses on images. It’s a place for your followers to congregate and follow you.
Instagram connects you with an audience that wants to see what you’re doing. Users search for specific hashtags that relate to travel. Use original content.
It’s also a good app for building a consistent style if you don’t have photo-editing skills. Preset filters within the app help you perfect a recognizable style.
Set up a business account on Instagram first. It’s a natural fit for travel agencies and travelers, since most of the travel destinations on your books will be really photogenic. Once you upload a photo, you’ll have the option of putting a filter on it – consistent use of the same filter establishes your brand’s style.
What destinations does your agency specialize in? Show users high-quality images of the places you’ll send your clients.
Make sure you write a succinct description of what sets your travel company apart. This is the “bio” part of your Instagram page. You’ll only have 150 characters for this, so make it unique.
You can’t put clickable links on your photo posts or in your comments. Put a clickable link to your site in the bio section.
When you post photos, use plenty of relevant hashtags. Put your hashtags in a comment right after you post your photo. This way you don’t clutter the post. You can research hashtags using the search function in Instagram.
If you’re posting a photo of a great destination, hashtag the destination. Include other relevant hashtags. Don’t forget to use Instagram to let people know you’ve added a recent blog post.
Pinterest is another great social media app for travel agency marketing. On Pinterest, users create virtual bulletin boards. Travelers love Pinterest for visual inspiration.
Post beautiful photos that entice travelers. Like Instagram, use original content and photos. With Pinterest, you can ask others for contributions to your board. Collaborative boards reach wider audiences.
Pinterest doesn’t use hashtags the same way some of the other apps do. And the hashtags aren’t clickable. But they’re sometimes helpful if you use a unique hashtag.
Use keywords in the caption area of your photos. Be specific. Don’t write, “This is a photo of a beach.” Instead write, “This is an amazing beach on the Greek Island of Santorini.”
Pinterest is another place you should be alerting users to new blog content.
As a business, you should already be on LinkedIn. This is where you can become an authority in your industry. It’s also a good networking tool.
Post your blog content. LinkedIn is the perfect place to post conference destinations. Event planners are always looking for destinations for business meetings, weddings, and conferences.
Over 1 billion people use Facebook on a daily basis! Don’t miss out on this social media app for marketing your travel agency.
Post blog content and great photos on Facebook. Promote your content and handle customer service questions. Facebook is a good place for targeted ads. Use video as well as photographs.
Don’t forget Twitter. It’s a social media platform that lends itself well to travel agency marketing.
Twitter uses photos and hashtags. With Twitter, you’ll have a 280-character limit on your posts. Post images, links to blog content, and other travel-related news.
It’s good practice to cross-post across all the platforms. Have a new blog post? Post it to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. It sounds like a lot of work, but once you have your accounts set up, it’s not difficult.
Look at your website analytics to see where your traffic is coming from. If most of your traffic comes from one app, then concentrate your efforts there.
Travel Agency Marketing
Social media can seem overwhelming. But, it’s a crucial part of travel agency marketing. Stand out with a unique and consistent style across your social media platforms.
Develop a plan. Use high-quality, original photos and content. Before long, you’ll have a tribe of followers. And they’ll use your services the next time they’re going on vacation!
Find more great social media marketing tips here.
