Major Social Media Services Guide

Facebook.com: This social media giant is a great place for travel agents to start to build an audience. The platform is based on the concept of interacting with "friends" ­-- people who already know you or who know people who know you -- creating a growing network of potential clients. Because it offers the ability to comb through your email for potential friends, Facebook is the quickest way to start a following. If you have already established a personal Facebook account, consider creating a separate, more public account that can be viewed by anyone on the service.

Twitter.com: Based on the concept of creating networks of "followers," Twitter is not the easiest platform to understand, but with a little insight gleaned from training and practice, it can quickly become a travel agent's most efficient tool for creating a network and communicating with members of that network.

Instagram.com: Do you use a smartphone or tablet? If so, make sure you get this free app for photo sharing. Travel agents can take photos or use photos already on their mobile devices, customize them, then share them by linking this app to their other social networks.

Pinterest.com: This platform is a match made in heaven for agents. Travel sellers can appeal to people's dreams by employing Pinterest's visual environment to create "pinboards" of content that appeals to travelers. Members control their own pinboards and share images that are "pinned" to their boards. Links to pins can be shared on Facebook and Twitter to increase impressions.

YouTube.com: Among the best-known and most widely used social media platforms, YouTube enables members to upload, edit, share, comment on and "like" video content. Travel agents can increase audience reach to attract potential clients and improve their presence on search engines by posting their videos to YouTube.

Google+: This social network is Google's version of Facebook and Twitter. Travel agents should at least tinker with this platform. Though you're no doubt crunched for time and wondering how you will ever be able to keep up with all the platforms, you should, at a minimum, share photos of your favorite travel products on Google+. Ideally, you will use it to plug links to offers and content on your website while you wait for your friends to show up and "hangout," a Google+ feature.

Flickr.com: Upload your travel photos to Flickr, an online photo management and sharing application that interacts with your other platforms. For example, you can "pin" your best Flickr shots to Pinterest or add them to your Facebook page.

LinkedIn.com: This is the premier business-to-business social media platform. While you are probably more interested in business-to-consumer relationships, cultivating your network of business connections is a good investment of time. LinkedIn is also a great place to network and find groups that can help you grow your bottom line.

WordPress.com: If you don't have a website that enables readers to leave comments and to drive clicks from social media sites, consider opening a free WordPress "blog," essentially, a place to store all your shared content online. Photos, videos and product reviews need to be stored somewhere permanently online where they can be linked to all your other social media platforms. Done right, your blog will attract a wide audience who will leave comments -- the ultimate social network.