Where do you fit in?
In addition, you can use social media tools to track what people are saying about you and your company, generate publicity about upcoming events and to promote yourself, in addition to sharing links to hot deals (although it's best to keep the deals-and-discounts aspect to a minimum).
If you are one of the holdouts who has been secretly hoping social media would go away but was also drawn to its possibilities, read on: I will be sharing best practices with the readers of Travel Weekly to help you discover what the buzz is all about. I have more than 20 years' experience as a technology trainer, and I have been a travel agent, so I can help you get a jump-start in ways that are specifically relevant to your business.
In this day and age, social media must become part of a travel agent's marketing plan. Along with direct mail, cold calls, trade shows, client-appreciation parties and websites, travel agents need to be ready to integrate social media into their marketing strategy.
The difference between all those other marketing tools and social media has to do with the tone and purpose of the message. Social media are tools to help prospects and current clients get to know you better and to introduce you to potential new clients. While traditional marketing techniques are aggressive calls to action, reserve social media to help strengthen relationships.
One key reason to use social media is that a lot of your customers already are. Relationships are the cornerstone of your business, and consumers aren't afraid of sharing online, which means you could be losing opportunities to maintain relationships. Your customers and potential clients are engaging online, and they will continue to engage that way, with or without you.
You owe it to your business to see what is happening in social media, and if you can, you need to get in on the conversations, playing the role of an unbiased third-party expert, the voice of reason. Although this might not close a deal, you will establish yourself as an authority about your travel niche, and that is great public relations.
Travel agents I have met are social by nature, which is a key ingredient to developing a social media presence. Moreover, agents are passionate about their travel niches, knowledgeable and ready to answer questions. Social media offers a way to harness that outgoing enthusiasm and share it online.
In this day and age, social media must become part of a travel agent's marketing plan. Along with direct mail, cold calls, trade shows, client-appreciation parties and websites, travel agents need to be ready to integrate social media into their marketing strategy.
The difference between all those other marketing tools and social media has to do with the tone and purpose of the message. Social media are tools to help prospects and current clients get to know you better and to introduce you to potential new clients. While traditional marketing techniques are aggressive calls to action, reserve social media to help strengthen relationships.
One key reason to use social media is that a lot of your customers already are. Relationships are the cornerstone of your business, and consumers aren't afraid of sharing online, which means you could be losing opportunities to maintain relationships. Your customers and potential clients are engaging online, and they will continue to engage that way, with or without you.
You owe it to your business to see what is happening in social media, and if you can, you need to get in on the conversations, playing the role of an unbiased third-party expert, the voice of reason. Although this might not close a deal, you will establish yourself as an authority about your travel niche, and that is great public relations.
Travel agents I have met are social by nature, which is a key ingredient to developing a social media presence. Moreover, agents are passionate about their travel niches, knowledgeable and ready to answer questions. Social media offers a way to harness that outgoing enthusiasm and share it online.
In addition, you can use social media tools to track what people are saying about you and your company, generate publicity about upcoming events and to promote yourself, in addition to sharing links to hot deals (although it's best to keep the deals-and-discounts aspect to a minimum).
Getting started
Social media refers to content that is shared online with and among groups of people. The content, which can be text, photos, audio or video, is posted to social network platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Each takes its own unique form, offers its own way of communicating with various parts of your business universe and therefore represents potential for interaction between you and friends, customers and potential prospects.
Whatever the platform, keep it simple. Post photos from your travels, site inspections and fam trips. Comment about favorite destinations. Follow with updates that reveal your personality and business knowledge.
Before you get online
To start things off, I've assembled a general overview for jump-starting your online marketing strategy. In subsequent columns I will focus on specific platforms and offer suggestions about how to get started as well as shortcuts and tips to turn newbies into power-users. For now, here are the basic beginning steps:
Social media refers to content that is shared online with and among groups of people. The content, which can be text, photos, audio or video, is posted to social network platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Each takes its own unique form, offers its own way of communicating with various parts of your business universe and therefore represents potential for interaction between you and friends, customers and potential prospects.
Whatever the platform, keep it simple. Post photos from your travels, site inspections and fam trips. Comment about favorite destinations. Follow with updates that reveal your personality and business knowledge.
Before you get online
To start things off, I've assembled a general overview for jump-starting your online marketing strategy. In subsequent columns I will focus on specific platforms and offer suggestions about how to get started as well as shortcuts and tips to turn newbies into power-users. For now, here are the basic beginning steps:
- Find a flattering headshot of yourself (preferably smiling), and use it on all your sites as a sort of avatar, a consistent visual image by which others will recognize you. This will help with branding and reinforce the impression that you are everywhere.
- For uniform messaging, create a short bio and use it on all your social networking profiles. Write your bio using links and keywords that best describe your business for search engine optimization, or SEO, which will help people find you online.
- Research your competition's online presence and determine which among them is best employing social media. Which competitor seems to be everywhere, mixing it up with your target interest groups? You'll learn a lot from this exercise.
- Using email or a newsletter, create an informal poll asking your current customers what social networks they prefer, then use the results to determine where you should spend your time online initially.
- Discover what trade media, associations and suppliers are doing online to interact with travel agents and consumers. Look for clues about how each relates to its audience and which might be potential strategic partners.
- Begin engaging. Monitor what is happening online and get comfortable leaving comments.
Now, armed with this intelligence and experience, determine which of the following social media platforms best suit your business needs:
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