@AffWin#AWEvents

#AllAboard2012

Agenda

Time Event

1.40pm “Social Media Strategies for the Travel Sector” Julie Falconer

2.20pm Networking Begins (drinks & nibbles at the bar)

4.00pm Raffle Prize Draw in aid of

5.00pm Finish

What is All Aboard?

Why now?

Winter SunSki Holidays Early Summer Bookings

Talking points

Mobile

Payment

Tools available

Promotional Plans

Data Intelligence

Findings

• 65% invested more budget into Affiliate Marketing in 2012 (A4U Travel Report)

• Average Attribution to Affiliate Channel is 8.2% with some clients nearing 30% (A4U Travel Report)

• Email is growing in this sector when it comes to upstream traffic to travel sites. (Hitwise)

Social Media Strategies for the

Travel SectorJulie Falconer

14 November 2012

Social Media in Action

Hashtag: •#AllAboard2012

Twitter: •@aladyinlondon•@AffWin

Brief Introduction

Julie Falconer is a London-based travel writer and consultant. She writes an award-winning travel blog, A Lady in London, for which she has traveled to 90 countries and developed a strong social media presence.

Originally from San Francisco, Julie came to London in 2007 after leaving a career in finance, during which she worked for Goldman Sachs and a hedge fund. When she's not traveling, she enjoys tweeting pictures of her food.

http://www.aladyinlondon.com

How to create and monitor an effective social media strategy in the travel industry

Creating a Strategy

Creating a Strategy

What is your goal?

How much time and resources do you have?

What are the motivations of your audience or customers?

What is your goal?

This will dictate your overall strategy

Goals can include:EngagementCommunity buildingSalesTraffic

How much time and resources do you have?

This will dictate how many platforms you use

With limited time and resources, you should only use one or two social media platforms

A Twitter account with 1 tweet from a year ago looks bad

What are the motivations of your customers?

This will dictate which platforms you use and how you interact on them

Find out where your target market is and don't bother with social media platforms that your users aren't on (e.g. if you target men, Pinterest might not be a good use of time)

Implementing a Strategy

Implementing a Strategy

Set up profiles

Tailor your strategy to each platform

Build your following

Profiles

Make sure to have consistency across social media platforms, across your brand and across your online and offline marketing efforts

Fill out profiles completely and customize where you can

Profiles

Use TweetDeck or another platform to manage multiple accounts

Connect your Google+ page to your blog so your photo comes up in search results

Put icons on your site so people can find your social media profiles

Tailor your strategy

Don't automate or cross-post

Facebook is good for offers; people will "like" your page if they feel they'll get something out of it

Pinterest and YouTube are good for competitions

Twitter is good for customer service and networking

Build your following

PartnershipsBloggers, businesses, PRs

Find, follow, and engageJournalists, experts, industry leaders

Use hashtags

Build your following

Look at who is following your competitors or similar companies and follow them / engage them

Host an event and have a live Twitter feed and hashtag

Cross-promote via your other channels

Give a reason to follow

Post interesting and engaging content

Offer an incentive Facebook – landing pages,

new tool for deals and offers

Give a reason to follow

Run a competitionYouTube, Pinterest, Instagram

Invite users to collaborateGroup Pinterest boards, ask questions, etc

What Works in Travel

What Works in Travel

Visual

Creative

Collaborative

Visual

Travel is a very visual industry

Show me, don't tell me

A picture is worth 1,000 words, especially in real time

I’m on a beach

I’m on a beach in Madagascar

I’m on a white sand beach in #Madagascar

Visual

Photography - share on all platforms

InstagramPinterestStumbleuponFlickrTwitter (#FriFotos)Facebook (EdgeRank)Google+Blogs

Visual

Video - inspire peopleDestination guidesInterviews and demosAdventure travelExamples:YouTubeVimeoEmbed in blog posts and websitesFacebook

Visual

Infographics - so hot right nowBe creativeGood for viral effortsGreat way to present a press

release visually

CreativeHave a creative take on a destination or offering:

Writers Travel CompaniesOffer a unique perspective on a popular destination

Tell people about a destination your competitors don’t offer

Cover an off-the-beaten-path location

Post about a tour of an off-the-beaten-path location

Get backstage Show that you offer backstage access

Interview someone Tell about how you offer access to someone

Creative

Blogging - integral part of websiteHighlights of your product or service offeringsTrip reports, top picks, interviews, etcLet your personality or that of your brand shine through Make sure to include photos, video, and other media

CreativePique curiosity

“I’m drinking a cocktail”

Creative

Pique curiosity“There's a cocktail in this honey pot”

CreativeAsk questions to encourage engagement

“Can you guess where this is?”

Creative“Do you know what kind of animal this is?”

CreativeInspire people to do something

“If I can run a marathon, so can you!”

Creative

Crowdsource

“Where should I travel next month?”

“What would you like to see us offer?”

“Help us design a new…”

“I just arrived in…” [use local language]

Collaborative

Networks and groups on FacebookGlobal Bloggers NetworkUK Travel Bloggers

Groups and connections on LinkedInConnect with key playersJoin discussions

Collaborative

Twitter networking and hashtagsFollow influencersParticipate in #FriFotos and other industry memes

Forums and message boardsLonely PlanetFodorsFlyerTalkBe relevant, don’t spam

Collaborative

Offline - tweetups, eventsGreat ways to network with those you interact with on social media and meet new people to engage with and partner withExamples:Travel MassiveLondon Bloggers MeetupWorld Travel Market (WTM)ITB Berlin

Ensuring Effectiveness

Ensuring Effectiveness

Monitor results to improve effectiveness

Stay updated

Monitor results

Bitly and Hootsuite

Google and Facebook Analytics

Monitor results

Big brands can benefit from listening tools

Free tools to see the best time to tweet, etc

Use the data to refine your strategy, tailor content to your audience, time posts, etc

Stay updated

Stay updated on new trends in social media (e.g. Facebook EdgeRank) by subscribing to blogs or newslettersSocial Media Today

New social media platforms Pinterest, Instagram

Thank You

Hashtag: •#AllAboard2012

Twitter: •@aladyinlondon•@AffWin

@AffWin#AWEvents

#AllAboard2012