Industry secrets to increasing engagement and growing business through social media

With 3.78 billion users, social media is a great way for travel advisors to reach current and prospective clients.

“Social media around the world is ever-increasing and is, without a doubt, one of the most popular online activities that internet users engage in,” says Ernie Balint, GPS at G Adventures. “Social media platforms are also more accessible than ever before, offering mobile apps for ease of access when on the go, making social media more important than ever to connect, grow and build your brand.”

Increasingly, potential buyers are also turning to social media networks for reviews and recommendations, which can also impact travel decisions.

“It’s essential to have a prominent online presence on various social media platforms to ensure you’re covering all your basis for maximum exposure,” Balint says. “Social media allows you to access cost-effective marketing, interact with your audience, and build brand loyalty.”

Notably, the demographics using social media are increasingly wide-ranging.

“The number of social media users are increasing across all age demographics and aren’t segmented to just the millennials and Gen Z population,” he says. “The numbers are increasing as more baby boomers start to adopt social media and Smartphones into their lives.”

Another reason why agents should consider capitalizing on social media comes down to the numbers. People spend an average of 2.5 hours per day on social media!

“Scrolling through the countless number of status updates, reshared news stories and memories on Facebook to endlessly scrolling through pictures and tapping through stories on Instagram, 2.5 hours a day may seem like a lot, but in all fairness the time passes quickly,” he says. “Social media is becoming more integrated into our daily lives, it unveils countless opportunities for businesses who are looking to reach out to their audience through social media marketing.”

Rather than spreading yourself too thin keeping on top of an unmanageable amount of social media accounts, Courtney Hall, Global Social Media Specialist for G Adventures, suggests focusing on Facebook and Instagram. These platforms are the most widely used and are well suited for travel related content.

“Facebook is still the most widely used platform with 68% of US adults having an account,” she says. “And Instagram stories has seen a huge increase from 150 million users in 2017 to 500 million in 2019, which I’d say is much higher since the pandemic and people being glued to their phones. Remember, Instagram stories is a great place to put that authentic trust-building content.”

Hall also stresses that authenticity builds trust and trust sells.

For those who are just getting started, Balint suggests taking a look at what peers and colleagues are doing to successfully attract followers, clients and business.

“Use their content as examples on how to curate content and create great engaging posts for your own community,” he adds.

How to Grow Your Community

Social Media sits in the dreaming phase of marketing and it first takes time to engage, grow, and build trust within your industry and followers. Here are some helpful starting points:

1. Set up professional pages/accounts
2. Encourage your family and friends to follow you!
3. “Like” every comment on your posts and like their posts (it’s a virtual compliment).
4. Follow travel inspiration accounts on Instagram and comment travel tips on posts without a sell to show your expertise to encourage people to click your handle and follow you.
5. Click on a travel agency or companies followers and like and comment on their personal travel images.
6. Host a giveaway and have your followers like the image, follow you, and tag a friend to enter.

How to Engage Your Community

Dreamy content, interaction with followers, consistency and authenticity builds trust.

1. Post regularly, two-three times per week if possible.
2. Post interesting content specific to each platform ie. travel images on Instagram and informative blogs/news on Facebook.
3. “Like” every comment on your posts.
4. Respond to follower comments then try to bring them to your direct messages. Ie. “Hi Kim! The best time to visit Greece is in May, please send me a DM for more information.” From there try to bring your direct messages to a phone or email conversation.
5. Join travel Facebook groups using your professional account and answer travel related questions without a sell (show your expertise).

Social media tips for success

• Increase your productivity — consistency and quality over quantity are key.
• Analyze your content to see what performs the best and focus on that.
• Research your competitors — what are they doing and mimic their top performing posts.
• Tempt your followers with engaging content — create stories, give offers and provide experience.
• Set sales goals and plan social campaigns ahead of time
• Make your fans and followers feel special: highlight/shoutout a client, share reviews, re-share their photos on your page, comment on clients’ travel images
• Post trip prices and deals, put it all out there!
• Find the balance between authentic images and promo posts with price overall.

How To Keep The Conversation Going…

“Receiving and converting inquiries from social media into sales is not always easy,” says Balint. “It can be one of the most difficult and daunting parts of the sales funnel. The important thing to remember is that just like with any other sale, there is that potential for rejection and hearing ‘no,’ but adopting some of these tips and making them your own will eventually result in a new client and a potential future sale. Just like with everything, it will take time and practice, so stick with it.”

Here are a few tips:

• Offer exclusive incentives (only available through you)
• Touch on what’s in it for them. What will they get out of booking with you?
• Set a time limit
• Do a simple follow-up (Ex: if someone slides into your DMs or reacts to your post, make sure to acknowledge and engage with them. Offer assistance. 
• Don’t be scared to ask for offline contact details to continue the conversation
• Don’t feel overwhelmed or scared to fail — it’s all about trial and error