LinkedIn is beating out Instagram and Facebook as the platform of choice for agents
At Virtuoso Travel Week, LinkedIn emerged as a key platform for professionals, which resonates deeply with me. While I’ve used Facebook and Instagram over the years, LinkedIn has become my go-to. It attracts a more established professional audience, often with higher discretionary income—perfect for my focus on blending “return on investment” with “return on life.”
During a LinkedIn session with Vanessa McGovern, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer of Gifted Travel Network, I picked up valuable tips on building and engaging my network, even though I’m already quite familiar with the platform.
I aim to keep my LinkedIn posts casual yet professional. Travel posts work particularly well here because they combine business with pleasure. Sharing pictures of a charming café in Budapest or a stunning Tahitian sunset, along with some educational insights, consistently engages my contacts. My previous career as an actuary also helps, as many of my LinkedIn connections are from that world.
This year has been especially active for me: in the spring I took two European river cruises with AMA and Scenic, and in the summer, I took a Windstar cruise to Tahiti, a trip to Newfoundland, a wellness retreat at Miraval Austin in Texas, and a family vacation to the Fairmont Kea Lani in Maui, Hawaii. I also attended Virtuoso Travel Week in Vegas. And I have more travel ahead this fall with cruises with Explora Journeys to Greece, Uniworld on the Danube, and Lindblad to Antarctica.
I love showing my LinkedIn contacts that, as a travel professional, I travel extensively with the partners I promote and sell. Tagging these supplier partners during my travels not only enhances my posts but also strengthens our relationships.
I also run a LinkedIn newsletter that my contacts can opt into, and I’m excited about planned collaborations I’ve started with Alison May of Wilderness Safaris and Ashish Sanghrajka of Big Five Tours on LinkedIn. We have a few things up our sleeve that are not quite ready to share just yet, but stay tuned! I’ll be working with them over the next month.
Sheila Gallant-Halloran is the owner of Lush Life Travel, an award-winning and top-producing travel advisory team based in Ottawa, Ont. Since 2006, Sheila has specialized in luxury and experiential travel, with a focus on small ship cruising, river cruising, and expedition cruising.
