Tour Providers’ Social Media Goals – Connecting With Travelers

Want to increase the online visibility among potential tour’s and trip’s bookers? Wondering how social media can help tour providers?

Social media should be an important element of tour providers marketing strategy. As research shows, it influences users’ buying decisions.

In the previous article, we helped you understand how different social media platforms work. 

It helps tour providers and travel businesses to choose the best social platforms for their tours and activities. Once you understand which ones support your tour business best, put them to work for you. In this article, you’ll discover how.

Writing for your Website vs. Writing for Social Media

Social media is about building trust and lasting relationships. And growing awareness about your tour business to target customers.

There is a difference in the content you write for your website and the content for your social media. You write for your website blog to get found through search engines. So you write to convince and inform. You will include keywords, focus on the URL, write a great meta description and a strong call to action. All this will help you drive click-throughs to your website and have.

But, your audience doesn’t seek for your content on social media. You create it with the aim of reaching a target audience. If they see your posts and find them interesting, they will engage with them.

Social Media Goals for Tour Providers?

Your business plans need to align with your social media plans. Setting clear goals will help you track the effectiveness of your social efforts.

Different social platforms have different features and goals. But they are all oriented towards customer connection and building trust and lasting relationships.

Most often, businesses use social platforms towards:

• Customer retention – nurturing relationships with customers, keeping them loyal;
• Customer engagement – entertaining and informing existing and future customers;
• Brand awareness – attracting customers, sharing what you can do for them and what you stand for.

The Right Social Media Posts will Connect  you with your Travelers

Valuable content is the one that people find useful. It helps you to build authority and trust among target audiences.

Here are 6 tips to help you create engaging posts. They will help you keep your focus on the interest of your audience, not so much on you own tour promotions:

• Focus on creating value for your tour bookers – in the form of useful and engaging content. It should be relevant to your audience, and your tour and travel business Think about what interest people. It is no longer about your product but what you believe your travelers would read.

For example, all social media users reward useful, practical, funny and visually stimulating posts. It doesn’t always have to be about your own tour business. Also, sharing practical advice allows you to share your knowledge and expertise. Insightful interviews with adventure, travel or other industry experts are also a good idea. Share practical tips, inform, entertain, share videos, beautiful and funny pictures, organize contests and offer prizes.

• Make your content easy to consume – share short pieces of information and write clear and concise messages. Use simple language and words that are positive. Pay attention to your headlines, they drive attention. So, be straightforward and highlight the value of the copy you are sharing.

• Include beautiful imagery or a video – try to convey emotions. Be yourself and give your posts a personal touch, people will relate. You can read about creating great photos for social media in our next posts.

Keep in mind that video content is becoming much more prominent. Whenever you have an opportunity, grab your phone and capture those fun unforgettable moments with people on your tours. Share them over your social media accounts so new customers could see first hand.

People who travel are always up for laughter, good company and meeting new people. What’s a better way than through the enjoyable tours that you provide?

• Include a call-to-action – for example, book now, click here, share, like, tweet.. in the end of your post.

• Put yourself in their shoes – what would you do with that piece of content if you saw it on a social platform? Always make sure to refine your content based on the new things you learn about your customers.

• Be consistent – when you post regularly, your potential bookers perceive you active and interested in providing amazing experiences for them. For example,  posting once a day is enough on Facebook. On Twitter, a few times a day is acceptable.

Once your tour bookers recognize you as a valuable source of information, they will start returning. So be useful and clear. Aim for quality and providing real value to the customer. This will help you stand out from your competitors and keep your tour bookers engaged.

Quick Social Media Tips for Tour Providers in One Place…

Should do’s

• Post fresh content regularly;
• Respond to queries promptly;
• Encourage the engagement that you are seeking;
• Pay for advertising through a social channel;
• Post the unique content tailored to each platform whenever you can;
• Include social media ‘follow us’ icons on your website;
• Enable sharing throughout all your social media accounts – people love to share their fun travel experiences on social networks and brag to their friends how much good time they are having. This is an excellent free promotion for you;
• Handle your time well – ensure you are managing each of your social accounts efficiently.

Should not do’s:

• Fail to update your profile daily;
• Cut communication with the outside world;
• Ignore what your customers are saying about our tour company;
• Have an identical content across all your social assets is generally not a good idea.

The ‘golden rule’ of online reputation management is – treat users as you would want to be treated.

Does it Pay Off for Small Tour Providers to Try Hard Around Social Media?

Social platforms can be less effective in generating bookings in the short term. But, they are a great tool to engage customers and gain loyalty over the long term. Tour providers can learn an awful lot from social listening. Millenials regularly post photos, videos, and updates to social media during their travel. And they are the largest generation to date (80 million). So, social media is the place to go for a tour provider to find his/her customers.

Try to be consistent and active in publishing posts. Photos and comments from your tours shared by your customers are an effective inspiration for other travelers. Keep your messages positive and light. Your potential bookers will reward it.

Note that without a social presence you have no control over your message or how your potential bookers perceive you.

ORIOLY
on May 24, 2016

by Lidija Šomodi