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Using Social Media to influence travel choices

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Notes on slide 1

The tools may be, but the underlying foundation is not.

The very fact interactive marketing allows for TWO-WAY communication makes it possible for social interaction

It does not need to be about “blasting messages”. You can share information that is of interest and have people respond. When done correctly, email facilitates DIALOGUE between two or more people. This makes email a social media.

The device and technology have simply allowed people to connect wherever and whenever they want to. The underlying relationship must still be established. By providing people with the ability to converse, share and receive by way of a device, you are creating a social interaction.

People search to find things – information, people, products, services. When they find what they are looking for they have established a connection. Search engine marketing- at its core- is about connecting people with those that have what they are looking for. Social media helps connect people who share common interests and experiences.

The means by which a relationship is built and matures does not need to be reliant on a particular channel, marketing tactic or device. Channels,tactics and devices simple facilitate connections. To the users – they just want to communicate, share and build community – they don’t care if that is done with email, website, mobile phones or 2 cups connected with a string. We cannot allow our organizations to focus too heavily on the channels, but rather on the underlying, and more important, matter of creating, fostering and growing trusted relationships and communities.

Now for some stats on social media

Forrester 2008

US only

Forrester

Forrester

comScore

Forrester; Of the 40%

comScore; of the 40%

comScore; Of the 40%

comScore; of the 40%

Forrester 2008

40% are boomers

Some interesting observations:Traffic is not only measure of popularity – TripAdvisor has most traffic (~5.8MM) but SoSauce has longest T.O.S (~14 minutes per session). SoSauce was also one of the sites with the least number of links and one of the lowest number of visitors. This shows how niche sites can be more effective for certain types of social media engagements such as collecting user feedback

We broke up almost 1000 search terms and phrases into 4 categories: accommodations, attractions, activities and resources and information“Accommodations” terms included searches for “flights”, “hotels” and “resorts” using geographic qualifiers (ex. Phoenix, Scottsdale)“Attractions” terms included searches for “spas” and specific destinations like the Grand Canyon“Activities” terms included searches for “golf” and “hiking” “Resources & Info” terms included searches for “vacations”, “travel agencies” and “weather”Past 12 months

More females search for this category of terms61% of searches come from 25-50 year olds – cuts across Millennial, Gen X and Baby Boomer generations

More females search for this category of termsMost searches from 35-50 year olds (Gen X and Baby Boomers)

More females search for this category of termsMost searches from 35-50 year olds (Gen X and Baby Boomers)

Interesting – more males search in this categoryStill, most searches come from 35-50 year olds

CreatorsPublish/Upload content (ex. blogs, video, audio)CriticsContribute to and comment/vote on contentCollectorsSubscribe to content (ex. RSS), tag contentJoinersVisit in social networks (ex. Facebook)SpectatorsRead, watch and listen – don’t participateDemographicGeographicTechnographic

30% of travelers would like to receive special offers about local restaurants and activities via their mobile devices during their trip (PhocusWright)

These sites will provide opportunities for a long tail approach to travel marketingSearch analytics and a deep understanding of travel-related social media sites can provide data that enables marketers to create profiles of influential social communitiesTravel marketers should align their target customer profiles with the profiles of particular travel communities to inform blogger outreach programs

Hitwise

Reputation management is a specific form of search engine optimization, which intersects with social mediaSearchers are now looking more for names they know, and brands they trust.

We have found that people begin their search on the large, well-known meta search engines, then do additional research within the social media world – reviews are particularly well-read, finally once the traveler is close to the decision making stage, they will search for the particular property or destination to gather additional information on amenities, photos, videos, etc. The importance of promininent placement within the search engine results pages and positive listings is key to building and maintaining a positive reputation and growing one’s business

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Using Social Media to influence travel choices - Presentation Transcript

  1. Grand Canyon
    Benefit for St. Mary’s Foodbank
    Using Social Media
    To promote Arizona as a
    travel destination of choice
    during tough economic times
    FIONN DOWNHILL | CEO
    fionn@elixirinteractive.com
    602.494.6326
  2. Social Media is NOT new
  3. Interactive Marketing is Social
  4. Email is Social
  5. Mobile is Social
  6. Search Engine Marketing is Social
  7. Social Media is channel AGNOSTIC
  8. Some Social Media Stats
  9. Two-thirds of U.S. leisure travelers engage in some form of social computing activity
  10. The greatest growth in social technology adoption is coming from 35-55 year olds
  11. 68% of 45-54 year olds use social media
  12. 75% of Internet users engage in some form of social media – up from 56% in 2007
  13. 57% of DMO website visitors read
    traveler-written reviews
  14. 97% of review readers thought reviews were accurate
  15. 40% of online travelers visit social networking sites to influence destination selection.
  16. 87% said reviews impacted hotel choice
  17. 84% said reviews impacted choice of travel
  18. 79% said reviews impact choice of dining
  19. Some Travel Stats
  20. 71% of Americans took at least
    1 trip
  21. 122 million U.S. leisure travelers are online 40% are Baby Boomers
  22. Air travel is most booked product online
  23. Baby Boomers and Gen X have the greatest number of leisure travelers
  24. Most business travelers are Gen X
  25. Since 9/11, 52% increase in travel spending from countries outside U.S.
  26. Canada, Mexico and U.K. are top originating markets for U.S. travel
  27. Arizona ranks 12 of most visited states by international travelers
  28. How can social media
    help the travel industry?
  29. Builds and strengthens
    brand affinity
  30. Provides a better online
    user experience
  31. Serves as a creative outlet for guests
  32. Establishes credibility and trust
  33. Increases organizational transparency
  34. Diffuses negative sentiment
  35. Boosts online visibility and traffic
  36. #2
    #1
    #3
    Top Social Media Sites
    #5
    #4
  37. How do people search?
  38. Search Volume
  39. Accommodations
  40. Attractions
  41. Resources & Information
  42. Activities
  43. How is it done?
  44. 4 Step Process
  45. 1. Define the Purpose
    Sell airfare, rooms, rentals, packages
    Promote the property, pricing, community
    Educate and inform guests
    Get feedback on what guests like/want/need
  46. 2. Identify the Audience
    CRITIC
    DEMOGRAPHIC
    CREATOR
    COLLECTOR
    COLLECTOR
    JOINER
    SPECTATOR
    SPECTATOR
  47. 3. Listen and Read
    What are people talking about?
    Who are the thought-leaders and influencers?
    What kind of content is most appealing?
  48. 4. Participate and enable
    SEO
    • Remove all technical barriers
    • Optimize and distribute digital assets
    • Use unique Meta data for each page
    Email
    • “Countdown to…” campaign
    • Travel tip of the week
    • Showcase local attractions
    Social Media
    • Provide portable widgets (ex. Westin Renew)
    • Start a Twitter following
    • Maintain profile pages
    • Build up network of “friends”
    • Blog post and comment
    Mobile
    • Keep guests updated on events
    • Send out local “specials”
    • Provide property “tid-bits”
    • Allow guests to order services
    PPC and Display
    • Message based on keyword research
    • Placement using geo-targeting
    • Timing based on prior exposure (re-targeting)
    Usability
    • Maximize “findability”
    • Design around user personas
    • Enable content to be shared
    • Incorporate reviews/ratings
  49. How is it measured?
  50. Success Metrics
    • # of total mentions
    • # of positive/negative posts
    • # blog posts/comments
    • # unique visitors
    • # pages viewed
    • # branded searches
    • Time on site
    • Search engine results page position
  51. Trends for 2009
  52. Niche travel-related social media sites will provide more
    “long-tail” opportunities
  53. Meta search engines will continue to gain popularity for initial travel research
  54. Social media will exert greater influence on travel planning and purchasing
  55. Branded searches will have a greater influence on bookings
  56. Reputation management and blogger outreach will be critical for building and maintaining trust
  57. Action
    Interest
  58. Thank YouFionn DownhillCEO www.elixirinteractive.com

+ Fionn DownhillFionn Downhill, 4 months ago

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