In this white paper agency:2 explore how travel brands can maximise the power of social media. Travel businesses cannot afford to dismiss social media as a fad. It presents an opportunity to gain an edge over competitors, rise above industry-wide challenges and engage effectively with business partners and consumers.

1. the social media agency
How the travel
industry can
maximise the
power of social
media
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2. the social media agency
Introduction
Travel businesses cannot afford to dismiss social media as a fad. It presents an opportunity to gain an edge over
competitors, rise above industry-wide challenges and engage effectively with business partners and consumers.
Airlines, tourist boards, hotels and destinations are embracing social media to gain insights into their position in the
industry landscape, raise brand awareness, build online communities, improve customer service and conduct market
research.
These are clear business benefits. It can also be shown that social media creates monetisation opportunities – and can
deliver a measurable ROI. For example, integrating reviews into a booking path may have a direct impact on sales.
For many travel organisations, social media is relatively uncharted territory. They are aware that it can be a powerful
marketing tool, but uncertain about how to leverage it fully. The primary concern is to find a way of guaranteeing the
intended results.
The best route is to set out clear social media objectives and invest enough time and expertise to make them achievable.
It’s important to define key performance indicators, so that an effective social media strategy be developed, measured
and optimised.
Identifying the right social media channels to use is also imperative. It may be a priority to incorporate social features
into a company website. Frequently updated reviews, ratings and blogs, for example, facilitate customer engagement
and improve search engine rankings.
Beyond their main websites, a plethora of social media channels offer distinct capabilities for travel companies to
connect with B2B and B2C customers at different stages of their decision-making and buying process, and beyond, to
enhance their customer experience.
Online communities: a growing opportunity for the travel industry
There has been a surge in the number of travellers using online communities, rather than corporate websites, to help
them plan and modify trips. Using the web, smartphones and mobile services, travellers are increasingly self-reliant.
For the travel industry, this has resulted in a shift: company websites are less important, while content (especially user-
generated content) is king.
Travel businesses have much to gain from recognising this and identifying ways to interact with target audiences through
relevant social media channels. These include travel-focused segments of photo-sharing sites like Flickr, video-sharing
sites like YouTube and social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
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3. the social media agency
Other channels are custom-made to facilitate travellers and the businesses that need to reach them. These include geo
location sites such as Facebook Places, Gowalla and Foursquare, the lifestyle and travel social network WAYN, travel
communities like Trip Advisor, travel forums such as Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree and a host of blogs that cover all aspects
of travel and hospitality.
In practice: how the travel industry is using social media
There are many examples of how online communities are being leveraged by different segments of the travel industry:
n Airlines and cruise operators are utilising social media to promote new aircraft and ships, raising product awareness
among key audiences
An example: Royal Caribbean asked agency:2 to create a social media campaign to support the launch
of a new ship, the Celebrity Eclipse. Social media objectives included the generation of pricing and
itinerary enquiries, leading to a sales uplift. agency:2 developed a strategy to create compelling blog
content about the ship and its destinations, in order to create a “buzz” and increase click-through to
the Celebrity Eclipse site. It seeded and promoted the blog through forums, social networks and social
search. Social media posts generated on average a 6% click-through rate to the blog. The blog engaged
300,000 relevant consumers with the Celebrity Cruises brand, promoted its service and gave travellers
compelling reasons to book. Leads to conversion pages increased by 100% month on month.
n Insurance
and credit card brands that want to raise awareness of their travel products among in relevant B2C and
B2B travel communities are using social media to position themselves as experts in the travel arena
An example: agency:2 helped MasterCard in its quest to be the credit card of choice for travellers by
driving holiday makers and business travellers to its branded travel portal. Brand ambassadors promoted
the site across travel forums by posting valuable comments and answering questions. Referrals from
brand ambassador posts spent 22 times more time on the site than the average user. Three out of ten
of these resulted in conversion.
n Tourist
boards and hotels are initiating dialogue and getting involved with conversations about their destinations
in online communities like WAYN (www.wayn.com), Thorn Tree (www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree), Real Travel
(www.realtravel.com) and Virtual Tourist (www.virtualtourist.com)
n Hotels are using Facebook and Twitter, not only to build online communities, but also to process bookings and fulfill
customer service needs. For example one of Hyatt Hotels’ Twitter accounts (www.twitter.com/HyattConcierge)
serves as a virtual concierge, fielding a wide range of queries and responding to them within an hour
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n Airlines
and hotels are capitalising on the real-time features of tools like Twitter to reduce the numbers of unsold
seats or rooms at the last minute. Delta airlines’ passengers can buy tickets on Delta's Facebook page (www.
facebook.com/Delta)
n Tourist
boards and attractions are creating photo-sharing groups or video-sharing channels to post pictures or
videos and start a dialogue with a wide online audience. Visit Britain has a Flickr page populated by user-generated
photography submitted by over 1,000 “photo ambassadors”
n Resort
destinations are creating their own blogs and forging relationships with influential niche bloggers and their
audiences. Utah’s Park City Mountain Resort broadened its reach by connecting with “mommy bloggers” and
creating its own Snow Mamas blog (www.parkcitymountain.com/winter/snowmamas), featuring moms’ tips for
family ski trips
n Hotels
incorporating reviews into the booking path on their websites are experiencing a sales uplift as a result
of positive customer feedback. Conversion is further enhanced when the booking system is clearly highlighted
within community pages where users are directly engaging
Blogger outreach: the targeted influence of travel blogs
By targeting relevant bloggers and building relationships with them and their readers, travel businesses are able to:
n Collect effective, unbiased reviews of their products and services
n Introduce new blog-reading audiences to their brands
n Converse with target audiences in a friendly, sociable way
n Attract the interest of a wide range of potential customers
n Generate referrals to their websites, with opportunity for conversion
As people comment on and share blog reviews through other social media channels, blogger outreach creates trusted,
user-generated material that has the potential to go viral. None of this happens overnight, however, and building an
effective blogger outreach programme takes commitment. These are some key considerations:
n Build
a list: it’s important to identify key bloggers with a strong influence over the audiences that need to be
reached
n Small can be mighty: Relevant, niche blogs can offer a clear route to enthusiastic readers and potential “brand
advocates”
n Gauge receptiveness: Investigate how bloggers have responded to previous pitches to establish whether they are
likely to welcome an approach
n Get to know bloggers: It’s essential to read the “about” section, look through archives to understand bloggers and
readers before engaging
n Be personal: Communicate effectively with bloggers, demonstrating an awareness of their background and
passions
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Social media ROI: delivering returns for travel businesses
Bombarded with advertising, wary of the trustworthiness of PR messages, sceptical of corporate “blurb”, many people
have become immune to the methods traditionally employed by travel organisations to generate leads and monetisation
opportunities.
Enter social media: a way for brands to communicate directly with consumers and business customers in a friendly,
sociable way. And a golden opportunity to build trust, enhance reputation and reinforce expertise.
There are many ways in which travel companies can leverage social media in a valuable way in real time, delivering a
tangible ROI. It can be used to:
n Provide better customer service
n Manage crises more effectively
n Heighten brand awareness
n Enhance brand reputation
n Develop brand loyalty
n Improve search engine rankings
n Increase website referrals
n Maximise conversions
n Encourage repeat business
These clear advantages are possible because social media enables brands to:
n Develop understanding of their industry landscape: their positioning compared to competitors and their customers’
perception of them
n Tailor campaigns to directly target relevant audiences
n Listen to and engage with customers – turning negatives into positives
n Empower legions of customer “brand advocates”
n Create and build business partnerships
n Monitor, measure and optimise ongoing campaigns
For some marketers, social media is now their primary marketing tactic. For others, investing in social media adds value
to other approaches like traditional marketing, PR and advertising – helping to maximise the ROI of a wider marketing
programme.
B2B: getting social with a business audience
The travel industry is using social media not only to engage with an audience of travel consumers, but also to enhance
business relationships and forge new partnerships.
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Some of the social media channels that travel businesses use to engage with industry peers are the same as those used
to communicate with B2C customers: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Xing (in Germany), Viadeo (in France) and
company blogs all have great B2B potential.
But the approach is different than in a B2C context: the tone of language and the content generated is tailored to a
“professional” audience. For example, here are some considerations for using Twitter in a B2B environment:
n Original
content: to maintain and grow followers, it’s important to share valued contributions, such as blog
updates, newsletter content, company news and tips
n Retweet: retweeting useful B2B information offered by peers helps build a bond with the poster, strengthening
business relationships
n Real-time updates: “From the field” tweets at industry events or trade shows demonstrate a company’s presence
at the heart of the industry
n Hashtags: identifying hashtags that target B2B customers use makes it easier to engage in relevant discussions and
follow specific target groups
Crisis averted: social media’s role in crisis communications
The infamous “ash cloud” crisis underlined a core role for social media in travel companies’ crisis communications
strategies.
To recap, an ash cloud from the erupted Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland prompted the closure of airspace in all
Scandinavian countries, Belgium, Germany, France and other parts of Europe for about a week. Thousands of flights
were grounded and millions of people were stranded across the globe. This stasis had a serious financial impact for the
tourism industry, with more than one billion euro lost.
The crisis tested social media’s ability to help travel companies cope with unusual, large scale problems. Those that used
it effectively found it invaluable as a means of disseminating information fast.
Using traditional media, the quickest timeframe in which companies could respond to a crisis would usually be within a
few hours. Social media reduces this to a matter of minutes. There is greater immediacy and opportunity for damage
limitation.
As the ash cloud problem took hold, Facebook pages provided a medium through which airlines and travel agents could
post updates and converse directly with “fans”. And Twitter kept the masses informed, easing the burden on deadlocked
call centres.
Social media channels like these allowed travel companies to publish news updates and helpful links. In addition,
customers posted queries and received direct responses. This dialogue and information-sharing helped improve
customer experiences and build relationships.
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It’s also worth noting that social media generated conversations among stranded travellers, filled communication-gaps
left by companies that were failing to provide adequate updates.
Winners, losers – and lessons learnt from the ash cloud crisis
It’s clear that the ash cloud emergency presented a steep learning curve for many travel companies, especially airlines.
There were notable winners and losers.
Lufthansa used its Facebook page to post updates and converse directly with fans. British Airways employed Twitter
to broadcast updates, respond to customer queries and include links to pages where passengers could apply for
alternative flights.
Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, used a variety of social media channels, including
YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, to post real-time updates. They were able to inform the European air traffic
management community, and the general public, about openings and closures of airspace.
Air France, by contrast, proved that effective social media use is not about tick-boxes. Though it has a Twitter feed, it
tweeted infrequently, largely using the medium to point customers towards its website and call centre, rather than
dealing directly with queries.
So what can be learned from travel organisations’ successes and failures in leveraging social media to help them through
a very difficult time?
How to use social media effectively in a crisis
n Be
prepared: don’t wait until a crisis to set up a social media presence: make sure social media channels are
already playing an active role in communications
n Use the right key people: outsourcing help from experts with strong, multilingual skills makes a big difference to
social media communications when a crisis is global
n Connect with customers: communicate through the social media they are using: press releases on a website, help
centres, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, forums etc…
n Keep it simple: manage the flow of information broadcasted on social media platforms and ensure clarity,
consistency and sensitivity across all channels
n Convey personality: a ‘human’ voice and an honest, authentic tone, makes a difference. A sense of empathy
improves customer experience
n Don’t sell anything: during a crisis, it’s important to divert away from sales messages and focus solely on customer
service and problem-solving
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n Listen
and respond to customers: monitor emerging trends and sentiment and optimise communications
accordingly. Deal effectively with direct queries
n Update information frequently: whether in a rolling news section of a website, on a blog, through a Twitter feed,
or on a Facebook page
n Navigate customers: use social media channels to point to information on a company website (but make sure it is
ready and able to receive an influx of visitors)
n Ensure all engagement is valuable, relevant and timely: Social media engagement and participation should be
proactive and must always have a customer orientated focus.
Whether during a crisis or not, these are excellent rules for social media activity – to enhance its benefits and ROI.
Great gains for travel businesses from listening and monitoring
Social media monitoring involves listening to and monitoring what is said online about a brand. A variety of social media
monitoring tools can be used to build a picture of a brand’s position in its industry landscape – and gain information that
can be helpful when building a social media marketing strategy. Among other insights, it’s possible to:
n Measure the volume of conversations about a brand
n Identify the social media channels with the most active discussions about a brand
n Understand the sentiment towards the brand: positive, negative or neutral
n Gain customer insights that help shape marketing and PR initiatives
n Gather competitor intelligence – necessary to benchmark a brand
n Discover “key influencers” in the marketplace – to recruit as advocates
n Identify risks early and in real time– and facilitate swift crisis management
n Uncover profitable B2B and B2C opportunities
Getting the maximum benefit from social media monitoring requires a level of skill. An in-depth monitoring strategy is
likely to involve using tools with customisation options and analytical and reporting capabilities – such as Radian6 or SM2.
Around the world: developing a sensitive and authentic local voice
Most travel companies have a global audience. It does not share a single nationality, culture, language, or time zone. It’s
important that brands are mindful of a variety of factors to maximise the appeal of their social media campaign:
1 Cultural sensitivities
It’s vital to respect the culture of the audience, offering targeted information that’s relevant and
considerate. For example, when addressing the Middle Eastern market, it is not appropriate to use
images showing women dressed in revealing clothes
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2 Authentic people
Social media programmes should employ the assistance of local market people in target territories.
Their natural mastery of the language can’t easily be replicated and they are able to maintain active
social media profiles in the right time zone
3 Local networks
Using a balance of global and local social networking sites helps maximise local audience levels.
Facebook and Twitter are not the predominant social networks in many countries, where local networks
hold a bigger market share. For example in China Twitter and Facebook are currently banned.
4 Natural language
To achieve a deeper level of engagement, social media programmes are generally carried out using local
language. Brands must either employ local representatives, or ensure that translation is done well. It
must interpret the meaning, intent and nuances of the language, rather than translating verbatim
5 Organisational structures
Global hotel groups are often structured with a central headquarters, with other properties operated
by individual franchises. This raises questions about what individual properties are allowed to do
for their social media marketing. It is the role of the central office to communicate and distribute
best practice guidelines and advice around online trends and tools. Importantly, individual properties
should think about how a platform might be used to support their own local business as well as the
central office’s efforts, so that there is a unity of message around the world.
Geo location: a must-have tool for the travel industry
From social apps like Foursquare and Facebook Places, to location-specific trends in Twitter, geo location offers exciting
potential for users, businesses, marketers and advertisers.
Geo location mobile apps let users “check in” from their smartphones, share their location with friends and find out
where and when events are happening.
The travel industry can profit from understanding and utilising geo location. Among other opportunities, it offers
the chance to broadcast information to an audience that’s targeted by location and communicate with them on a
real-time basis.
This means they can meet focused marketing objectives, such as letting nearby users know about sales or promotions
that they can enjoy in the immediate area.
Foursquare, for example, describes itself as a mobile application that makes cities easier to use and more interesting to
explore. It is both a “social city guide” and a game that challenges users to experience new things. Its main features are:
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n It’s
“social”: Foursquare apps allow the publishing of information (such as position, reviews, badges) into social
networks like Facebook and Twitter
n Geo location: Users identify their geographical position by “checking in”
n Badges: Users are able to win badges, which can be exposed to their networks, or to people visiting the same
place
n It’s targeted and contextual: Users are receptive to specific marketing messages
Travel and hospitality businesses have been among the first to make use of Foursquare’s potential to attract new
customers, develop customer loyalty, enhance travellers’ experiences and nurture business partnerships.
Hotels, airlines, car rental companies, travel agencies and tourist offices are among the businesses using the Foursquare
badges system to create special offers for users checking in for the first time, or loyalty programs for repeat customers.
Other initiatives include targeted cross-promotions. For example, travel agencies can reward customers that check-in at
a museum with a discount offer at a neighbouring restaurant.
Conclusion
Social media is not a new fad. It is increasingly being recognised by travel industry players for the valuable role it plays
in driving traffic back to company websites – traffic that they could not hope to attract through traditional marketing
and advertising.
But there are many other rewards that make an investment in social media worthwhile for travel organisations.
Connecting with people in the right social environment – and ensuring that engagement is relevant, timely and valuable
– is the key to building influential online communities, increasing recognition, enhancing reputation and maximising
monetisation opportunities.
To exploit social media’s potential, travel companies must define social media objectives and give them an appropriate
time-frame to be met. And there must be investment in the right tools, budget and expertise to deliver specific results.
Measuring social media ROI can be made easier with proper planning. Programmes must be managed by a team that
understands how to set goals and metrics, develop strategy, measure success and never stop optimising. With the
benefit of this knowledge, a social media programme can be reviewed and revised continually. This evolutionary process
unlocks its potential to influence the buying process positively – and make a real difference to profitability.
The travel industry has been under incredible pressure: terror threats, fuel price hikes and recession have hit it hard. The
catastrophic impact of events like the Icelandic ash cloud took many travel businesses, in particular airlines, to breaking
point.
Social media gives them a powerful tool with which to reinvent themselves and create lucrative opportunities: delivering
results faster than through traditional media channels.
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agency:2
agency:2 were the UK’s first social media agency – what makes our social media marketing offering unique is our proven
ability to combine the power of social media together with search to maximise ROI.
We manage tailored social media solutions for our clients and are proud of the results we deliver for them.
Since agency:2 was launched we have established ourselves as a truly global social media agency, creating social media
marketing programmes for clients on a national, European and International level.
This proven experience and expertise, together with our passion for every individual project, has seen us help a diverse
range of clients to develop successful social media campaigns. That’s why our clients trust us to engage with their
consumers around the world.
Contact agency:2
Ally
agency:2
Sea Containers House
London
SE1 9PD
T: 020 7775 5608
ally@agency2.co.uk
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