Destination marketing has changed. Social media can influence people when choosing their destination, their hotel or their travelling method. On this presentation I am trying to explain how a brand can use influencers to affect the customer’s choice.

1. Travel is
a
game
Of
Influence
Tasos Veliadis– Partner/Business Unit Director - socialab

2. I LOVE TELLING STORIES!
SO TODAY I WILL TELL YOU A
STORY ABOUT…

3. DESTINATION MARKETING
AND
SOCIAL INFLUENCERS

4. DESTINATION MARKETING
HAS CHANGED

5. THE
GAME
HAS CHANGED

6. TRADITIONAL
DISCOVERY IS
TO0 NOISY AND
EXPENSIVE
RELEVANCE AND
CONTEXT TAKE
THEIR PLACE

7. SO LET’S START WITH
SOME USEFUL
STATS

8. THE TRAVELLERS JOURNEY
INSPIRATION RESEARCH EXPERIENCEBOOKING SHARING

9. TRAVELLERS AGREE THAT THEY TURN TO THE WEB
EARLY ON IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY
LEISURE
65%
BUSINESS
69%
Source:
Google
Travel
Study
June
2014

10. SEARCH ENGINES AND YOUTUBE ARE THE TOP ONLINE
SOURCES OF INSPIRATION
SOCIAL
NETWORKING,
VIDEO,
OR
PHOTO
SITES
83%
SEARCH
ENGINE
61%
TRAVEL
REVIEW
SITES/APPS
42%
DESTINATION-­‐SPECIFIC
SITES/APPS
31%
DAILY
DEAL
SITES/APPS
27%
Source:
Google
Travel
Study
June
2014

11. ONLINE TRAVELLERS ARE INFLUENCIAL IN EARLY STAGES
WHEN
THINKING
ABOUT
A
TRIP
WHEN
THINKING
ABOUT
A
TYPE
OF
TRIP
TO
TAKE
WHEN
CHOOSING
A
DESTINATION
Source:
Google
Travel
Study
June
2014
LEASURE TRAVELLERS WHEN TRAVELLING VIDEOS ARE VIEWED
65%
48%
61%

12. YOUR BRAND IS NOT WHAT YOU CLAIM!
IT’S WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS
SAY ABOUT YOU!

13. Social media can influence users easily, thus becoming
an invaluable tool for all kinds of digital travellers.
The main reason for this, is that such media creates
variety and enables users to choose, from seeking their
next destination to booking tickets and sharing
moments from their trip.

14. 73% of travellers take inspiration and collect
information about their trip through Facebook,
Instagram or Twitter.
The majority of users claim that they found Twitter
exceptionally useful in researching and finally choosing
a travel brand.

15. Based on recent trends, Millennials tend to be the most
avid of travellers, as they are inclined to spend large
sums on travelling.
What’s remarkable though about that generation is
that they rarely ask specialists for information about
their travels.
Only 10% of Millennials claim that they used such a
service during 2014.

16. Consumers tend to trust influencers so much so, that big
hotel brands collaborate with them in order to create
and share content on social media.
INSIGHT

17. We live in one of the most tourism oriented countries in
Europe and marketers are always looking for new
ways to get ahead of the competition.
As such, let’s go ahead and have a look on how digital
influencers can move the crowd and promote your
business and brand in a unique way by affecting their
followers.

18. 1. Influencers create and share
exceptionally engaging images on Social
Media

19. You could always hire professional photographers to
take stunning images of your hotel, the tourist spots of
your city etc. However, who would those pictures
reach? Can such pictures provoke discussion and shape
opinions? Maybe yes, but then again, maybe not. On
the other hand though, influencers can create a broad
spectrum of images: from natural sceneries and
Instagram – style posts to humorous Snapchat
messages with an immense reach each time.

20. Think about this: the average social media user is
bombarded with a barrage of pictures on a daily basis,
such as beach pictures during summer. As a result only
something truly creative and funny could make the user
like, remember and share.

21. 2. Influencers have a broad and faithful
audience

22. Wasting enormous amounts of budget on advertising
does not necessarily mean increased income, as
millennials can even be suspicious of advertising.
However, working with influencers usually means if not
a higher reach, then at least a more personalised
reach, as fans follow the influencers’ advice on where
to shop, what to wear and even on how to manage
certain real life situations…

23. So, whenever consumers look for travel tips and places
to go, they are more likely to trust one of the
influencers they follow rather than some random bit of
information they found online.

24. 3. Influencers tend to describe their
trips in a unique and creative way

25. Influencers have created a faithful following by sharing
personal stories, feelings and life lessons openly. In
contrast to professional travel ads, blogs and vlogs
created by influencers are not trying to hide the not-so-
nice part of a trip, their concerns on budget, safety or
any other real life problems. In short, they give priority
to satisfying their fans’ interests and write very
objective reviews.

26. 4. Influencers create trends

27. From choosing a new destination to visiting a new
restaurant, influencers lead their fans through amazing
new experiences without going overboard in expenses.
A few good pictures and generic material from the
destinations they visit is enough to transform the usual
content into a new trend. This could easily happen by
uploading pictures of a hotel lobby or a small shop in
the centre of the city, since followers can see where
those spots are, through the geo-tagging ability of
social media platforms.

28. So, if you want to put all that in order you can
organise each piece of content easily into sub
categories such as food, nightlife, décor, activities,
local culture or other
and work with influencers specialised in each
subcategory.

29. 5. Influencers add new twists to the
Brand

30. Travelling mostly has to do with learning about new
places and exploring new lifestyles. Some are
interested in having luxury vacations, others want to
explore nature and others want to learn about a new
culture. Travel marketers usually make the mistake of
concentrating on and referring to “travel influencers”
generally without paying attention to other relevant
categories.

31. Influencers from other categories can also help shape
public opinion. If for example your location stands out
for its historical significance, it would be a nice place to
work with a fashion influencer for a photo shoot. This
will help in attracting not only people interested in
history but also others who would like to witness the
place from another point of view.

32. THANK
YOU!