Social media is arguably one of the most important parts of marketing for travel companies. The world of travel has niches and communities online that are waiting to be tapped into. Learning to make the most of social media to help grow your company can be tedious and time-consuming, but there’s great news!
You don’t have to have to be a social media wizz to know that it’s not necessary to have an account with all social media sites, and it actually could be detrimental to your brand. It’s important to know which sites are the best suited for you. This article will cover the leading social media sites and help outline the pros and cons of each social media platform and how best to use them to boost your travel company.
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Twitter was one of the first social media websites to hit the scene back in 2006. Since then, it has been bought, sold, and turned into a hot conversation topic. Most people think Twitter is quite polarizing and politically charged; for that reason, they choose to stay off the platform. Some might wonder, “Is Twitter even worth having in 2023?”
Twitter is still a good platform, but don’t channel all your social media energy here. It’s good to create an account to claim your brand’s name and keep branding consistent across the platforms.
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There are four main reasons established brands keep using Twitter:
- Launch a new promotion
- Promote a product or service
- Take part in relevant discussions online
- Drive clicks to your website
Best Used For
Although Twitter isn’t the best social media for travel-related companies, it’s still a good idea to channel some energy there to establish a presence and use it as a promotional tool.
Twitter is great for well-established travel agencies, companies that sell travel products, and travel bloggers. Twitter isn’t the best for travel vloggers, tour guides, and photographers, although it’s still worth creating an account just for brand consistency.
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Pros
- Great for brands that want to stay in the loop with current events
- Travel bloggers might find a social media site that involves writing to be useful
- Good for product or service promotion for established brands
Cons
- It can get a bit messy when it comes to controversial topics
- Not as relevant of a platform as it once was
Blogs
Although blogging isn’t technically a social media, it is one surefire way to drive traffic to your website or other social media accounts. If you have a great website already, adding a blog and posting quality articles once or twice can really help boost your traffic. Whether you own a travel agency, sell travel products, or are an influencer, blogs can help boost traffic where needed.
To ensure you start blogging the first time effectively, make sure you get up to date on the latest SEO techniques and use helpful tools like Grammarly Premium to make sure your written work is in top shape before posting it online. Of course, you can always go back and edit but getting it right the first time helps eliminate the hassle and headache later on.
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In a blog post, it’s important to include pictures and links to other websites and link to past articles you’ve written. If you know a good product to recommend or a tour you want to sell, you can easily include a link in your sentence for readers to click! Keeping your blogging calendar aligned with your social media strategy is also good practice.
Best Used For
Blogs are good for every kind of business operating in the travel niche because they are so versatile and are good traffic drivers. It’s easy for small travel product companies to write a quick article while including their products to help promote the brand.
For example, if your product is suitcases, write an article about luggage in airport like this one. If you don’t want to incorporate it into your social media strategy, it’s easy to outsource the writing to freelancers online.
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Pros
- Drives traffic to your website or other social media accounts
- Promotes products and services while simultaneously providing useful information
- Easy to outsource to freelancers
Cons
- If you are writing blogs yourself, it can be time-consuming
- This may include having to learn SEO
- Best if used in conjunction with other social media platforms
Youtube
Youtube is an excellent platform for showcasing information or products in video format. It’s still a relevantly important platform that has brought 2.1 billion active users to the platform. Creating videos is easier than ever; you only need the latest Android or iPhone, a mini mic, and a ring light to start creating and posting high-quality videos.
Brands can create short informative videos featuring their products to post to Youtube, collaborate with influencers to create content, or show how the product works to potential customers. Travel agencies, vloggers, and influencers can create videos on location to showcase the beauty of a destination.
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Best Used For
Youtube is an excellent platform for travel influencers and vloggers looking to make a little bit of side income through the platform and grow their brand. Once you reach 1000 subscribers, you start to accumulate ad revenue through Youtube. This can really help fuel the digital nomad lifestyle for influencers and vloggers.
Youtube is also useful for travel agencies and companies but not in the same way. While the ad revenue is great, it’s likely these companies are already making money through other avenues. You can use your videos to drive traffic to your website and other social accounts or create videos that make your products or tours appealing to potential customers. A well-shot video can make or break a deal when it comes to potential customers purchasing your tour package.
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Pros
- Can make passive income
- Great for travel blogging, vlogging, or promotional videos for travel companies
Cons
- It can involve some start-up costs for equipment
- Time-consuming
- Cant repurpose footage for other platforms that are shot horizontally
If you work in the travel niche, Instagram is one of the most important platforms. Whether you are one of the top hotel booking companies like Expedia or Airbnb or a small travel influencer just starting out, you need to have an Instagram presence.
Instagram is where potential customers or followers see what your brand is all about, so it’s essential to remain consistent on this platform. If you’re a luxury travel blogger, stick to posts that align with that, or if you sell tour packages to Italy, make your page all about Italy. Part of having a good Instagram strategy to grow on the platform is being able to take great Instagram photos. Since the platform is very visual, clear and captivating images are necessary.
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Instagram has so many useful and fun tools to help brands connect with their audience. You can engage with them through polls and links in your stories, relate to them through reels, and create useful content for your page.
Best Used For
Instagram is a platform that anyone in the travel industry should be active on. It is especially important for travel influencers, bloggers, and photographers, as it can help them grow their presence more so than new or established companies. It’s still essential for companies (both new and older) to join in on the fun and create brand awareness through Instagram.
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Pros
- Highly visual app, great for influencers or photographers
- A huge travel community is already on the platform
Cons
- It can be a challenge to start an account from scratch in 2023
- Hard to grow organically
TikTok
TikTok is the newest social media platform in the game. Most social media strategists at established companies tend to overlook or dismiss the platform altogether, wrongfully so. Although it’s possible to grow a social media presence without TikTok, if you want to connect with a younger audience, this platform is what you need to focus on. Almost all Gen Z and Millennials are on the platform, and even some people from older generations, making it one of the most important social media accounts to have.
TikTok conveys information in a hilarious and informative manner through 3-60 second videos. The platform is less curated than it’s visual cousin Instagram, less production focused than Youtube, and it’s easier to go viral on TikTok because of its elusive algorithm. Videos are simple and easy to film, making it very easy to create content.
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Brands can easily collaborate with the right TikTok influencers to help boost their product or brand. Travel agencies can promote trips, and Influencers can quickly grow a following by posting relatable content. TikTok content can be more fun for people to create because it requires less effort than an Instagram or Facebook post.
Best Used For
The relevance of trends and videos goes by on TikTok quite fast, sometimes too fast for established companies that find they’re having a hard time keeping up. Due to red tape when it comes to approving topics, creating content, and posting videos, well-established brands might struggle on TikTok unless this pipeline is removed.
Influencers, smaller travel companies, travel agencies, photographers/videographers, and tour guides will love TikTok for it’s ease and largely untapped audience.
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Pros
- Great for connecting with a younger audience
- Easy to go viral
Cons
- It can be challenging to use for established brands
Pinterest is one of the most overlooked platforms after it fell out of popularity in the late 2010s. The platform is still trucking along, mostly in silence and out of the immediate public eye. Most people don’t realize that Pinterest has become an untapped platform that still has over 450 million active users.
Starting out on Pinterest doesn’t have to be intimidating and might be easier than you think. Users can create pins that link to blog posts, websites, and Youtube videos that will stay evergreen on their Pinterest feed and can be saved and repinned by other users. This kind of content that stays relevant is important for driving traffic where you want it to go. Creating covers for your pins in Canva is easier than ever, and you can always repurpose older content by creating new pins for it.
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Best Used For
Pinterest is great for influencers, bloggers, YouTubers, and travel companies looking to make income through a platform. Pinterest can help bring in revenue through affiliate marketing, ads, direct shopping links, and brand collaborations.
Influencers in the travel industry who fall into the underrepresented category can also apply for the Creator Fund, which helps you learn how to make stellar Pinterest content, reach brands for sponsorship and gain industry tips. At the end of their 5-week program, you can win 25k in grants, sponsorships, credits, and more.
Even if this doesn’t apply to you, Pinterest is still a great platform to help drive traffic to your blog or website!
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Pros
- Can repurpose older content to create new pins
- Good for driving traffic to websites
Cons
- Requires creating specific images using Canva or another platform
- Requires multiple skill sets (marketing, writing, design, etc.)
Facebook is by far one of the oldest social media platforms, and it has changed drastically since it first came out in 2004. The platform has many features for its users, such as a marketplace, groups, and the ability to create a page for yourself or a business. Having a Facebook page is a good way to get new customers to your platform or website.
Travel influencers, businesses, bloggers, and tour companies can make a public Facebook profile to help reach more people through social media. You can easily use Meta’s business suite to plan and schedule social media posts on both Instagram and Facebook months in advance. To really bring it up a notch, try using Facebook ads, which allow you to create an ad that is specifically targeted to a specific demographic.
Although the demographic of people who use Facebook is an older crowd, you can still target a younger crowd through Instagram, which was bought by Meta (Facebook) in 2012.
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Best Used For
Facebook is a must-have social media platform for any business, whether you’re a blogger just starting out or an established tour company. Having a well-kept Facebook page adds credibility to your business and helps you connect with your audience.
Pros
- Great advertising power
- Easy to set up and schedule posts
- Schedule posts for Instagram and Facebook
Cons
- Need to spend a larger amount of money to see results from ads
- The younger generation is becoming disinterested in the platform
The tips in this article should help you choose which social media platform or platforms are suitable for your travel business. With the right social media accounts up and running, your travel business should flourish in no time.