Spotlight shines on social media successes at World Travel Market

A session on Social Media Successes, organized by Travel Perspective, threw the spotlight on the many different ways travel companies can take advantage of social networks.

A session on Social Media Successes, organized by Travel Perspective, threw the spotlight on the many different ways travel companies can take advantage of social networks.

The final day of the Travel Tech Show at WTM was a game of two halves – creative content which engages consumers and drives loyalty led discussions first thing, while tips and tools for bloggers and using bloggers took care of the second part of the day (November 7).

Sarah Rathbone, Client Services Director of public relations firm Siren Communications, urged companies to use the medium for anything from reaching new audiences and increasing engagement to driving loyalty and changing perceptions.

โ€œSuccess comes in many different forms, donโ€™t just judge it on numbers. You have to be dynamic and show that you are always listening.โ€

A session on video and mobile also drew a large crowd with panelists addressing how travel companies can stop consumers, constantly bombarded with information, from skipping through marketing messages.

Experts threw out numbers on how consumers are increasingly engaging with media using a number of devices simultaneously โ€“ 80% of people with tablets use them while watching television and 78% of smartphone owners view content while watching television.

The panel also provided advice on where to start with video. Matt Carroll, Creative Director at Media Ark said: โ€œKnow your audience and know what you want to achieve. A lot of unnecessary budget is thrown at these things but itโ€™s not as expensive as people think.โ€

Cost was also a big part of the discussion during a Travel Bloggers Unite seminar on whether the return-on-investment from bloggers can be effectively measured.

Ross Borden, Chief Executive of Matador Network said: โ€œIn the macro business world there is debate at the chief executive level saying theyโ€™re spending millions and whatโ€™s the ROI, is it converting? We should be careful to only define ROI as immediate bookings.

Smart marketers are not looking at it as something thatโ€™s going to convert immediately. Iโ€™m in favor of starting slow and measuring the relationship with the consumer because itโ€™s way easier to sell them something in the future once you have that relationship.โ€

Bringing the bloggersโ€™ sessions to a close was a panel discussing sales and marketing tips for the community.

Claudia Saleh, Founder of RBBV, a group of 100 Brazil-based bloggers, advised blogging wannabees was: โ€œBuild your brand carefully. Know who you are and how you like to travel. If you have a luxury blog, only write about luxury.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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