Most travel brands admit confusion over social, mobile and search strategies

A recent EyeforTravel survey of over 500 APAC travel brands, shows that despite 68 perecent of companies claiming to have deployed mobile and social media initiatives, more than half admit that they are unsure how to “define, achieve, and measure success.”

The overwhelming majority recognized that it was vital to experiment and invest significant resources in both social and mobile roadmaps but equally apparent were a lack of practical know-how and a fear of failure.

The diaspora of social media platforms, languages, and analytical tools across the APAC was a common pitfall, or as one respondent puts it:

“For all its potential, social media keeps me up at night… It feels a little bit like jumping in at the deep-end without arm-bands and being expected to swim like Michael Phelps.”

And yet, some brands are making good gains and even ROI through such experimentation.

“Airlines have already started driving distribution through social media – be it Delta selling tickets through Facebook or JetBlue clearing distressed inventory through flash-sales on @jetBlueCheeps. To sustain the growth in the number of fans and activity, airlines need to dedicate significant resources and execute well on the strategy, to make social media work for the business,” said Shashank Nigam, CEO of SimpliFlying, a leading airline brand strategy firm.

It’s a similar story with mobile; 85 percent of respondents claimed that mobile is an essential strategic consideration in 2012, but in stark contrast, only 24 percent had clear-cut strategic roadmaps and budgets in place. Lack of resources and knowing where to invest (apps, HTML5, Android vs. iOS, smartphone or Tablet?) were the most cited obstacles.

While these results are perhaps unsurprising, what they do reveal is a fundamental gap in know-how and best practice. Companies realize the importance and potential benefits but are unsure how to deploy and execute “successful” social and mobile campaigns.

In response to this shortfall in know-how and best-practice benchmarks, EyeforTravel has teamed up with recognized industry experts to address these challenges and develop winning social and mobile roadmaps to take home and implement.

We will be running a free 45-minute webinar with leading experts Malaysia Airlines, SimpliFlying, and Abacus International on Wednesday, November 23.

Join the free 45-minute webinar on “Driving Real Engagement and ROI from Your Mobile & Social Strategies.”

The webinar is free to join and download – find out more and book your place here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/842292606 .