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Where do you need to be when it comes to Social Media? Which platform suits your market? Is Social Media part of your marketing plan?

 

I believe that Social Media does have a place when promoting travel. You can build a business on Social Media these days.  Look at how ‘influencers’ have flourished by posting incredible images promoting a destination. They have helped us as Travel Agents and Consultants with promoting travel as a way of life.

 

Social Media has come a long way since ‘My Space’ - gosh I hope others also remember what that was. Today’s platforms are sophisticated, have many options on each to play with and get your message out.  BIG Brands are using Social Media as part of their marketing efforts. If you aren’t on Social Media - you may need to think again. It may morph into different products, but in general, it is here to stay.

 

We explore 3 of currently the biggest players when it comes to Social Media. You can be an effective marketer once you know what to post when to post and most importantly who you are talking to.

Show Transcription: 

Announcer: Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers! The place to learn how to grow your travel business and have fun with it. Join Roslyn and her guests as they walk you through proven steps to a fulfilling and profitable business. 

 

Roslyn Ranse: Hey there, welcome back to another episode of Travel Agent Achievers podcast. I’m Ros and I am your host. Today we are talking about Which Social Media Platform Works for Travel Agents.

 

Are you struggling to try to keep up with social media these days?

Do you feel as though you are told one thing one day, and then another thing another day? 

Do you know what to post and when? 

 

There are so many changes that it feels like each platform has its own set of RULE

when it comes to Social Media that it can be quite overwhelming and confusing. 

 

I want to help you today with a little focus. A few tips that can help you work out which platform to focus on for your business and as travel consultants give you some choice. 

 

This is my personal opinion and I am only focusing on 3 platforms. I have had success with these but they are all for very different demographics, so it's not a solution that one size fits all. 

 

I don’t want you to feel as though you can go out there and crush it and post the same thing on every platform, that is definitely not the case. 

 

This is very similar to our clients. A Scenic cruise or an APT cruise, for example, isn’t for everyone and nor is a Carnival Cruise. They’re very different demographics. You get my drift right? 

Some platforms may be more suited to Contiki and Busabout adventurers and other platforms may be more suited to the business traveler or even those looking for a destination wedding. 

 

So there are different things for different platforms for different people. And you need to work out who you’re talking to, to then work out what’s going to be the best platform for you. 

 

Last week in episode 14, we were talking about Facebook Live and how many people are using it daily. Well on a monthly basis, Facebook has over 2.4 billion active users, (these stats are from Business Insider.)

 

Instagram has over 1 billion monthly active users, so Facebook has double the amount of people actively on it. 

 

Instagram is known as the most engaged network, while LinkedIn has 303 million active users monthly. 

 

LinkedIn is the lesser-used platform but sticks with me because I think, in my personal opinion, LinkedIn is mostly for businesses. I’ll come back to you with a few stats and the demographics for each platform. Instagram is for play, it’s main focus is the image that’s carefully curated versus what’s live and real. 

 

And Facebook is the mainstay, the majority of people spend time here, it suits all ages and it’s really for anybody. You don’t have to be tech-savvy to be on Facebook. 

 

So the demographics of each platform, Facebook users are 53% female and 47%, male. Of all the people on the internet, this is the place to be, 83% of women use Facebook. We’re also finding that Facebook is reaching an older demographic these days, in Australia, we call it the “baby boomers” and they are all now taking off and going on these trips around Australia and they are quite engaged. They’re no longer printing out their photos, they are taking photos and posting them on Facebook as an example.  

 

There is an older demographic that is coming now to Facebook and they are all more tech-savvy.

 

Instagram is very similar, 52% of Instagram users are female and 42% are male. So the demographics that are on Instagram on a daily basis whereas Facebook is really broad. The majority of users are between the ages of 18 and 34 use Instagram. 

And then LinkedIn has a higher male ratio of users at 57% of male users and 43% female users on Linkedin. 90 million LinkedIn users are senior-level influencers and 63 million are in decision-making positions. And they are more about promoting their business and it’s more like a resume.

 

When you are promoting your services and expanding your client base, you need to start with understanding who is on the platform of choice and also whether it is something you want to commit to long term whether you are talking to the right person. 

 

Thinking back to any of these platforms. Do they suit you and who you want to deal with on a daily basis as your ideal client? 

 

Remember:

 

LinkedIn is mostly business, Instagram is more of a play (the main focus is on the images) and Facebook is the mainstay. 

 

If you don’t like social media or any of these platforms, you are either going to have to learn to like them or use them for the purpose YOU want to. 

 

One key thing to remember is that Social Media should only become a TOOL for you to use as part of your marketing plan. 

 

I don't recommend that they are the be-all and end-all. 

 

Remember that social media should really only become a tool for you to use as part of your marketing plan. I don’t recommend that it’s the be-all and where you’ll focus all your marketing efforts.

 

At the end of the day, any of these platforms could disappear overnight or YOU could be blocked from any of these platforms. So always remember to build your own network of emails and contacts, as you never know how long these will be around. If they disappeared tomorrow - would you still have other avenues to connect with your clients? 

 

Social media is a tool and it should be part of the tool that you have in your marketing bank

 

This is why one of my biggest tools is my own database. 

Whether you are just starting out and have an excel or google sheet of contacts, a free email management system like MailChimp or a more sophisticated database, please please please have something to hold your client and prospective client details. 

 

You need to be able to capture email addresses, mobile phone numbers. Have information that you can connect with your clients in different forms. 

 

You don’t want social media to be the be-all and end-all but I can tell you that if you are on social media it can work for you.

 

If you don’t have a database to store client and potential client details you need one. If you want more information on the types of databases and what could help you, then please let me know via DM or message via Facebook and I’ll help you out. 

 

Finding your ideal client. You do need to know who you’re talking to. You need to know who you physically want to talk to.

 

Your clients might be the 18-35-year-olds and you target specifically to that demographic. You may be a family holiday planner so you need to know where those people are on social media. You might be looking after the baby boomers and their overseas holiday or they travel around Australia. Once you know WHO you are talking to, then look at the platform you prefer and see if it is a match. 

 

Sometimes Social Media isn’t where YOUR clients are at all. They may be in a local club and prefer to read magazines or listen to the radio. And that’s why I’m suggesting that social media, I do love it and I believe it has a purpose as part of your marketing plan but I don’t want you to feel as though it has to be the be-all and end-all.

 

I do believe you have to choose a platform and stick to it but I also think that you really need to have a plan in place that doesn’t necessarily rely on it as the one thing to focus on. 

 

In this day and age, it may need to be one of your main priorities but remember if you don’t know who you are talking to, you won’t know how to reach them.

 

If you have this person in mind, or already know who these clients are, you need to look at where they are. If they are on LinkedIn - then that is where you need to be. If you only look at booking corporate travel then you need to be on Linkedin. 

You need to have your profile up to date. You need to have your own resume very clear - this is what everyone is doing on LinkedIn. Profiling their resume really I think. There are also specific tools and techniques and things that you have to know on your Linkedin profile and the types of value that you need to provide and that’s what I dive into my masterclass and also my social media program that’s coming out very very shortly. 

 

So, if you want to know about in-depth details about each of these platforms, keep an eye out for that because I do dive in for what you need to put into these social media formats and it keeps you up to date.

 

So once you know that you’re targeting, for instance, the corporate client and they are on Linkedin, you need to be there too and you need to be all up to date.

 

I always talk about providing value and being a resource for your clients.  I don’t think that if you’re giving a client special after special, they're going to see you as somebody who they can trust and will take care of them because those clients are just looking for the deal. 

 

You want the client that knows and trust you. You want them to know you, and know that you care. That you also understand them.

 

So if you are on LinkedIn and you're talking to a corporate client, think of the things that they might be interested in or they want to know about and then you know what to post and how to post it. LinkedIn isn't just an image they're more about the blog post but I go more into depth on how to post and what to post it on Linkedin so that you are up to date on my social media program.

 

For me, as a travel consultant and also as a travel mentor I talk to the people I know I can look after.  If you’re new to the industry, welcome!  As travel agents, this is a challenging job.

You may be just starting out and feeling like you have to do everything for everyone or maybe you’re focused initially on one particular topic and that’s okay. I want you to be able to provide value and know more than what your clients do.

 

I can’t say that social media is for everyone nor is it for every travel agent, however, if you do it right and provide value then you will be the person that your clients will turn to will be you and also refer to.

 

So what’s working right now?

Live VIDEO. If you haven’t listened to last week's episode, you need to. Its Episode 14 - How to generate Leads with Facebook videos. Facebook, YouTube, and  Instagram have fantastic tools direct to get a message across to the consumer utilizing live video that can also generate leads in your business. 

 

If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast, please do so - you can do that on Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes.  You will get first access and won’t miss a thing. :-) Go back and listen to episode 14. If you want some direct tips on how to work with video in your business and specifically Facebook Live. 

 

According to Cisco, there will be 1.9 billion Internet video users, representing 80% of internet traffic, by the end of 2021.

If you’re not starting now with video, you need to. It can be daunting, it can be scary but I give you the tools and the tips and tricks to help you get through. People aren't going to care what you’re wearing but you need to be there.

By the end of 2021, people are going to be watching videos. 80% of internet traffic is watching videos. Social media trends they back this up and similar web research reveals that users are now spending 53 minutes per day consuming content. So consuming content, that could be on Instagram. On Facebook, the average length of time per day is now 58 minutes.

 

IGTV - Most videos are less than 3 minutes so you don’t need to be on there, to produce a massive quality high-end movie cinema video and the majority are consumed by Millenials and Gen z. (basically less than 40 years of age) . You can do a 3-minute video providing value Instagram and you will be seen. You can also film it in portrait style. 

 

Advertising, pay to play - over the last couple of years, Facebook has focused more on the advertising side of things. You may find or feel that your posts aren’t seen as much now and might not be getting as much engagement. Initially if you ‘boosted’ a post everyone saw it and it was quite cheap to get some serious traction. 

 

Though these days there are new strategies and also just simply ‘boosting’ a post may no longer work for your business. You need an advertising strategy. 

This is much more advanced, so if you are just getting started or want to start with some organic growth on any platform you need to follow and know 

 

WHO you are talking to, WHERE they are and also stay consistent. 

When you build loyal followers, engage with them and provide the value your post will be seen.

 

At the end of the day, you need to be where your clients are. Whatever works for you, whatever works for your clients. Maybe social media isn't for you.

 

Are you on any of these platforms? 

Do you have success for them?

Are they up to date?

 

If you want more success. If you want help in getting these to the forefront, then sign up to our FREE masterclass from our website - travelagentachievers.com and also follow our Facebook page - Travel Agent Achiever and you’ll see the information for our free master class.

 

You need to be able to have these as part of your marketing arsenal and that’s where you’re going to use social media for your business.

 

The free masterclass is going to be on How to structure your social media post without the mind blank of what to post. 

 

For me, this podcast is about providing tips and tools for you to help grow your business.

 

There are thousands of topics I could cover, however, I want to ensure they are right for you and your business. Please send me a DM on IG/.FB and let me know what you need, where are you feeling stuck and what do you want to learn about. 

I have so much more information that I can share with you.

 

We have a lot more to do with systems, staffing and of course sales, marketing, finance, and social media. We are just getting started.

 

And today is about which social media platform works for travel agents. I have given you 3 and these 3, I personally had success with.

At the moment I'm doing a lot more on Facebook and on Instagram but I think you can be a success wherever you put your heart and soul into and you really understand the platform and you understand your clients.

 

Social media has great opportunities for us as travel consultants.

 

We are really lucky that this is a free platform. It’s not like the old days where we would have to print things out and mail them off or pay money to be in a magazine. Social media can be free. 

 

Remember you don’t need billions of people to purchase from you, you just need some. You aren’t going to resonate with everyone. 

 

You might think that everyone’s going to love you but I can guarantee you are not going to be the be-all and end-all for each and every client.

 

I certainly learned this a bit in a hard way because I'm a people pleaser.  I like to make sure that I go above and beyond and I want people to like me but not everybody is going to like my style, not everybody is able to work with me and I'm also not able to work with everyone and that’s okay. I’ve learned to accept that and I need you to as well.

 

If you can use Social Media to your advantage and speak directly to whom you want to then you, my friend will be a huge success.

 

The key is to see where your ideal client is, which platform, then be consistent and master that one platform. Speak to your client, provide value and engage with them. Growth will come, it may not happen overnight, but with sticking to a plan, you will have growth.

 

Go out there and choose a platform, jump onto our website and sign up for the free masterclass which will help you How to structure your Social Media posts for a month without the mind BLANK of what to post.

 

We are going to cover all of these things in our upcoming social media course which I am thrilled that I’ll be able to share with you. It’s a smart social media runway for travel agents. 

 

You are going to love it. It’s not going to be too technical. I will provide step by step help and information so that you are able to move forward with your business.

So these social media platforms, Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, take your pick, you choose. Have a think about where your client is. Get out there and play around with it. 

 

You're not going to break it but be aware you do the wrong thing you could be kicked off so don't go too far. 

 

I am stoked that you are listening and you’re sending me messages. It means so much to me. Thank you so much.

 

Which social media platforms are going to work for travel agents? Well, you guys now know that. You've got the tools. You've got some information. Go out there give it a try and let me know how you’re going.

Thanks so much. I look forward to chatting with you next week and don’t forget to jump into our website - travelagentachievers.com. Sign up for our master class and keep an eye out for some exciting things to come.

 

Announcer: Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers! The place to learn how to grow your travel business and have fun with it. Join Roslyn and her guests as they walk you through proven steps to a fulfilling and profitable business.