December 1, 2016
Social media measurement has evolved drastically since brands first forayed into Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms. So, has your approach changed too?
If not, then it’s time for a refresh.
Social media is an essential tool for marketers, especially in travel. Consider the following:
- More than half of Twitter users report considering a travel brand because of content they’ve seen on the platform1
- 16 million Pinterest users saved 780 million travel pins in the last year alone, showing just how popular visually oriented sites are when it comes to researching and planning travel2
Clearly people engage with travel topics and brands on social media. But how do you know if your social strategy is paying off?
It’s all about relationships
Gauging social media success today means looking beyond numbers and focusing on relationships instead. Sound familiar? We’ve said the same about developing engagement on a few targeted platforms rather than maintaining a superficial presence on all of them. Again, the quality of relationships — not the quantity of “likes” — is key.
While brands focused on initial engagement metrics (e.g., “likes” and “follows”) in social media’s early days, today it’s essential to dig deeper. After a potential traveler “liked” your post, did they ever engage with your content again? Did they share your message with their own network? Post a picture of their travel experience using your hashtag? Ask a customer service question? Or make a booking?
Travel marketers can gain deeper insights by looking at qualitative data, not just quantitative. To analyze social activity across channels, delve into areas such as:
- Comments and the overall sentiment reflected in them
- Content generation by social media users
- Hashtag adoption and continued usage beyond campaign
- Conversations (through direct messages, direct mentions, etc.)
- Engagement levels on particular platforms
- Converting Fans to Brand Ambassadors
“Likes,” “follows” and similar metrics are still important. They provide a baseline. But when it comes to improving your social media strategy as part of an integrated marketing approach, it’s important to not only look at the numbers — consider the people behind those numbers too and focus on cultivating meaningful, sustained, two-way interactions with them – there lies the pay off.
Learn more about how social media measurement has changed, get insights into how to connect with travel consumers on social channels, and see success stories by {{cta(‘71078b43-9c78-40c4-8be1-74781576259c’)}}, Social Media and the Travel Sector.
1 Millward Brown: Vertical User Profile, 2015
2 https://business.pinterest.com/en/blog/travel-trends-jet-setting-pinners
