Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 35.3
Top social media brands by total audience (000) per cent growth (source: comScore
2011).
Many companies like Vail Resorts have embraced social media because of its potential for
engagement and collaboration with these networked consumers. Through social media marketers
can gain rich, unmediated consumer insights, faster than ever before. Others see the value of
social media in its networking. According to Facebook, the average user has 130 friends on
the social network, and when people hear about a product or service from a friend, they become
a customer at a 15 per cent higher rate than when they fi nd out about it through other means.
The growth of social networking is mainly driven by Facebook, which reached 90 per cent of
US social media users and 85 per cent of European users in 2010, and grew more than 120 per
cent that year. YouTube and Twitter hold second and third position in the US and Europe, but
the European market shows much stronger growth (see
Figure 35.3
).
For travel and tourism marketers, the use of social media is commonplace, but there is still
potential for growth. AirPlus (2009) surveyed 174 travel professionals on the subject of social media
marketing and found that LinkedIn (58%) and Facebook (45%) were the most popular, followed
by Blogs (12%). Interestingly, 28 per cent were using no social media platforms at all.
Figure 35.4
shows the views of travel professionals on the effectiveness of social media marketing efforts.
For destination marketing organizations (DMOs), the most infl uential social media tools
are Facebook (64%), Twitter (26%), TripAdvisor (4%), YouTube (3%) and Foursquare (1%)
(Sparkloft Media 2011). The two most common objectives for social media efforts for destinations
are to increase awareness for the destination and to build engagement with consumers (see
Figure 35.5
).
Social media tools employed by tourism marketers
User generated video contests have become an increasingly popular communication tool for
many destinations who use them to engage consumers and prompt them to become digital
ambassadors for their brands. Users are encouraged to submit a personal video to the competition's
website, from which they can be selected to win a free dream holiday, such as those offered in
reality television programmes. In the return, the lucky winners are expected to share their
impressions on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and blogs, serving as the place's ambassadors.
