Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
such disengagement from a consumer perspective will of course largely depend on the type of
social medium used and the kinds of interactions it fosters, with some media being more 'pushy'
than others. The question is whether content continuously pushed toward users who no longer
have an immediate interest in the company can actually lead to negative effects. Social media
marketers in tourism need to carefully think about opportunities to engage with users who
might no longer have a desire to travel to a specifi c destination or use specifi c services. Social
media marketing in tourism thus requires a very holistic view of the customer lifecycle.
Much has been said about different social media types requiring different strategic approaches.
Given the complexity and diversity of players in the tourism industry, one has to also consider
that strategies have to be adjusted based on the specifi c type of provider. Empirical research
conducted by Gretzel and colleagues (Gretzel 2010; Gretzel and Fesenmaier 2012) indicates that
relationships formed with destinations on Facebook are fundamentally different from those
formed with travel companies such as hotels, airlines and restaurants. While relationships with
travel companies are formed to obtain exclusive deals, relationships with destinations are more
focused on information and expressing emotional attachment. Such differences have to be
acknowledged and taken into account when deciding on strategies.
There are many small tourism providers and destination marketing organizations (DMOs)
who do not have the organizational capacities to engage in labour-intense social media campaigns.
While social media provide immense opportunities to level the playing fi eld by offering
marketing opportunities with low entry costs and potentially immense reach, there are barriers
to adoption based on lack of knowledge and lack of human resources. Continuous conversations
require someone to actually engage with potential and actual consumers. Hamill
et al
. (2012)
applied the Elowitz and Li typology presented above to national DMOs in Europe and found
that only one DMO was actually a maven, engaging deeply across a wide range of social media.
Shao, Davila Rodriguez and Gretzel (2012) illustrate how some DMOs have taken advantage of
social media (e.g. through hosting polls on Facebook that introduce potential travellers to the
various attractions at a destination) and have experimented with different approaches (e.g.
linking the destination's YouTube channel to Google Maps and encouraging sharing through a
variety of social media platforms). However, the research also recognizes that in general, social
media are not used to their full potential in the destination marketing realm.
Conclusion
Social media marketing requires understanding the social dynamics of the Web as a vast networked
space and further demands adjustments of marketing strategies to embrace the technological
capabilities as well as the interaction cultures that have emerged in various social media types.
Social media marketing campaigns are often perceived as cheap and therefore not carefully
executed. The hidden costs lie in having to engage with consumers in much deeper, more
authentic, more personal and continuous manners than through traditional media. Consumer
expectations are high in the social media space and negative word can spread fast. Deciding on
where to establish a presence and how to enable and shape conversations are important strategic
decisions. Social media marketing can also not happen in a vacuum but, rather, needs to
complement the overall marketing mix strategies. For tourism marketers, social media open up
a new world of possibilities to form meaningful connections with actual and potential customers.
However, social media engagement has to be carefully designed and continuously managed in
order to be successful. This requires not only commitment of resources but often also a complete
change in organizational culture, especially with respect to how the tourism organization
manages customer relationships.
