Social Media and Tourism

8.1    Introduction

The reason why we are dedicating an entire module to social media and tourism is simply because of the sheer scale of the role that social media now plays in not only the promotion side of things, but also the way in which potential customers will interact with those companies that operate within the industry. Coming to terms with social media and the role it plays will certainly make life so much easier for you.

8.2  The Link between Social Media and Tourism

First, it makes sense for us to look at the way in which social media has impacted on the world of travel and tourism as it will allow you to have a better understanding of the way in which you have to react when working within the industry.

It is now the case that any business has to have some kind of a presence on social media and this certainly includes those companies that operate within the tourism industry. It is important that businesses have a presence on more than one outlet so if you think that Facebook is enough, then think again because you must also consider networks such as LinkedIn and Twitter.

A number of tourist destinations are using the likes of Instagram to really push images of their destination and to make them more attractive to potential customers.

But why is it so important?

To understand this, we have to look at the reasons why people rely on social media when it comes to them using a business or buying a product in the first place. By getting to grips with this it makes it more likely that you will be able to piece together the role that it is going to play in your own particular part of the industry.

People use it to learn about a destination and get feedback.

By going to the page for a particular destination or service it allows them not only to learn more about what is on offer, but also to get some kind of feedback from other people that have passed comment on it due to their own experiences. This will help you to begin to work out if it really is going to be suitable for your needs. Most people do this when looking at other services or products, so why would they not do it when it comes to travel and tourism?

It gives them confidence in a destination or service.

Considering the potential cost of travelling, flying, or staying at a destination, it makes sense that a potential customer is going to want to know that they are going to have a great time and that is another role that social media is going to play. Later on we will explain how you can help to provide them with all of this.

It gives them another way to contact you.

One thing that people love about social media is the way in which they can then get in touch with you should they have any question that they would like to have answered. This is especially true when the question is not something that they need to have answered immediately and are quite happy to wait for a reply. However, it does also mean that if you are working on the social media side of the business you also have to think about replying as quickly as possible.

It allows you to promote your service in a controlled manner.

Considering you are the person in charge of the social media accounts, it does mean that you can carefully control the marketing that appears on a page. It can  be  used  to  push  new  attractions, special offers, changes to your service or product, or anything else that you would like your potential new customers to be made aware of. As you can imagine, this is something that can be extremely effective for your business or role within the travel and tourism industry.

There is a lot to think about when it comes to social media and the way it can be used in this industry and no matter where you work, or the level that you are operating at, there is no doubt that you have to be aware of how you can either have an impact on this or, alternatively, how social media has an impact on your own role.

If we use an example to show how important it is, the website TripAdvisor.

While this is not exactly social media it does link in with the likes of Twitter and Facebook so it still plays an important role. This website can really make or break a business related to the tourism industry (even though it is mainly about hotels and tourist attractions) simply because of the sheer number of people that are going on there and checking out the reviews.

When you are working within this market, it should be clear that there is a very real need for you to be aware of what people are saying about you. There is a need for you to get this feedback, even though it is anonymous, and to see if there is a common trend so you are then able to alter how you perhaps handle certain situations or change the service that you offer. Social media is one way in which you can do this, but how you handle the situation is something that is even more important.

FACT

Professional content on social media was also seen as important, and indeed expected, and more than 80% of travellers in a recent survey felt it was important for organisations such as VisitBritain to have a presence on social media.

Source: Visitbritain.org

8.3    How to Handle Both Sides at the Same Time

Due to the link between social media and tourism, as well as the role it now plays, there is every possibility that you are going to have to involve yourself in this at some point during your career.

When doing so, there are a number of things that you have to take into consideration to make sure that social media in general is working for you rather than against you.

Furthermore, you also need to understand your job and the link between what you do and the way things are put across by old customers, or potential new ones, on places such as social media.

For example

Even if you are not directly involved with what is being uploaded onto social media you have to remember the way in which people interact on there and the kind of things that they are only too willing to post. In other words, if you are guilty of not doing your job correctly, then there is every possibility that it will end up on social media and this is hardly going to reflect well on your career.

So, what do you do?

Well, we will show you later on the kind of key things to look out for when it comes to you paying attention to social media, but at the same time it is also important that you are aware of your job and what you are being paid to do. Offering the best possible customer service mixed in with having a clear knowledge of what it is that you are doing will make a huge difference.

You must be willing to spend the time doing research on social media in order to learn more about various locations or what is expected from your destination or service, and pay attention to the kind of complaints that people are posting about from other companies.

You can ultimately learn from not only your own mistakes but also those made from others to make sure that you do not go down the same path and make life so much harder for yourself.

In other words, when it comes to handling both sides of social media there has to be an acceptance that people will use it to either promote what it is that you do or to try to be negative about their experiences. It is now even more essential than ever before that you are aware of social media and the impact it has on the entire industry and not just the business or sector that you are working in. You cannot ignore it (although we are not telling you to become obsessed with it either), as it plays such an integral role in the entire development of the travel and tourism industry that it is now responsible for encouraging people to spend their money and where to do so.

8.4  Key Things to Look Out for With Social Media and its Impact on Your Job

Because of its importance in the world of marketing and promotion, it is important for you to have a good understanding of the key things to look out for when it comes to the use of social media within the industry.

Social media is of course a complex thing to understand, but when it is directly having an impact on your job and there is a need for you to get to grips with it, then clearly you have to take some kind of action to come to terms with the role that it plays.

Within this industry, the main things that you have to look out for when it comes to social media are as follows:

Reviews.

There is now a tendency for people to post reviews of their experiences at a particular location, destination, hotel, or anything else and those reviews are then there for all to see. Indeed, you can simply head on over to the likes of TripAdvisor and see a huge number of reviews and you will then be able to understand the impact that it can have on any particular destination.

What this means from your perspective is that there is a very real need for you to be aware of the reviews and comments that are being posted online about your part of the industry or business. This will put you in a better position when it comes to you perhaps having to react to comments that are thrown at you by the customer you are dealing with at this particular time.

Comments about competitors.

This may sound slightly strange to some, but there is no doubt that you should be spending a bit of time being aware of how competitors are viewed. This helps a business to get ahead and if you are involved in the planning and development of a business related to the travel and tourism industry then this information could prove to be invaluable.

Be aware of how you portray yourself.

People will now take a general idea as to what to expect of a company just by their presence on social media. They begin to put together their thoughts and feelings and from this make a decision as to whether or not they do want to go ahead and spend money with them.

For example

If you read that a particular tourist attraction was poorly set up for children then you would hardly take your family there. Be aware of how you portray yourself as that has an impact on the people you deal with and whether or not they then want to spend money there.

Use it to improve how well you do your job.

It is important to view social media as a tool that can be used to your advantage due to the role it plays in marketing in general.

It allows you to understand things around you better than before. It allows you to understand the market. It allows you to understand your competition. It allows you to keep up to date with the industry in general. In other words, it can be used to clarify a number of things that may be concerning you, or confusing you, and as a result you can then do your job better than before.

What we are saying is that social media and travel and tourism do go hand in hand, although you should perhaps largely drop the 'social' part of the term and see it as being a form of media that allows you to provide a better service on a constant basis.

Social media can and will have an impact on your job. Poor usage of it can lead to a company losing customers and that is never going to fare well for you. However, on the flip side, it can certainly be used to your advantage and push across the exact message that you are looking for directly to your market.

8.5   How to Take Advantage of Social Media

Finally, we have to look at ways in which you will be able to take advantage of social media in order to further promote and market the sector of the industry that you are working in.

Clearly the extent to which this applies to you will depend on the area that you work in, but in most instances there will be times where you have to at least take into account information that is taken from social media and use it to your advantage.

See it as a marketing tool.

There is no doubt that social media can indeed be a powerful marketing tool, but only when it is used correctly. It does not matter which part of the industry you are in as it can be used to your advantage. Indeed, you only have to look at the range of businesses that have say a Facebook page to understand the role it plays in the business world in general.

As a tourism related business, it gives you a wonderful opportunity to build interest in your brand, destination, location, service, or whatever it is that you sell or promote. It is your space, you edit it, you can control who sees it, and best of all you also have the right to reply whenever somebody asks a question or makes a comment.

Use it to increase your knowledge.

It is always important that your knowledge of both your industry as well as what people are seeking from you is kept up to date and social media has the ability to help you in this way. Companies are always putting news and updates on their social media profiles and this is certainly something that you can use to your advantage in order to fine tune aspects of the services or products that you provide. In addition, think of the part of the industry you are working in and what your customers are looking for and then search for those points of interest on social media.

Use it to interact with potential customers.

If you are indeed involved in the use of social media in your role, then it is important to view it as a potential way to really interact with customers and either get to know them a bit better or be able to sell your products or services to them. Interaction is a wonderful thing when you get it right as it can certainly help you to provide a better experience no matter the exact industry or market sector that you are involved in. People now widely use social media to learn, to chat, and to get answers from businesses or companies before they go and spend money, so use this to your advantage.

Use it as a fast way to update people.

We mentioned this in passing earlier, but social media is a wonderful way to really let people know of changes and to do so in a short period of time. Say for example you are involved in selling flights, then the social media platform can be used to alert people to special deals. In addition, you can have links to your flight searcher online so people can move from this post to the site and ultimately book.

If you are involved in a tourist attraction, then it can be used to promote special discounts or to highlight any special events that may be happening.

You have to remember one important thing: the people that are looking at your profile or page are already interested in what you're doing. In other words, they are primed and ready to spend money just as long as you are able to provide them with the information that they are looking for.

There are various ways in which social media can be used to your advantage and we are just talking about general advantages rather than anything too industry-specific. The way in which social media operates is pretty much the same for everybody so you do not have to do anything special to stand out from the crowd just as long as you keep it busy and alive and if somebody contacts you from it, answer as quickly as possible.

MODULE SUMMARY

In this module we have focused on the use of social media and the impact that it has on the industry as a whole.

There is no doubt that due to the prevalence of social media usage in the world today that this is something that is here to stay and it has certainly changed the way in which the industry operates. However, as you can see this is not something to be afraid of and when handled correctly, there is no doubt that social media can and will become extremely useful to you.

In the next module we will focus on giving you some insight into tourism policy and strategy.