Influencer marketing has become crucial in promoting businesses, especially in the travel industry. By collaborating with influencers, tour and activity operators can harness the power of social media to showcase their offerings and reach a wider audience.
Influencer marketing is a marketing strategy where businesses collaborate with individuals with a significant and engaged following on social media platforms. These individuals, known as influencers, can persuade their audience's purchasing decisions, making them powerful allies in promoting your tours and activities. Pew Research has shown that not only are people following influencers, but 3 out of 10 say they have purchased something after seeing an influencer or content creator post about it on social media.
Keep in mind that when we talk about influencers, this is not directed to those with millions of followers.
Micro-influencers can help you reach a targeted and relevant audience. They also offer a higher engagement rate - meaning that their content has likes, comments, and shares - than big numbers of followers the type of influencers. As Forbes Communications Council explained, "Micro-influencers offer marketing solutions at a low cost with a high return on investment. They also increase the reach of a business exponentially and are highly trusted by their followers. Engaging with several micro-influencers increases the width of the reach but also its depth."
In this blog post, we will guide you on working effectively with travel influencers, starting with defining your goals and understanding the benefits of influencer marketing.
Benefits of working with travel influencers
In the travel industry, where visuals and experiences play a pivotal role, influencer marketing can bring different benefits, such as:
- Trustworthiness. Influencers build trust with their followers, and when they endorse your tours or activities, it lends credibility to your brand.
- Wide reach. Influencers have diverse audiences, and partnering with them can help you reach a broader range of potential customers.
- Authenticity. By creating authentic content that resonates with their followers, influencers can showcase and experience in a relatable and persuasive way, providing more value to customers than traditional advertising.
- Content creation. They can produce captivating content showcasing your offerings, and influencers help bring diverse content to your page. It's important to maintain a visual identity for your brand, but after a while, it can be challenging to bring in new ideas so influencers can offer the fresh air your profile needs.
Now let's delve into the steps to make influencer marketing work for your tour and activity business.
Choosing travel influencers to work with
To make the most out of influencer marketing, selecting the right influencers to collaborate with is essential.
Target audience alignment. Before selecting travel influencers, determine your target audience and ensure that the influencer's content aligns with your brand values and target demographics. Look for influencers with a genuine interest in travel and whose audience matches your target market. For example, if you offer scenic bike tours, partnering with an adventure influencer would be more effective than a fashion or food influencer.
Relevance and expertise. Look for influencers who have established themselves as experts in the travel niche. Consider their knowledge and experience in the destinations or travel themes relevant to your brand. A travel influencer who can provide valuable insights and recommendations will resonate better with your audience.
Engagement and reach. Assess the influencer's engagement rate and reach on their social media platforms. Look for influencers who have an active and engaged audience. High engagement indicates that their followers have a genuine interest in their content, making your brand message more likely to be well-received.
Read Unlocking the power of brand storytelling in the tourism industry.
Evaluating potential influencer partnerships involves checking their credibility, audience engagement, and values that align with your brand.
Creating a collaboration strategy
Establish clear objectives for your influencer partnership, such as increasing brand awareness or driving more bookings. Next, develop creative promotional tactics that highlight your tours and activities effectively, like personalized hashtags and engaging social media content. You can also run giveaways or exclusive offers through influencers to drive bookings and measure the results.
After choosing the right influencer who aligns with your tour operator's brand values and target audience, review the influencer's content, engagement, and demographic data to determine if it matches the target group you want to reach. Then, establish clear objectives for the partnership that may include increasing brand awareness, promoting a specific tour package or destination, or increasing engagement on social media platforms.
The next stage of the strategy is crafting authentic content that showcases the unique experiences offered by your tours and activities while resonating with the influencer's followers. You can brainstorm creative ideas with the influencer and encourage them to share their expertise in developing captivating storylines, striking visual content, and engaging narratives.
Read how to use TikTok to promote your tour and activity business.
Ideally, the shared content should not just highlight picturesque locations but also emphasize exceptional service, immersive cultural experiences, and interactive activities you offer.
Lastly, ensure effective communication throughout each stage of the collaboration to maximize results. This involves setting expectations regarding content deliverables (e.g., number of posts or videos), timelines, and tracking metrics associated with campaign performance.
Arrange regular check-ins to provide feedback on submitted content drafts or edits before finalization and offer support in addressing any doubts or concerns during this collaboration process. By cultivating an open dialogue with your chosen travel influencer, tour, and activity operators can establish a win-win relationship that fosters tourism growth.
Here are some examples of social media that you can use for influencer marketing campaigns.
Instagram offers an ideal platform for showcasing beautiful photographs and videos from your tours and activities. Collaborating with travel influencers with a significant following and posting high-quality content can expose your offerings to a broader audience.
Kara and Nate (@karaandnate) worked with various tourism boards to highlight local activities and experiences during their worldwide travels.
YouTube
Many travelers rely on YouTube vlogs for inspiration, tips, and destination information. Partnering with well-established travel vloggers can help create engaging content that authentically showcases your brand.
An example of content that an influencer can create is the video of Nellie Winter, invited by Visit Trentino to showcase the beautiful region of Trentino.
Measuring success and optimizing your strategy
To gauge the effectiveness of your influencer marketing efforts, analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic generated, engagement rates on social media content, or direct bookings from promotional posts. Use these insights to adapt your approach for future collaborations.
Read Unleashing the potential of Google Analytics 4 - A must-read guide for tour operators.
Learn from your campaigns. If something isn't working, don't be afraid to pivot and try new strategies. Always listen to feedback from both influencers and customers.
Taking the next step to boost marketing efforts
As a tour and activity business, you must embrace the power of influencer marketing to boost your marketing efforts. It builds trust, extends your reach, and creates authentic connections with potential customers.
By carefully selecting the right influencers, creating a solid collaboration strategy, and continually optimizing your efforts, you can reap the full benefits of this powerful marketing tool.
Download the ebook to discover the ideal channels for enhancing sales in your tour and activity business. Also, receive a valuable checklist outlining essential marketing and distribution strategies to maximize effectiveness.
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