Instagram is visually rich and therefore the right social media platform for your travel marketing. Based on the findings of a recent survey of MissTravel, a dating website, 48 percent of Instagram users use this social media app to pick travel locations and another 35 percent use it to find out about new destinations.
If you have a travel business, you need to follow travelers to figure out what destinations they prefer, which hotels they like to stay in, which of the cuisines they like to savor, and what activities they like. Niche travel agencies and brands are now using Instagram to boost their services.
According to an article published in Entrepreneur, you need to find more about your niche and study travel-related subjects to become a successful influencer on Instagram. Only sharing images and videos will not help them to build a winning travel Instagram handle. Are you keen on improving your travel marketing through Instagram? If so, here is how:
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Making the most out of user-generated content
In case, you lack the budget to collaborate with Instagram influencers, reap the maximum benefits out of user-generated content on this social app. Look at the content your customers are sharing when they visit beach locations, mountains, or places of historical interest. After seeking permission from your followers, you can re-post such content to build engagement. Travel businesses can search by geographical locations. For example, some of the popular locations Instagrammed are Times Square, Disneyland, Eiffel Tower, and so on.
As a travel marketer, you can organize contests and create hashtags appealing to your Instagram followers to share their travel-related posts. You can request them to tag their IG content with your travel brand. The outcome is a winning situation for you as well as your audiences. Your travel company gets an opportunity to spread the business message with high-definition and genuine travel photos, videos, and the users get much exposure for their photography.
Many travel brands are using this strategy to take their Instagram marketing to another level. For instance, you can place photo frames in the plush areas of the town inspiring people and tourists to click their travel pictures and share these with relevant hashtags on their Instagram page.
Based on the findings of Skift, over 245 Instagram images were shared with relevant hashtags, and the travel company, Montreal Tourism witnessed a 15 percent spike in online traffic when they asked people to share their travel Instagram photos. If you share high-quality user-generated content, you too can buy Instagram comments.
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Collaborate with influencers for that stunning shot
For reaching out to people outside their Instagram pages, many travel brands are working with Instagram influencers. It has a couple of benefits including:
Travel brands can get right in front of numerous customers who aren’t following their business yet. Customers respond in a better way to Instagram content that comes from a relevant person, influencer, and not directly from the brand. Travel businesses can save much of their money by restricting the number of employees or freelancers they require to send to foreign destinations.
Let us explain this point with the help of an example. Bellagio Las Vegas picked 20 Instagram Influencers to perform its #UltimateVegas campaign using the Beautiful Destinations IG profile. The founder of Do You Travel, Jack Morris, shared Instagram photos from his travel experiences with approx one million of his followers.
The campaign lasted for two months and led to more than 43,000 mentions of the Instagram hashtags. Thus creating awareness with firsthand IG profiles of individuals putting up in the hotel.
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Make the most of advanced Targeting methods
Instagram now has advanced APIs and targeting methods for all advertisers. Now, the advanced targeting method is connected with Facebook, the parent company of Instagram. Although IG advertisers have been successful in targeting customers based on location, age, and sex, only of late. They could zero in on their audiences based on consumer behaviors, connections, and interests.
Travel businesses may also copy their Facebook personalized audience settings onto their IG travel campaigns. The marketers build custom audiences by uploading collating customer data previously like phone numbers and email lists.
In simple words, there are many ways to source and innovatively develop Instagram content. Again, travel brands can also use tactics to make the content reach right in front of their targeted audiences. You need to target people who are travel enthusiasts. And not just casual Instagrammers, who see beautiful travel pictures and leave. When you reach out to the right audience, you can build engagement on your Instagram content, garner likes, comments. And take your marketing efforts to the next level. That is why you need to know who your target audiences are and then start marketing your travel services.
Conclusion
Your audience is right there. All you need to do is reach out to your followers with the right brand message that resonates well with your audiences.