Mobile technology has revolutionised the way people travel. Now, more than ever before, people are using mobile devices to plan every aspect of their trip, creating an incredibly flexible and powerful marketing platform for the hospitality sector.
A survey by eMarketer found 51.8% are using their devices to complete travel bookings — a figure expected to rise to 86.4% by 2019 while ThinkWithGoogle reports 49% of all hotel searches take place through mobile phones.
Working hand in hand with the fact that booking companies and travel industries are becoming even more mobile-focussed is the notion that consumers are now looking for a complete travel experience. It’s not enough to simply sell the service using traditional strategies anymore.
This is thanks to the increase in brand popularity across social media platforms. Consumers, in particular Millennials, are focusing on the bigger picture when it comes to planning a trip or holiday. Decisions are now based on what they will get out of the trip as a whole and if they are being offered a fully immersive experience.
That’s why building up your brand via mobile is key.
Develop a strong strategy.
First and foremost, we recommend doing this through a tailored social media strategy. Using Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc. not only gives you a variety of platforms to reach out to consumers but encourages guests to share their experiences firsthand.
New figures show 97% of millennials share photos and videos of their travels online with 89% planning their travel activities based on content posted by their peers online.
People are inspired by others’ opinions of where to visit, stay and what activities they should try thanks to the power of social media and its ability to pinpoint locations through user check-ins, the immediacy of published material and hash-tagging.
With 73% of travelers using a mobile device to research a trip in 2018, a good social media presence is more important that ever before.
Social media also comes with another vital USP. It gives the brand the chance to reach out directly to consumers and offers a platform for reputation management if any complaints are launched. It’s a more intimate and personal direct channel for brands to interact with consumers.
Finally, when it comes to picture sharing, there really is no reason your brand shouldn’t be showing of its finest features via Instagram – which boasts 700 million active monthly users.
