Instagram and Pinterest have emerged as major drivers of customer engagement for various luxury brands, with travel certainly a big topic of coverage. While the activity on these platforms has blossomed over the past three years, it pays to consider the actual value they provide versus editorial coverage that is online. Where are your promotional dollars best spent?
I was recently discussing this very topic with the marketing manager of a boutique hotel in Mexico, and since we are indeed a boutique travel PR firm, she wanted to hear our thoughts. As is typical, the hotel had a limited budget and wanted to use it wisely.
Best Targets For Garnering Guests
My perspective is that when a person has decided they want to get out of the cold in New York and Boston and head to a warm climate for a vacation, they will actively search online first for where to stay. Articles by credible outlets like Travel and Leisure and the New York Times, both of which media sources we secure coverage for our clients on an on-going basis, are going to be read with interest by that person planning a getaway when perusing what Google has indexed in the first few pages.
Meanwhile, if you are looking at your feed on Instagram which includes Barbados lovers, and users are posting about the sunset on the beach, you might see an image you like. But, importantly, that doesn’t mean you have the intention of booking a stay. That is why while we do integrate social media PR campaigns into our media relations programs, we put a greater emphasis in the campaign on the credible news sources as well as blogs. The two approaches can work together synergistically too, where if we get coverage in an outlet, we will post that on the Pinterest page.
There are still very good reasons, however, to be active on these channels. The main one is general brand awareness. Posting at least three times a week is vital, and then checking to interact with your followers is also crucial. Building community involvement is what it is all about.
Some interesting facts to consider:
- Almost 31% of the internet population uses Pinterest; it is dominated mostly by women and 37% of users are under the age of 50.
- This photo-sharing site is largely used by brands selling jewelry or clothing that cater to the female demographic, since that is the majority user base. Note however, that after Google, Pinterest is the second largest platform to drive traffic.
- Those who use Pinterest and Instagram have doubled since Pew Research Center social media platform adoption in 2012.
Facebook: Now Driven By Advertising Dollars
While Facebook remains the most popular social media site with more than three quarters of online users, growth has plateaued. And, despite what Mark Zuckerberg said for many years, the site is now actively seeking advertising, and has changed drastically since a year ago. Don’t be fooled, just because you make a post, it is not necessarily seen by all your followers. So if you are a brand, an advertising budget is a requirement today to recruit new followers, and stay in touch with your community.