Ideas & knowhow

Social media

How to use social proof to boost your tourism marketing

social media proof
In an earlier blog I wrote about why you need to build trust. An important part of doing this is to offer ‘social proof’. Social proof is the 'evidence' that people collect from others, which influences their own behaviour. We instinctively notice what others are doing and pick up on some of that activity, believing it might be the 'correct' behaviour, or the 'right' thing to buy. 

A simple example: would you rather buy fish and chips from the shop with or without a queue outside? Rather …

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Are you normal?

Are you normal

I’ve been asked several questions this week, all with a common theme: comparisons.

What’s a normal level of direct bookings for an accommodation provider?

What sort of level of repeat bookings should I aim for? 

What would be a usual bounce rate on Google?

How are bookings looking for everyone else over the next few months?

Are others experiencing a higher than usual level of cancellations?

How good is my social media compared to others?

I’ll answer each of these in a little more detail l…

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What's the right image size?

Image sizes

Images are often the very first thing that people notice when they scroll through your social media.

Impactful images can make a big difference, but each social media channel has different image size requirements. While we might have got used to the idea that we need square images for Instagram, not everyone recognises the power of a long vertical image on Pinterest. 

Social media channels change their image requirements quite frequently so it can be hard to keep track of which channel needs w…

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Use FOMO now to get bookings for later

A FOMO now bookings later

Are you enjoying having a full diary once again, knowing you’ve got bookings or the promise of visitors for the coming weeks?

How would it feel to have a full diary next year - ahead of time, so you don’t have to do as much marketing this Winter?

There are some simple things you can do now to increase your chances of advance bookings, and make your marketing easier later. 

People are definitely enjoying looking forward and planning ahead a little more, wanting to make sure they have som…

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Last minute availability: curse or opportunity?

A - cancellations

Most tourism and hospitality businesses have to fill last minute gaps created by cancellations or dips in demand. This year it looks like there may be more cancellations than usual as visitors switch-book or have to change plans to fit their changing circumstances.

The way you try to fill those last minute gaps can really affect how your business is perceived by potential visitors.

When faced with a space to fill, the knee-jerk reaction is often to post a panicky message on social media, typic…

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A quick idea for a really good social media post

A - unintentionally good social media

I saw a genius social media post last week. I don't think the person posted it with any intention of generating as much response as they did. It didn't even promote their business very well - but it could be so easily adapted and used for yours. Quite a few of you have already seen it, and commented. 

So what made it so good?

First of all, they choose a topic that most Brits feel quite strongly about - a full cooked breakfast. They asked a question, a really simple question. 

Why are posts l…

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Get results with LinkedIn

LinkedIn

Millionaire entrepreneur James Caan says he made his money by 'zigging' when everyone else was 'zagging'. I'd say LinkedIn is the social media equivalent of that strategy.

Since Microsoft made their investment, LinkedIn has gone from strength to strength yet a lot of tourism businesses don't use it. LinkedIn's main initial use was to help professionals make connections with each other. Now it's evolved to become a sort of facebook for professionals.

It's not the obvious place to go to, to look…

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