Influencer marketing is quickly becoming the most cost-effective method for building brand awareness and customer acquisitions. On average, every dollar spent on influencer campaigns earns $5.78, and some see as much as $18.
The travel and tourism industry has been quick to adopt influencer marketing as a way to reach potential customers. According to a survey conducted by the Influencer Marketing Hub, 70% of travel brands use influencer marketing. This is because influencer marketing allows travel and tourism brands to showcase their offerings in a relatable and authentic way. Influencers often have a niche audience who trust their recommendations, which can lead to a more engaged and converted audience for the brands.
Simply put: that’s an ROI you can’t ignore.
So, how does influencer marketing benefit the travel and tourism industry?
FOMO. Fear of missing out. This, my friend, is influencer marketing at its finest.
Keep reading to learn the best approaches for working with influencers, and the effect influencers have on travel and tourism business.
Global and domestic travel brands use social media influencers to tap into the tourism market through authentic storytelling and engaging digital content. But it’s essential to choose a travel influencer who fits your brand’s products, values, and philosophy - 49% of consumers rely on influencer recommendations to drive their purchasing decisions.
The right influencer can help travel and tourism brands:
A case study by MODERNSPEAK highlights Swoop Airlines and its partnership with influencer group Roam Creative. Through visually-stunning content, Roam executed a highly engaging and successful campaign through destination images and videos that captivated audiences and brought Swoop’s key message to life — spending less on flights puts extra cash in travellers' pockets to experience more during their vacations.
The first step in approaching an influencer is to have a plan. Have you:
How much can you afford? An influencer's cost depends on how many followers they have, their ability to connect with followers, also called engagement rate, and what online platform they use.
It’s not uncommon for travel influencers to offset their regular fees to compensate for costs related to traveling and the overall experience.
MODERNSPEAK has a proven track record of helping our clients run successful campaigns across all budgets, so we can help you find the right creators to match your budget and outcomes.
While there are many types of marketing campaigns, a few work best for the travel and tourism industry:
Since there’s no guarantee that your influencer will give your product or service a positive review, use this option wisely.
Asset creation campaigns are designed with one goal in mind: to create assets for the brand that can be used for paid advertising, on the website, and in organic social content.
Assets will typically include a mix of pictures, videos, and other engaging content that the brand can leverage throughout its marketing over the long-term.
Sponsored posts include a series of deliverables that are contracted to be created by the creator while they are visiting a destination. These can include Instagram posts, TikTok, or YouTube videos.
Sponsored posts are all about building brand awareness for an experience or destination with a target audience. Your travel influencer creates digital content featuring your product, service, activity, or brand they’ve just experienced and shares it on their feed or story with their followers. Sponsored posts can be reused over and over on your accounts and feeds.
Giveaways are a nice add on to the sponsored trip because they don’t always require sending the creator on a trip.
Brands can provide creators with assets to share in a sponsored post, or if the creator has visited a destination before, these can be leveraged to reengage a former partnership and breathe new life into a specific experience post-trip.
With this type of campaign, your influencer gives away your product or service to participating followers who meet specific criteria like:
There are thousands of influencers out there right now, so do your research, and start narrowing down the best choices for the travel influencers you like. Choose the top 20 and start reaching out directly or through their agency.
There’s no denying influencer marketing can be a powerful tool for travel and tourism brands when approached strategically.
The hardest part is finding travel influencers that align with your brand’s values and target audience. It’s also important to stay transparent when advertising to your target audience as The FTC has strict guidelines brands must follow.
Influencer marketing is a popular and effective tactic for travel and tourism brands looking to reach a wider audience, build brand awareness, and drive bookings. By partnering with influencers who align with your values, and whose followers are a good fit for their target audience, brands can showcase their offerings in a relatable and authentic way.
Not sure where to start? MODERNSPEAK can help.
MODERNSPEAK uses a robust vetting process that matches your travel brand with some of the most popular influencers and content creators to increase customer acquisitions, build trust with your target audience, and bring your message to life.
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