From Vine to Pinterest to Instagram there are many ways that travel brands can take advantage of visual social media sites to drive traffic, conversion and engagement. See examples from HomeAway and other brands on how they are using emerging social media channels to connect with their fans and market their products and companies.
http://twitter.com/jennstafford
http://homeaway.com
http://facebook.com/homeaway
http://pinterest.com/homeaway
http://instagram.com/homeaway
2. @jennstafford @homeaway
HomeAway Social Ecosystem
World’s largest vacation
rental marketplace
15 brands globally
working on social
~100 social media
accounts worldwide
– Reach over 175 million
– ~2 million engagements
with our content per year
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4. @jennstafford @homeaway
Trend 1: Visual Social Media
Visual social media is the buzzword and focus for successful
social marketers, but visual media is not a new concept
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52% of travelers use social media for summer vacation inspiration
Source: Google Travel Survey, 2012
5. @jennstafford @homeaway
Trend 2: Micro-Video
Video falls under visual social media, but new mobile micro-
video apps are creating new opportunities for marketers
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38.8 billion videos were viewed in April 2013
Source: Comscore
6. @jennstafford @homeaway
Who Uses Visual Social Networks
Pinterest
– Over 25 million active users
– Avg user has 2757 pins, 35
boards, 355 followers
• 70-75% female
• 31% age 30-64
• 20% college+ education
• 41% $50,000+ income
Instagram
– 100 million active users
• 17% age 30-64
• 12% college+ education
• 24% $50,000+ income
Vine
– Small but growing
– Age range skews to 25-44
– Skews female
– Skews to college educated
6Sources: Pew Research, Q4 2012; TechCrunch, App Insider
YouTube
– 1 billion users
– 4 billion views/day
Flickr
– 87 million users
– 40 million+ photos/month
Many more…
– Viddy (Instagram for Video) –
39 million users
– Vimeo – 14 million users
– SocialCam – 56 million+ users
– Path – 10 million+ users
– Imgur – 50 million+ users
– Etc.
13. @jennstafford @homeaway
Inspire Wanderlust
Lots of similar
content to share?
Quality over quantity
Don’t overwhelm
fans.
– Apps like Pic Stitch
or use Photoshop
to push together
similar content
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17. @jennstafford @homeaway
Inspire Wanderlust
Take advantage of
timely/seasonal events
to create content
Inspirational/destinatio
n photos can mix in a
marketing message
and still see good
levels of engagement
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20. @jennstafford @homeaway
Give Customers a Starring Role
Tiffany & Co.
Continuous hashtag
#truelovepictures promoted to fans
Fans hashtag photos and many are
featured
Apply It:
– Pull content into a page on your site
or a microsite
– Create a hashtag for fans
– Repost best photos on
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and
Pinterest
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21. @jennstafford @homeaway
Give Customers a Starring Role
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Request fans
submit content
and publish
Republish
content you find
where fans have
mentioned your
brand
22. @jennstafford @homeaway
Give Customers a Starring Role
22
Request fans
submit content
and publish
Republish
content you find
where fans have
mentioned your
brand
23. @jennstafford @homeaway
Give Customers a Starring Role
23
Request fans
submit content
and publish
Republish
content you find
where fans have
mentioned your
brand
24. @jennstafford @homeaway
Give Customers a Starring Role
24
Request fans
submit content
and publish
Republish
content you find
where fans have
mentioned your
brand
25. @jennstafford @homeaway
Give Customers a Starring Role
25
Request fans
submit content
and publish
Republish
content you find
where fans have
mentioned your
brand
31. @jennstafford @homeaway
Showcase Your Product
Brand
awareness
Customer
how-to
videos
Testimonials/
Product
Reviews
New Product
Releases
Intro-content
for longer
videos or
marketing
material
31
32. @jennstafford @homeaway
Showcase Your Product
Brand
awareness
Customer
how-to
videos
Testimonials/
Product
Reviews
New Product
Releases
Intro-content
for longer
videos or
marketing
material
32
33. @jennstafford @homeaway
Showcase Your Product
Brand
awareness
Customer
how-to
videos
Testimonials/
Product
Reviews
New Product
Releases
Intro-content
for longer
videos or
marketing
material
33
34. @jennstafford @homeaway
Showcase Your Product
Brand
awareness
Customer
how-to
videos
Testimonials/
Product
Reviews
New Product
Releases
Intro-content
for longer
videos or
marketing
material
34
36. @jennstafford @homeaway
Showcase Your Brand
People love behind
the scenes views of a
company
Themes:
– Inside look at the
office
– Company events
– Employee
spotlights
– Philanthropy
36
37. @jennstafford @homeaway
Showcase Your Brand
People love behind
the scenes views of a
company
Themes:
– Inside look at the
office
– Company events
– Employee
spotlights
– Philanthropy
37
38. @jennstafford @homeaway
Showcase Your Brand
People love behind
the scenes views of a
company
Themes:
– Inside look at the
office
– Company events
– Employee
spotlights
– Philanthropy
38
39. @jennstafford @homeaway
Showcase Your Brand
People love behind
the scenes views of a
company
Themes:
– Inside look at the
office
– Company events
– Employee
spotlights
– Philanthropy
39
40. @jennstafford @homeaway
Showcase Your Brand
People love behind
the scenes views of a
company
Themes:
– Inside look at the
office
– Company events
– Employee
spotlights
– Philanthropy
40
41. @jennstafford @homeaway
Showcase Your Brand
People love behind
the scenes views of a
company
Themes:
– Inside look at the
office
– Company events
– Employee
spotlights
– Philanthropy
41
42. @jennstafford @homeaway
Tips
Instagram
– Find hashtags relevant to your brand
– Use photo collage apps like Pic Stitch
– Incentives to upload (contests, reposting)
– Discounts (#promocode)
Vine
– Be creative!
– Use it as an intro to longer videos hosted on your site or a video service
– Ensure there is good lighting and remember there is audio recording
– Research how others are using micro-video
Test emerging channels as part of a holistic social strategy with proven
networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
Share the love with other brands and users. Be social: Repost and engage!
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