how travel brands use social pinning the right way
DESCRIPTION
With 87% of travelers using the internet for their travel planning and 52% changing their original travel plans based on the influence of social media, companies can't afford to ignore the power of social media. This presentation explains how travelers use Pinterest and recommends how travel related companies can use Pinterest to market to their audiences. It also includes Tips and Tricks with examples.TRANSCRIPT
Jenn Barber – Social Media Strategist
From startups to large enterprise brands, I consult
SiteLab’s clients to connect them with
opportunities to engage with social media. A few
of my client successes include:
Growing Facebook likes to over 40,000 in less
than 6 months
Attracting over 680,000 referred visits from
Pinterest alone
Writing engaging content Retweeted by the
Huffington Post and Self Magazine
SITELAB INTERACTIVE
@jbarber5000
TRAVELERS USE SOCIAL MEDIA
Travelers use the Internet for most of their travel planning
87% of travelers used the Internet for most of their travel planning
62% research an upcoming trip
45% sourced initial trip idea
31% watched travel video
Social Media influences travelers
52% have changed their original travel plans
50% of travel companies agreed direct bookings generated from
social media
Source: MediaBistro.com
ENTER PINTERESTanother social media site
Pinterest is a place to organize and share online images that you find
interesting or inspiring. Once uploaded or shared on Pinterest, these
images become known as pins, which the user can place on
customized, themed boards.
Pinterest hit 10MM US Monthly Unique Visitors faster than any
independent site in history
12 MM registered users (#5)
104 MM monthly visits (#3)
68% Women / 32% Men
Most age 25-44; 28% have a HH income of $100K+
Time Spent by Avg Social Networking User/Mo – 405 mins (#1)
Source: MediaBistro.com
SOCIALLY INTEGRATED 9 MM Monthly Facebook-connected users
More than one-fifth of Facebook-connected users are on Pinterest
daily (which represents more than 2 MM members)
Generates more referral traffic to websites than YouTube, Google+,
and LinkedIn combined
Pinterest API plays nice with email marketing (MailChimp), Facebook,
Photo Sharing (Flickr), Browsers, and Video (Vimeo)
Source: AppData.com
CVBs, Media, Attractions, Airlines, Hotels…
SO WHAT…are these people doing?
EXPRESSING THEMSELVES
CREATING REMINDERS
SHARING & RECOMMENDING
LEARNING & EXPLORING
SEARCHING & DISCOVERING
WELL, I’M READYhow about you?
First, let’s decide where we’ll go…
Evaluation – Beautiful Pictures
Ok, what will we do when we get there…
Collection – Easy-to-Share Content
What are we going to pack…
Preparation – Helpful Tips & Amenities
We’re back… that was fun!
Sharing – Beautiful Pictures
GET STARTEDsome recommendations
TRAVEL MARKETING ON PINTEREST
Showcase your stuff
Share some secrets
DON’T include pricing on your pins
Connect with the community
Collaborate
Build your brand image
Create variety with videos
Stay social
Add buttons to your site
Run a contest
Hass Avocado Board
Slow growth of followers in the beginning
Created “Avocado Lovers” Board
Invited a few bloggers in the community, and
then opened it to anyone who requested
Low maintenance, delete duplicates
Results: 11,170 followers, 10,158 pins to 1 board
/ 12,429 followers to profile
Unsolicited blog posts
Lots of content and conversation starters
More followers than Dunkin Donuts, Panera
Collaborative Board
CASE STUDY
Visit Savannah Marketing the Savannah area for leisure
tourism, meetings and conventions
Began using Pinterest in November 2011 as an experiment – in just 3 months attracted nearly 12,000 followers
Sept 2012: 16,038 followers with 32 boards
Personalized – “… by Amy B.”
Organized by Interests and Lifestyle
Pinterest tab on their Facebook page
Harness the power of Paula Deen (and butter)
Variety of Visuals
CASE STUDY
Four Seasons Austin
Builds boards around the city
Austin Lifestyle – weddings, adventures, day trips
Amenities – in-house dining options, amenities, spa services, meeting space
Sept 2012: 690 followers with 19 boards
Contrast this with Chicago (327 followers) and
Los Angeles (567 follower) who are much less
city-focused.
Other hotel ideas – city, design, event photos,
what a wedding would look like
Build Around Lifestyle
CASE STUDY
Best Western Niche – Celebrating Small Business Week
“How to Enjoy the Traveling, of Travel”
Prize - $500 Best Western Gift Card
“Share with us the things you enjoy while out on
the road traveling for business.”
Pin items to YOUR board and then post the link
in the comments on Best Western board
Showcases what they’re good at – Budget
Travel for business or pleasure
Contest – Create board
CASE STUDY
Jetsetter Community that provides members with insider
access, expert knowledge and exclusive deals on the world's greatest vacations to travelers
Asked fans to make the ultimate travel destination pinboard from Jetsetter.com and web with #JetSetterCurator hashtag
4 categories – escape, adventure, style, cosmopolitan (market research), posted exs
Big name Panel of Judges – Arianna Huffington
Prizes for best pinboard & most followers
1.6 MM followers
Contest – Curator
CASE STUDY
CONTEST BEST PRACTICES
Contest type – Best pinboard, Most likes/repins, Sweepstakes
Consider board names and placement
Include detailed instructions – hashtags, board title, comments, forms
Review Pinterest’s Terms & Conditions
Create a landing page with contest info, rules, and regulations
Make sure your images are pinnable and land users on relevant page
Support contest through eblasts, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, website
Benchmark engagement
Use thoughtful copy for image captions
HOW ABOUTsome tips and tricks
INCREASE ENGAGEMENT
Include a call to action in pin description
INCREASE VISIBILITY
Pin 1 hour before the the peak periods
GET FOUND
Use keywords in images, descriptions, and titles
INTEGRATE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
Integrate with other social media
INTEGRATE EMAIL MARKETING
Include follow icons and “pinspiration” in email
CHECK ORIGINAL SOURCE
Ever clicked a pin only to go to an error page?
ON THE WEBSITE
On the home page, footer, and “Pin It” on pages
AVOID LOOKING LIKE A SPAMMER
Do not only include links to your website
Do not post the image more than once
Do not use stock images
Do not fail to organize your boards
Do not neglect to “like” and repin
Do not pin your image in the wrong category
MEASURE SUCCESS
Benchmark and measure success!
Metrics
Referral traffic
Clicks per pin
Re-pins per pin
Average visit duration
Conversion rate
Platforms
PinReach
Repinly and more…
Q&Ait’s your turn