Creating Resources is Key to an Effective Digital Marketing Plan
Written By: Jenna Buege, Senior Editor – The Compass on VAX VacationAccess
Content is the fuel that powers the internet. And in a world filled with “Likes”, Subscribe buttons and active comment sections, creating and sharing great content is something travel advisors will find is worthy of investing some time into. In fact, having a healthy social media presence and creating interesting articles for your website can not only help you retain existing clients but attract new ones in the process.
Content Tips for Travel Advisors- Blogs
While some professions can be challenging to translate into interesting content — For example, I was once tasked with writing an article for a company that sold toilet seats back in my internship days — the great thing about working in the travel industry is that almost everyone loves to travel. And if you think about it, travel advisors have nearly an endless array of interesting topics to choose from — your favorite destinations, things to do, packing advice, general travel tips, a deep dive into a destination’s history and culture, etc.
With that in mind, nearly any advisor (including you!) can craft great blogs for their website, all they need are the time, tools and know-how to get started.
Content Tips for Travel Advisors – Writing Tips and Tools
The thought of committing to writing on a regular basis can be intimidating, but with a little bit of planning, it doesn’t have to be so daunting. To start, decide how often you want to post and be realistic. Whether you decide to be super aggressive in your approach with one to two new posts a week, or if you decide on a weekly, bi-weekly or even monthly basis, the important thing is that you start somewhere and stick to it.
When you sit down to write, don’t worry about making every article a novel. Instead, aim for anywhere between 500 and 700 words and stay on topic to keep readers engaged. To make it easier for readers to digest your content, try breaking the post into different sections by using headers or a numbered list to make it more skimmable.
As for tools, writing is easier than ever thanks to nifty plug-ins like Grammarly that check your work for spelling errors, tone and grammar to make you look like a pro, no matter your skill set.
Content Tips for Travel Advisors – Social Media
The most ravenous part of the content beast, in order to establish a good social media presence it’s important to keep feeding your social feeds tasty, tasty content in the form of photos, videos and shareable articles. From once a day to once every few hours, the best practices for social media vary from app to app. If this all sounds rather exhausting — and really puts the value of a Social Media Coordinator into perspective —, it’s because it can be, but that doesn’t mean you have to dive off the deep end to see growth.
Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, LinkedIn … tackling every popular app can become a full-time job in itself. Instead, choose one or two platforms that you can invest your full attention to, then, research which types of content perform best and start there. Like blogging, consistency is key, decide how often you can realistically post quality content, and stick to it. While you may not see massive numbers in the beginning, frequent and consistent posting will draw attention and up your follower count. And don’t forget to interact with others in the travel community by following hashtags and engaging with popular posts to get your name out there.
Content Tips for Travel Advisors – Shareable Content on VAX
With a busy schedule, it’s easy for social media to fall on the back burner. But have no fear, VAX VacationAccess is here to help with pre-made social media content in our Travel Inspo Toolkit and a large collection of shareable articles on The Compass.
Accessible from “The Compass” tab on the VAX navigation menu, the Travel Inspo Toolkit is home to a large collection of ready-to-go social media content in the form of supplier shareables, pre-made social media posts, memes and more. Still learning the ins and outs of social media? We provide instructions for sharing content on popular platforms like Facebook and Instagram so you can add a new post to your profile with just a few clicks.
Looking to break away from posting photos and videos? Articles from The Compass will inspire your travelers to book their next vacation with great shareable content covering topics like travel inspiration, destinations and resorts, cruises, industry updates and more. To share an article from The Compass to your social media page simply navigate to the article you want to post and use our easy, one-click sharing buttons on the top right-hand side of the page. And don’t worry, The Compass is in front of the VAX login, so travelers won’t be able to see the tools you use to work your advisor magic.