The future of social media marketing looks bright. And tomorrow's social media-savvy travel agent is learning how to incorporate new tools such as Instagram Stories, live video streaming and 360-degree photos to benefit his or her travel business.
Travel professionals need to be curious and willing to look around the corner to keep ahead of the competition.
One company that is always looking forward is Facebook, and its founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently made comments about how the company plans to grow its global reach. During the Facebook Q2 earnings call, Zuckerberg said that even though the Facebook community continues to grow around the world (1.7 billion people now use Facebook every month, and 1.1 billion people use it every day), the company's journey is only 1% done.
Over the next five years, Facebook is going to continue building new products into what Zuckerberg said are full ecosystems, and over the next 10 years it is working to develop technologies to help people connect in new ways.
"That means making big investments and taking risks: focusing not just on what Facebook is, but on what it can be," Zuckerberg said.
Successful social media marketers have an eye for the future, which is a good strategy to avoid getting stuck in a rut. Here are some of the recent changes, products, tools and tips travel professionals can incorporate into social media marketing strategies.
Live video streaming
Facebook is making a move to more video, and so should travel sellers. According to Zuckerberg, "We see a world that is video first, with video at the heart of all of our apps and services."
Sharing video content via Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Instagram and Snapchat has been popular for some time. However, it's live streaming video that now captures attention. It is an excellent way to engage with an audience in real time. New technology and services are making it easier for people to create and share visual content.
Equipped with my iPhone 6 and the Facebook app, I recently tried Facebook Live for the first time. This feature records and shares video content on the News Feed. While I was recording, my friends could watch my live video, or they could watch it later from my News Feed. Agents can explore Facebook Live and create a call to action to have followers subscribe to be notified the next time he or she has a live broadcast.
Some travel suppliers are already good at using live video in conjunction with product launches. Recently, Regent Seven Seas Cruises hosted a live event from Monte Carlo, Monaco, during the Seven Seas Explorer christening ceremony.
Besides the live video event, travel partners were also advised to use a designated hashtag on Twitter and Instagram, which encouraged engagement opportunities between agents and consumers.
Full article at http://www.travelweekly.com/Carrie-Finley-Bajak/Future-social-media-marketing
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