Originally posted on: One to One Global, 7/6/11

A desire for adventure, a look into the past, a family bonding trip – we vacation for a unique experience with our own motivations. But what pushes us to “Like” a destination’s content? And what keeps us subscribed to them, even after we travel?

What Works:

  • Relevance through Segmentation
    On a trip to Boston, one person may be visiting for the history; another may be looking for family-friendly events, while another may care just about golfing. We travel for our own personal interests, similar to the content we consume. 

    Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, provide a corporate page with multiple sub-pages for segmented content, which in turn increases your followers’ engagement. If you have a lot of international travelers, you may want Facebook pages for different languages. Does your destination cover a vast area? You may need to provide pages for each state and/or large city. Do you have different types of targeted vacationers? You may consider separating each page by personas based on interest.

    Checkout: http://www.facebook.com/VISITFLORIDA
    Visit Florida uses nine different personas including Golf, Outdoors/Nature, and Family. They promote events, provide news articles, and give recommendations for local businesses for each type of interest.  This strategy also helps cross-pollinate content, while still making the post relevant. E.g. The Outdoors/Nature page could comment on the types of wildlife found at the National Park on the Family wall.

  • Gateway Welcome Page
    Through a Gateway Tab, you can direct visitors to a custom welcome screen, rather than your Facebook wall. So, instead of being judged by a recent post on a crime that was resolved, new visitors will first be directed to a tab with a smiling llama grazing along the Andes Mountains with Machu Picchu as a backdrop – a much better welcoming. 

    Our visitor’s welcome should provide a visual story of the possibilities that lie ahead of them. Show interesting photos; embed a YouTube video. You have an interested visitor, so show them a piece of the adventure.

    Checkout: http://www.facebook.com/TravelOregon
    Geared towards the outdoor travelers, the gateway page provides adventure stories for hikers, golfers, cyclists, and other adventure sports. The tone of the welcome page plays well with the videos, appealing to local and non-local visitors.

  • Comment-worthy
    When posting, always follow the golden rule of social marketing – don’t talk about how great you are; let your followers do that for you. To do this, each post should fill one requirement. Is it comment-worthy 

    • Prompt – Always prompt people to comment. Have an interesting fact? Post it as a trivia question.  Get people’s thoughts on a specific painting in the famous art museum. Prompting answers gets people publicly reminiscing, which provides quality content for your wall. 
    • Local content – People want to feel like locals when they visit. In fact, a majority of your followers may be locals. This doesn’t mean you should post local road construction updates; however, it does mean to recommend a local beer and then ask people what their favorite is.
    • Photos – People love seeing photos of past vacations. Don’t hesitate to show photos in the majority of your posts, add new photos to galleries, and “Like” photos others have shared with you.  People respond better with visuals, especially in travel.
    • Deals – Sharing great deals on local events, hotels, and airlines is a must. But don’t overdo it. This also means monitoring your “local” vendors pushing out their deals to your wall.  Position your wall as a living travel guide; not a deal aggregator. If you become the latter, your followers stop talking to you, and your posts silently fall out of your contacts’ news stream.

Many travelers decide their next vacation based on the recommendations of people who have visited there before.  The value of a “Like” allows past travelers to reminisce and potential visitors to listen, bridging this gap and keeping our destination a consideration for their next vacation.

By making a good first impression through a gateway page, providing relevant information to our contacts’ interests, and prompting past travelers to discuss their experiences, our travel brand will continually attract new audiences and stay within our contact’s news stream.