Travel bloggers and social media influencers can be very beneficial in promoting your tourism business to a large group of people as they share stories and photos to their thousands of followers. They usually combine blogging with posts on Instagram and Facebook.
They can also dramatically help you increase your number of followers and provide great exposure for your business.

Some do it professionally and make money through advertising, sponsorships or get paid to write about you. Others blog their way around the world and get free accommodation and activities this way. Either way, working with them can be very successful.

Here are some tips to make to ensure the blogger or Instagrammer will meet your expectations.  

Whether you approach them, or they approach them, research them before you talk or to them, research them first:

• How many followers they have on their blog or social media
• What type of visitors does the blog (or e.g. Instagram account) have – what type of comments do they write? Are these visitors similar to your target markets?
• What type of stories they write – what’s their passion?
• How often do they post?
• What’s the photography like?
• Tone of voice: are they genuine, personal and professional?
• Are they credible?

You could also contact your Regional Tourism Organisation to see if they know them
Overall:  do your product ‘fit’ with this influencer?

After doing this research, it’s time to approach them or get back to them. Ask them:

• What’s their experience and specialty?
• What are their target markets?
• If you can see the article before it’s published
• Who else they work with in your area?
• If you pay them or give them contra – what will you get back?
• Can you use the images or text on your own website /social media?
• Will they use your website address,  hashtag and handle to promote you? (this is a must!)
• What do they expect from you?

Some bloggers will provide you with a proposal, others are very casual. By doing the research above, you’ll be able make a more informed decision as to whether you’d like to work with them!

Till next time, Marijke

At least once a year, take a few minutes to update and tidy up your social media accounts.  Ensure your profile photos, banners, posts are the ones that reflect your business at this point in time. Are you using the right photos and the correct sizes for your posts so they look great and match your current branding and reflect what sets you apart from your competition?  
Ensure your branding is consistent so your customers recognise you, whether they look at your website, Instagram account or brochure.
Below is a guide that will show you the exact sizes for your social media account images so you can make your social media accounts look as sharp as they can be!

First of all, what is a blog?
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"A blog is a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style."

And YES, I think you should blog! Why, you may ask? Apart from posting on social media, writing blog posts is even more work.. and you may feel you aren’t into writing.

Blogging is a way to ‘talk’ to your customers, to tell them stories about your business, your area, the things that you’re passionate about (that would appeal to your customers). These stories add a lot of value to your website, which is your most important marketing tool!

Don’t despair, it’s not difficult. But it is about creating a new and consistent habit. If you’re not going to commit to writing a blog post say once a month, don’t bother even starting.

Keep in mind the ‘conversational and informal style’. Write as if you’re talking to your customers. What do you talk to them about? What are you passionate about?

Say you run an accommodation business and your passion is walking. In your blog you could describe the great walks in your area and add some photos you’ve taken along the way. Or you’re into golf, write about the golf courses in your area. Or photography may be your hobby, provide tips on how to take amazing pics in your area. Etc. etc. etc.

So how do you start a blog? The easiest way is to add a blog page to your existing website (like this one).

Plan to write a little article say once a month. Before you know it, you’ll have created this really great content that is of interest to your customers on your website. It’ll create a connection and rapport. It a way to personalise your content and share it with your customers.

Oh, and it’s also really good for Search Engine Optimisation! Google loves original, regularly updated content on websites.

So, what are you waiting for?

Find some inspiration by researching other people’s blogs and plan the topics that are of interest to you and your customers! 

Customers who are interested in your type of product usually have a wide range of options to choose from. Whether it be options directly competing with you (such as similar types of tours) or other alternatives (such as a guided walk).

Your points of difference are the reason people choose you. Think about what your favourite café or restaurant is. Why do you go there? There will be very specific things you like about it, such as great staff, great food, they know you by name etc.

They say that 50% of your business comes from your unique selling points.

So, the one question you need to answer about your business/product is: Why choose us?

What are the things that make you unique, why are your customers choosing you?
Apart from the reasons you come up with yourself, read your customers’ reviews and testimonials. They’ll say why they chose you, and you can use these reasons to help you market your business.

Ensure you have a “Why choose us” section on your website, brochure, social media etc.
This will make it much easier for your customers to decide to choose you!
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Reviews help customers make decisions on where to stay, what to do or what to buy.

You work hard at providing an excellent customer experience resulting in positive reviews on sites such as Tripadvisor, Facebook, Google, Yelp etc. But every now and then, you may get a negative review. Some are fair, and these provide you with an opportunity to improve aspects of your business. And some are unfair.

No matter what they are, you need to write a response. It provides you with an opportunity to explain what happened and apologise, and it shows your professionalism and that you care.

I have talked with many operators about their occasional bad review. It’s human nature to focus on these, even if the majority of your reviews are raving! 

So, my first piece of advice is: keep the negative reviews in perspective. How many good reviews do you have compared to the bad ones? Don’t take it too personal and don’t dwell on them.

OK, now you need to respond to that negative review. Here are 5 tips to help you do it.

1. Keep it short. Potential customers that read your reviews are likely to read the good ones and the bad ones to get a balanced view of your business. So, keep the response short as no one has time to read a really long response.
2. Apologise. Whether they are right or wrong, apologising to the customer is always appreciated. 
3. Keep it professional. Respond to each of the points and explain what happened. Don’t take on an emotional, accusative or aggressive tone (believe me, these responses are out there! Not a good look!) Be authentic and highlight the positive aspects of your business. 
4. Never offer a refund or other compensation in the online response. Unfortunately, some people make it a sport to complain and get refunds. (you can click on the person who wrote the review and read their other reviews – this can give you an indication). Get the writer of the bad review to contact you directly to discuss the matter further offline or contact them yourself if you still have their contact details.
5. Personalise the reply. Recently, I saw an operator who had a standard identical reply to similar complaints. Do change the text so it’s more personalised.

Final tip: Have a complaints procedure in place so it’s easy to respond. Ensure your staff is empowered to do this too to solve issues quickly and on the spot.