Travel Companies, Will You Join My Network?
Travel companies need to get involved in and be talked about on social networking sites.
That’s the directive Spannerworks' business development manager Madeleine Wood delivered at the recent Travel Technology Initiative's conference on the Future of Travel Distribution.
Why? Some 70 percent of Internet content will be created by individuals as opposed to publishers and brands within three years, Wood contended. Statistics show that by combining paid-for and natural search, companies are already getting 98 percent more clicks-through to their websites, with users spending 37 percent more time on the sites, she added.
Industry players are getting hip to those facts. Many have already begun reaching outside the industry -- to masters like Facebook and MySpace -- for consumer networks that can spread brand messages to the masses, by the masses.
Want an inside look at how some of today's top travel companies are thinking outside of the box to build loyalty and brand recognition on sites like Facebook? Read the TDR article "Social Networks Build Travel Brand Connections Among The Masses" (Vol. 15 No. 17). For a free copy, e-mail me and write "Social Networks article" in the subject line.
-- Kimberly Gilbert, Managing Editor, Travel Distribution Report