When planning my next travel adventure, I always resort to Social Media for inspiration, and research shows I’m not alone. Travelers spend more time on Facebook than any other travel site or app, and over 53% of users get on it to find their next destination. As a result, travel companies have ramped up investment in social media. This has led to a large quantity of travel content on social media, challenging marketers to break through the clutter to engage users.

Attracting travelers through social media is all about innovation – creating content that’s engaging, immersive and provides an authentic cultural experience. For inspiration, check out these four examples of how travel brands cut through the clutter:

Canvas – Avalon Waterways

Facebook’s canvas creative execution is a full-screen, immersive and mobile-only ad that allows advertisers to grab travelers’ attention and bring a brand or destination to life. One of our clients, Avalon Waterways, uses the canvas to tell an immersive brand story by utilizing images of their river cruise ships and destinations. One example is the 360-degree panorama of the Shwedagon Pagoda below. Through this ad format, travelers experience what it’s like to adventure on a Myanmar river cruise with Avalon.

Customer Service – Expedia

Social media continues to morph into a real-time customer service platform that provides personal conversations with brands. Expedia does a great job with this by engaging with customers through their #ExpediaChats. They encourage travelers to share their dream destinations and alert customers to tune into chats so they can ask for advice. This positions Expedia as an expert in the travel space, as well as a company that cares about connecting with consumers.

UGC – AirBnB

UGC (user-generated content) is ever-present in the social space. However, it’s how brands use it that creates an impact. Why? Because 76% of consumers say they find user-generated content more authentic and trustworthy than content shared by a brand. AirBnB is a clear leader in UGC. One example is how the  company uses Instagram to share user-generated images and stories from travelers and hosts.

Live Video – Carnival Cruise Line

Live video is becoming more popular as social platforms update algorithms to prioritize engaging content. Still relatively new, live video gives brands a way to engage with travelers in real time. Why spend time with cumbersome content when you can interact and imagine yourself there? Carnival Cruise Line consistently uses live video to get travelers to interact. This past summer, the company ran a campaign in which travelers could ask ‘Bill the Mystical Sloth’ travel questions for a chance to win Carnival gift cards and book travel.

If you’re trying to capture the travel audience on social, create an immersive piece of social content to break through the clutter.

Questions? Contact us.