Although there are many benefits of outsourcing elements of your social media activities, especially relating to advertising, video editing, graphics etc.
There is one growing area where it is best handled in house.
This is with ‘one to one’ engagement. We tend to think of social media about broadcasting to all your followers. For your followers the benefits of social media are being able to get hold of a business directly and expect a response in real time.
In 2015 98% of tweets to Airlines were in response to a customer question or issue. In 2016 that trend is turning towards hotels and accommodation providers.
In January 2016, the 1:1 percentage for Hotel/ Accommodation brands was close to 88 percent; by July 2016, that number had risen to 91 percent. Source: Marketing Land.
This increase in ‘one to one’ communication is growing as guest expectations rise when using social media to communicate. Social media is now the go to medium for asking questions and getting advice. With many people continually logged into their social media channels and always having their phone with them the expectations of getting a timely response have never been higher.
The other trend is people much prefer to use social media to get in touch than pick up the phone.
The response they get from this ‘one to one’ engagement can obviously be shared with their own networks. Facebook now awards brand pages with more reach if they do respond more quickly.
From Social Media to Social Care
This ‘one to one’ engagement on social media is also an important part of the selling process and a way to build lasting relationships with your guests.
A well-planned social customer care strategy is now an important necessity for all tourism brands, especially as every guest has a device in their pocket which can broadcast, record and talk to everyone they know in seconds.
