Social media can be a vital part of your business and overall growth strategy. A large part of being a travel agent is positioning yourself as an expert, and a strong social media presence can really lend you that notion of validity and expertise.

Tackle one platform at a time. Choose a platform that you identify with most, build it up and then move forward. Don’t expect 1,000 followers right off the bat. Give yourself three months to grow on different platforms and take note of your progress.

Here are some more tips to help you navigate through social media:

 

 

Instagram

There are two main components to Instagram: your newsfeed, which is what you see when you go to someone’s profile, and Instagram stories, which are temporary ‘moments’ that last only 24 hours.

Newsfeeds should look more professional to help build your brand and business. Try to post on your Instagram feed once per day. It always helps to ask a question to your followers (ie. If you’re at a travel conference, ask if they’ve ever been).

Don’t forget to use hashtags, up to 30 with each post. Use a variety of different hashtags, including general ones like #travel, and more specific ones like #destinationweddings to target niche markets.

Stories are meant to be more fun and experimental. Try to post a few a day, especially while travelling or on a fam.

 

 

Facebook

Focus on posting content that keeps people on Facebook as opposed to posting links to articles that direct them to other websites. With Facebook, the magic numbers are 1 and 5. Try to post either once a day or five times a day.

 

 

Twitter

It’s all about volume on Twitter. At the very least, tweet five times per day, not including replies. It’s not a place to build traffic, but rather one to build presence. This means engagement is key so make sure you respond quickly to people’s comments on your content, and follow people who align with your brand.

 

 

Pixabay

Pixabay is a source for publicly available images that you can use for commercial purposes, for free. This is particularly useful for agents who want to post about a particular beach or destination but don’t have a photo that they’ve personally taken.

 

 

Snapseed

When it comes to photo editing apps, Snapseed is the one you want. Not only is it very easy to use, it comes with all kinds of filters and tools that instantly transform your dull and boring photos into glamour shots. It's recommended that you use the ‘pop’ and ‘accentuate’ filters then export them back to your phone.

 

 

Hootsuite & Buffer

Whether you’re on one or multiple platforms, you’re going to need a social media scheduler, especially if you don’t have someone running your feeds full-time. Both programs allow you to schedule your social media needs ahead of time.