As a travel brand looking to build an audience, you understand the importance of community. An engaged community translates to loyal customers, brand advocates, and organic growth. However, building a community from scratch is challenging and time-consuming. Where do you start? How do you attract your ideal followers and keep them engaged?
The key is to focus on value. Provide content, experiences and connections that enrich your audience's lives in meaningful ways. Think beyond the transactional and tap into their passions and interests. Build real relationships based on trust and reciprocity. With the right strategy and tools, you can establish a thriving travel community that will support your brand for the long haul. In this article on building a vacation package landing page in minutes with Unicorn Platform, we'll explore proven tactics for community building and show you how to leverage new technologies to better connect with your followers. The future of travel brands depends on the communities they create. Are you ready to start building yours?
The Power of Visual Storytelling for Travel Brands
As a travel brand, visual storytelling is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal to build an engaged community. Images and video bring your content to life, capturing the imagination of your audience and transporting them to the destinations you feature.
The Impact of Visuals
Research shows that posts with images receive 94% more views than those without. Video is even more compelling, with viewers spending 2-3 minutes on average watching a video, compared to just a few seconds glancing at text or images.
When it comes to travel, visual media is particularly effective. Transporting your audience to exotic locations through stunning photography and cinematic video helps to spark wanderlust and build aspiration for your brand. Vivid visuals also help to strengthen the emotional connection between your audience and the destinations you promote.
Types of Visual Content
The good news is, as a travel brand you have a wealth of visual content at your disposal, from user-generated photos and video to professionally produced assets. Some options to consider include:
- Destination photos and photo essays: Showcase stunning shots of locations, landscapes, city scenes, food, culture, and people. Sequence photos together into visual stories.
- Drone footage and video: Offer aerial views and sweeping landscape shots to inspire awe.
- Timelapse and hyperlapse video: Capture the dynamism of destinations through accelerated footage of city scenes, sunrise/sunsets, crowds, traffic, etc.
- Adventure and activity video: Share thrilling footage of experiences like hiking, boating, cycling to build excitement.
- Interviews and testimonials: Video interviews, reviews and testimonials from travelers who have visited the places you promote help to build social proof and trust in your brand.
- Virtual tours: 360-degree photos and video provide an immersive experience, allowing people to explore destinations from home.
- Instagram Stories and IGTV: Repurpose visual content into short social videos to engage your community across platforms.
- Live video: Stream live footage from destinations to give people a glimpse into locations in real-time. Live video also provides an opportunity for viewers to engage by commenting and asking questions.
Curating Shareable Travel Content on Social Media
To build an engaged travel audience on social media, focus on curating and sharing visual content that sparks wanderlust and inspires travel dreams. Images and videos that showcase destinations and experiences in an authentic way will resonate most with your followers.
Highlight the Essence of Destinations
Share photos and short video clips that capture the spirit of places you want to promote. Images of stunning landscapes, city scenes, cultural attractions, food, and activities will give your audience a sense of what makes each destination unique. For example, for a tropical island, share photos of secluded beaches, palm trees, cocktails by the sea, and adventure activities.
Tell Travel Stories
Use visual storytelling to take your followers on a journey with you. Share a series of photos or a short video to showcase what a typical day visiting your city or experiencing an activity might be like. For example, share shots of visiting a local market in the morning, exploring historic sites in the afternoon, watching the sunset at a scenic viewpoint in the evening, and dining on traditional cuisine at night.
Engage Followers with Travel Tips and Hacks
Provide practical tips and recommendations to help your followers plan their own trips. Share photos and short videos on things like the best places to get a scenic view of the city, foods they must try, ways to save money, how to navigate public transit, where to find hidden gems most tourists miss, the best times of day or year to visit certain attractions, and more. This type of useful content will keep your audience highly engaged.
Be Active and Responsive
To build a strong travel community, be active on your social channels by posting new visual content several times a week and engage with your followers by responding to their comments and messages. Ask for their input and opinions. When followers feel heard and valued, they will become loyal members of your community.
How to Build a Travel Community on Facebook
To build an engaged travel community on Facebook, focus on providing value to your audience. Post useful information, engage with commenters, and create a welcoming space for interaction.
Share Relevant Content
Post a variety of travel-related content like destination guides, packing lists, reviews of hotels or tour companies, and photos from your own trips. Provide practical information and recommendations based on your area of expertise. Engage your audience by asking for their input or sharing their photos and stories.
Start Discussions
Pose open-ended questions to spark discussion among your followers. For example, ask about their favorite travel destinations or worst travel mishaps. Respond to comments to keep the conversation going. These types of posts give your audience a chance to connect over shared interests and experiences.
Build Relationships
Take the time to engage with your followers in the comments section. Reply to their comments and messages, and like and react to their posts. Thank them for their participation and input. Getting to know members of your community on an individual basis will make them feel valued and foster brand loyalty.
Moderate Actively
Monitor your posts and discussions regularly to ensure a positive experience for all. Remove spam, offensive language, and personal attacks. Issue warnings or ban repeat offenders when necessary. A well-moderated community where people feel respected is essential to growth.
Run Contests and Giveaways
Contests and giveaways are an excellent way to increase engagement and gain new followers. Offer travel-related prizes like gear, gift cards to travel sites, or free hotel stays. Require entrants to like your page, share a post, or tag a friend to enter. This exposes your content and community to new potential members.
Building a travel community on Facebook requires dedication. Provide useful information, start discussions, build relationships, moderate actively, and run contests. Engage with your followers, and create a welcoming space for them to connect over a shared passion for travel. With time and consistency, you can develop a loyal community of travel enthusiasts.
Using Social Media for Travel Content Distribution
Social media platforms provide an excellent way to distribute your travel content and build an engaged audience. By establishing a presence on major networks, you can raise brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, and foster connections with readers.
Choose Relevant Platforms
Focus your efforts on the social media sites that align best with your content and target audience. For travel brands, platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are ideal for sharing visual content and inspiring wanderlust in readers. YouTube is well-suited for travel vlogs and video content. Twitter can be used to start conversations, share quick updates, and engage with readers in real-time.
Post Consistently
To build a loyal following, post new content on a consistent schedule. Aim for at least 2-3 social media posts per day, spaced out over the course of the day. For example, you might share an Instagram photo in the morning, a Facebook update in the afternoon, and engage with readers on Twitter in the evening. Over time, determine the optimal posting frequency for each network based on audience feedback and engagement.
Share A Combination Of Content
Include a combination of content in your social media updates to keep readers interested. Share blog posts, photos, videos, news updates, travel tips, quotes, polls, and more. Ask open-ended questions to start discussions. Repost content from other travel influencers and destination marketing organizations. Promote any upcoming events or campaigns. The key is to post a diverse range of content to provide value to readers.
Engage With Your Audience
The most important part of building an audience on social media is engaging with your readers. Respond to all comments and messages. Like and reply to posts where readers have tagged your brand. Ask for opinions and feedback. Run contests and giveaways. Make genuine connections by showing readers you value them. An engaged audience will become loyal followers and help promote your brand through shares, likes, and word-of-mouth marketing.
Track Your Success
Use analytics tools to track how your social media marketing efforts are influencing your audience. Monitor metrics like follower growth, post reach, engagement, traffic referrals, and conversions to see what’s working and make improvements to your strategy. Make data-driven decisions to build the most engaged audience possible.
Tips for Engaging Your Email List and Building Loyal Fans
Building an engaged email list and community of loyal fans is key to successfully distributing your travel content. Here are some tips to keep your audience engaged:
Provide Value
Offer useful information, tips, photos and stories in your emails that provide real value to readers. Share details about destinations, recommendations, travel deals and resources. Readers will appreciate content that helps them in their own travel planning and adventures.
Be Personal and Authentic
While writing in a professional tone, don't be afraid to show some personality. Share authentic experiences from your own travels. Connecting with your readers on a personal level will make them more engaged and loyal.
Include Visuals
Include high-quality photos, graphics, and videos in your emails. Visual content helps to bring your stories and topics to life, and gives readers a glimpse into the destinations or travel products you are featuring. Images are highly engaging and help increase open and click-through rates.
Vary Your Content
Don't send the same type of email each week. Mix it up with blog post roundups, photo essays, travel tips, newsletters, deals, and more. Keeping your content fresh and varied will prevent reader fatigue and keep your audience engaged.
Run Contests and Giveaways
Contests, giveaways and free resources are a great way to increase engagement and build your email list. Offer travel-related prizes, ebooks, gear, and subscriptions. Require email signups to enter the contests. These campaigns will significantly boost your email open and click rates, and the number of new subscribers.
Be Consistent and Frequent
To stay top of mind with your readers and keep them engaged, aim for consistently sending 2-3 emails per week. While varying your content, also establish a predictable cadence and theme for your emails so readers know what to expect. Frequent, consistent emails will help build the habit of your readers engaging with your content.
With a loyal, engaged following, you'll be able to successfully distribute your travel stories and content, and potentially monetize your audience over the long run. Focus on consistently providing value through a mix of content, personal connection, visuals and interactive campaigns. Your readers will appreciate your efforts and remain dedicated fans.
Collaborating With Influencers to Amplify Your Travel Brand Message
Collaborating with social media influencers in the travel industry is an effective way to amplify your brand message and reach new audiences. Influencers have cultivated loyal followings of engaged readers and built a high level of trust in their content and recommendations. By partnering with influencers, you can tap into their established audiences and networks.
There are a few key steps to collaborating with influencers:
- Identify influencers in your niche. Search for influencers on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and blogs who focus on destinations or travel styles aligned with your brand. Analyze their follower count, engagement, and content to determine good candidates.
- Build relationships. Engage with the influencers you want to partner with by liking and commenting on their posts, sharing their content, and promoting them to your own followers. This helps to establish a connection before pitching a collaboration.
- Pitch a campaign. Once you have built some rapport, pitch the idea of a collaboration, explaining why you think it would be a great fit and mutually beneficial. Be prepared to offer compensation, whether monetary, complimentary travel, or long-term discounts and perks.
- Develop the campaign details. If the influencer is on board, work with them to outline the details of the campaign including deliverables, timeline, compensation, and any key messages or CTAs you want to convey. Be open to the influencer's creative ideas as well.
- Amplify the campaign. Promote the content from the campaign on your own social channels and website. Engage with the influencer's post and encourage your followers to do the same. The more engagement the campaign receives, the more credibility and exposure your brand gains.
- Continue the relationship. If the initial collaboration goes well, work to build an ongoing relationship with the influencer. Provide additional opportunities and perks, co-create content, and cross-promote each other's brands. An ongoing influencer partnership can be very valuable for community building and amplifying your message.
By following these steps, you can leverage influencer collaborations to spread brand awareness, engage new audiences, and strengthen your travel community. With time and the right partnerships, influencer collaborations may become an integral part of your social media and content strategy.
Hosting Live Video Events to Foster Meaningful Connections
Hosting live video events is an effective way to build meaningful connections with your audience and strengthen your community. Livestreaming allows for real-time interaction and engagement that fosters a sense of intimacy between you and your viewers.
Choose a Relevant Topic
Select a topic that is relevant to your niche and of interest to your target audience. For example, if you run a travel blog, you might host a live Q&A on planning a trip to a popular destination or share tips for finding budget-friendly accommodation. Keep your content helpful, actionable, and aligned with your brand.
Promote Your Event in Advance
Build excitement by promoting your livestream on social media, in your email newsletter, and on your website in the days leading up to the event. Share details about the topic you will be discussing and encourage people to submit questions ahead of time. Let your followers know exactly when and where they can tune in to watch.
Engage With Your Viewers in Real Time
As the host, be enthusiastic and engage directly with your viewers by responding to their comments and questions. Address people by name when possible to make personal connections. Keep the conversation flowing by asking open-ended questions and sharing additional tips or experiences related to the topic.
Follow Up and Continue the Conversation
Once your livestream wraps, follow up with an email summarizing the key highlights and main takeaways from your discussion. Thank everyone for watching and participating. You might also share a recording of the livestream on your social media channels and YouTube so people can continue to engage with the content even after the event has ended. Stay active in the comments section and keep the conversation going.
By hosting regular live video events focused on topics important to your community, you can build meaningful relationships with your audience and position yourself as an approachable, trusted resource. Livestreaming is a powerful way to boost engagement and take your content marketing to the next level.
Build Your Landing Page with Unicorn Platform
To build an engaged audience and community for your travel content distribution, an effective landing page is essential. The following steps will guide you in creating a high-converting landing page using the Unicorn Platform drag and drop website builder:
Choose a Template
Select from Unicorn Platform’s collection of professionally designed templates to get started. Look for a clean, minimal design with ample white space that is optimized for lead generation. For travel and tourism, a template featuring attractive travel images is ideal.
Add a Hero Image
Include an eye-catching hero image at the top of your page that captures the spirit of travel and exploration. This visually engages visitors and sets the right tone for your content and brand. Keep text on the hero image minimal.
Write a Strong Headline
Your headline should capture the benefits and value of your content in a few compelling words. For example, “Discover Hidden Gems in Europe” or “How to Travel the World for Less”. Place the headline prominently at the top of your page.
Highlight Your Unique Value Proposition
Explain what makes your travel content unique and why visitors should subscribe. Focus on the specific problems you solve or benefits you provide for your audience. Use bullet points to make this information easy to scan.
Add Social Proof
Include testimonials, reviews, media mentions or subscriber numbers to build credibility and trust. Social proof demonstrates that others have found value in your content. Place this section prominently on your page.
Create a Call-to-Action
Add buttons for visitors to subscribe to your content or follow you on social media. Place multiple calls-to-action throughout your page, such as at the top, in the sidebar and at the bottom. For example, “Subscribe Now” or “Follow Us on Instagram”.
Optimze for Conversions
Ensure your page loads quickly, all links work, the design is mobile-responsive and your content is concise and compelling. These optimizations will turn more visitors into subscribers and build your community.
Using these techniques, you can create a high-converting landing page to promote your travel content and start building an engaged audience and community. The drag and drop Unicorn Platform makes it easy to get started right away.
About Community Building in Travel Industry
Community building is essential for the success of any travel website or blog. An engaged audience that frequently interacts with your content and brand will ensure sustainable growth over the long run. There are several effective strategies to build an active community centered around your travel platform:
Develop Valuable Content
Publish content that provides real value to your readers like destination guides, travel tips, packing lists, etc. Useful content that solves problems for your audience will keep them engaged and coming back. Provide comprehensive guides and in-depth advice to establish yourself as an authority.
Start a Newsletter
A email newsletter is one of the best ways to build a loyal community. Offer a newsletter signup on your site so readers can subscribe to get updates and new content alerts directly in their inbox. Send regular newsletters highlighting your latest posts and any other information relevant to your audience. Newsletters foster interaction and help build personal connections with your readers.
Be Active on Social Media
Use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to increase awareness of your brand, drive traffic to your site, and engage with readers. Share snippets of your content, start discussions, and be an active member of travel communities on each network. Respond to comments and messages promptly to provide good customer service. A strong social media presence will help establish you as an influencer in the travel space and allow you to cultivate meaningful relationships with followers.
Host a Community
Start a community on your website or a separate forum platform where readers can connect and interact with each other. Build sections for different topics and destinations so people can ask questions, share photos, swap stories, and plan meetups. A thriving community forum will keep people highly engaged with your brand and coming back frequently. Consider hosting regular live chats or online events to strengthen personal connections between members.
Building an active, engaged community around your travel platform requires dedication and consistent effort over time. By providing value, facilitating interaction, and fostering personal relationships with your audience, you can establish a loyal following that will contribute to your success and growth. Community members who feel a connection to your brand will become your biggest supporters, helping to spread awareness and drive new readers. With community building, the rewards are well worth the investment.
Conclusion
As a travel brand, building an engaged community should be one of your top priorities. An active, loyal audience will become your best promoters and help spread your content and message. Focus on high-quality, helpful content that provides real value to your readers. Engage with your followers and build personal connections. Run contests and giveaways to increase excitement. Offer exclusive perks and deals for your most engaged fans.
While social media and email are important tools, don't forget the power of in-person events. Host meetups in cities where many of your readers are located. Set up booths at industry conferences and networking events. Get out from behind the screen and shake hands - make real, meaningful connections with your audience.
Building a community takes dedication and time. Stay consistent and patient. Provide ongoing value and engagement. Your devoted fans will become your biggest advocates and help take your brand to new heights. Keep community at the heart of your content strategy and you'll gain a competitive advantage that pays dividends for years to come.
