360DigitalInfluence

Word of mouth - as marketers we talk about buzz and word of mouth time and time again.   As travelers, we rely on it. From destinations to activities, hotels to airlines - more often than not, travelers turn to peers and family members for recommendations before clicking ‘book.’  

Travel research consistently shows the importance of word of mouth in the travel decision-making process - and for those looking to make long or short-haul trips, this source is free.  As we’re growing more conscious of our wallets, we are becoming that much more aware of others opinions to really trust a destination - or the means to get there.

A recent surveyfrom HotelMarketing.com showed 56% prefer to look at travel Web sites on weekday evenings.  What does this mean for us travel marketers?  Talk to the folks at travel Web sites or influential travel bloggers - and talk to them often.  

We can certainly talk with travel folks in the social media sphere - enlist them to host a contest on their blog, find an angle we know resonates with their audiences or send them on a familiarization trip where they can blog live from the destination.  All of these show an unbiased approach to experiences a hotel, a new destination, an airline or even a game for road trips.  The travel bloggers’ influence is unmatched in terms of reviews and recommendations as they call it like the see it, show pictures, share rates and are pretty reliable for all around vacation recommendations.  Some of my favorites to follow are Jaunted, The Mindful Tourist  and The Art of Nonconformity.  Each of these offer ideas, recommendations and visuals - with links - to different getaways, with various focuses and are written in a casual tone, allowing for many followers who turn to these bloggers as if they’re friends  - and word of mouth then comes full circle.