OPINION
If so, make sure you get this free
app for photo sharing. Travel
agents can take photos or use
photos already on their mobile
devices, customize them, then
share them by linking this app to
their other social networks.
Pinterest.com: This platform
is a match made in heaven for
agents. Travel sellers can appeal
to people’s dreams by employing Pinterest’s visual environment to create “pinboards” of
content that appeals to travelers.
Members control their own pinboards and share images that are
“pinned” to their boards. Links
to pins can be shared on Facebook and Twitter to increase impressions.
YouTube.com: Among the
best-known and most widely
used social media platforms,
YouTube enables members to upload, edit,
share, comment on and “like” video content. Travel agents can increase audience
reach to attract potential clients and improve their presence on search engines by
posting their videos to You Tube.
Google+: This social network is Google’s
version of Facebook and Twitter. Travel
agents should at least tinker with this platform. Though you’re no doubt crunched
for time and wondering how you will ever
be able to keep up with all the platforms,
you should, at a minimum, share photos of
your favorite travel products on Google+.
Twitter can be a useful communication tool for agents. Pictured, the author’s Twitter feed.
vating your network of business
connections is a good investment
of time. LinkedIn is also a great
place to network and find groups
that can help you grow your bottom line.
WordPress.com: If you don’t
have a website that enables readers to leave comments and to
drive clicks from social media
sites, consider opening a free
WordPress “blog,” essentially,
a place to store all your shared
content online. Photos, videos
and product reviews need to be
stored somewhere permanently
online where they can be linked
to all your other social media
platforms. Done right, your blog
will attract a wide audience who
will leave comments — the ultimate social network.
100 Lighting Way
Secaucus, NJ 07094
www.northstartravelmedia.com
Ideally, you will use it to plug links to offers
and content on your website while you wait
for your friends to show up and “hangout,”
a Google+ feature.
Flickr.com: Upload your travel photos
to Flickr, an online photo management and
sharing application that interacts with your
other platforms. For example, you can “pin”
your best Flickr shots to Pinterest or add
them to your Facebook page.
LinkedIn.com: This is the premier busi-ness-to-business social media platform.
While you are probably more interested in
business-to-consumer relationships, culti-
A live chat
Seek a better understanding of the various services and how your business might
take advantage of them. You are invited to
join Travel Weekly and me to discuss social
media best-practices for travel agents. Our
first online event will take place on Twitter
.com, Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. Eastern time. Post
your tweets and add the hashtag #TWchats.
Carrie Finley-Bajak is a social media consultant who specializes in building travel industry branding online. Contact her at cruise
buzz@gmail.com.
Social media glossary for travel professionals
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The following are some common social-media terms. For a full glossary, see the
link from Carrie Finley-Bajak’s columns on
TravelWeekly.com.
called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a tweet. It was created
organically by Twitter users as a way to
categorize messages.
HootSuite: A social media dashboard
that enables users to manage multiple
social networks, post messages and
schedule updates. Great for groups or individuals who work on teams to promote
a travel agency.
Influencer: A person who can sway another.
Like: A Facebook action that indicates
positive feedback to another user’s post.
News Feed: A Facebook term that describes how a user can see status updates of friends. Users can customize
the way information is sorted in the news
feed.
Pin: An image or video link to a Web location.
Pinboard: A collection of pins representing images and videos.
Retweet: A reposting of someone else’s
tweet.
Sentiment: A level of assessment that
determines the tone of an article, blog
post, a company, etc.; usually positive,
negative or neutral
Social Networking Service: A website
that offers a platform for members of a
group to share information. Users typi-
cally create a profile to describe them-
selves for others, then communicate
through posts, which can include text,
images or video content.
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App: A program designed to run on a
mobile device.
Avatar: A photo or other visual image
that represents a person online.
Chat: An online conversation. Can also
be used to describe a Twitter event where
people gather at a specified time.
Circles: Groups of people interacting on
Google+.
Connection: A LinkedIn term to describe a person in your network.
Flipboard: An iPad and iPhone app that
creates a magazine-like summary of your
social feeds. A great tool for travel agents
to find links to share via other social media platforms.
#FollowFriday (#ff ): A Twitter practice of
suggesting people to follow. As the name
implies, it happens on Fridays.
Foursquare: A social tool that helps
users keep up with where friends are,
discover what’s nearby, save money and
unlock deals.
Hangout: A Google+ tool that enables
video chat with up to nine people.
Hashtag: On Twitter, the symbol,
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NOVEMBER 5, 2012
