Tripadvisor Is A Marketing Tool

What is Tripadvisor?

Seeker Perpective

Tripadvisor is a marketing tool that provides mainly user-generated reviews, recommendations and information for people who´s keen to explore the world. In Tripadvisor one can search for and book hotels, restaurants, attractions, flights and vacation rentals. Basically everything needed on vacation. 

Business Perspective

Tripadvisor is a marketing tool for travel related businesses. Tripadvisor helps businesses increase visibility, manage their online reputation trough customer reviews, attract more bookings. Businesses can advertise, track customer behavior through analytics, and respond to reviews, which can enhance credibility and drive sales. Additionally, Tripadvisor generates revenue for businesses via bookings and affiliate partnerships, making it a key tool in the travel and hospitality industry.

How to Use Tripadvisor?

How to Get Business to Tripadvisor -Step by Step

1. Go to https://www.tripadvisor.com/busines
2. Click “Claim my business” on a right up corner
3. Check form “Claim your listing” -search if traveler has already listed your business by typing name of your business.

If your business is already listed and appears in the results:

1. Select your business from the drop down. 
2. Click the “Claim your business” button to confirm that you are affiliated with the property. Don’t make new listing.
3. Follow instructions. 
4. More information on managing your Tripadvisor, see Quick Strat Quide.

If your business isn´t already listed and doesn´t appear in the results:

1. Click the “Add a missing place” link below the search box.
2. Complete the request form with as much detail as possible. You will need details such as:
   • Your information
   • Information for your business (name, address etc.)
   • Type of property (business in the right category and including as much relevant information as possible).
   • Property description
   • Choose a photo
3. Submit the listing
4. More information on managing your Tripadvisor, see Quick Strat Quide.

Once you request your listing, Tripadvisor editors will verify your details and confirm that your property meets the guidelines for the business type you’ve selected. This typically takes about 5 business days.

Who’s there?

Tripadvisor´s target group is all travelers who are looking for reviews, recommendations, and booking options. 

1. Leisure Travelers: Planning vacation.
2. Business Travelers: Accommodations or restaurants while on work trip.
3. Adventure And Experience Seekers: Unique activities, tours and experiences.
4. Frequent Travelers: People who rely on reviews to make decisions.

What Kind of Content?

In addition to the previously presented content; photos of businesses, detailed descriptions of offered services and replies to reviews. Businesses should keep Tripadvisor profile updated. There´s possibilities for example to advertise weekly special offers and use it for updates and announcements. Public replies for customers in different sections show that business value feedback and are committed to improvement. Outdated and uncommunicative profile doesn´t encourage interest in the business. 

It´s All About Communication

Since Tripadvisor´s content is based in user’s experiences and sharing those for others, communication is the key to its functionality. Travelers leave written reviews and rate businesses. Businesses can reply publicly to traveler’s reviews, addressing all kind of feedback. This allows businesses to engage with customers and manage their reputation. Travelers can also directly message businesses and to other travelers for inquiries or recommendations. In Tripadvisor´s community forums travelers can ask questions and share travel tips. Businesses and fellow travelers can provide answers. In businesses Q&A section travelers can ask specific questions and the business or past travelers can reply.

Metrics on Tripadvisor

The Analytics Suite provides extensive data for businesses in Tripadvisor to drive key business decisions and create better customer experience. In Overview section it´s easy to get a high-level summary of the most important metrics. Problems in metrics are highlighted in red for better view. When open metrics there’s a lot of more specific data to discover such as:

1. Review Metrics: Overall ratings, review trends over time.
2. Popularity Ranking: Ranks compared to competitors.
3. Customer Engagement: Page views, clicks on contact details and photo views.
4. Traffic: Clicks trough to businesses website or booking engine from businesses Tripadvisor listing.
5. Booking Data: How many bookings or inquiries were generated trough Tripadvisor.
6. Review Response Rate: How often and how quickly business responds to reviews.

Examples

Ruka Peak Boutique Hotel & Restaurant is a good example of the Tripadvisor business user.

Pros

• Ruka Peak added high quality, beautiful photos about it’s business.
• There’s a lot of interaction, travellers added a lot of photos and reviews.
• RukaPeak is active and replies to feedbacks.
• Detailed description.
• Call to action.

Cons

• No offers.

Tips to Succeed

• Keep the profile updated.
• Use high quality photos.
• Reply to reviews and messages.
• Make detailed description about services offered.
• Advertise offers in Tripadvisor.

Me as a User

Personally, I always use Tripadvisor when searching for new adventures. It´s very good tool to get reliable review of a hotel or restaurant. Based on my own experience, especially in Asia, hotels star ratings can be anything. It might not correspond to reality at all. Sometimes the hotel considers itself worthy of four stars and might be dirty and outdated, sometimes it considers itself worthy of two stars and it´s clean and cozy. Doesn´t matter what level hotel I´m searching for I always check at least cleanliness rate from Tripadvisor.

References:

Tripadvisor. 2024. Tripadvisor business. 24.9.2024 https://www.tripadvisor.com/business.