Social Media in Tourism Industry ; Facebook.
Introduction
Social media platforms serve as virtual travel galleries. They allow users to share captivating visuals and narratives of their travel experiences. Tourism Businesses have been fast to move to social media to market and enhanced their products to connect with potential customers. Tourism entrepreneurs may reach more potential customers instantly and at cost next to nothing through the active utilize of social media. Today there are hundreds of social media platforms but i have chosen to talk about Facebook. Facebook is a website which allows users, who sign-up for free profiles, to connect with friends, work colleagues or people they don’t know, online. It allows users to share pictures, music, videos, and articles, as well as their own thoughts and opinions with however many people they like. The primary use of Facebook has always been about connecting people. Facebook is a way to find and connect with friends and remain updated on their activities. It was created by Mark Zuckerberg and it is owned by Meta whom also owns Whatsapp and Instagram another two giant social media platforms.
How to use Facebook
First you need to go to the App Store if you are on your phone and search for Facebook and install it , if you are on your computer than just go to google and search for it. You click on Sign up and give all information required , name Email and password.
Photo by : App Store
The Facebook profile is where your information will live. Your name, photo, hometown, workplace, education history, and so on can all be added to your profile. You can make your profile as public or private as you want by disabling the information you don’t want publicly visible. Facebook collects the content and other information you provide when you use their Services, including when you sign up for an account, create or share, and message or communicate with others. This can include information in or about the content you provide, such as the location of a photo or the date a file was created.
Photo by : Facebook Log-in Page
Target Audience
As of April 2024, it was found that men between the ages of 25 and 34 years made up Facebook largest audience, accounting for 18.4 percent of global users. Additionally, Facebook’s second largest audience base could be found with men aged 18 to 24 years. Facebook is still the number one social media platform in the world and also being one of the oldest. Facebook is the largest social networking site, with over 3 billion people using it monthly, according to Statista. This means roughly 37 percent of the world’s population are Facebook users.
Photo by : Statista
How to use it in a tourism business
Facebook offers different types of posts that can be used to interact with the audience. These include classic text posts, photo posts, video posts, but also Facebook Live, link posts and Facebook Stories. There are many ways for anyone not just businesses to promote their stuff. You open your page and you name it after your business , you promote it by posting pictures and sharing videos in the meantime you gain many followers which will see what youre up to. Plan what and when you post. Engaging your followers starts with sharing content that’s most relevant to them. Post consistently with interactive and immersive formats. Invite followers into the conversation. Learn about what’s working. Consider ad solutions that can help boost engagement. Create a good mix of posts. If you are an accommodation provider, remember that visitors can see pictures of the accommodation itself on your website. Therefore, sharing content related to things to do, places to eat and see are going to be more helpful and engaging than repetitive images of the accommodation itself.
Photo : Commercial by Let’s Go Travel
Among the varied social media platforms, Facebook deserves a special mention with regard to promotion of a tourism destination. Facebook offers travel brands the ability to identify prospective travellers, communicate directly with users, engage with advocates and create branded experiences through advertisements and sharing. Facebook is able to identify these people who are considering traveling, even before they’ve settled on a destination. And, it’ll let tour operators, hotels, cruises, destinations, and airlines target them with Facebook ads to influence their decision in the very early stages of planning a trip. Facebook provides tourism businesses and destinations with the opportunity to provide booking within the site. Some businesses such as Delta or Direct Ferries are already taking advantage of using Facebook also another opportunity for their fans and consumers in general to book.
Photo by : Travel Social Media Cover
Conclusion
As every social media platform today that is used by millions of people worldwide i personally think that Facebook is one of the best digital platforms to promote your tourism business. People nowadays are always using their phones to see whats happening around them and where they want to go. Getting to a tourism page is easy , you can get all action done for a short period , travel agencies , hotel bookings , payment arrangements , customer service etc.. All these can be done in Facebook and i recommend it to every tourist site and customer.