Inbound & Social Media Marketing

The power of the Vlog. One thing that stood out for me when doing research on content marketing, especially in the travel industry, is the intrinsic value of the video. People are spending less time reading and more time watching videos on their phones. Our phones have become our go-to device when we have spare time and looking to switch off and relax. And when looking to switch off and relax, evidence shows we prefer looking at short videos rather than reading long articles. Understanding how technology is changing and human behavior along with it is key to developing content marketing. Which is why I’m starting with the vlog and content creators focusing on social media and posting videos since the evidence is quite clear from their followers and views, it can be said they are highly successful at their methods and deserves a closer look.

YouTube video from the Bald and Bankrupt channel

One influencer that popped up on my own social media feed and which caught my attention was Benjamin Rich and Simon Wilson, Benjamin in particlar specializes in short travel videos showing interesting insights into the life of another country, he makes it feel like you’re there traveling with him as he speaks directly at the camera as if it’s a one to one audience. This channel already has 2 million followers and its format can easily be adapted to show off for any travel-related industry. His success illustrates how effective video can be to any travel business. The places he visits are predominantly off the beaten track, in areas considered the former Soviet Union and in places, the everyday traveler would find challenging not knowing the Russian language.

(Fig. 1) Screenshot of Simon Wilson’s Facebook page

Possibly one of the biggest travel booking websites today - AirBnB. It started with two guys renting a mattress on the floor with breakfast served to being valued at $10 billion today. The key take I took from looking at their evolution is how important quality photos are, they only started to grow once they took photos seriously and made a professional attempt at making the places they advertised to stay look as attractive as possible. The AirBnB app is also an important feature to note and something the organisation prioritised, noting the trend of the age of their audience and more people are using mobile phones than the traditional desktop, having a sleek, easy to use app has paid off for them and proves how important it is.

Albeit, there are not many podcasts regarding AirBnB, there are enough small sample made in the past that gives an idea how it could be utilized to benefit AirBnB ugely along the same theme of AirBnB Tales or stories. If they had their own official podcast I think there would be a wealth of information at their disposal and lots of interest since it is such a widely used platform. An interesting evolution in AirBnB is the experiences they let people advertise, which appeals to both a solo traveler or part of a group, from walking tours to a fun night out visiting places to eat and drink, this is a great activity to accompany an existing booking made while on holiday and even if you don’t partake in these activities they can be good for ideas alone.

(Fig. 2) Screenshot of AirBnB experiences webpage

One of the most recognizable franchises when it comes to traveling - Lonely Planet has long been a trusted source of information when it comes to traveling, their range evolving into ebooks shows they’re willing to move with the times, they also have a forum which makes for very useful tips from people on the ground, moreover they have a stories section which forms like a blog and updated regularly which if you’re interested in travelling and is genuinely useful with rich detail and high quality photos. How the stories are categorized is clever also, Adventure, Family Holidays, Romance, Budget, Foodie, Coastal and Island, Road Trips, Arts and Culture, for me this shows they have carefully divided up their audience and made an attempt to cater for a big variety. Personally for me, having lived in London I found the 20 free things to do in London very useful, especially some of the museums which the average tourist might have missed at times. Additionally, they have videos with a focus on sustainability and tourism combined, which I think will be a trend in the years to come for most large established travel orientated industries as people are becoming more aware of climate change.

(Fig. 3) Screenshot of e-books on the Lonely Planet website.