How Travel Bloggers are Shaping Destination Marketing Keith - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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How Travel Bloggers are Shaping Destination Marketing

Keith Jenkins

CEO, iambassador.net Publisher, Velvetescape.com Scottish Tourism Week Inverness, 15th March 2016

Where is Your Audience?

Digital: 47.2% Of which:

23.3% mobile 18% desktop

TV: 36.5% Radio: 10.9%

Source: eMarketer

Media: A Simple Comparison

813,262 Condé Nast total circulation 132,885

• ne full page advert in Euro

187,000 Guardian total circulation 24,358

• ne full page advert in Euro

10,647,387 total followers of iambassador bloggers

Source: Condé Nast, Guardian, iambassador (2015)

Ad Blocking Software

• 0.12% standard banner ad

click through rates

• ad block rates 10 - 40%
• 16% of Firefox Mobile

users use ad blockers

• ad blocking grew by 41%

last year

• 86% banner blindness in

humans

Content is the New Advertising

Digital Content…

• informs, educates,

entertains

• is relevant
• is searchable
• is meaningful and

provides value for readers & the brand

• has a long shelf life
• $ 9.60 influencer marketing

return for each dollar spent (top 13% up to $ 20)

• 90% savings by using an

influencer network (time & resource costs)

• influencers are trusted &

authentic

Source: Tomoson, TapInfluence, RhythmOne

For an increasing number of bloggers…

Travel blogging has evolved from a hobby to a full-time profession

How bloggers are contributing to destination marketing

• Multi-media content from a

personal perspective

• Multi-channel social media
• Interaction
• Community building
• New marketing concepts

"It had so much more detail than the vendor

• site. And the broad travel

sites don't get into all that," Ozaki said of the postings he read on Velvet Escape. "In this day and age, I find some

• f those sources more

reliable.” Source: Frommer’s

A personal perspective

Post-trip campaign/ Repurposing content Post-trip During the trip Pre-trip

Travel bloggers deliver

immediate & longer term value

Searchable content

>80% of travelers reported having used the Internet to research a trip.

Source: Google (June 2014)

Influence decision-making

92% of social media users are influenced by travel blogs with up to 72% willing to change their destination choice based on the opinion of friends and networks on social media.

Source: ITB 2015 Travel Trends Report

2,250 views

4 bookings

Influencer impact – short term

Influencer impact – longer term

“Stellenbosch has seen a 60% increase in bed nights since 2014 when we started working with digital influencers.”

• Stellenbosch Wine Routes

Influencer impact – longer term

Tips for working with bloggers

• Selecting the right blogger(s) to work with is key
• Do your research: read the blog, ask for their stats
• Provide free wifi!
• Agree on the deliverables
• Focus on your key messages/objectives
• Provide your social accounts & engage with the bloggers
• Share your tips and let them explore

Travel blogging trends

• Growing number of professional travel bloggers
• Travel blogger conferences
• Blogger associations, networks & initiatives
• The rise of niche/local language blogging
• New technologies, social platforms & product

development

The Social T The Social Travel Summit ravel Summit

20 – 21 September 2016 20 – 21 September 2016 Kingsmil Kingsmills Hotel ls Hotel Inver Inverness ness SCOTLAND SCOTLAND

• Travel. Shar
• ravel. Share. Lear
• e. Learn

Be Part of the Future of Online Travel Publishing and Marketing.

• Connect with leading travel bloggers and influencers from around the world
• Peer-to-peer learning with tourism boards, PR agencies and brands
• Keynotes on digital marketing trends, influencer collaborations and digital strategies
• Workshops on SEO, social media strategies and successful influencer campaigns
• Round-table discussions on maximising online marketing budgets, case studies and brainstorming

For info and t For info and tickets, visit ickets, visit thesocial hesocialtravelsummit.com travelsummit.com

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Thank you!

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