Saga Looking Into ‘Partnership’ for Cruise Business

Saga Looking Into ‘Partnership’ for Cruise Business

Saga has confirmed its looking into potential partnerships for its ocean cruises business based on reports in British media.

“We are looking at how we can offer more cruises to more guests in the future,” Saga Cruises CEO Nigel Blanks said in a statement shared on social media.

“This comes on the back of exceptional demand for our boutique ocean cruise offer,” he continued noting that the Spirit of Discovery and the Spirit of Adventure are operating “close to capacity.”

“With this in mind, we have been looking into the possibility of entering a partnership arrangement for our ocean cruise business as the best way to support further growth,” Blanks said.

The move would also create value for the company’s shareholders, he noted, pointing out to Saga’s “unique business, with a strong brand and committed team.”

“We are still in the early stages of the process of exploring opportunities,” Blanks said, noting that transactions of this nature “usually take months rather than days or weeks.”

Earlier this month, Sky News reported that Saga was looking into a range of potential options for its cruise operations, which included selling a stake in the business.

According to Sky News, the debt-challenged tour operator was working with advisers and also considered selling its two cruise vessels or offloading the entire business under a licensing arrangement.

After initially entering the cruise business with second-hand vessels, Saga Cruises took delivery of two new cruise ships in 2019 and 2020.

Sailing from different ports in the United Kingdom on a year-round basis, the Spirit of Discovery and the Spirit of Adventure were built by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.

Designed to offer a boutique cruise experience, the 55,000-ton sister ships can accommodate up to 999 guests in double occupancy.

Carnival Corporation Cruise Brands Ramp Up Ad Spending

Carnival Corporation Cruise Brands Ramp Up Ad Spending

Carnival Corporation is ramping up advertising spending across its portfolio of brands, according to President and CEO Josh Weinstein, speaking on the company’s year-end and fourth-quarter earnings call.

He said it was a move to support future demand.

“I’ve actively been working with each brand on their strategies and road maps,” Weinstein said. “As a result, I’ve authorized our brands to take a significant step up in advertising activities, including a nearly 20 per cent increase in our investment this past quarter over 2019, to elevate awareness and consideration and to drive demand for both the near and the longer term. This should be particularly impactful with those new-to-cruise, where we draw about one-third of our guests, as we position to take share from land-based alternatives.”

For example, Weinstein said that Princess Cruises would source more heavily in North America than in prior years due to source market disruptions elsewhere.

And the results have been good, Weinstein noted, with record Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales results at a number of brands.

“We think that advertising has a good amount to do with that, to really reach first-timers, generate awareness, generate consideration, and do so in a meaningful way. We’ve got great brands, and we’ve got tremendous brands, but we need to do a better job getting the voice out. And this is a good way to do it. And it helps not just us, it helps our trade partners, it helps the bookings across the board.”

P&O Forced to Cancel Cruises Due to Lack of Crew

Citing crew availability issues, P&O Cruises UK has cancelled seven cruises on the Arcadia, extending through a June 23 departure to the Norwegian fjords.

The ship had just restarted service for the brand in late March, marking the Carnival-owned company's return to full operations.

"The impact of Covid upon airlines and general disruption has necessitated the cancellations as we need to move crew from Arcadia to other ships in the fleet," P&O said, in a social media post.

With the Arcadia going into a pause state, the ship now returns to service on July 5 for a two-week journey to Iceland, sailing roundtrip from Southampton, England.

Royal Caribbean CEO Fain: Cruising Has Restarted

The CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, Richard Fain, has highlighted the changing times since the CDC’s conditional sail order in October and hopes for a more topical approach to the resumption of cruising.

“The CDC issued the conditional sale order last October in an effort to provide a path for cruising to reopen in the United States … When the conditional sale order was written, there were no vaccines. The disease was on an upward trajectory and heading towards a terrible peak. Testing was less available and more costly, and therapeutics were limited. In general, the situation looked very bleak back then,” Fain said in a video post on social media.

“Last October, preparing for resumption service based on extensive protocols made good sense. But today, a vaccine approach makes much more sense than this old protocol-based approach. The vaccines are bringing down the incidence of COVID-19 in society; the testing enables us to catch cases early. And the preparation we're doing allows us to handle individual cases safely and simply,’ he added.

Click on the above image to hear the Interview.

Fain said that he expects that the CDC will take these changes into consideration.

“We look forward to a constructive dialogue with health officials in the United States and elsewhere, for the path forward under these new circumstances,” he said.

According to Fain, 100,000 cruisers have sailed aboard Royal Caribbean Group’s ships since the pandemic started, with 10 having tested positive for the coronavirus.

“And all of them have been handled smoothly and without undue disruption of other guests’ cruises. And without undue burden on the communities and the governments involved,’ he said. “Our experience with these 100,000 guests is a very powerful proof of concept. In essence, we've just had 100,000 test cruisers and demonstrated that the process works.”

The cruise industry overall has carried more than 350,000 passengers since the pandemic with “minimal disruption,” he added.

“This is precisely what we thought would be the case. And now it is the most powerful and reliable evidence in multiple real-world settings,” he said. “No longer are we talking about when will cruising restart cruising has already restarted.”

Fain also said that Royal Caribbean’s post-pandemic cruises have received higher ratings from guests than pre-pandemic.

Fain also stated that the coronavirus vaccines are a “gamechanger,” but he can’t say yet if all Royal Caribbean sailings will require them from guests.

“We have announced three cruises that will require inoculations for all adults, and there are likely to be more. But each circumstance is different. And I would note that the cruises we are currently operating are operating without requiring vaccines,” he said.

Fain finally called on people not to become complacent, as letting “our guard down” and stopping to take simple precautions would cause another spike.

“I, therefore, encourage all of you to get your vaccine, follow the CDC advice, and we can be sailing in time to meet President Biden's goal of reopening society in time for the Fourth of July,” he concluded

Technology Meets Cruise Trends

PHOTO: Port of Miami entrance. (photo via Flickr/Phillip Pessar)

Cruise travel is so hot right now.

In order to determine just how hot, advertising platform Sojern partnered with Google to ascertain the outlook.

The three biggest takeaways from the report pertain to mobile planning, influence and alternative forms of travel. First, there has been an uptick in mobile cruise searches during 2017—33 percent to be exact, accounting for 29 percent of such overall searches. Second, pricing (89 percent) and entertainment (47 percent) are among the factors that influence potential cruisers.

Third, those searching for other vacations may still opt for a cruise in time.

Additionally, the report cross-referenced Google’s treasure trove of search and survey data with Sojern’s own intent information from traveler profiles and purchase signals.

As much as mobile and online are important these days, offline booking is still viable. Of past cruisers, 41 percent still made their reservations either by utilizing a travel agent or calling the cruise line directly. However, trends are certainly shifting more digital, so online travel agencies are crucial. After all, 69 percent of cruisers desire to book their next trip online.

Going digital is an influence in itself. The video specifically is cited as an important tool in capturing travelers’ attention, (which is one of the very reasons I produce my own Popular Cruising YouTube channel).

As far as marketing is concerned, there is a multitude of paths a buyer may take before booking.

One of the most common, with a 37 percent share, remains a simple cruise search followed by the reservation. However, there are also bookings that follow one or more searches for other travel forms and agencies either before or after a cruise inquiry.

In other words, agents, as well as cruise lines, should have a strong online presence, especially via social media.

As one might expect, searches for key air destinations also correspond to cruise searches. In the top ten are Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Los Angeles, Boston, Cancun, Vancouver, San Juan, Honolulu, and Tampa.

Given most of these are also cruise hubs, it makes perfect sense that a search for something land-based might transfer over to something cruise based.

The report points out that, despite the wonderful all-inclusive value proposition of cruises, it is not always what leads people first to a cruise. Rather, it's more often about a destination or experience.

Once another gets them interested, however, the value is a great way to win them over.

It’s worth noting a majority of cruise searches still occur on desktop platforms and almost all bookings are made on the desktop over mobile. During a week, most searches happen on Mondays and Tuesdays, with three-quarters via desktop. However, by the weekend, mobile searches account for one-third of the traffic.

Meanwhile, only 9 to 11 percent of reservations are actually made over mobile versus the remainder via desktop. There definitely seems to be potential to convert more mobile searches to bookings accordingly. Perhaps apps need to mature in this area to ensure better consumer confidence.

Ultimately, there remain plenty of ways in which a traveler can research and purchase a cruise vacation. Both cruise lines and travel agents need to simply be aware of the prime marketing positions and avenues to occupy.

Royal Caribbean to use Snapchat for underwater tour

Specially designed scuba mask to stream three underwater adventure tours.

Royal Caribbean International will use a specially designed scuba mask to stream three underwater adventure tours to followers on the social media platform Snapchat.

The Royal Caribbean Snapchat channel will be devoted to the tours from June 21 through June 25.

The tours use Snapchat Spectacles in tandem with a custom-designed underwater mask Royal Caribbean is calling the "SeaSeeker." It allows the wearer to "snap" while underwater.

"The SeaSeeker will enable all adventure-seekers to get a front-row seat to the thrilling adventures found underwater in a way that has never been possible before," said Jim Berra, Royal Caribbean's chief marketing officer.

The underwater adventures will be seen through the eyes of three well-known divers. In Cozumel, Mexico marine wildlife photographer and conservationist Roberto Ochoa will give viewers a rare glimpse into the annual migration of whale sharks.

Marine biologist Gabriela Nava will then take viewers to see a coral reef restoration project where she and her team have been working to restore the local reefs.

In Belize, fans can follow along as free diver Ashleigh Baird visits the Great Blue Hole, an underwater sinkhole that is believed to be the largest of its kind.
                

Fans can hashtag #SeekDeeper while following @RoyalCaribbean on Snapchat.

Royal Caribbean begins search for first 'Instagram intern'

Royal Caribbean begins search for first 'Instagram intern'

The search for an explorer to fulfill Royal Caribbean International’s first Instagram ‘Intern-ship of the Seas’ is launched today.

This comes as new research by the line confirms that social media is a key source of inspiration in consumer holiday booking habits.

The study of 2,000 UK and Ireland consumers was commissioned to determine the role that social media plays in inspiring holidaymakers.

The results show nearly half (48%) of holidaymakers rely on platforms like Instagram for inspiration. More than a third (34%) claim they would not consider visiting a destination without first consulting social media.

A third (37%) say that seeing their friends’ bragging posts from abroad has encouraged them to plan their own holiday.

‘Fear of missing out’ after seeing holiday images has triggered a fifth of travellers to go as far as to book the same holiday as friends.

As a result, the line is seeking applications via Instagram to find an ‘extraordinary explorer’ who will sail the seas and capture the unique stories, destinations and experiences of a cruise holiday.

As part of the role, the candidate will travel three oceans, on three ships, for three weeks, this summer with food, drink, accommodation, flights and expenses covered by Royal Caribbean and will also be rewarded with £3,000.

Applicants who think they have what it takes to capture pictures that stand out and inspire holidaymakers can apply for the role by sharing their most extraordinary travel photo on Instagram, tagging @RoyalCaribbeanUK and #ExtraordinaryExplorer. Agents can apply too.

Travel blogger Johnny Ward, who next month is set to become the youngest person to visit every country in the world, will select the winning candidate alongside a panel of judges including Travel Weekly editor-in-chief Lucy Huxley and Royal Caribbean UK and Ireland managing director Ben Bouldin.

The judges will mark applications against strict criteria to select the successful candidate. Submissions will be judged on a number of elements including visual appeal, storytelling ability, originality and inspirational qualities.

Bouldin said: “Royal Caribbean has a fleet of 25 ships visiting over 250 destinations around the world, meaning our holidays are positively teeming with extraordinary moments. In a first for the cruise industry, we’re looking for a talented storyteller to capture those moments and bring them to the world via Instagram.

“When it comes to choosing a holiday, we know social media plays a crucial role in the decision making process for consumers. Knowledge and personalisation are then key to convert that idea into an actual cruise holiday, which is the crucial role our agents play. ”

Ward added: “This research proves that social media is integral to how we live our lives and book our holidays.

“Royal Caribbean has cleverly used this insight in their new Intern-Ship role and is hunting for a storyteller extraordinaire that can use Instagram to inspire others to explore the world.

“I have created a living out of my travel stories but social media is positively teeming with budding storytellers out there looking for a big break.”

Focus on Social Media:

Focus on Social Media:Missing the big picture

By Jamie Biesiada

Although travel is among the most visual of products, a surprisingly small number of agents are engaging with social media platforms built for photos and videos.

Facebook has become a place where many travel agents have successfully built a personal brand through posting photos of their travels and in many cases themselves. It has turned into a lead generator, often creating business or sparking a desire to travel in a past client, thanks to a well-placed destination photo or video.

But while their Facebook presence has grown, agents have largely been underutilizing other social media platforms, such as Instagram and YouTube, which because of their inherently visual nature lend themselves to travel products and could be powerful lead-generation tools.

Earlier this year, the travel search website Hipmunk released a study touching upon where millennials get their travel ideas. The data shows the potential of social media platforms other than Facebook: The study found that 44% of millennials get their travel inspiration from YouTube videos, 28% from Instagram.

"Overall, social media within the marketing media landscaping has officially arrived as a major opportunity for our industry for a few reasons," said Sam McCully, vice president of marketing at Avoya Travel.

Moreover, McCully said that potential opportunities are not limited to millennials, as more and more travelers in a wide range of ages are taking to social media throughout their entire vacation process, from the planning stage right through their return home.

"Is there an untapped opportunity?" McCully said. "I would say absolutely."

MSC rolls out new faster internet and social media packages

MSC Cruises has worked with business communications provider Marlink to develop new faster, more reliable and cost-effective internet and social media packages for guests.

Now live onboard MSC Preziosa and MSC Divina, the high bandwidth internet packages are available via the Marlink Sealink Cloud and will be rolled out across all 12 MSC ships over the coming months. The packages will also be available on the line’s next-generation ships that are currently under construction, including MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seaside.

“We are constantly seeking new ways to innovate and enhance the guest experience aboard what is already the most modern fleet at sea,” said Gianni Onorato, MSC’s CEO. “We know that staying connected while on holiday is increasingly more important to our guests hence we are rolling out state-of-the-art technology to allow them to stay connected whether they are looking to share experiences and memorable moments, stay in touch with friends and family, need to stay on top of work e-mails or simply catch up with daily news.”

Aimed at those who want to be connected 24/7 to social media, the Social Package allows guests to post pictures and chat with friends via popular social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Snapchat, WeChat and Pinterest. Prices start from €3.90 per day or €14.90 for a seven-day cruise.

The Surfer Package is designed for moderate internet users who want to read news, sports scores and catch up on e-mails. It also includes access to social media platforms as per the Social Package. Prices start from €9.90 per day or €29.90 for a seven-day itinerary.

Meanwhile, the Streamer Package has been created for heavy internet users who need access either for work or for personal use and enables full internet and social media access, including audio and video. Prices from €19.90 per day or €59.90 for a full seven-day voyage.

Guests will be able to select their package prior to embarkation and will be easy to upgrade or top up.

Royal Caribbean reveals ad campaign and strap line

Royal Caribbean reveals ad campaign and strap line

Royal Caribbean International has unveiled a new brand positioning as part of its multi-million pound wave campaign.

The line today announced its new ad campaign, including a new TV ad which will first air on Boxing Day during Surprise Surprise.

Royal Caribbean has not had a strapline in recent years but following extensive market research and customer feedback, has introduced ‘Where Extraordinary Happens’.

The ad campaign will run on ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and various Sky channels. The new messaging will also feature on radio, print, digital, social and trade advertising.

Tamara Strauss, director of marketing and PR for Royal Caribbean, said four slogans were created but existing and potential customers reacted best to the one chosen.

“For most of the year people are working hard so for the couple of weeks they get for holiday it’s important they get to experience things and have fun,” Strauss said, explaining the new brand positioning.

“You get to blow the doors off being sensible when you’re on holiday and we wanted to bring that to life because extraordinary things happen on our ships. It’s all about the experiences you can have onboard and off our ship while travelling with us.”

“We want people to see this creative and think differently about what it means to have a Royal Caribbean holiday,” she added.

To support the new positioning, agents are being sent new collateral such as new point of sale displays. The line’s portal Cruising Power has also been updated to reflect the new strapline and the call centre team in Guatemala has also been trained to have a “new tone of voice to reflect the new position”.

Royal has also revealed its wave offers which will encourage customers to 'Go All In'. The line has a buy one get one half price promotion, meaning there's a 50% saving on a second guest; third and fourth guests get 25% savings; all inclusive drinks packages for the first and second guest; and a reduced deposit of £50 on bookings made within at least 57 days of the sailing.

The promotion is applicable on bookings made before February 29 on selected six-nights or more cruises departing between February 1 and December 31, 2016.

Aboard the Escape, tips from Norwegian’s sales pro

Photo's taken by Dave Jones
(flickr photos https://flic.kr/s/aHsknU5bR4 )
My Norwegian escape Review

Norwegian Cruise Line’s ace sales instructor Bob Becker was onboard the Norwegian Escape’s preview cruise in early November. Becker, whose official title is senior vice president of consumer research, gave a well-attended talk to agents in the ship’s main theater.

Becker made many of the points he’s made in past sales presentations, but if you’ve never heard them it can be an inspirational hour or so. Here are a few of the pointers from the Norwegian Escape session:

• Help people buy what they need, not what they want, Becker advised. What they want is availability and a price quote. An agent can do a better job of sniffing out what they need than an OTA.

• “Have I ever been in your bedroom?” is a question Becker said he asks of customers who want an inside cabin. “I bet it has a window. So why go on vacation and stay in a closet?”

• Another bit of advice for agents is to do business on the phone or face to face, not over the Internet. 

“There are no relationships in email,” Becker said. When he gets an email inquiry, Becker said he sends back a form letter asking the prospect to call him to discuss his vacation.

“If they don’t call back, bye-bye,” said Becker, adding that long back-and-forth email exchanges can be one of the biggest hidden time-wasters for agents.

• Social media can also fall into that category, Becker said. “Don’t let Facebook screw up your day.”

Becker said that an agent’s information technology time should be reserved first for a customer relationship management system, then email, and only after that for Instagram and Facebook.

“Social media is ‘in addition to,’ not ‘instead of,’” said Becker. 

• Another Becker gem is to find the customer’s hot spot, something that can be used to your advantage in crafting a custom solution for that client. “Who will be joining you on this vacation?” is one of his favorite questions.

Knowing whether a cruise is intended to be a multigenerational family trip or a romantic getaway for two is the first step toward picking a line, ship and cabin for that customer.

Follow up with questions about the names and ages of the customer’s travel party, he recommended. “If they tell you their kids’ names and ages, they already trust you enough to give you their credit card.”

A guide to social media advertising

Social Media By Carrie Finley-Bajak

Finding leads online, either by ranking in organic search results or from social media interactions, can yield results. However, it is often necessary to supplement marketing efforts by deploying social media ad campaigns to remain competitive. 

The quest to stay relevant online takes effort. One way to keep a pulse on trends is to explore advertising options available on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn.

Getting started: plan, buy, optimize

Social media ad campaigns don't require long-term contracts, enabling travel professionals to stop ads at any time. Most channels will offer an option to pay for clicks or impressions. 

Prior to spending money on paid or targeted advertising campaigns, make sure to have a keyword strategy. In general, try to stick with a list of three to five keywords to remain consistent. Search on Google for "keyword generator" to get ideas. 

Buy targeted ads based on location, demographics and/or device type. 

Optimize and analyze ad campaigns on a regular basis. Make sure to stay agile, making adjustments as necessary. 

Social media ad channels

After a travel professional makes the decision to allocate time and resources to finding leads through paid advertisements, the next step is to figure out where to deploy ad campaigns.

• Facebook: According to Facebook, there are more than 1.4 billion people who use Facebook to connect with what matters to them, and more than 900 million visit every day. At the end of July, Facebook reported that ads brought in $3.8 billion in advertising revenue for the three-month reporting period that ended in July. As far as social networking sites go, Facebook is a great option for travel agents looking to get started with a social ad strategy. Ads can appear in news feed on a desktop, news feed on a mobile device and in the right column of Facebook on a desktop. 

Facebook does a great job collecting information about people. Take advantage of this data and target ads according to location and interests. 

With Facebook Ads, travel sellers can create targeted ads to reach different audiences while meeting business goals. Among the things you can do are: build ads that promote clicks to your website, create ads that increase video views, create offers for prospects to claim and increase attendance at a special event, product launch or cruise night.

To learn about Facebook Ads, visithttps://www.facebook.com/business/products/ads.

• Instagram: Although still in its infancy, Instagram recently opened up its ad platform to all companies in 30 countries. 

The service is evolving, and the company recently announced it was launching more ad products to use on Instagram. One thing definitely worth trying on Instagram are carousel ads, which are a compelling way to tell a brand's story. 

Create and target advanced Instagram ads based on custom audiences, look-alike audiences, Facebook categories and partner categories. Facebook's Ads Manager is the easiest way for small businesses to start running ads on Instagram.

To learn more about Instagram for business, visithttps://business.instagram.com/advertising.

• Twitter: Whether you're looking for more followers or website traffic, Twitter ads might be a good option. 

To make the most of Twitter ads, make sure to understand where potential leads spend their time on the service. For example, one way travel agents can generate leads is by using promoted tweets during travel-related Twitter chats. (For a list of weekly chats, visit www.travelogx.com/chat.) Another way is running ads on popular hashtags. 

There are three kinds of Twitter Ads. 1) Promoted tweets (with or without an image or video) are messages like an announcement of an upcoming product release, a sale or an event you're hosting; 2) A promoted account is an ad that invites targeted Twitter users to follow your brand; and 3) Promoted trends are leverage time-, context- and event-sensitive trends promoted by Twitter's advertising partners. These paid, promoted trends appear at the top of the trending topics list on Twitter and are clearly marked as "promoted." 

Like most platforms, Twitter enables you to target your ads based on location, gender, languages, interests and devices. 

To learn more about Twitter ads for business, visit https://biz.twitter.com/ad-products.

• Pinterest: Ads on Pinterest consist of "promoted pins," which refer to content that will appear in search results. As with other pay-for-click models, a travel professional will only pay for promoted pins when a viewer clicks on or otherwise engages with an ad. There is no minimum cost to run an ad campaign. Instead, it varies based on targeting audience and bid amount.

Pinterest wants promoted pins to be among some of the best pins members see on the social network. According to Pinterest, ads should contain "beautiful, actionable and interesting" content. Before getting started, make sure to review Pinterest'sadvertising principles and rules. 

In May, Pinterest offered a new motion-based mobile ad format called cinematic pins, which are a nice way to enhance storytelling for a brand.

To learn more about advertising on Pinterest, visit https://ads.pinterest.com.

• LinkedIn: For B2B networking and to access affinity groups, advertising on LinkedIn can raise brand awareness, build relationships and drive quality leads. 

 LinkedIn Ads enable travel advisers to create and place ads on prominent pages on LinkedIn.com. Target which LinkedIn members view ads by selecting a target audience according to job title, job function, industry, geography, age, gender, company name, company size or LinkedIn group. Advertising costs are controlled by setting a budget (paying only for clicks or impressions). LinkedIn ad formats include text and image ads, video ads or text-only ads. 

To learn more about advertising on LinkedIn, visit www.linkedin.com/advertising.

Best practice tips

• Set your advertising goals first. Create both daily and lifetime budgets for your campaigns. Ask suppliers for co-op money to help offset the costs associated with running ad campaigns.
• Understand the types of actions available from social ads. Are you looking for an increase in reach, followers, engagement or website traffic?
• Choose targeting keywords that make sense for ads while adhering to an agency's brand standards and travel niche.
• Use A/B testing to see what ads perform best. A good rule of thumb for independent contractors is to use variations of popular posts from individual accounts to reduce costs associated with market testing.
• Analyze data to determine what time of day consumers are engaging with ads, then target leads when they are most active online.
• Don't be shy. Interact and engage with leads who respond to ads.
• Think global, but deploy local. Take advantage of ZIP code-targeted ads to promote travel products to niche communities. 

Staying on track and ahead of the curve

By Carrie Finley-Bajak 
When it comes to social media strategy, it's not OK to turn on cruise control: If a reset is in order, take one. Granting yourself a do-over can actually refresh stale campaigns and force you to break bad habits. Here are some ways to keep your social media marketing on track for success. 

Stay focused on your goals

It's easy to get caught up in the buzz when it comes to social media. While I enjoy learning about new trends in digital marketing, I have to remind myself to stay focused on growing my business.

Using Google Analytics, Facebook Insights and reports from social media analytics companies like Simply Measured helps me leverage data to identify opportunities and to optimize activities.

My overall goal is to use social media to get visitors to my website. Almost all of my social media updates and campaigns fit my keyword strategy, and if I am doing my job right, then promoting my brand yields a measurable increase in fans and followers and a rise in website traffic.

Besides building brand awareness and increasing a fan base, social media can be used as a tool for prospecting, lead qualification and customer service. 

To get leads on social media, it takes time and a commitment to consistency. A steady stream of product announcements does not perform well on social networks. Instead, focus on showcasing expertise and experience. Use different types of content formats to capture attention.

Using supplier resources can be a time- saver and a way to get new ideas for what to post on social media.

Ken Muskat, executive vice president of sales, public relations and guest services at MSC Cruises USA and chairman of CLIA's Trade Relations Committee, reports that MSC Cruises continues to provide the most updated promotional tools on its agent website.

Within the marketing tools section is a social media tab offering ready-made tweets and Facebook updates based on the cruise line's latest news and promotions. 

Grow with social media marketing

Social media messaging should include a robust mix of unique calls to action that drive visitors to click on links to your website, where visitors can subscribe to your mailing list or find a number to call for more information.

Make sure you have a system to monitor and track leads from social media. 

Even social media-savvy agents with an established presence on social media need to keep abreast of current trends to remain relevant.

One of the key findings in the 2015 Social Media Marketing Industry Report published by Social Media Examiner was that marketers still value Facebook and even though a large number of respondents use Facebook, 68% want to learn more about it and 62% plan to increase Facebook activities.

If you are one of the estimated 40 million small businesses using Facebook to promote your brand and to connect with customers, fighting for attention is a constant challenge. 

A lot of people are looking for creative ways to generate leads without paying for Facebook ads.

In an article posted on Forbes.com, social marketing consultant and writer Jayson DeMers wrote "50 Free Ways to Increase Your Facebook Page Likes." 

Some of the highlights from Jason's article include the following tips:

• Use images as a regular part of your Facebook content strategy.
• Engage with other pages in your niche through leaving "thoughtful comments in response to other people's posts."
• When leaving Facebook comments, post as your page rather than from your personal profile.

If your Facebook page has been on cruise control, go back and refresh the about section, and add relevant events and detailed descriptions to photos. 

In Travel Weekly's Focus on Social Media article, there was a great example of an agent's Facebook page that can inspire you to revamp lackluster Facebook pages. 

Jill LaBarre's page, Jill's Great Escapes, has incorporated all the elements that will increase the chance of getting leads. I am impressed by the "book now" call-to-action button that drives leads to her website as well as the use of custom tabs to get leads to "register to win a trip." Jill also has leveraged the events tab to highlight her upcoming trips -- three excellent examples of how to leverage Facebook.

Another Facebook feature that you might not know about is the ability to auto-schedule updates. This time-saver could be enormous help to agents who can set aside a few hours a week to schedule Facebook updates. Find out more at the Facebook Help Center.

Twitter is another social media platform that generates a lot of buzz. For travel sellers, Twitter is a good place to engage with suppliers, network with other agents and stay current on industry news.

There are ways to get leads on Twitter, but I would recommend getting comfortable with the platform before investing in Twitter ads. 

I get that Twitter is not for everyone, but according to the Social Media Examiner survey, marketers indicated it as an area where survey responders planned to increase their use.

At a minimum, Twitter accounts should be established and a header image and description with a link to an agent's website should be set up.

There are many ways to use Twitter. For example, Travel Weekly hosts a live Twitter chat every month about trending topics in travel. We use the #TWchats hashtag to promote and engage with industry insiders, including agents, suppliers and influencers.

I would suggest getting started and using the list feature to help create customized streams specific to your niche. For example, create a list of your preferred suppliers to quickly see their posts. 

The advanced search feature enables users to create custom searches based on keywords and variables like location.

Best in show

These are my favorite tweets from June's #TWchats about social media best practices within the travel industry:

Larry Pimentel admits to using social media to find "a unique luxe wellness lodge in #NewZealand called @SplitApple." The CEO of Azamara Club Cruises added in his tweet, "Travelers loved the experience. So did I."

Catherine Heeg: "I really like Pinterest as you can organize your photos and message boards and pins to clients."

Seiche Wave: "A great social media campaign stimulates dialogue, attracts new followers and increases new visitors to all associated sites."

Video

No conversation about social media marketing is complete without mention of video.

Whether an agent uses a smartphone, digital camera or expensive video recorders, we know that videos capture the attention of people on social media.

• Anyone can set up a YouTube channel, and a lot of suppliers will give you permission to upload their content onto your agency's branded channel.
• Instagram has a video-sharing feature as well as Vine, which can be easily shared on Twitter.
• Facebook allows users to directly upload video. Pinterest allows users to "pin" videos, and your website should have a blog where you can easily embed videos to leverage content.