2023-08-14 01:02:46
Image generated by Artificial Intelligence, which simulates a young man taking a selfie photo with a lion. Source: Adobe Stock
Nani Arenas: a destination must previously analyze the profile of an influencer
As pointed Nani Arenasjournalist and author of the blog La Viajera Empedernida, the key issue is to discern what type of influencers are suitable for a destination, hotel, airline, etc.who wants to rely on these communicators to publicize their offer.
Nani Arenas works with tourist destinations to create communication strategies “and that’s where influencers come in, which we must study beforehand because in the end the influencer is still a very important communication support, depending on the audience you want to address.”
For this reason, when hiring a promotional campaign with influencers, “you have to follow the criteria that you followed when you hired a communication campaign with any other support or medium. That is, you have to analyze if that support fits what you need” adds Nani Sands.
For example, does that influencer broadcast the image that destiny wants to communicate? His audience Does it correspond to the segment or niche that a destination or hotel chain seeks to reach?
“You cannot only look at the number of ‘likes’ or followers of an influencer because that is very easy to manipulate”
For this reason, Nani Arenas insists, “you must study the influencers before hiring them. And of course, you cannot only look at the number of “likes” or followers because that is very easy to manipulate. You have to study their profiles more to see if it fits you with your campaign“.
And it is at that moment of analysis when it would be appropriate rule out certain influencer profiles“if you consider that associating its image with that of your destination or company may be a riskor it is simply not the image you want to give”
For example, “if I am working on a promotional campaign with a city X in Spain, I would not like anything to take an influencer who is going to lean over a cliff or take a risky selfie at the top of the tower of the Cathedral”, explains Nani Arenas.
“If you see that the way certain influencers communicate and their profile is based on that type of most spectacular photos in search of an audience and curiosityWell, maybe it’s not the profile that interests me,” he adds.
“For the destinations I work for, I would never hire influencers who generate risky communication”
“Of course, for the destinations I work for, I would never hire profiles that at some point I see generate a risky communication“, says Nani Arenas.
“And the question I ask myself is if these influencers would take that equally risky photo if it weren’t for posting on social networks,” he adds.
It may happen, however, that some destinations or companies value influencers only by the number of “likes” and followers that they accumulate “and in that case what we are doing is generating that bubble ourselves.”
In short, says Nani Arenas, it is preferable to bet on influencers whose communication style, type of content, style of photographs and videos, audience, etc., fit with the communication strategy of the destination and company and, once the campaign is finished , measure return using various methodologies, “not just the ‘Likes’ that users have given to a photo.”
Photo for social networks taken from a cliff. Source: Adobe Stock
18% of European consumers pay attention to influencers to plan their trips
To what extent do influencers really influence our travel decisions?
According to a recent study of Phocuswright which was presented in Barcelona last June, 50% of European consumers say they use a social network to look for travel ideas. The most used networks are Instagram (70%), Facebook (70%), TikTok (35%), Twitter (25%) y Snapchat (20%).
Now, “even though travelers are on social media, they’re not always influenceable,” said Madeline List, an analyst at Phocuswright.
In fact, the survey reveals that friends and family have a much greater weight in travel decisions (this is the case for 50% of European consumers) compared to influencers who move through social networks.
In fact, the videos, photos, etc., that the influencers share on social media would only be taken into account by 18% of European consumers when looking for ideas or inspiration for a trip.
Despite these data, “influencers will always have an important role in marketing campaignsas families and friends are actually more fragmented,” Madeline List said.
Although, on the other hand, people who are receptive to certain influencers who pretend to enjoy fabulous trips in luxury hotels, paradisiacal beaches, etc., they are not necessarily higher-spending consumers, added the analyst.
And it is that there are many people who follow certain influencers because they aspire to a higher social and economic status, “without this being reflected in your budget”dice List.
In other words, what an influencer promotes does not always correspond to the spending capacity of his followers, the analyst concluded.
Influencers who become “full-fledged” travel agents
On the other hand, and according to the American media PhocusWire (Phocuswright group), the 40% of users from 18 to 24 years old he looks for inspiration for his trips on TikTok or Instagram.
In this context, “some influencers are taking their business a step beyond simply monetizing their content, turning followers into customers, transforming themselves into full-fledged travel agents in the process.”
An influencer recording a video. Source: Adobe Stock
Are the influencers deciding the holidays of the Spanish?
As pointed Trip2Postan influencer marketing platform based in Mallorca and specifically for the hotel sector, “social networks in general and los influencers in particular have already become a weight prescriber for many travelers”.
In this sense, “49% of the centennials surveyed by Mazinn and IAB say they look for inspiration on Instagram and 34% on TikTok, networks in which the reach of influencer marketing is gaining ground exponentially,” explains Trip2Post.
In addition, influencers constitute “the second type of accounts most followed by Spanish users (51%), only behind the close environment, and, above all, on Instagram (70%), YouTube (41%) and Tik Tok (29%)”.
To help hoteliers adapt to this new environment, the Mallorcan startup Trip2Post has created a solution that offers several functionalities, for example, it allows influencers from all over the world to register, providing links to their social networks and their metrics. “The hotel receives a report and, if the ‘match’ occurs, Trip2Post manages the entire campaign, including signing agreements, planning and follow-up. Afterwards, the hotelier will receive another report with the publications and their reach to know the ROI of collaboration”, explains this technology company.
In addition, Trip2Post encourages the direct booking, redirecting the user to the hotel’s own booking engine. “Thanks to all the content generated by the influencers and shown in the App, the traveler will be able to see the benefits of the hotel and what awaits them on their vacation in a closer and more innovative way,” explains Trip2Post.
As indicated Gloria Monserratco-founder of Trip2Post, “with our solution we not only respond to the challenge that hoteliers face to implement new forms of communication that allow them to harness the power of influencer marketing to reach a highly segmented audience with high-value content, we also , we help them increase their profits reducing a high intermediation which has already become one of the main problems for the profitability of the sector“.
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