Remember scrapbooking? How about family photo albums filled with all those great pictures of your fams and vacations? Now it’s easier than ever to share awesome photographs and get your clients engaged with your top selling destinations!
Pinterest is Powerful
Pinterest is the 3rd fastest growing social networks! Focus on these creative ways to generate buzz and grow your business.
Tour Operators: Think about how much fun your followers and potential new clients will have on a Pinterest treasure hunt taking them thru the destinations you’ll visit on your next tour.
Destinations: Sharpen your image with a photo contest on Pinterest that draws attention to what your visitors find unique and exciting in your destination.
Travel Consultants: Focus on insider information you’ve amassed from fam trips, hotel site inspections and seminars with your top suppliers. Capture client interest with all those photos you’ve taken on board ship inspections and provide an insider’s ship tour.
All Travel & Tourism pros: How about setting up Group Boards and invite people to post and engage while creating brand ambassadors. Use group boards for planning your next group, collaborating on new destinations and events as well as networking.
Capture Creativity
Pinterest treasure hunts and contests are easy to set up as the rules are less stringent than Facebook contesting. Here are some examples from our industry:
Video is Vital
Uploading video to your Pinterest site is a unique way to cross-market your video and engage people in a new medium. Here’s how it looks on a Pinterest board. Notice how the video play button is right on the pin itself.
Tip: remember you can upload video from your You-Tube channel. When setting up the Pin description be sure to include the link to your Youtube channel in the source box.
6 Best Practices
Using Pinterest to grow your business involves not only pretty photos but best practices to maximize the impact of your photos.
#1 Key Words
Ensure your SEO growth by including your keywords in the names of your boards and well as in the board description. Here’s how it looks.
Tip: add your website here as well
#2 Source Box Savvy
After you’ve uploaded a photo onto a board you’ll want direct viewers back to your website or blog post so that you maximize your SEO. To do this, simply go back and click the pencil icon to ‘edit’ the pin, then insert the URL to your website or blog in the Source box. Here’s how:
#3 Create Long Pins
Research shows that long photos (those shot in portrait format) are more likely to get re-pinned.
#4 Don’t show people
Photos without people have been shown to be re-pinned more frequently. Stat: Pins are 23 percent more likely to receive a repin if the image does not contain a face.
Therefore, when searching your own photo collection include photos of sunsets, local sights and attractions, beaches, quirky signs or activities. Adding text or special effects has been shown to be effective at attracting attention. Here’s more information on tools and tips to enhance your photos.
#5 Photo Strategy Demystified
We all have collections of photos from years of travel. Here are some tips on which types of photos are most popular on social sites. Make the most of your photo choices as you’re planning your Pinterest boards.
#6 Place Pins
Imagine being able to show visually the layout of a city and your recommendations for a client’s sightseeing. Place Pins elevate your Pin to a new level by including a map and relevant pins. Here’s how it looks.
Destinations use Place Pins to highlight area attractions, restaurants, events, etc.
Travel agents and Tour Operators have successfully used Place Pins to showcase an upcoming group itinerary, restaurants and attractions for FIT clients as well as when planning upcoming tours.
Are you looking for even more Pinterest tips? Check out my Pinterest board that’s all about using Pinterest for Business.
Jump on the bandwagon! Choose and use these effective marketing strategies to create some buzz for your busy clients. Harness the power of snappy photos today!
Over to you…how have you used Pinterest contests or treasure hunts in your marketing strategy?
Related articles:
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2 Photos Tools for Travel & Tourism Pros
12 Video Marketing Essential Tips | Infographic
Social Marketing Strategies for Travel and Tourism
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