Travel is on the rise. In 2023, 63% of Americans traveled for leisure at least twice, and those numbers are only going up. People have the travel bug, and who will help them organize their perfect trips? You! But only if you get your name out there.
The key to any marketing effort is to put your message in front of as many people as possible. Today, most people spend their time on social media. Instagram alone has over 2 billion active users, making it a great place to promote your travel company. Here are a few Instagram marketing tips for travel companies.
Make your feed look professional with quality designs
You’re shipping people off to unknown places. That takes a certain level of trust. That’s why you always want your Instagram feed to look professional whenever someone visits your page. And the best way to do that is with professional-level graphics.
Of course, you’re busy scheduling travel itineraries and booking flights. You don’t have time to design amazing graphics from scratch. Luckily, there are thousands of free templates for travel posters online from sites like PosterMyWall.
Simply choose the design that best fits your brand, customize the information with the easy drag-and-drop editor, and you’re ready to upload to your Instagram account. It’s the best way to get professional-level designs without needing professional-level design skills.
Post client testimonials
Naturally a business would say that their products and services are the best. But if a customer praises a business, it’s viewed as more trustworthy because the customer doesn’t have a vested interest in the company. In fact, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they would a personal recommendation!
With every happy client you send on a trip, encourage them to write a review and send you a testimonial that you can post to your Instagram feed. Upload a picture of the beautiful destination you sent them to and put their glowing words in the caption. People will see the picture and want to go there, and when they read the caption, they’ll have no choice but to call up your travel company to book a trip.
Run Instagram ads during peak season
Social media is great for marketing, but there is one major problem: only your followers see your posts. If you want to extend your marketing reach, run a few Instagram ads.
With Instagram ads, you pay the platform to promote an ad to a specific demographic. And the best part is that you get to choose how much to pay so you don’t blow your budget.
Start running some Instagram ads just before and through peak travel season. You want to catch everyone sitting in their offices scrolling through Instagram and wishing they could travel. When your ad pops up, it could give them exactly the nudge they need to book their next trip. Plus, if you post quality content, they might give your page a follow, increasing your marketing reach in the future.
Offer Instagram-only discounts and promos
Running some social-only discounts and promotions can do wonders for your travel company.
First, nobody can resist a good deal. If your followers see a chance to save some money and go on the trip of a lifetime, they’re more likely to book your services. The effectiveness of discounts is pretty self-explanatory…
Second, if you make your discounts available exclusively on your Instagram or other social media accounts, you’ll encourage more people to follow you. For example, you could post a flyer on your website that says, “Follow us on Instagram for exclusive travel deals.” Then just sit back and watch your follower count grow.
The more followers you get, the more visibility you’ll have for future promos — which leads to higher sales!
Run a contest
Social media contests always generate a buzz. They’re engaging to your audience, generate user-created content, and they help spread brand awareness.
For example, make an Instagram post that asks your followers to post a picture of their favorite travel destination and tag your travel company using a unique hashtag. After a set deadline, you’ll choose your favorite, and that person will win something special.
The prize doesn’t have to be an all-expenses-paid vacation (though that would certainly encourage some serious participation). But the better the prize, the more people you’ll get to participate.
Every time someone makes a post tagging your business and using your unique hashtag, more people will see your business, exponentially increasing your marketing reach — and encouraging more people to participate in your contest.
You can also ask followers if you can reshare their posts, giving you a ton of user-generated content to fill your Instagram feed for weeks to come! Click here magazinehubs for more information.
Grow your travel company on Instagram
Want to take your travel company to the next level? A good Instagram marketing campaign can get your business in front of more eyes, helping you grow your client list. Start by creating some professional-grade graphics to upload to your feed, post plenty of client testimonials, run a few Instagram ads, offer social-only discounts and promotions, and run a contest.
When all your marketing strategies work together, you’ll have people lined up to hire your travel services.
