Last week, AIC Hotel Group held their #AICFAMJAM at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, where 100 agents from across North America gathered to learn everything about the company's properties and also key learnings to make their job with clients easier.
Bonnie Helena, Director of Public Relations for AIC Hotel Group, presented on stage with her tips and tricks for creating engaging social media content to help grow your business.
“One of the first, and I feel most important trends that we are seeing on the social front is that people are now shifting to social media platforms to search for everything, whether it's clothing, or where to eat, what to do, where to go, which is extremely important for your business,” says Helena. “Last year, social media surpassed Google in searches, this is something to keep in mind as there is more of an opportunity to get your brand in front of potential clients than ever before.”
Creating longer vs shorter videos
“A trend that's big this year, is longer videos. For years, I'm sure all of you have been hearing short videos get your message across quickly. But consumers are shifting back into wanting longer format content. This is great for travel. Obviously, hour-long videos aren’t conducive for social media, but there is an opportunity to break into those consumers that are seeking to learn more about a destination or an all-inclusive; you have an opportunity to educate with longer format videos.
Using AI in travel
AI is huge. I use Chat GPT daily, if I don’t have the time or sometimes feel stuck. I let it do a little bit of thinking for me, and from there, I’m able to work off it and tweak the content. This is great because social media is a full-time job, it’s very time consuming. And as agents, you often don’t have the bandwidth to properly dedicate your time to social because you’re helping your clients.
Plan your content
There are a few things you can keep in mind when you're planning out your content. Video is always key, and you can create a video using still images, which is a way to kind of hijack the algorithm and be top of mind. If you feel you’re better on IG, then focus on that and learn how to use it so you can understand what works best for you. There really is no need to be all over the shop. It can be a little overwhelming to think of how you can create content for each specific platform. Stick to one, master it and you'll be good to go. You do not have to be a jack of all trades.
Be an Influencer
The great thing is that all of you are influencers. You already have a lot of influence over your clients and the decisions that they're making when it comes to planning travel. So that's something that you can definitely hone-in On and elevate your business.
Listen to your audience
Listening to your audience is extremely important. This will help you tailor your strategy; it will help you have a little bit more structure with your content. You can already spot trends within booking periods. For example, if you know the winter is more of an engagement season, then make sure you're tailoring your social media content to cater to those times.
Resist the pressure
I know social media trends are huge. You may see other colleagues or people jumping on trends, and it may seem fun and cool. But if it doesn't make sense for your business, you don't have to jump on a trend, just because it's popular. Then that just makes you come across as a little bit inauthentic.
Follow your peers on social
There's nothing wrong with following accounts, whether it's within the industry or outside of the industry, that are doing a great job and helps to inspire you. Take ideas and see what you can apply to your business specifically and add your own twist, use your own voice. You need to make sure that you're in touch with what's going on in the industry overall when it comes to social media content.
Be consistent
That is the biggest thing that I can recommend you all do. Social media is a marathon, not a race, and it's a lot of trial and error. Consistency is what's going to get you the results that you want to see whether it's converting those leads or growing your following. If you're not delivering content on a consistent basis, you can't expect to see much growth.
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