Scroll, Heart, Fly: Social Media’s Impact on Travel 2024
Almost 17 years after Facebook first introduced advertising, social commerce’s star continues to rise. Marketers have flocked to social media fiercely strategizing to pull prospective and existing customers into their funnel. But in many cases, companies struggle to measure the true impact of their social strategies, and their understanding is clouded by the length of conversion periods, circuitous digital routes to booking, and lack of accurate attribution methods for social channels.
Phocuswright’s Scroll, Heart, Fly: Social Media’s Impact on Travel 2024 is a comprehensive consumer research study delving into the specifics of how social media platforms are used for travel planning and sharing. Key questions addressed include:
- In which scenarios is social marketing most effective? How can UGC play a role in turning scrolling into sales?
- What platforms are being used for specific components of the trip and how do travelers think about which account types and platforms offer them the best information?
- What travelers are looking for when they follow travel-themed or branded accounts, “like” content, post their own experiences, or even give formal tags and mentions to travel brands?
- Are there particular factors that promote conversion? How do they differ, based on trip type and who is doing the planning?
- Do distinct demographic groups engage differently with the platforms? With influencers? If so, what are the differences?
- How do travelers perceive creator content? What degree of transparency do they expect and prefer from these influencers?
- Can travel businesses determine which forms of creator content is most effective for their goals?
Social Media Usage Approach in Travel
Social commerce’s star continues to rise, with plenty of market share yet left to be captured. Marketers have flocked to social media, fiercely strategizing to pull prospective and existing customers into their funnel. Various consumer-oriented industries have found tremendous success in their social marketing. For travel, the waters remain murky. On the one hand, engagement with social content has played a clear role in driving destination growth – sometimes even directly propagating overtourism. But in many cases, companies struggle to measure the true impact of their social strategies and fail to comprehensively capture consumer interactions with their content.
Phocuswright’s Social Media Usage Approach in Travel is part of a comprehensive consumer research study delving into the specifics of how social media platforms are used for travel. Key questions addressed include:
- What platforms are being used for specific components of the trip and how do travelers think about which account types and platforms offer them the best information?
- What are travelers seeking when they follow branded accounts, “like” content, post their own experiences, or even give formal tags and mentions to travel brands?
- Do distinct demographic groups engage differently with the platforms? If so, how, and what may drive that separation?
