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This past weekend marked the first official holiday of the summer, and with it the unofficial kick-off of the summer travel season. It was predicted that over 36 million people across the US would travel over the Memorial Day Holiday weekend – the second highest total number of travelers since 2000. If this is any indication of what’s to come, this summer is going to be a busy season for airlines, hotels, and destination hotspots.
It’s not too much of a surprise that consumers are ready to start spending on travel again, considering the increase in disposable income and improved consumer confidence. Over the course of the summer, there will be about 210 million passengers on US airlines and another 30 million that will fly internationally. Americans are also expected to increase their travel by car, with 84% of consumers saying they will drive for a summer vacation. Knowing that both long-distance and local travel will be strong this summer, it’s important to have a well-prepared social media strategy. In an effort to make that process more effective, SHIFT wants to help by using one of our client’s recent travel campaigns – with an engagement rate 34% higher than the benchmark average – as an example of how to efficiently reach and engage the right users.
Objective
Coinciding with a company-wide initiative, a national hotel chain wanted to reach distinct audiences on Facebook with messaging tailored for each group. Total engagements would act as a proxy for campaign success while engagement rate (engagements / impressions) compared against the travel benchmark average would represent campaign efficiency.
Approach
Using solutions available in SHIFT’s Open Marketing Cloud (OMC), the client was able to identify ideal target groups where messaging would likely resonate best. With targeting complete, the client used the Facebook ads solution within the OMC to build and launch an Unpublished Page Posts campaign that would reach each targeting group with the most relevant messaging. In collaboration with SHIFT, the client made optimizations throughout the campaign leading to spend reallocations that took advantage of the highest performing targeting groups and creative.
Results
During the one-month campaign, SHIFT and the client were able to refine targeting and creative selections, leading to over 235,000 total engagements at a rate that was 34% higher than the benchmark average – both metrics exceeded the campaign goals. The client also gained 4,000+ new Page Likes, all as added value, which would enhance the reach of all future organic content.
This summer presents a huge opportunity for marketers in the travel and hospitality industry. Consumers are ready to spend, so it’s up to marketers to reach them at the right time with relevant messaging. As illustrated by the above client’s approach and the results they achieved, marketers should take the time to define their target audiences and determine how best to reach them in a way that will resonate. For another example of a successful travel campaign in practice, check out this post. Need further inspiration? Our 5 tips to boost engagement on Facebook can also be used this summer season.
If you want to find out how SHIFT has helped other clients reach the right users on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, contact us at info@shift.com. You can also sign-up for our weekly newsletter, which features industry trends, case studies, SHIFT news, tips for social, and more! Sign-up here.
