How travelers are using social media

Travel marketers take note: A December 2009 MarketingSherpa survey indicates that deals aren’t the top motivation for social media engagement, but users also want deeper engagement – learning about new products, features or services. Sharing interesting content that users care about, alongside the deals and discounts they have come to expect, will keep users engaged and spur them to pass along your marketing messages.

We’ve listed some social media tips and tools used by travelers. Marketers should be aware of where and how consumers are getting their travel information. They should also take part as well, engaging as real people.

1. Utilize Wikis and Blogs for Travel Education
A wealth of travel information and tips are available in blogs, user comments and wiki articles. These provide travelers with the information found in most travel books, but in a condensed and searchable format. Blogs and wikis have more of a human element as well – discussions and comments over these articles help bring together the best information from multiple sources, instead of relying on the opinions and advice of one or two authors. Some places to start monitoring:

• Wikipedia goes without saying, but make sure to read the discussion on the cities and countries travelers are traveling to; these reveal some great information.
• Wikitravel is an impressive collection of user-generated guides to destinations across the world. It covers food, hotels, events, and even the safety of different locations.
• Gadling is a popular travel blog, part of the AOL Weblogs network. It is filled with a wealth of travel information
• Concierge  is a Condé Nast magazine, but also has a great series of blogs for those interested in smart traveling, learning about new destinations, or even culinary delights.

Step 2. Scope Out Locales Using User Reviews
Picking the best restaurants in an unknown town is tough, so travelers let others do the work for them. Social media has become a great way to share reviews of restaurants, tourist destinations, and local businesses. Travelers can pick out some top destinations beforehand or at least avoid locations with bad reputations. The most common user review websites are Yelp and Tripadvisor. But when on the ground, there’s the Where To? iPhone app, which also connects to Google Maps and GPS’s to find points of interest.

Step 3. Connect With Locals
Travelers have found information on the location they’re visiting and read user reviews of top restaurants. Now what? Make friends in these locations using social networks and social media. Social media is entirely about people and obtaining first-hand knowledge.

A useful tip: @reply locals using Twitter, the perfect platform for open conversations about locations. Use the near:location Twitter Search command to find recent tweets near any major city. And then just introduce yourself and answer questions.

Step 4. Share Travel Experiences
None of this information would be available to travelers if it were not for the hard work of others to put it in digital form. So return the favor and add personal experiences to a wiki, tweet about attractions and be open to answering questions.