How to Work with Travel Bloggers to Get Results (1)

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WORKING WITH BLOGGERS AND INFLUENCERS

TO GET RESULTS15:00-15:30 | Thursday, 9 March, ITB for

Laurel Robbins

Founder of Monkeys and Mountains Adventure Travel

Monkeys and Mountains | Instagram: laurel_robbins | Twitter: @Laurel_Robbins

http://monkeysandmountains.com/

OUTLINE:

Why influencers are important

Identify what you need from an influencer

How to find influencers

How to choose the right influencer

5 examples of how you can work with influencers

How not to work with influencers

Should you pay influencers?

Monkeys and Mountains | Instagram: laurel_robbins Twitter: @Laurel_Robbins

ABOUT LAUREL ROBBINS:

1. 6+ years of professional blogging experience.

2. One of the top adventure travel bloggers.

3. Worked with 200+ DMOs, tour companies and hotels around the world and counting.

4. Work with top brands like BBC Travel and Trip Advisor on a regular basis.

5. Launched an adventure tour company at request of my audience.

6. My site is named after two things that I really love, monkeys and mountains.

7. Click here for more about me.


http://monkeysandmountains.com/adventure-holiday-tours/

http://monkeysandmountains.com/about/

OUTLINE:









5 REASONS WHY INFLUENCERS ARE IMPORTANT:

Word-of-mouth recommendations are one of the best ways to make a sale

They humanize your destination/brand

Avoids ad fatigue, or ‘banner blindness’

70% of internet users want content vs. traditional advertising

Easy to target and track a campaign.


OUTLINE:









IDENTIFY WHAT YOU NEED FROM THE INFLUENCER:

More visitors?

Content for your social media channels?

Photos or videos for your own use?

SEO?

Create awareness?

Drive sales?

Increase length of visitor stay and money per visit?


OUTLINE:









3 WAYS TO FIND INFLUENCERS:

Social media

Google search, i.e. “expat bloggers”

Paid and freemium platforms (i.e. Blogger Bridge)


https://bloggerbridge.com/?affiliate=3223

HOW TO FIND INFLUENCERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA


HOW TO FIND INFLUENCERS USING HASHTAGS:


Use hashtags that

end users use –

may not be

exactly what your

service is – i.e.

expat vs language

learning.

OUTLINE:









HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT INFLUENCER:

Consider the following 6 things:

1. Do they have enough of a following to make an impact?

2. Is their style a good fit with yours?

3. Do you believe what they’re saying?

4. Do you like their photography/videography?

5. Do their followers respond?

6. Do they interact with their followers?



3 DIFFERENT EXAMPLES FROM ONE CAMPAIGN:

One is not better

over the other,

but it’s

important to

choose a

blogger who will

represent your

brand or

destination in

the way that’s

most suitable to

you.

https://www.instagram.com/laurel_robbins/

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT INFLUENCER:

Choose niche over numbers

Look for evidence of past campaigns. Do they humanize the destination/brand in a way that you like?

Review their past social media/blog posts. Are they trying to sell something in every post?

How does your DMO/product fit into their offering?

Do they have a product/service that they sell?

Is there evidence that they actually have influence?

Follow me on Instagram:

@Laurel_Robbins



OUTLINE:









6 EXAMPLES OF HOW YOU CAN WORK WITH INFLUENCERS:

i.e. You want to increase your number of bookings:

1. Guest blogging (on your site or theirs – with social sharing)

2. Blog trip, participate in your language courses or offer a free stay

3. Instagram Takeovers

4. Create video (for their site or yours – with social sharing)

5. Have influencer promote a contest

6. Design a unique campaign for that particular influencer (most effective, but also most time consuming)


HOW TO WORK WITH BLOGGERS: CASE STUDY Client: Visit Finland

Campaign Goals:

Promote cycling in Finland

Increase tourists to rural areas in Finland

Campaign: Cycling 18 days, 1350 km, sharing what it’s really like and encouraging visitors to visit this part of Finland.


http://monkeysandmountains.com/eurovelo-13-cycling-route-finland

http://monkeysandmountains.com/eurovelo-13-cycling-route-finland

HOW TO WORK WITH BLOGGERS: FINLAND CASE STUDY

Results Twitter: 330,000 accounts reached

Facebook: 35,000 people reached /comments

Instagram: 30,000 likes

Blog posts: 7 blog posts

Memorable

Plus featured in: The Guardian

Yahoo Travel’s Facebook page

18 times on BBC Earth’s Instagram feed

Total Media Value:

€25,000+

not including the additional featuresReal Media Value

€75,000


HOW TO WORK WITH INFLUENCERS: GET THEM TO CREATE CONTENT FOR YOU

BBC Travel had an ongoing #BBCLocalite program on Instagram & Twitter for 2+ years.

Goal: To position themselves as having the “inside scoop” from key destinations.

Besides positioning themselves, also provided content on two key platforms.Monkeys and Mountains | Instagram: laurel_robbins Twitter: @Laurel_Robbins

HOW TO WORK WITH INFLUENCERS: GET THEM TO CREATE CONTENT FOR YOU

Skyscanner frequently hires influencers to take over their Instagram account for a week related to a specific theme.

Influencers provide regular content for them.


HOW TO BENEFIT FROM WORKING WITH INFLUENCERS, 5 CONSIDERATIONS:

1. Agree on # of social media and blog posts beforehand.

2. Set a date for these posts (especially for blog posts).

3. Ask that blog posts be promoted after the campaign.

4. Agree beforehand that the influencer will send you their stats by set date and agree on which stats.

5. Ask for referrals. If you’ve had a good experience with an influencer, ask if they can recommend someone.


OUTLINE:









HOW NOT TO WORK WITH INFLUENCERS:

Offer a free sample or one night stay in hostel (unless worth €200+ ) in exchange for a review or to sign up for your affiliate program.

Run non-paid blog trips (unless it’s amazing).

Offer non-targeted campaigns to influencers, i.e. a blog trip that focuses on language learning, volunteering abroad, food, cycling, architecture, culture, modern art, and UNESCO sites.

Provide special experiences to influencers that can’t be replicated by their audiences.


OUTLINE:









SHOULD YOU PAY INFLUENCERS? YES WHEN:

Blog trip/participation in a language learning or volunteer abroad program with a guaranteed # of blog/social media posts from medium-high level influencers

Guest posts (on your site and theirs – including promotion)

Contest promotion

Instagram takeover

Video production

Unique campaigns

Host or participate in a Twitter chat


SHOULD YOU PAY INFLUENCERS? NO WHEN:

Blog trip/participation in a language learning or volunteer abroad program with lower level influencers (ask what you can expect before confirming and samples from previous campaigns)

Ask bloggers to contribute 2-3 sentences for a post (that you write & put on your site. I.e. “What’s your #1 tip for learning a foreign language?” (they may/may not promote it) (GREAT IDEA WHEN YOU HAVE NO BUDGET)


SUMMARY: FOLLOW THESE 7 STEPS TO GET GREAT RESULTS WHEN WORKING WITH BLOGGERS & INFLUENCERS :









THANK YOU!

Questions?

Laurel Robbins

Monkeys and Mountains Adventure Travel

Email: [email protected]

Instagram and Twitter: laurel_robbins


http://monkeysandmountains.com/

mailto:[email protected]


https://twitter.com/Laurel_Robbins

How to Work with Travel Bloggers to Get Results (1)

Travel

Transcript of How to Work with Travel Bloggers to Get Results (1)