By Dana Baasiri
The evolution of influencer marketing has allowed marketers to step outside the box of traditional advertising campaigns. What is now a multibillion dollar industry is being adopted by almost every brand — so how exactly can the travel industry leverage influencer marketing in a way that stands out from the competition? Social media summits.
What is a social media summit?
Simply put, a social media summit is a multi-day event where a hand-selected group of high-impact influencers, content creators, speakers and media personalities come together at a host hotel or resort for a curated itinerary complete with programming and Insta-worthy activations. The goal? To help the travel brand effectively capture millions of consumers while showcasing the uniqueness of its offerings. Hosted biannually at a coveted destination, our social summits challenge the definition of influence through meaningful collaborations and the art of connection, and puts brands in front of 15 millions aligned consumers delivering 150 million impressions.
Why should hotel and resort brands host a social media summit?
We can’t give you one reason to host a social media summit, but we can give you several. Here’s how a social media summit can help you elevate your marketing strategy this year:
1. Break through the competitive landscape:
In other words, flood the feed and generate brand awareness at multiple touch points, channels and types of influence. Everyone consumes content differently — some prefer bite-size video content like Tik Tok, some prefer longer Vlogs commonly found on YouTube, some like to binge on Instagram feeds, while others may prefer to tune-in to audio content while they’re on the go. Lucky for you, you can meet your customers on multiple channels simultaneously as you host an array of influencers, content creators and media personalities across various platforms all in one summit.
2. Reach more for less by maximizing social spend:
You can reach millions of eyeballs for a fraction of the cost of a traditional marketing or advertising campaign. Yes, social media summits do require an investment on your part — but the ROI is exponentially higher. The average social media summit delivers 75% more social media impressions than a paid social media campaign. Adding on fan engagement campaign extensions like sweepstakes or fan-curated content can make for additional engagement that traditional campaigns may not deliver by encouraging added participation and exponentially increasing your brand’s visibility and traffic to your pages.
3. Drive exponential growth and brand engagement on your channels:
With the steady integration of both quality and quantity when it comes to social media marketing, travel brands are always looking for ways to gain traction on their own social media channels. Your social media summit guests will help you boost an organic following on your pages, and drive overall traffic and visitations to your channels. While the compelling content they create for you can be repurposed on your owned channels to boost your engagement.
4. Create a brag worthy content library for your social media marketing efforts:
Speaking of compelling content, social media summits will help you establish and build an evergreen content library for future use. Having multiple content creators, influencers, media personalities all capturing your brand from their unique perspective will provide you with quality owned content that you can repurpose on social media, your websites, in emails and newsletters, and other marketing materials.
5. Drive additional reach through major brand integrations:
Social media summits give you the exciting opportunity to partner with other major brands to offer additional exposure through brand marketing partnerships and heighten the onsite experience for your exclusive guests. Whether it’s a sponsor for the welcome kit or swag bag, a partner that’s helped you curate an activation, this can lend credibility to your social media summit and give your influencers, creators and media more to work with for their content creation.
6. Convert consumers into travelers:
Don’t just connect with consumers who are actively searching for unique travel experiences, but convert them into travelers through powerful influencers and content. Social media summits open up many windows of opportunity to go beyond a “host and post” model and secure a stream of revenue. Whether that’s through exclusive offers or promo codes, your social media summit partnerships can be quantifiable.
7. Tell your story through multiple lenses:
You may be looking to target families, couples, food and wine enthusiasts, or all of the above. A social media summit will help you do just that. Amplify and share your brand story and experience through different angles and perspectives by hosting several influencers, content creators and personalities at a social summit. Diversify your target list by including a variety of special guests that target specific audiences, niches and have particular specialties to truly deliver a 360˚ view of your brand.
8. Debut and announce something new:
What better way to support your hotel’s grand opening or a brand new experience, amenity, or offering than by hosting a social media summit? You can ensure your exciting news is delivered to millions of consumers who are looking for one-of-a-kind travel experiences, and capture impactful content that visually showcases your new product to use in future marketing.
9. Bring your brand to life:
And do it in front of millions of eyeballs. Social summits are a perfect way of bringing your brand experiences to life. A curated itinerary will allow your special guests and partners to highlight each and every touch point that makes your hotel or resort stand out. From mixology programs and culinary adventures, to lively entertainment and personalized service, it can all be captured and communicated to audiences nationwide.
Interested in learning more about exclusive and custom-created social media summits for your hotel brand? Here’s what it can look like.
Alliance Connection works with Caribbean and Mexico travel brands to drive awareness and bookings through strategic marketing partnerships and powerful brand interactions across a highly selective portfolio of brands, media, social influencers and entertainment partners that connect, capture and influence travelers across the U.S.
To be part of our connected community and join in on the fun, follow along at @allianceconnection
