Intro
Social media plays an essential part of a travellers planning and preparation to visit Fiji.
Using beautiful imagery and video, social media can be used to capture the attention of a traveller and can help generate awareness of the destination and the accommodation, experiences and dining options available.
Travellers will research their holiday online and find their way to social media to discover more information about the finer details of their trip - where to stay, where to eat, what to pack and where to explore.
When used well, social media can help your business stand out from the crowd, allowing you to be recognised as a specialist selling Fiji.
Using social media as a tool to market the destination and to showcase your expertise on Fiji will lead to excellent results for your business.
In return, travellers will share their experience on their own social channels and offer recommendations to others.
In this module you will learn about what social media channels you can use to help grow your business and sell Fiji. We also link to Tourism Fiji’s accounts, giving you an example of destination marketing done well.
How to get involved
Best Social Media Channels for Tourism Marketing
Facebook: as a Matai specialist, Facebook can be used in different ways to help generate sales.
- Facebook Profile: this is a personal profile of you as an individual. If you wish to be recognised as a specialist agent amongst your family and friends, use a Facebook profile to share your knowledge of Fiji. It is a more personal type of connection where sharing information about Fiji may be mixed in with updates you share about your personal life. It’s important to note that there is a limit to the number of friends, family and potential customers you can connect with when using a Facebook profile.
- Facebook Page: this is generally a page dedicated to the business or company you are using to convert sales. Facebook Pages are generally considered your ‘store front’ and used to share more information about the destination, the accommodation, experiences and dining options available as well as any sale packages you have on offer. This is a more professional type of connection and there is no limit to the number of customers you can connect with.
- Facebook Groups: this is a type of connection where a group of like-minded individuals gather online to discuss topics in greater detail. Facebook Groups are a great way to connect with real customers who are asking questions about travelling to Fiji. This is where you can respond to questions with your personal profile and link back to your Page, to showcase your expertise. There are many Facebook Groups dedicated to holidaying in Fiji, which we link to below.
- Facebook Reviews: we encourage you to enable the Facebook Reviews function on your professional page. This will allow customers to provide their feedback and recommendations to other potential clients. It is a cost-effective feature that can help find new customers by way of recommendation.
Instagram: What would your take be on including ‘Instagram Highlights’ as a simple yet powerful tool for showcasing Fiji as a travel destination? It could be used quite effectively through :
- Themed Highlights : e.g. Food & Dining, Hotels & Resorts, etc.
- Visually Appealing Highlight Covers: icons or high res photos.
- Featuring UGC: testimonials from past travelers to help encourage guests to tag the agency in order for their experiences to be reshared.
- Account setup: Instagram can be used as a personal or business profile to connect with your customers. There is no limit to the number of people you can connect with, however switching to a business profile will give you access to advanced features such as insights and analytics to help inform you of your best performing content and where your customers are located.
- Instagram Feed: posting content to your Instagram account will end up on the ‘grid’ of imagery and video found on your Instagram profile. It will also appear on a customer's Instagram ‘feed’. This is the main source of inspiration for Instagram users where they scroll for inspiration and information when planning their holiday. Posting beautiful imagery on your ‘grid,’ will appear on a ‘feed’ and inspire a potential customer to interact with the image and click through to view more on your profile. These images should be inspiring, engaging, and aesthetically pleasing. Posting to your Instagram feed should focus on quality over quantity. Less frequent, higher-quality imagery that is inspiring will generate greater results than more frequent, less engaging content.
- Instagram Stories: this is a place where you can be a little less formal. Use Instagram stories to highlight the destination from your point of view. Simply click on the Stories button, point the camera to yourself or the view around you and speak to your customers about what you are experiencing. Stories can be less polished and a combination of images, text, and video to help provide more information about Fiji to your customers. Helpful Tip: try using the stickers, gifs and polls available to drive more engagement.
- Instagram Reels: this is a feature from Instagram that allows you to take images and video from your phone camera roll and stitch them together to create a beautiful piece of content used to inspire and inform your audience. You do not need to be a professional video editor to use this function as Instagram will guide you through the process.
- Instagram Live: this is a function like stories, where you can create and share a video live stream. As a Matai specialist, this is a terrific way to engage with your audience and get them to ask you any questions they have about Fiji, in a live video stream setting.
X (Formerly known asTwitter)
X: as a Matai specialist, Twitter can be used to provide real-time information to your customers about travel alerts, updates and sales. Use this channel as your voice to the world. Used well, it allows you to talk about travel tips and promos. Even though Twitter can be used for photos and videos of your business, its strength is being especially useful for providing customer service. Helpful Tip: follow various hashtags related to Fiji (e.g.: #Fiji) to join the conversation and showcase your expertise.
Tourism Fiji’s Social Media Channels
Overview on Tourism Fiji’s Social media channels
Further training
Short Courses on Social Media: for the latest training material on these social channels we recommend visiting their learning material directly.
- Facebook and Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/business/learn/courses
- Twitter: https://business.twitter.com/en/basics.html
Useful Links
Facebook Groups discussing Fiji: