The team at Viator has one goal in mind, and that's helping every traveller, travel like an insider.
That means breaking down the barriers once held in place by the concierges of the world and providing travellers with direct access to the coolest things to do, everywhere they go. 2015 for Viator was focused on building out the most comprehensive single-source offering of tours, activities, experiences, attractions, shore excursions and events, and delivering them directly to travellers' desktops and smartphones. Hours of research can now be condensed into just several clicks or swipes, easily leading the traveller to the activities that are just right for them, along with the tools they need to book them instantly – at home or in their destination.
"Viator: Travel with an Insider," is a multi-channel social media extension of that goal aimed at reaching the traveller, planner and dreamer with inspiration, insights and experiences via their preferred platform and their preferred device.
"Travel with an Insider" is not only part of Viator's brand identity; it is the common thread weaved through all of our social media activities and our ongoing core campaign.
Through Viator's dedicated social media platforms, we provide travellers with access to information aimed at inspiration and tools aimed at booking. We leverage each channel's unique characteristics and strengths using a combination of expert commentary, traveller and professional photos, exclusive videos and customer reviews and tips to drive user engagement. Whether that engagement takes the form of a "like" or a click to purchase, each interaction is a win.
Facebook: Viator's goal of enabling everyone to feel like they're traveling with an insider is a natural fit with the innate sense of familiarity and community of the Facebook platform. In addition to the main corporate Facebook page, Viator has 160 additional Facebook pages tied in to a dedicated travel blog (for example Viator's Things to do in New York City) enabling a combination of long and short-format content that resonates with Facebook users. Ongoing elements include contests, photo of the day, insider tips and destination features, each with a call to action for Viator fans to interact with our posts and their fellow users to further the connection amongst our community of users.
YouTube: Confirming the deep connection between visual content and travel planning, a recent Google study found that two out of three consumers in the US watch online travel videos when thinking about taking a trip. Viator's YouTube channel and our collection of hundreds of exclusive videos are a meaningful complement to our traditional marketing and advertising channels while providing a traveller with a true insider's view of an experience or a destination before they book it and seamless access to the Viator Tours & Activities App, emails and deep links to the flagship site.
Twitter: The instant connection brokered by Twitter between the traveller and the travel brand has brought about some of the most profound changes in how travel companies are able to promote their brands and provide support services to their customers. 144 characters appropriately run the gamut from promoting great deals to disseminating critical updates and travel advisories, enabling Viator to break down the barriers to insider access even further.
Instagram: Instagram provides instant inspiration by deepening that insider connection to a familiar destination or with an introduction to a new one. In addition to showcasing Viator experiences, we also use Instagram as another interactive resource for curating user-generated content to help inspire fellow travellers, which generates a significant increase in likes per post.
Pinterest: The combination of impressive photos with the utility of its map feature, Pinterest continues to grow as an important social channel for Viator. Leveraging these native attributes we are able to direct a traveler to top attractions and landmarks near where the traveller is exploring and seamlessly link those photos back to relevant products for ease of research and booking.
Viator experienced growth across all social media channels in 2015 and below are some results representative of Viator's expanding social media footprint.
Facebook (corporate page)
823,548 New Fans
17% YOY Increase
813,513,069 Impressions
1,915,362 Post Likes
YouTube
3,427,140 Channel Views
3,745 New Subscribers = 83% YOY increase
747 Total Uploads; publishing average of 12 videos/month
166,748 New Followers
8% YOY Increase
2,855 Tweets
24,383 New Fans
14% YOY Increase
978 pins
2,898,259 Average Monthly Viewers
8,709 New Followers
71% YOY Increase
406 PostsOur social media efforts throughout 2015 contributed to greater brand awareness, increased customer loyalty, more engaged users and a world full of inspired travelers. Safe travels!
