Skift Take
Booking sites have a ways to go to position themselves more in the consumer conversation.
Travel booking and tools sites with large audiences on Twitter and Facebook did not take advantage of big events and trending terms over the past four days — Cinco de Mayo, The Kentucky Derby and Star Wars Day — to connect with consumers.
While it may not always be a natural fit, being part of a larger conversation can help brands build awareness and develop relationships. It may be difficult to strike a balance between being fun and promotional but being present is key. Here’s a closer look at who was talking about what and where.
On Twitter, three of ten brands — American Express, Travelzoo and Expedia — talked about Cinco de Mayo. While both American Express and Travelzoo reminded their followers about the upcoming Mother’s Day, AAA shared awareness about Bike Month. From our research, Travelzoo, Expedia, and Orbitz were the only brands that tweeted about promotions.
Activity on Twitter
| Booking & Tools | Twitter Followers | Cinco de Mayo | Star Wars | Kentucky Derby | Promotions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express | 710,634 | X | |||
| Kayak | 450,764 | ||||
| Travelzoo | 395,908 | X | X | ||
| AAATravel | 329,649 | ||||
| Bing Travel | 258,701 | ||||
| Airbnb | 215,820 | X | |||
| Expedia | 204,712 | X | X | ||
| Travelocity | 116,494 | ||||
| Orbitz | 116,161 | X | X | ||
| Thomson Holidays | 76,753 |
Travelzoo’s relevant promotional tweet:
Happy #CincodeMayo! Plan a trip south of the border. $899pp all-inclusive from 9 cities. http://t.co/8FZM5lo793 #travel #beach
— Travelzoo (@Travelzoo) May 5, 2014
In comparison, four of the brands on Facebook were inspired by Cinco de Mayo, while Priceline congratulated California Chrome, the Kentucky Derby winner. Travelzoo did not repeat its content on its Facebook page but did publish a promotion. Lastly, none of the brands talked about the coming Mother’s Day (sorry, mom, no last-minute flight deals).
Activity on Facebook
| Bookings & Tools | Facebook Likes | Cinco de Mayo | Star Wars | Kentucky Derby | Promotions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express | 5,253,745 | X | X | ||
| Hotels.com | 2,094,500 | X | |||
| Expedia | 1,966,723 | X | |||
| Booking.com | 1,960,428 | ||||
| Trivago | 1,661,042 | ||||
| Travelzoo | 1,617,629 | X | |||
| Priceline | 634,733 | X | |||
| Thomson Holidays | 569,875 | ||||
| Orbitz | 562,048 | X | |||
| Airbnb | 554,525 |
Hotels.com published a video on Facebook (and Twitter) with their campaign star, Captain Obvious.
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Tags: facebook, social media, twitter