Marketers continue to flock to Facebook to drive new business. Facebook and Instagram are predicted to bring in a combined $67.25 billion in worldwide ad revenue, up 23.5% from 2018. In the US, expenditures will increase 20.6%, to $27.57 billion this year. So why should travel marketers care?
Facebook has a low cost of entry as a travel branding platform and reach across the globe through a single platform
In 2019, Facebook ad spending is expected to grow to make up 40% ($27.57 billion) of TV ad spending, almost the same as the US expenditures on radio ($14.43 billion) and print advertising ($15.41 billion), combined. With the amount of effort required to setup and purchase offline inventory, Facebook becomes a great choice for brand marketers in the travel space with limited resources and time.
It is easier to reach the same targeted audiences with amazing travel visuals on Instagram than in print
For the first time ever, the number of Instagram users will surpass that of print readers in 2019. Instagram will have 113.3 million US users, while print will have 112.7 million readers. It is easier to scale and reach the same audience on Instagram than it would be through newspapers and magazines.
Instagram Hospitality Ads
Facebook video engagement is very strong
In January of 2016, Facebook announced that people are watching over 100 million video hours per day. While that number has climbed since then, video engagement on the platform remains strong with many marketers claiming engagement is higher than YouTube because video is easier to consume on mobile with Facebook.
Facebook Airline Ads
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Younger travelers are comfortable using chat to purchase travel
Travelers who use a chatbot or messaging app regularly are between the ages of 25 and 44, a key demographic for travel brands. Facebook messenger now boasts over 1.2B members, allowing travel companies to make investments into Facebook messaging campaigns at scale and leveraging chatbots to facilitate buying. Moreover, Over one-third of individuals that use messaging apps discuss their travel experiences within those apps.
Cheapflights Chatbot on Facebook Messenger
Image source: Phoscuswire
US travel companies consider social the most effective channel for brand marketing and awareness
In a survey done by Phocuswright, travel brands show that social media is a key channel for growth. Social now ranks as comparable to metasearch and search in effectiveness for bringing in new customers.
High-growth travel companies are turning to social for more users and traffic
Companies like Airbnb drive nearly the same amount of demand from on Facebook as Google. In 1H16, 10% of Airbnb’s mobile referrals came from Google while Facebook accounted for 8% of traffic. Growing demand means turning to social media platforms like Facebook.
Airbnb Ads on Facebook
Conclusion
Our bets for growth in the travel industry are on Facebook and other social media companies like Twitter and Snapchat. Let’s see what the future holds. Sources:
- US Ad Spending 2018: Updated Forecast for Digital and Traditional Media Ad Spending
- US Social Trends for 2019: eMarketer’s Predictions for the Year Ahead
- Facebook Videos vs YouTube Links: Which Gets Higher Engagement?
- Facebook Says Video Is Huge — 100-Million-Hours-Per-Day Huge
- How U.S. Travelers Use Chat and Messaging – A U.S. Traveler Technology Survey Report
- The Travel Marketer’s Guide to the U.S. Digital Travel Landscape
- Referral Trends in Online Accommodation: Google’s in Charge