Make the Most of Wave Season with Social Media and Carnival Cruise Lines

The colder it gets in winter, the more appealing those Instagram photos of sunshine and turquoise water. As anyone who has ever enviously scrolled a friend’s Facebook vacation photos knows, social media provides travelers with tons of inspiration – and travel advisors can use that to their advantage. Expand your reach and visibility to new and existing customers and deepen relationships by engaging with your audience and showcasing your personality, passion, and professionalism.

Ramp up the revenue
Derek Phillips of Island Time Travel says that social media has helped them generate millions of dollars in revenue and 95 percent of their leads and business are now generated through social media. “Building a community or audience puts your content in front of new people each day.” He utilizes YouTube, mainly, posting relevant cruise news and personal cruising stories, as well as Facebook, where Island Time Travel shares their adventures, current sales, and empowers their clients to share their experiences as well. “We firmly believe that building a community via the power of social media draws people together,” says Phillips. “We empower our clients and followers to share their experiences with the hope that others are looking for similar experiences.”

One of the biggest hits on their YouTube channel is ship tours, showing off the spaces and venues where people will spend their time. Similarly, Kasey Pattillo of Discover the Magic Vacations found that TikTok worked well for her, especially going live on the app while walking around the ship, so her audience could experience it with her. “I am a people person, so I connect with my audience by just being genuine and showing them that they can afford cruises,” says Pattillo. “Connecting with individuals on that personal level, instead of just selling to people, makes all the difference.”

Be yourself, but online
The most important tip that Adolfo M. Perez, the Senior Vice President of Global Sales at Carnival Cruise Lines, has for travel advisors is to get started NOW, if they haven’t already. “Social media is such a powerful tool for travel advisors, it has tremendous reach, it’s low cost and it’s easy – so there’s no reason not to dive into it.”

He recommends picking just one or two platforms that fit you and your clients, then to post regularly. At first, that might be every few days, working up to more. “We believe that consistent posting helps your account stay in the algorithm for visibility and engages your audience,” says Phillips, who posts daily and encourages their community to post as well. Along with their own photos, Island Time Travel uses GoCCL as a resource for images and videos.

Phillips advice to a travel advisor stepping into social media is to be yourself and share your experiences. “Let people get to know you by sharing your personal cruise experiences, testimonials from past clients and your focus areas of expertise,” adds Perez. “First-hand experience is often the best sales tool!”

Grow from the get-go
Unfortunately, posting on its own is not enough to be successful on social media. Social media tools prioritize content that drives engagement, which means that the more likes and comments your posts have, the higher it shows up on the feeds of people who follow you. To get the most reach, Perez recommends asking questions that encourage interaction, such as, “Tell me what cruise destination is on your bucket list?” Pattillo also answers questions on her live sessions, which draws in viewers.

That engagement works in multiple directions, too: commenting and interacting with clients and followers on their posts and accounts will help you gain followers. The easiest way to do this is simply resharing: Perez recently shared on Facebook (and in an email to travel advisors), Carnival’s newest exclusive destination – Celebration Key.  It takes just one click to reshare on your social accounts – and that one click gets your clients first-to-know access to the exclusive destination, plus a chance to enter for a chance to win a Carnival cruise.

“Start posting and don’t stop,” advises Pattillo. “They are watching you, even when you think they are not,” and then, she finds, they ask for quotes and she ends up booking them.

From The Sponsor:
In today’s digital world, social media has become a game-changer for travel advisors. It offers them a world of opportunities to grow their businesses and connect with clients all over the world. At Carnival, our mission is clear: we’re here to guide our travel advisors towards success by providing them with the tools and support they need to sell more Carnival and expand their businesses. We understand the immense impact social media can have on travel advisors, and how crucial it is for generating leads, building awareness, providing support, and creating excitement about upcoming vacations and more. But we also know that starting and maintaining a social media presence isn’t always easy. That’s why we’ve made it simple. We offer video training trough Learn & Earn, Social Media Webinars with industry experts, and a range of ready-to-use content on GoCCL.com.  Don’t forget to visit Adolfo’s Facebook page or our Carnival Independent Advisor Team Facebook Group for additional ideas and support.  With these resources at their fingertips, and by working together we can help our rockstar travel advisors confidently navigate the digital landscape, making the most of social media to grow their businesses and achieve success this wave season.