Facebook boosts | Travel Research Online

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Facebook boosts

Every business owner knows the importance of social media. You must have a presence, even if it is a small one. Facebook is my main social media avenue, but I also have a Twitter account. Even though I do not use Twitter, I was able to set up my Facebook account to automatically Tweet posts to my Twitter account so it appears active. This has allowed me to have a Twitter presence without ever logging in. Visit http://www.facebook.com/twitter for details on how to do this.

It is tough to establish a following, and even tougher to keep your followers engaged, especially with the ever-changing rules that Facebook implements. I currently have 445 likes on my Facebook page. My last 12 posts each reached 123 followers on average. Pretty dismal. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you “Boosted” a post? Last month I had some pretty big news to share in the form of a press release, and decided it was worth of spending some advertising dollars to see what kind of results I could get.

I set a $200 budget. I set my boosted post to go to people who like my page and their friends for one week. Here are the results:

  • Paid Reach: 21744
  • Photo Clicks: 230
  • Link Clicks: 23
  • Page Likes: 14
  • Post Likes: 178
  • Comments: 13
  • Shares: 2

At first glance, these numbers are impressive! However, it has been a month since my boosted post ended. Have I received any new business? No. Will there be residual business coming yet from people who are still thinking about traveling? Possibly. Will they remember my name when they are ready to book? I doubt it. Was my $200 well spent? It is hard to say.

My business is based on referrals. Because of this, I use social media as a way to stay present and make it easy for friends to share my name. It is an effective way to share a piece of information, like my press release, and keep in front of potential clients. I like the excitement my boosted post generated. I will definitely do it again when the right message presents itself.

I would love to hear what other agents have done on Facebook to gain a following and stay in front of your audience. Feel free to comment below.

Shelli Nornes is the owner of Shelli’s Travel, a wedding travel expert specializing in destination weddings from Minnesota, with happy clients located across the United States. She services weddings throughout her local area, including destination weddings in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Hawaii. Shelli is a professional wedding destination specialist and has been part of the destination wedding industry for over 15 years.

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