Influencer marketing is more impactful for travel and hospitality brands than almost any other industry because these emotional purchases can be tarnished by misleading photos (we love a good wide angle lens as much as the next guy, but come on people), hidden fees, and outdated information. 68% of consumers rely on review sites to help form their opinion on hotel purchases, so if your travel brand isn’t taking advantage of this incredible marketing tool – you’re missing out. Here are four ways an influencer marketing agency can get your brand in front of your customers and on the map today.

• Reviews, reviews, reviews: One of the most obvious (but important) ways an influencer marketing agency can support your brand is through social review sites. Whether you need help registering your travel brand, claiming your physical space in the digital world, or encouraging past customers to write, an agency can support you. Following up with customers and soliciting reviews is a great way to find out what you’re doing well and where you can improve. In the service-based world of hospitality, there is no more valuable information than this feedback. Hopefully, you can showcase what’s going well and encourage other people to visit. If things aren’t going well, studies show that brands that listen and correct the situation openly are considered just as trustworthy as brands that didn’t have problems in the first place, so don’t despair. As an added bonus, influencer marketing agencies can stay on top of new comments as they come in so customers feel you value their feedback.

• Claim your local listing: Claiming your local listing, optimizing it for local search results, and keeping this information relevant is the first step in search engine optimization. Without this, your business can’t compete. This is especially true in destinations where you are competing with a variety of other travel and tourism brands. Influencer marketing agencies can link your Google+ reviews, customer ratings, and social media to your local listing so your brand is easier to find and engage with. Letting an influencer marketing agency take care of this for you ensures that all of the tagging and targeting complements your other paid and natural search efforts. These three pieces need to be working in perfect harmony for the best results.

• Don’t forget about the bloggers: While sending bloggers on a free trip to your resort or providing them with a free feast in exchange for an honest review may seem like a huge expenditure for your brand, it can have a tremendous impact. Your influencer marketing agency can help you identify bloggers with the most clout and largest following of potential customers who are likely to take action. By strategically targeting the right social influencers, you can gain the attention of their followers who will want to share in the same experiences their favorite blogger is raving about. In other words, you’re getting word-of-mouth referrals on steroids. Top bloggers have hundreds of thousands of followers and tremendous sway within the market. The trick is simply finding the right ones. In addition to helping you identify the right bloggers, your agency may have trusted relationships with certain social influencers to ensure their content honestly frames your brand in the best light.

• Connect your influencers with an app: If there’s one thing social influencers love, it’s connecting with other social influencers. Let your agency create an app that informs customers about events, special promotions, and unique opportunities for your most valued customers. This type of loyalty program can become a unique form of networking when it also links users together to mix and mingle during these events or share in these opportunities. The SoHo Beach House is famous for this type of social promotion thanks to their on-site app, extensive list of events, and exclusive directory. Everyone wants to belong to something exclusive and your influencer marketing agency can make that happen at the touch of a button.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s get social together. Click here to learn more about how we can use your best customers to your advantage with a customized influencer marketing program.