In conjunction with our recent cover story “Social Media Tips From the Experts,” we reached out to travel agents who are at the top of their game when it comes to social media. Each day we’ll be highlighting one of the top five applicants, ranked by Klout score.
With an average Klout score of 60, Adele McIntosh has channeled her social media presence into a positive impact on the community.
“I partnered with social media expert www.IdeaGirlMedia.com in January 2012,” said McIntosh. “She allowed me to take over her social media presence for a day to promote Human Trafficking Awareness for one of the Facebook Pages I admin (facebook.com/SoroptimistInternationalOceansideCarlsbad.) By creating relevant content, posting at appropriate times and with a little help from Idea Girl, we were able to reach a world wide audience and received replies from around the globe in support of Human Trafficking Awareness. I figured our reach on Facebook alone that day was over 20k, and that did not include other social media outlets Twitter and G+. My effort was published in the Soroptimist International of the America's magazine, Best For Women as an example of the best use of social media.”
For agents looking to get into social media, McIntosh recommends balancing the personal and the professional.
“I got started with a personal Twitter and Facebook account - mainly to share family photos and vacation photos with my friends,” McIntosh said. “I debated for a long time about ‘friending’ my clients on Facebook, but in the end, I realized that I do treat my clients as friends, and to create trust and build relationships, I had to let my clients into my personal life (to an extent). I advise new agents not to be too spammy - ie social medial needs to have a social aspect and not just full of deals and promos. Nobody wants to be "sold to". Just like face-to-face networking, first comes the relationship, and the sales will naturally follow. Post tips, pictures, personal experiences, etc. Let your followers and fans get a real sense of who you are - then, like little grains of sand, drop the occasional ‘Have I got a deal for you!’ post. Be selective!”
You can find McIntosh on Facebook here.
For the next winner in our Most Social Travel Agents feature, stay tuned to www.travelagentcentral.com or visit us on Facebook.