BLOOMICON / SHUTTERSTOCK . COM
BOUMEN JAPET / SHUTTERSTOCK . COM
How she got here According to Belgrave , the universe was always sending her signs that she should be working in travel . One of the most memorable signs for her was a road trip to Seattle where the conversation quickly turned to traveling the world . “ I said we should go , and six months later after planning and selling my car , I was off backpacking around the world with my good friends ,” Belgrave says . “ It ’ s a familiar story for many travel advisors . We start out planning and finessing the travel itineraries for friends , family or office associates , and that leads to the epiphany one day of ‘ Wow ! I really love planning this stuff !’”
Before Belgrave first stepped into the travel industry , she spent a lot of time analyzing human behavior and needs by working in market research . Belgrave brought that experience with her as an independent contractor in the travel industry . “ The first travel agency I worked for literally threw me into the marketing deep end . They didn ’ t have the marketing supports that Nexion members do to nurture and grow their business . I had to take a guerrilla marketing approach , which was challenging for me as an introvert putting myself out there in unconventional ways .”
The result of putting herself out there in unconventional ways led to spots in trade publications and wedding magazines , and led
her to create amazing connections within the travel industry and increased visibility with her target audience . All while simultaneously learning the travel industry , Belgrave was taking in everything she could about the digital space , which was very different 15 years ago . She says , “ Imagine , in 2021 there are 1.96 billion apps in the Apple Store and 2.87 in the Google Play Store , so not so easy to master them all !” The top five platforms that she uses to stay current and for communicating with her tribe and training are Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , YouTube and Pinterest .
Your time is now “ We ’ re in the renaissance of travel and this is the perfect time for travel advisors to leverage the social media space ,” says Belgrave . She says there is so much confusion around how to travel and where to go combined with incredible pent-up demand to get out there . And she adds that “ this is the time for travel advisors to showcase themselves as the subject matter experts and answer those questions for eager travelers .” While social media often has the appeal of being inexpensive , it ’ s one of the mistakes Belgrave says she sees over and over again with travel advisors . “ The secret sauce is how you deliver those answers to the public . Answer the questions ( how , when , where ) and highlight destinations . The possibilities are endless — I say get creative !”
There are so many ways to stay top of mind
CAROLINE ’ S 6 STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
1 . Stick to a few of your favorite apps and platforms to master .
2 . Be true to yourself : Your content should speak to how you see the world with your travel focus and passion . This includes using photos and videos of you wherever you can to be as authentic as possible .
3 . Create a process to capture leads . Social media is a tool that you use to drive potential clients into a space where you can nurture the relationships such as into a CRM .
4 . Talk to people — engagement , engagement , engagement . Ask people questions on social platforms , respond to comments with more than a “ Thank you for liking my post .” The level of engagement you have with your followers on ANY platform is going to impact the algorithm in a positive way for you .
5 . Analyze your results . If it ’ s broken , abso- ��te�� fi� �t� �� ��at �o���e �o�t�n�� ��en �o���e posting and where you ’ re posting aren ’ t working , change it . Belgrave doesn ’ t recommend changing the what , when and where all at once , but change one thing at a time to see if that impacts your results , i . e ., change t�e ���at� fi��t� �n�tead o� �o�t�n� ��ct��e�� test posting videos . Same thing with “ when .” If you normally post in the morning or once a week , try posting in the afternoon or evening . Change something , watch it for a few weeks then reevaluate .
6 . Pick an individual or agency that understands your business and brand . There is no shame in outsourcing your social media management .
S�MMER 2021 / THE COMPASS / 29