Three Ways the Timeshare and Hospitality Industry Are Using Social Media

According to The Nielsen Company, which has now expanded beyond television ratings and teamed up with Facebook, Americans have almost tripled the amount of time they spend involved in social networking and blog sites compared to a year ago.

“This growth suggests a wholesale change in the way the Internet is used. While video and text content remain central to the Web experience—the desire of online consumers to connect, communicate, and share is increasingly driving the medium’s growth,” says Jon Gibs, vice president, media and agency insights, Nielsen’s online division.

And to better understand how this growth impacts marketing outreach to, and for, timeshare owners, timeshare sales, and timeshare rentals, look at these statistics that relate specifically to advertising dollars spent on social sites related to the topics of entertainment and of travel:

Topic	Year: 2008 Via Social Media Sites	Year: 2009 Via Social Media Sites	Year Over Year Growth In Ad Dollars Spent On Social Media Sites	Year Over Year Growth In Ad Dollars Spent On All Related Web Sites
Entertainment	$1,097,700	$10,012,800	812%	40%
Travel	$473,700	$2,198,200	364%	-11%

The timeshare industry, along with hoteliers, restaurants, travel services and other areas related to entertainment and hospitality has clearly decided to acknowledge the impact of social media and its functionality to engage and build relationships with clients.

Look around on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, in the blogs—you’ll see the timeshare industry well represented on social media sites. And while they are using social media in many ways, here’s three strategies that are being used a lot…

3 Important Ways the Timeshare and Hospitality Industry Is Putting Social Media to Work

1. Timeshare and hospitality jobs are announced and updated via Twitter and other social media sites. Visit @timesharestaff on Twitter for one example of this technique in action.
2. Photo sharing gives consumers and future clients an inside look at what a brand has to offer. Example: “22 photos on Facebook in the album “Bonnet Creek Opens!”: http://bit.ly/14CVmQ” This tweet is from @BonnetCreek, Twitter home for news about Orlando’s new Waldorf=Astoria and Hilton Resort.
3. Blogs, Facebook, YouTube and other social media platforms make it easy for timeshare sales companies, timeshare resellers, resorts, and any business related to the industry to educate their followers and virally communicate information that consumers want to know. VacationBetter.org has numerous videos on YouTube, like the one below, that offering helpful facts and improved understand of the resort and hospitality industries, their services, and the roles they play in people’s lives.

Resource: The Nielsen Wire http://blog.nielsen.com