Timeshare Sales and Timeshare Resales Companies Stepping Up to Social Media

Representatives of timeshare and vacation ownership companies met this week in Orlando, Florida for ARDA’s Timeshare Social Media Symposium.

In a full-day session titled, “What’s the Big Deal?” timeshare industry leaders looked at ways to put social media to work to better outreach to their market. Scheduled speakers included Howard C. Nusbaum, President and CEO ARDA; Peter C Yesawich, Chairman and CEO Y Partnership; Professor Sree Sreenivasan, Dean of Student Affairs and Digital Media Professor Columbia Graduate School of Journalism; Rob Tappan, President Weber Merritt; and other industry leaders.

How important is it that the timeshare and vacation ownership industries step up to social media?

Answer: Critical!

Just this week, the cover story for NewMediaAge is that both Coca-Cola and Unilever corporations are, “…moving away from sites created on a campaign-by-campaign basis in favour of investment in existing communities. While both companies will continue to create campaign sites for certain brands in the immediate future, they have said the long-term future lies with social media on platforms populated by their target consumers. Coca-Cola will position its official Facebook and YouTube pages as the lead online channels for upcoming international activity for its Coke Zero and Fanta brands, new media age understands.”

These two industry giants are among the many companies of all sizes and all types that are turning more and more to social media to build relationships. The bottom line is that social media enables companies to go where their consumers and potential consumers already are, rather than looking for ways to draw their market to them at their existing websites.

Here’s the critical message for all of us involved in timeshare development, timeshare sales, timeshare resales, management, and every other aspect of the timeshare and vacation ownership industry: You can lead or you can be left behind

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