If there is one social media platform you should use for a tourism business, it is Instagram. And when you use it, you need to think strategically when creating your profile, sharing content, and connecting with your audience.

Here’s a list of things to consider that will help you set up and actively manage your business’s Instagram profile:

  1. If you don’t already have an Instagram account, start by downloading the Instagram app and signing up for a business account. If you have a personal account, you can easily switch to a business account through the settings.
  2. Choose an easy to remember username that reflects your tourism business. Your profile picture should be your logo or a high-quality image that that visually conveys your brand.
  3. In the bio section, write a brief and engaging description of your business. Highlight what’s unique about your business to travellers, maybe your location or guest experiences, and include a link to your website with a clear call-to-action.
  4. Make sure your contact details, including email and phone number are accurate and up-to-date. This makes it easier for potential customers to get in touch with you.
  5. Develop a content strategy for what you’ll be sharing on Instagram. Focus on your destination’s inspiring scenery, activities, local culture, and develop enticing ‘special’ offers. Match your content to your brand and your target audience.
  6. Create or find high-quality photos and videos that showcase the best most inspiring aspects of your tourism business.
  7. Understand and then use all the various features Instagram offers, such as Grid, Stories, Lives and Reels. Use these strategically to share temporary content, short engaging clips to keep your audience entertained and longer videos to inform.
  8. Develop a posting schedule and stick to it. Because you need to post regularly and consistently to build a strong Instagram presence. Aim for a balanced spread of content, promotional, news, behind-the-scenes glimpses, guest generated content, and engaging captions.
  9. Interact with your audience and followers by promptly responding to comments, messages, mentions, asking questions, and encouraging them to share their experiences especially when they’ve stayed with you or been on your tour, activity or experience.
  10. Research and use relevant hashtags in your captions to increase the discoverability of your content. Be sure to use a mix of destination-specific, industry-related, and popular hashtags to reach a wider audience.
  11. Think about partnering with travel influencers in your region and category who have a significant following. Influencers can create authentic content and help promote you to their followers.
  12. Understand and review Instagram Insights for your audience demographics, engagement metrics, and the performance of posts.
  13. Connect with other local tourism related businesses and your RTO to build a network to collaborate, cross-promote, and increased exposure for you and your destination.

Establishing a compelling Instagram presence that attracts travellers and drives bookings to your website is a must for tourism businesses. But getting the best out of it requires creativity, consistency, and strategic planning.

We’ll be blogging and emailing more on Instagram and social media in coming weeks. Watch this space!