Analysis of how 140 major UK and global organisations use Twitter suggests some travel firms make better use of the micro-blogging site than others.
Public relations agency Immediate Future distinguishes between firms using the site for “engagement” or “broadcasting” in a 200-page report entitled The Truth About Twitter.
The most effective “engagement” site comes from the hospitality sector. The report ranks hospitality group Hyatt’s Twitter feed @hyattconcierge, which responds to customer queries, as among the best for engagement – based on the percentage of replies it features.
Other hotel feeds performed less well in the study, although those from Marriott (@MarriottIntl) and Macdonald Hotels (@MacdonaldHotels) provide deals, and destination content and therefore performed better in terms of “broadcasting”.
Expedia feed @Expedia has the most followers among travel firms, with about 10,000 at the time of the study. Lastminute’s @lastminute_com has a relatively modest 2,700 followers, even though it joined Twitter before the other brands, in July 2008.
Twitter has relaunched its homepage, allowing visitors to search tweets without having to register, allowing travel businesses to distribute deals to a wider audience.
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