InteleTravel agents have been urged to “unleash” their “inner Selena Gomez” to make the most of their own personal brand on social media.
Ben Bouldin, Royal Caribbean Cruises’ vice-president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, made his comments to delegates at the homeworking agency’s annual conference in Belfast.
He said the American singer has more than 348 million followers on Instagram – and agents can learn much from her about building a presence online to boost their sales.
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“She is among the top-10 most-followed people on the planet – she knows about working her audience and engaging with them,” he said.
“She’s on it all the time.”
He urged agents to be personal, sharing snippets about their own lives and thoughts – while being consistent and responsive to fans.
Talking about his own experiences on Instagram, he said he had received a question from a follower about his post on Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas.
He responded to it, despite the fact it was about 11.30pm, and found out the following morning that the follower had booked a cruise.
Bouldin also said there has been a “paradigm shift” in working patterns over the course of the pandemic. About 4.7 million worked mainly from home in 2019 and now that is 9.9 million.
Combined with the fact that more consumers are looking for trusted travel advisors, it gives InteleTravel a “massive opportunity”, he said.
“The percentage of my business booked through homeworkers has doubled since pre-pandemic,” he said.
“It was relatively small but it is growing quickly.
Echoing his recent comments about a shortage of agents, he said: “The trade is struggling to keep up with demand – this is where you come in. Your flexibility is your strength.”