Influencers are one of two things: loved or misunderstood. If you’re anything like us, you’ve collaborated with and grown to absolutely love them as partners. On the other hand, you might still be skeptical of their actual influence and wondering how to work with influencers.

Over the years, the rise of the influencer has paved a way for many who simply have a phone and want a free vacation. As it’s grown into a multi-billion dollar industry worth a whopping $13.8 billion this year, it’s become harder to distinguish those who are seriously looking for meaningful collaborations from those who are simply looking to rack up the perks. That coupled with the constantly evolving landscape has led to a series of misconceptions about influencer marketing. Not to mention a slew of myths that have cast a shadow of doubt over the booming industry. We’ve done the work and seen the results, so we’re here to help travel brands navigate the waters.

Websites are content powerhouses. They give almost ready-to-book users a great understanding of your brand with pages and pages of quality information. 

However, there are ways to highlight your brand personality at a much earlier stage in the vacation planning cycle. Catch them when they’re dreaming of a getaway — or even before they think of it. Attention-grabbing, new media can engage an audience and instantly inspire them to run to their calendars.

The relationship between an influencer and their audience is sacred, it is engaging and conversational. There is a level of trust built between influencer and follower, and that is what makes them such a powerful marketing channel.

Consumers turn to their favorite influencers as they turn to their best friends- looking for advice, everyday tips and tricks, and recommendations on everything from products, clothing, recipes to vacations. So, collaborating with the right influencer that aligns with your brand is the perfect way to get into the inner circle and move their audience to purchase.

As we continue our mission to help the travel and tourism industry stay informed, inspired and connected while we navigate these uncharted waters, we are excited to share with you Alliance Connection’s “COVID-19 Roadmap to Recovery: BRAVE VISION. DECISIVE ACTION. BOLD INNOVATION”, a valuable resource created exclusively for our marketing executives.

As we navigate these uncertain times, those of us in the travel industry are feeling a bit lost. Meetings and events are all postponed, the doors have been shut and for the time being no one is checking in. It can be easy to just sit, wait and worry, but instead what we have seen across the travel industry is the desire to inspire hope in these darkest days. 

1. Stay sensitive to the current climate. While it could be easy to just go back to the traditional narrative, and the planned fall or winter campaign, this is a new world we now live in and we have to make that shift. Examine what you already had planned and see what tweaks you can make to address potential concerns or hesitations of travelers and address them through the campaign.
   
   
2. Build consumer confidence to travel again. Instill consumer confidence in travel-related decisions with facts, and put front and center the information you know they’ll need to comfortably resume travel. Highlight what new sanitization or safety features will be put into action. Instead of just telling them, show them if you can. Arming your consumers with the information empowers them to make a decision to travel that they can feel comfortable and confident in.
   
   
3. Extend invites to “Early Adopters” to start the momentum. This is where you can lean on those great connections or relationships you’ve built up. Extend an invite to influencers, media, celebrities and top-tier loyalty guests who have been a cheerleader for your brand in the past. Take it a step further and bring them all together for a special week of curated events and activities to welcome them back. While onsite their organic storytelling will help ease those at home who will see through their lens that it’s ok to get back out there and travel!
   
   
4. Lead with innovation and creativity.  The overall landscape has changed and at the moment it is easy to put all your focus into the critical elements and decision making that has come with tackling COVID-19. Trust us, we know that it is most important at the moment. However, through all this disruption, now is also the time to stay creative, think long-term and prepare compelling consumer campaigns to get ahead of the curve for what comes next. Coming out on the other side strong will set you up to lead the pack.
   
   
5. Be Flexible. During these unprecedented and uncertain times, putting together a marketing plan can feel like trying to hit a moving target. Best advice is to keep a pulse on consumer sentiment, establish what’s the right campaign tone for the current moment we are in, and be ready to move quickly. Stick to your core brand identity and values, but be prepared to be nimble with your delivery, because things can shift on a dime.

Let’s first just pause together and take a deep breath. Seriously, we’ll wait... okay, much better. We know these are confusing and frustrating times, especially for those working in the travel, events and entertainment industries. With all the postponements, cancellations and closures on an ever-changing timeline it can be hard to know what to do next or where to even start. So, Alliance Connection is taking this unscheduled and unprecedented pause, or deep breath, in the industry to go back-to-basics and what we were founded on - connection. 

Starting as an online writer for 10 years before launching megabrand FabFitFun with Co-Founders Michael Broukhim and Daniel Broukhim, Katie didn’t just want to write about products but put them in people’s hands. While subscription boxes existed at the time, Katie felt they were too niche and wanted to create a seasonal lifestyle box with full size premium products instead of samples. Believing that women are multi-faceted, she is proud of the way FabFitFun approaches their customers more holistically.

As we all continue to navigate the uncertainty of the travel industry’s immediate future, Alliance Connection wanted to let you know we are here for you. Now more than ever, it is important for all of us to come together and RISE UP to rebuild the industry we love.