For the traveler, the path to purchase is long and complicated. With multiple devices to search on and many different ways to research and book, it can be difficult to target the traveler at the right moment along their own unique path to purchase.
This is where advertising through Facebook can help. During the average trip planning period, travelers spend 5x more time on Facebook than on travel related apps, sites, and searches. In fact, in the US alone, Facebook is the third most popular browser for searching, behind Google’s Chrome and Apple’s Safari—leaving it a perfect place to reach a traveler and provide them with inspiration for their next trip.
Most travel marketers understand the value of Facebook for engagement and reach; however, many are unfamiliar with how advertising on Facebook can help a traveler book directly with their brand.
Here are the most common misconceptions we hear about advertising on Facebook to the traveler audience:
1. “I’m Already Posting on Facebook”
While posting on Facebook is important for engagement with your brand, it does not take full advantage of all the capabilities travel advertisers have at their disposal. Advertising on Facebook is so much more than adding promotional dollars to a selected post or share. It can be used to serve personalized messaging to travelers anywhere along their path to purchase—leading to more direct bookings.
Facebook has features like Facebook Dynamic Ads for Travel (DAT) that allow advertisers to serve personalized messaging to in-market travelers with a dynamic creative solution. Airline advertisers can also prospect in-market travelers using Flight Ads for Prospecting from the moment the start searching—helping target travelers who might not even be looking at their brand.
2. “Users Recognize Ads and Ignore Them”
By using native ads, you can serve content directly into the normal stream that follows the natural flow of Facebook’s feed, so they don’t interrupt a users’ flow—becoming more captivating than ever.
In addition to native ads, travel advertisers can use Facebook Dynamic Ads for Travel to increase direct bookings by personalizing the messaging and even retargeting travelers who have previously visited a brand’s website but didn’t purchase.
