How To Sell Tours and Activities with Facebook

With over $40 billion in 2017 revenue, Facebook is much more than just a social networking platform.

But of course, you already know that. It’s been a long time since Facebook became a household name and, consequently, an important business platform.

More recently, the tech giant started to face strong competition, losing users to the likes of Instagram and WhatsApp (then bought them over).

Although there are signs of the consumer segment slowing down, the company is putting a big effort into tailoring its propositions for businesses.

With that, Facebook is constantly innovating and many “hidden” features exist that can help you sell more tours and activities – both online and offline.

In this post, we’re going to look at the best ways to utilize Facebook so you can get bookings from left, right and center.

Ready? Let’s go.

With Regiondo, you can integrate a complete ticket shop in your Facebook page. No account yet? Book a demo with us. 

Why should you use Facebook to sell tours and activities?

Okay, we know Facebook has a gazillion users and some of them earn lots of money. But what are some more unconventional reasons why you’d turn to Facebook for boosting your tour or activity sales?

Reach travelers at the right time and place

Travelers love Facebook. When they get to the airport, they have to check in three times:  first with the airline, secondly with customs and last (and most importantly) – with Facebook.

”Okay Mona Lisa, I’m on my way. Paris, I’ll be seeing you soon… and your little macaroons too.”

But the fun doesn’t stop at check-in. Along the way travelers love to share their journey by posting photos and statuses regularly. This is the perfect opportunity for people to learn about your brand – while they’re in your location and seeking out their next adventure.

Gain exposure on mobile

In January 2018, more than 90% of active Facebook users have accessed the site from their smartphone. This compares to just 31.8% for laptop/desktop and 8.8% for tablets.

facebook smartphone usage

Device usage of Facebook users worldwide as of January 2018 (by Statista).

This means that if you’re on Facebook, people are likely interacting with your company via mobile. That’s a great way to gain exposure among smartphone users, especially if you don’t have a mobile-optimized website.

 

Learn more about your customers

Apart from extra reach, advertising on Facebook comes with detailed statistics and information about your best customers. After running ads on their platform for a while, you’ll know the type of customer who is most likely to buy from you – including their location, age, interests and other attributes. This information can help you adjust your offers and bring them to the people who are most likely to buy from you.

facebook audience

A small part of the stats you can see about your customers.

Show up on the “search” radar

You can post all sorts of information about your business on Facebook – including your contact details, pricing and transport directions. This makes it easy for people to find you online, especially given that Facebook is a website with high authority. If people search for your brand on Google, your Facebook page is likely to pop-up as one of the first results on the page.

 

Get online even if you don’t have a website yet

As you can see, much of the information that you would normally post on your website is also relevant on Facebook. This makes it a great substitute until you get your online presence up and running.

Recommended reading: How To Set Up an Online Store for Your Leisure Business

 

The best ways to reach your customers on Facebook

So, contrary to popular belief, it makes sense to spend some time on Facebook. Now let’s look at what to do with that time.

Advertise

Did you know with Facebook Ads you can target casual travelers, honeymooners, business travelers, road trippers, frequent travelers and just about any other target group you can think of?

Using Ad Targeting with Facebook Ads gives you the advantage of reaching travelers and locals who are looking for tours and activities in the area.

ad example london eye

Fancy a cruise on the Thames?

What Is Ad Targeting?

As a tour provider, you’re already familiar with Facebook and know you can create a business page to connect with your customers, network within your industry and post content to showcase your offers.

But there’s more to Facebook that you may be missing out on if you’re not taking advantage of Ad Targeting. Ad Targeting is the magic behind Facebook Ads and helps to ensure you don’t miss your target audience each time you run a campaign. It allows you to customize your ads to target a specific group of your interest – which is why it’s so effective. By successfully reaching your target audience, Ad Targeting allows for a larger return on your investment – and we all love getting our money’s worth.

With Ad Targeting, you can get really specific and not only include a special audience, but you can also exclude certain people or groups. You can target people according to location, language, age, gender, interests, behaviors, and more.

Using Location Targeting

With Location Targeting, you can showcase your ads to a group of people in a specific area that you choose to target. Once you know where your visitors come from, you can specifically target a location by zip code, city, state or country, and run your ads to that demographic.

This means you can save time, money, and effort because you are only investing where it truly counts. You can also combine your location targets so that you mix up the right groups to meet your specific needs.

Hitting Your Target: Travelers

With Ad Targeting, you can specifically target travelers. Facebook identifies a traveler by someone who has recently posted a status update on a mobile device in your destination, but whose home location is listed as more than 100 miles from your area. This is perfect for increasing your last-minute bookings. When travelers arrive in your area and are looking for something fun to do, they’ll see your ad if they fit your target.

Are you looking for honeymooners in your location wanting a couple’s massage? How about recent graduates doing their gap year abroad and seeking out adventurous activities like bungee jumping or skydiving? Or maybe you’d like to target women, couples, or bachelorette parties looking for wine tours or cooking courses?

Whatever your target audience is, you can reach all these groups and many more, with Ad Targeting.

 

Promote your content and offers

As the undisputed master of network effects, Facebook is one of the best places to share your content, giveaways and promotional offers. Spend some time crafting a good offer and you might just “go viral” like this Tasmania walking tour which got 594 entries for its Early Bird promotion.

giveaway example

Example of a giveaway to generate early sales for a walking tour.

Announce updates

When you acquire a good number of followers on Facebook, the platform becomes a great way to announce holiday changes and updates. Whether you’re hiring staff, changing your opening times or expanding in a new city, a simple post can reach thousands of locals within a few hours.

Provide customer service

People can send you messages directly from your Facebook page (if you enable the setting). That’s another chance for you to provide outstanding customer service. The live chat option lets you build trust with your customers, answer their questions and even accept bookings.

tour eiffel

Connect with your customers directly to answer questions and accept reservations.

Increase sales with the “Book Now” button

You can list all sorts of contact information on your Facebook page like your address and phone number. But what’s even better is the “Book Now” button.

This small detail leads people directly to your website or specific offers – you choose the destination. The “Book Now” button turns Facebook into a powerful distribution channel without charging you any commission fees.

book now button facebook

Get free marketing with check-ins

Facebook’s location-based tagging can be a great way to get free advertising. Customers can tag themselves enjoying your tour or activity and this instantly pops up into their friends’ news feed. This way you can generate awareness without spending a dime. Consider adding some incentive for people to tag themselves, such as a small discount or free gift.

check in

Apparently, people like to check-in.

Highlight your reviews as social proof

Apart from seeing which friends have visited, potential customers can see your reviews from strangers. You can even add your TripAdvisor reviews before you acquire a big enough following on Facebook.

reviews

This is obviously a “double-edged sword” so make sure you avoid negative reviews.

Show busy hours so people can book at a convenient time

As people share their smartphone location with Facebook, the platform can estimate how busy you are on any given day of the week. This information is available on your Facebook page so people can decide on the best time to book your tour or activity. In addition, it can help you with planning your resources, especially if you’re starting out (by looking at your competitors’ busiest times).

busy times

Tuesday morning it is!

Conclusion

Facebook is still the “big shot” when it comes to social media and we all know it’s a crucial selling tool. But there are some hidden features that you might not know about as the platform continues to release new business offerings.

Whether it’s through highly targeted advertising or simple promotions, the platform is sure to get your offers in front of the right people. Not only that, but you’ll also get to understand your customers better and boost your sales with Facebook’s tailored propositions for businesses.

With Regiondo, you can integrate a complete ticket shop in your Facebook page. No account yet? Book a demo with us. 

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