How to Work with Travel Bloggers

Travel Massive is full of talented travel insiders and influencers connecting and partnering with brands. It’s a new realm in the travel industry with more companies seeing the value in using real people as ambassadors to spread the word about new accommodations, places or products.

Travel Massive Calgary community members (and National Geographic’s Travelers of the Year) Pete and Dalene Heck know a thing or two about working with brands. They just announced a new e-book geared toward travel brands and companies, PR, marketers and DMOs on how to work with travel bloggers. We caught up with Pete and Dalene about their perspective on the evolution of the industry, where it’s going and how influencer marketing is changing the way consumers book, plan, and research travel.

How has the travel industry changed or evolved since you first entered?

We’ve been bloggers for almost five years and hiring bloggers on behalf of travel brands for over two. The industry has evolved in so many ways – there are thousands of blogs now and travel brands continue to embrace working with new media. These relationships are still very much a work-in-progress, but some of the successes that have emerged are very encouraging. The possibilities that come from working with new media influencers is something that brands can no longer ignore.

What is the most common mistake travel brands make in the industry?

Often we see brands mislead by big numbers. For example, tens of thousands of Facebook fans may look attractive in terms of brand exposure, but few stop to consider where those fans come from, or what kind of engagement the blogger may get. Those numbers could essentially be useless to a brand if they don’t represent their target markets. In the ebook we dive into ways that brands can test the numbers on various networks as a means to determine the validity and/or worth.

You highlight the importance of engagement vs. followers when brands seek to work with travel bloggers. Can you explain?

While measuring engagement is not a perfect measure of intent to purchase, it does show that people are paying attention. A large number of followers may look impressive (hence why many call them “vanity metrics”), but if no one is acting on what that blogger is presenting, then do they care at all about what is presented? Likely not.

Never mind that those big follower numbers can be easily bought (and happens more than many would like to admit). A look at the engagement on such accounts is thus very important to ensure that their audience is a viable one, and that they are eagerly listening to what the influencer has to say.

You bravely address one of the biggest debates among tourism professionals – should travel bloggers be paid and how much. What are your thoughts?

This is a difficult question that can only be answered in one way: it depends. It wouldn’t be prudent to say definitively one way or the other because different bloggers provide different value, and the specifics of any one project and its deliverables also has the capacity to sway the debate. Is your work with bloggers a part of a larger marketing strategy? Are you asking for special services beyond exposure (i.e. licensed photos, an Instagram takeover, etc.)? Does the blogger have a specific pay-to-play policy (as an increasing number of them do)? It all comes down to evaluating the value that each blogger will bring to your brand – not an easy determination – but one that must be considered before outlaying cash.

You also suggest leveraging various travel industry organizations and communities. How have meetups like Travel Massive helped you in your own business?

Because we are nomadic and terrible at making our own travel plans, we find attending any sort of meetup difficult to make happen! But we have attended events in both Berlin and Calgary, and both have resulted in making great connections that are helping our business grow like meeting new tourism boards or partners.

Connect with Pete and Dalene Heck on Travel Massive ​or on their blog ​at Hecktic Travels. ​Use the code “travelmassive” and get 20% off the e-book just for being a Travel Massive insider or just use this link.