Essay on Social Media Influencers: An Innovative Solution to Intangibility in Tourism Industry

Introduction

Ever since the evolution of technology, there has been a steady growth in the application of social media influencers as a form of marketing. Technology has made it possible for consumers to share their tourism experiences on social media platforms such as Instagram. As a service-based industry, the main characteristic is intangibility which various ways have been invented to overcome.The industry had to invent ways of overcoming the intangibility issue hence the establishment of the beneficial relationship with social media platforms. The intangibility makes it difficult to evaluate the trips, hotels, flights and vacations made.

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The traditional media platforms, such as the radio, newspaper advertisements, and televisions, often provided one-sided information. Therefore, the need to get first-hand knowledge from a reliable source that had the experience of specific destinations such as Instagram influencers came into play. Planning and executing trips require extensive research; hence social media filled the role, offering customers first-hand information with evidence such as photos and videos of specific destinations. The operations of the tourism industry had to change with the emergence of digital marketing platforms and social media, which connected the world, enabling ordinary people to acquire information (Camilleri, 2018).

According to Pestek & Alic (2017), an influencer is a social media user with credibility and impact to persuade his followers. On the other hand, Cohen et al., (2014) believes that opinion leaders could be perceived as role models. Moreover, they must have made significant contribution in regard to a certain product line to persuade people. The fact that people use social media platforms to talk about their experiences and travels all over the world, the travel agencies, airlines, and hotels have embraced it as their most potent weapon to market themselves. The growth of social media influencers brought a new untapped potential. Tapping the broader target audience became comfortable with the growth of social media and the rise of ordinary people who slowly began growing their audience and following, thereby generating influence and trust among the people. The recent technological evolutions has seen a change in consumer behavior in the tourism sector. Moreover, the change experienced involves the role of Instagram influencers in the industry. Therefore, the paper has the aim of exploring the impact made in the tourism industry by the rise of social media influencers. Furthermore, the paper aims to explore the literature regarding change in consumer behavior in the tourism industry.

Overview of the Tourism Industry

The intangibility of the tourism industry makes it a complex. Tourism involves a voluntary visit to places fun places either for pleasure or business. Leisure visits include holiday visits, religious, sport, recreation, and health. Marketing in the tourism industry has characteristics that are entirely different from the trades. The fact that this industry has distinct features makes it complicated (Camilleri, 2018). According to Camilleri (2018) marketers in this industry use various techniques, including strategies of appealing to emotions, to enable people to get moved to visit specific destinations. Others use multiple activities present at specific goals, such as music. Over the past few decades, marketers have relied on traditional marketing channels such as radio, newspapers, and televisions. However, this strategy did not yield many results considering that the information presented to the people favored the advertisers and not the tourists who require more evidence and first-hand information about a particular destination (Camilleri, 2018). The study by Camilleri (2018) discusses the motivations that motivate tourists to travel. Furthermore, the study holds that the tourism product consists of various products including the amenities, accommodations, activities, and accessibility. According to Camilleri (2018), tourists are attracted to a destination depending on their needs.

The traditional marketing strategies made it challenging to attract international tourists. Moreover, it made it challenging to keep up with the demands in the tourism industry (Cohen et al., 2014). In light of the new technological evolutions, businesses have had to adapt to the latest changes, and the tourism industry is not different as it has managed to diversify and take advantage of the massive social media platforms. Social media marketing, unlike the traditional marketing strategies, has a more extensive global coverage that enables consumers to view the advertisements from over a thousand miles away. Currently, travel agencies can comfortably implement different strategies that get them noticed globally, increasing their customer base. The tourism industry has come a long way, and digital migration greatly influenced the development of this industry. Currently, travelers have a guide to the best travel experience. The tourism industry contributes to economies both locally and internationally. The industry supports about 10 percent of jobs globally; hence there is a need for incorporation of more strategies to develop the sector (Camilleri, 2018). The general tourism industry faces the challenge of intangibility. Another challenge is lack of trust and fear of the unknown. Tourists have a hard time believing in what they have not seen. A future research should explore ways of marketing that addresses lack of trust and intangibility in the tourism industry.

Impact of Social Media in Marketing

The world of business has recognized social media as a reliable marketing tool. Many companies use this tool to inform customers of the products and services they produce. Companies specifically use the tool to advertise themselves. In this era, consumers rely on clear information regarding specific products before they use them. According to statistics, multi-billion corporations create awareness about their services and products using this tool. The tool has proven effective and efficient for its ability to take the shortest time possible in conveying specific information. Some spheres regard social media as a platform for sharing vital information. The fact that people focus on moving with trends and fashion makes social media attractive to both the middle-aged and the youth.

Moreover, various studies have found that a more significant percentage of the world population consists of youth. Social media has a big say in the decision made by consumers to purchase a particular product or service. According to a study by Pestek & Alic, (2017), social media influencers have a great impact on marketing. Moreover, the study concluded that companies view social media profiles in terms of channels that enable them achieve their goals. Companies often research social media platforms in regards to specific markets, giving them confidence when pushing a product on these platforms, especially on Instagram. In another study conducted by Veissi (2017), supports the conclusions of Pestek & Alic, (2017) as it believes that companies do not engage in direct marketing but instead they target opinion leaders.

According to studies, the advertisement process involves conveying certain information from an individual to the general consumer. Psychology believes that human words do not shape consumer decision as it does not have an impact. This means that the advertisement could play, but the consumers ignore it once over. Therefore, word of mouth is emphasized on social media platforms. The evidence can be witnessed in the difference between traditional and modern marketing techniques. The conventional models have no impact as the new models where Instagram bears a considerable say in the consumer decision. The difference between the old and the latest marketing models is that the latest social media platforms embrace the information written to convey a message to the consumers.

In contrast, the traditional models embrace word of mouth. Therefore, social media platform marketing emphasizes word of mouth, keeping in mind that the information claims consumer's attention; hence they inquire to learn more about it from the system. The fact that social media platforms allow for interaction with consumers makes it the best marketing tool. Furthermore, the fact that people share their feelings, photos, names, ages, and other viable information on Instagram makes it easier for businesses to collect the data and conduct targeted marketing luring the individuals to purchase certain products.

The idea here is that the consumer's exchange information discusses it, then they attain education or knowledge. The social media platforms act as the point of reference for word of mouth attained. The relationship between the consumers and the company advertising becomes more substantial due to social media. The information acquired from online platforms enables consumers to make up their minds regarding a specified destination for tourism. The consumer and the companies grow over some time, which makes it beneficial to the tourism company. Based on the information about a specific brand portrayed on social media, the consumers develop a sense of trust and loyalty (Camilleri, 2018).

Social media enables consumers to determine the transparency and effectiveness of an individual company before deciding to work with them. The concept is applied by a majority of the youth and the middle-aged people in the interaction process with various brands. The fact that social platforms keep consumers informed about diverse brands helps in building trust. Consumers manage to stay updated about a particular tourism agency or other brands through social media. Therefore, companies manage to inform the consumers about new destinations that offer lucrative deals. Various studies have indicated that the concept helps in the retention of consumer loyalty (Veissi, 2017). Moreover, the concept enables consumers to communicate directly with the company airing their grievances allowing the company to make the required changes to the services and products, thereby enhancing productivity.

Studies reveal that social media has a significant impact, thereby turning consumer wants into a dire need (Veissi, 2017). The questions that consumers have over specific destinations, services, or products are answered on social media, thus influencing the consumer attitude towards the purchase of particular products or services. Despite visiting a specific destination being a want, the practice endorses the consumers to visit the place and in the manner in which information is conveyed online, mandates the consumers to acquire a service or product. Studies have concluded that people visit places despite their unwillingness due to the way social media presents the destination of tourism. Social media tends to make particular goals familiar to the consumers, thereby provoking their desire to visit the place. The practice captivates the loyalty of consumers, considering that there is adequate information regarding the destination.

Instagram influencers make information about specific destination available and the links to the websites which enable the consumers to have full trust and confidence to visit the place. According to Fotis et. al (2012), travelers gain the confidence to visit a certain destination due to the posts and reviews they see on social media. The practice helps inform and shape the decision-making process of consumers. Instagram influencers and other online platform create awareness regarding specific tourism destinations and the qu...