Introducing Invitations: Grow your largest team of storytellers yet

Advocates are powerful. They’re helping destinations, hotels, and rental properties compete from the point of inspiration—connecting with new & future travelers in a more meaningful way to win them over from the start.

(And we’ve shown you the impact: it’s that big.)

So how do you get even more? More advocates sharing their travel stories… more introductions… more wins!

Introducing: Invitations.

In just a matter of clicks, earn incredible impact when you widen your scope to even bigger audiences. Invite past travelers, their friends and family, your own audiences, and anyone else to share their experiences with your travel brand at the center.

And thanks to your growing team of travelers-turned-storytellers, you’ll spark new conversations with the warmest, most receptive audience yet—at a scale like never before.

Take a peek:

 

If you’re ready to put Invitations to work for your travel brand, reach out. We’ll share how you can power growth (plus warmer relationships and a whole lot more) with advocacy.

Flip.to joins OPMA, together sparking new conversations in travel marketing

Advocacy platform pairs with Onsite Rental Management Association to foster education and partnerships in the diverse vacation rental market

ORLANDO, FL — February 14, 2018 — Flip.to—the advocacy marketing platform that helps reach, inspire and convert travelers worldwide—announced its membership with the Onsite Property Management Association (OPMA), a nonprofit and advocate for the rental management and condo hotel sectors representing a select 53,000 resort accommodation units. Flip.to will work in tandem with a collection of minds together aimed at bettering the travel space.

Flip.to is thrilled to be joining the OPMA’s exclusive roster of 37 suppliers personally invited to share membership with management companies across the US and globally who are focused on shaping the landscape of hospitality marketing and growing the industry as a whole. OPMA provides a network of partnerships, educational opportunities and a forum for cooperative efforts to advance the rental market, emphasizing collective growth and mutual support.

“It’s easy to see where OPMA and Flip.to are aligned, with advocacy a cornerstone to both our identities,” said OPMA Chief Marketing Strategist John Dalton about Flip.to. “Likewise, they have a drive to constantly improve marketing as we know it today. The Flip.to team has a deep understanding of not only the travel industry, but also the specific marketing challenges rental managers face daily, so we’re glad to welcome them on board,” said Dalton.

The Flip.to platform empowers guests to share the high points of their stay throughout their traveler journey. Along the way, travelers introduce family and friends to resorts and vacation properties in an authentic and trusted way, reaching new audiences at an incredible scale—ahead of competitors and other dominant players. The platform earns and tracks new bookings while growing brand awareness, web traffic and warm leads.

Flip.to has made strides in enhancing the marketing efforts of hospitality providers across the travel industry, seeing incredible success in the vacation rental market. Corporate Director of Sales and Marketing, Maurice Arbelaez, of Millenium Management Corporation—founding member of OPMA and fellow customer of Flip.to—echoed this sentiment along with the value of membership for the advocacy platform.

“Flip.to is an example of an industry partner providing incredible value, promoting authentic perspectives on the resort from a trusted source—our travelers. This is key for professional management companies like Millenium who uphold the highest level of service, guest experience, and infrastructure,” said Arbelaez.

“Likewise, these are the values that define OPMA, which is why their organization is key in helping leaders in our industry maintain these standards. We’re excited to work together with partners who not only provide top-notch solutions that help highlight these clear differences, but also share a mutual interest in bettering the industry as a whole.”

Flip.to kicked off their participation with a speaking session at OPMA’s 2017 leadership summit late last year. On attending, Richard Dunbar, Director of Partnerships at Flip.to, said, “We saw firsthand the significant value of membership with OPMA, from learning even more about the challenges within the industry to forming new connections and partnerships with those who hold a shared vision for the rental market. As we look forward to seeing the strides OPMA continues to make for rental management companies around the world, we’re excited to now be a part of it!”

 

To learn more about OPMA membership and its efforts within the rental management and condo hotel industry, visit www.theopma.org or contact John Dalton at jdalton@theopma.org.

To learn how Flip.to is helping vacation rentals reach, inspire and convert travelers each and every day, see who we’re working with.

The hotel marketer’s guide to the galaxy: Facebook’s search for authenticity

2017 was a year of ups and downs for Facebook. They faced some hard questions, rooted to perhaps a bigger quandary: What is the purpose of Facebook—and all social platforms? To quote Douglas Adams and the all-famous Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I imagine it went something like this:

“The answer to the great question of Life… The Universe…! And Everything…!”

I mean, let’s face it: if nearly a third of the world’s population are on the bandwagon, it’s certainly a question worth pursuing—what is the greater purpose of social media? We’ve put some “Deep Thought” to that ourselves. (See what we did there?)

“Being “social” revolves around the idea of people sharing personal experiences with friends and family—travel conversations that hotels have long tried to join.”

Ultimately, it seems clear that the answer is conversations between people. (Either that, or 42.)

Well, then brands got in the mix. And while “social” media aimed for authentic connection, it became—and continues to be—neither personal nor between friends, quickly resembling another paid advertising channel.

Facebook took notice. So, citing a focus on meaningful connection and “bringing people together,” Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg (yet again) announced some overhauls to the social network for 2018. What does that include? To start, the prioritization of stories from users’ family and friends, limiting distribution of public content from businesses and outright demotion of “engagement bait.”

Historically, Zuckerberg has been vocal about the company’s “responsibility to make sure our services aren’t just fun to use, but also good for people’s well-being,” so this most recent attempt to curate a more positive user experience is nothing new.

Facebook made a similar announcement in May of 2017 limiting the reach of posts that link to “low-quality web experiences.” More broadly, they’ve been shaping the user experience by means of their Community Standards for much longer.

Striking a balance between user experience and monetization is a delicate process, but the platforms call the shots… and increasingly pull the plug on the kind of lazy marketing that simply shouts at users, paying no mind to audience or context.

These changes are not insignificant for hospitality marketers, who are now faced with a new challenge: How do I shift my strategy?

Well unto this we say, “Don’t panic.” (Okay, last Hitchhiker’s reference, we promise…)

Here are some ways to shift your thinking and creatively stand out on the 2-billion-user social giant.

Take an editorial approach to content marketing

It’s no surprise that quality branded content is and will continue to be a potent strategy for your marketing. What defines quality? Think through who you’re trying to reach, and build toward creating interest, relevance and relationships with your guests.

  • Take a storytelling approach: focus on empathy and experiences.
  • Be sure your messaging is relevant and inspiring.
  • Make the content you create useful.

Even in the wake of changes to how social platforms organize and deliver content, what hasn’t changed is what travelers connect with: content that’s relevant, shareable and engaging.

One marketing tactic highlighted by Forbes is taking a straightforwardly editorial approach to content marketing, using human interest and engaging, accessible angles to make inspiration about your brand more shareable than ever.

Become the topic of conversation

If we know that Facebook’s aim is to bring the platform back to being a social network where conversations between people are the cornerstone, then ultimately, the exchange of stories between family and friends is the only truly organic reach you’ll have.

What’s more, no matter how creative your content, the power of a traveler speaking for you is unmatched.

Just know this: becoming the topic of guest conversations cannot be forced, and you can’t manufacture or mass-produce authenticity. However, you can empower travelers with the tools to kickstart those experiences by letting them tell their stories in warm ways.

So, how do you become the topic of conversation?

Spoiler alert: it starts by providing an incredible guest experience at your hotel, complete with stories worth sharing. (Breathe a sigh of relief. You’ve got this already.)

Another powerful way to become the topic of conversation? Encourage your travelers to become storytellers for your hotel. Why? Travelers are inspired by experiences, and they trust the folks they know.

Give them a platform to share, and pair it with experiences and conversions that make sense for this new audience. You’ll reach new audiences in the most trusted way possible, inspiring new travelers along their path to visit your destination.

Micro-influencers have powerful reach and can harness trust much more effectively than an ad ever could.

Reimagine an audience-focused approach to paid advertising

With these changes in mind, it’s apparent that paid will continue to be part of a well-rounded social strategy.

Yet in a day and age when travelers are constantly inundated with content and advertisements, it’s no surprise that reaching audiences with ads can be a challenge. Social audiences have learned to tune out content they don’t care to see—both actively and subconsciously.

So how do you thoughtfully and creatively engage travelers through advertising?

Apply the same principles of relevance, thoughtfulness, and storytelling to set yourself apart. When advertising your hotel, sell travelers on an experience instead of a price. Use simple, memorable and accessible imagery that conveys a story instead of a commodity.

Instead of using messages designed to be catchy or flashy, use what you know of your audience in order to tailor your message through the use of high-quality targeting, such as Facebook’s “custom audiences” feature.


At the end of the day, all three of these avenues build upon one another to tell a powerful story about your hotel and reach future travelers.

This is more than just our take—it’s also a cautionary tale: without authenticity and storytelling to back up your marketing, you’re fighting a losing battle against both your audience and your platform. So don’t find yourself left behind!

How are you adjusting to the shifting marketing landscape? What strategies have worked for you, and what other brands do you see making big strides? Join the conversation—we’d love to hear from you!

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