There are many types of bloggers influencing travel without making a move themselves. Rather than sharing minute-by-minute updates of their trips like the bloggers mentioned in my last post, these travel bloggers often focus on the details and etiquette of business travel.
USA Today ranked the top 10 business travel bloggers. While all of these bloggers generally write about business travel, they each fill a specific niche. Ranked at number six, Business Travel Destinations helps readers plan where to stay for their business travel, and what to do while they are there.
Following at number five is Stuck at the Airport, which provides content that is focused on airport amenities with a few general travel tips. In third place is Smart Women Travelers. This focuses on topics regarding traveling as a parent, and health and fitness on the road. The winners of USA Today’s contest were chosen by how focused they were on professional travel, as well as their expertise with social media.
Social media, including blogs, is the online version of word-of-mouth (WOM). Blogs in particular are very valuable because of the way they are written. Many blogs that are written in a diary-style format provide readers with a more personal connection with the author. This WOM by customer advocates, i.e. bloggers who are advertising a company’s products or services, helps tremendously to increase brand influence and to gain trust with customers.
It is important for companies to reach out to the correct type of travel blogger. If the company is targeting professional business women, advertising on the blog Smart Women Travelers would be a good choice. In contrast, if the company was offering a special deal for a vacation, they would want to have a partnership with a leisure travel blogger. Many leisure travel bloggers may initially seem like the best choice to work with because of their extensive social media following. However, when choosing what type of blogger to work with, companies should put greater weight on how well the blogger matches up with their target audience.
Social Travel Guide 