FEBRUARY 28,2024 WRITTEN BY: JULIA COX
Figure 1: Get More Out of Your Trip With Cheap Tickets (CheapTickets, No date)
In today’s digital age, the power of social media is undeniable. A single post can bring a brand into the spotlight, kick starting trends and opening gateways to new opportunities. With 62.3% of the global population scrolling through social feeds (Chaffey, 2024), every like, comment, and share is a chance to reach new audiences and get people buzzing about what you’re selling. This means that a strong social media marketing strategy is crucial for brand success. Staying ahead of social media trends is essential, as social platforms constantly evolve, increasing content that resonates with audiences. For businesses, leveraging these trends is key to enhancing visibility and engagement, making it a vital tool in connecting with the right audience (SocialBee,2024).
As of today, 68% of consumers turn to social media to discover new products and services, while many seek out exclusive deals (Karlovitch, 2023). This highlights social media’s critical role in merging product discovery with convincing promotions, providing a unique opportunity for brands to captivate and engage their target market.
Ever found yourself drooling over a travel destination you saw on Instagram? you are not alone. A massive 75% of travelers get their trip inspiration from social media platforms (Hinton and Richter, 2023). It’s especially big with the younger crowd, like Gen Zers and Millennials, who are all about turning their feed finds into real-life adventures.
Figure 2: CheapTickets Support (CheapTicket Support Options, no date)
Introduction to CheapTickets
Traveling is a universal love affair, but let’s face it, it can also be a bit of a wallet-drainer. CheapTickets aims to be the company that allows you to “Go & Smell the Roses” without having to spend a fortune. A travel site that offers boundless experience packages, including flights and hotels, at a fraction of the price to a popular destinations of your choice.
Critical Analysis
Cheap Tickets has a powerful social media presence on a majority of popular platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. As of February 27th, 2024, the Social media presence of Cheap Tickets include the following:
Figure 3: Social Media Audit of CheapTickets (Author’s Own, 2024)
Despite their strong presence on social media, the travel industry is a very competitive field. Cheap Ticket is competing against well-established companies. The below figure is a competitor social media audit.
Figure 4: Competitors Social Media Audit (Authors Own, 2024)
Strengths and weaknesses of Social media content:
Strengths:
INCENTIVES for Students
Figure 5: Incentives for Students on Social Media Platforms
Providing discounts to students not only appeals to a younger demographic but also sets your brand apart, fostering loyalty in a competitive subscription-based economy where initial impressions are key (Januszkiewicz, 2022). CheapTickets student discounts illustrate the Long Tail Theory by targeting a specific, niche market. This approach taps into the diverse demands of smaller customer segments, like students seeking budget-friendly travel, by using this theory’s principle of finding value in catering to unique needs within this digital market.
Hashtags
Figure 6: Hashtags on Social Media Platforms
Cheap Tickets boosts its online visibility by using relevant hashtags, making it easier for a broad audience to find affordable travel deals and locations. This strategic approach helps attract more customers searching for budget-friendly travel options.
Short Video Content
Figure 7: Short Video Engagement
CheapTickets uses the storytelling theory through a TikTok video, showcasing potential travel experiences to inspire viewers. By presenting a dreamy preview of what one’s camera roll could look like after traveling with them, they tap into the audience’s aspirations and emotions, making the idea of booking a trip more enticing and personal.
Weaknesses:
inFrequent Posts
Figure 8: Infrequent Posts on Social Media
A notable weakness in Cheap Tickets’ marketing strategy is their prolonged absence from social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Maintaining an active presence on social media platforms is vital for any brand’s expansion. By posting on social media frequently, you ensure your audience remains captivated, transforming casual followers into loyal customers and elevating your business’s overall performance is a powerful tool to put your brand ahead(Smith, no date).
Negative Reviews
Figure 9: Negative Comments on Social Media
Cheap Tickets social media is buzzing, but for the wrong reasons- loads of negative comments. Negative comments are a big deal when it comes to a business; they could cause doubt in customers and hurt the business. In the fast-paced world of social media, bad reviews travel fast and can put the company’s reputation on the line.
no Cross-posting on social media platforms
Figure 10: Cross-Posting on Social Media Platforms
Cheap Tickets doesn’t promote or discuss discounts across all social media platforms. This might lead to some followers missing out on exclusive deals if they only follow the brand on specific platforms. Cross-posting content is the way to encourage followers to engage with Cheap Tickets across multiple channels, potentially increasing their chances of catching the best travel deals.
Recommendations
After looking over the social media audit for Cheap Tickets, their second highest follower base is on Instagram, but according to their social traffic in Figure 11 below, Instagram is part of the 8.76% of other social traffic for this brand, which is very low when it comes to the other platforms that have fewer followers.
Figure 11: Social Traffic (SimilarWeb,2024)
To increase traffic to their Instagram, I recommend the brand focus on posting more frequently. Consistent posting is favored by social media Algorithms across all platforms, as it ensures users receive engaging, valuable, and relevant content. To ensure consistency in their content posting, a social media content calendar can become very beneficial for Cheap Tickets by fostering regular engagement across all platforms. Strategically posting content around key dates, holidays and campaign launches that align with their business goals.
For Cheap Tickets, actively responding to social media comments is crucial for enhancing customer satisfaction and brand recall. Sprout Social’s research indicates that brands engaging with comments are 51% more memorable(2023). This strategy is vital in this competitive industries, ensuring customers feel heard and valued. By prioritizing feedback, Cheap Tickets can strengthen customer loyalty.
Figure 12: Social Media Zone Reading ( New Mexico State University,2023)
To elevate their social media presence, Cheap Tickets can use the Social Media Zone Theory by crafting engaging content that can be cross-posted across all their active platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook. By tuning into audience preferences, they can spark travel inspiration with captivating videos, stunning photos, interactive polls, and quizzes, fostering discussions that ignite wanderlust. This strategy not only enhances engagement but also builds a vibrant community eager for their next adventure..
References
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