Travel Business Social Media Strategy
“𝅘𝅥𝅯 I’ve got two tickets to paradise – honey, two tickets to paradise…𝅘𝅥𝅯 ”
That’s a catchy headline phrase from a great song and perhaps useable for an ad or social post for a travel agency. Yet would it align with your company’s travel marketing campaigns on social media?
Too often, agencies go willy-nilly with fun social posts, with no real resonant theme that impacts, engages and drives an actual booking. If we visualize the process, we’re far more likely to generate one powerful campaign theme that gets attention, enables impact, makes better assets, induces deeper engagement, generates better calls to action, and even improves publishing schedules. That overall theme powers lead-generating posts/ads for each social channel. Sound like a plan?
Let’s review this example program below, using some social media campaign theme ideas and a creation process to generate high-impact results to the best audience of couples who travel. It’s a lucrative audience, directed by females, for romantic adventures that bond them and make them feel more alive.
What’s the First Thing You Need to Do?
You’ll need to review your brand, UVP, travel products, and offer, to be clear about why the target audience would buy what you sell. Customers do want your product. We only need to understand the emotions/interests that will drive their engagement and bookings to build effective social media posts and ads.
We need to answer all the why’s. What is it we want to achieve and what KPIs will we use to measure campaign performance? Then we need to understand specifically who we’re targeting, keeping their traveler profile in mind as we develop campaign and content ideas, the social media content strategy, along with the engagement plan. The ideas/visuals must be appropriate for your specific audience. This process helps get all that stuff in order, to give your mind a break!
Once you’ve honed down your target audience profile, destinations, experiences and products, you’ll have a campaign that’s precise, well-conceived and testable. Because social media marketing/advertising success is discovered. Now you’ll get enough usable, reliable performance data from a well-designed campaign will tell you where the best opportunities are and how you can boost visibility, engagement and bookings.
8 Steps to an Actionable Social Media Campaign
1. Social Media Strategy Goals & Objectives
- Brand Awareness – Position agency as go-to for couple experiences.
- Engagement – Build a loyal community of traveling couples.
- Lead Generation – Drive inquiries/bookings via targeted content.
- Customer Trust – Share authentic experiences & testimonials.
2. Target Audience
- Couples aged 28–55, mid/high income.
- Seek romance, relaxation, cultural exploration.
- Active on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest.
3. Campaign Theme
- Unifying message – makes all posts relevant.
- Campaign/Brand Recognition – instant recognition and attention.
- Emotional resonance – focus on the cluster of emotions “joy of travel.”
- Higher ROI – a central creative hook has broader appeal and relevance.
4. Content Strategy
- Romantic Inspiration – Resorts, sunsets, spas.
- Adventure for Two – Tours, cruises, sightseeing.
- Extended Escapes – Condos/villas, ‘live like locals’.
- Testimonials – Real couple stories.
- Tips & Guides – Planning, packing, comparisons.
- Destinations – Europe, Caribbean, Mexico.
5. Posting Schedule
- Instagram: 4x weekly + Stories daily.
- Facebook: 3–4x weekly.
- TikTok: 2–3x weekly (trends, fun).
- Pinterest: 5–7 pins weekly.
6. Engagement Plan
- Reply to DMs/comments in 24h.
- Promote UGC with branded hashtags.
- Interactive polls (e.g. ‘Cruise or Resort?’).
- Partner with travel bloggers & influencers.
7. Paid Ads Strategy
- FB/IG ads: Retarget engaged users.
- Pinterest ads: Romantic getaway boards.
- Lead Magnets: Free ‘Couples Travel Guide’.
8. KPIs
- Engagement rate, follower growth.
- Website traffic from social.
- Leads & inquiries generated.
- Bookings and conversion rates.
9. Next Steps
- Choose top 3 destinations to promote first (practical and productive given smaller ad budgets)
- Create branded visuals & hashtags.
- Launch 90-day pilot campaign.
How about Some Campaign Ideas to Boost Our Creative Prowess?
Creatives tell a lot too. When you read travel ads or social posts, you can feel the pleasurable reward of travel and how the advertiser is trying to take control of your intent – connecting with you and giving you a nudge through the conversion funnel.
You’ll want to surf the web and doomscroll on travel posts to drink in some ideas. Visit some travel magazines and blogs that your customers like to visit. Note what’s compelling about those posts/images/stories right away. First impressions count. Create a brainstorming chart with your brand UVP in the middle (circled) as your core. Then in whatever way you like, begin writing down features, rewards, images, places, emotions, activities and anything else your audience is interested in.
After a while, you’ll begin to see which of them is most sensible and exciting for them. Think of the flow of events in your traveler’s visualization and the ones that might fit together. Because the copy, words, and images build emotions and get them activated. “Two tickets to paradise” would include plane tickets or cruiseline tickets and then visuals about traveling to the final destination — perhaps Tahiti, Bahamas, or Amalfi?
Ad/Post Theme: “Two Tickets to Your Paradise”
Headline: “Two tickets, one Paradise”
Text: “Tahiti, Bahamas, Amalfi, whichever you’re dreaming of”
Image: beach resort, with a couple walking on a sun-drenched beach with soft waves rolling in, warm colors, palms and blue sky.
After we establish the key set of drivers that attract couples to travel and book a trip, we turn to Gemini or ChatGPT to unearth some headlines that might catch traveling couple’s attention, impact them emotionally, and get them emotionally engaged in sub-campaigns on each social platform. We can run ads and publish posts for a few weeks to 90 days (boosting them) to determine which are worthwhile to pursue further.
Failing fast is a priority as we don’t want to drain the budget.
Generative AI platforms are great when you use effective prompts or questions continuously to dig down and flush out insights. ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini may come up with some wacky, irreverent ideas, but a few of them will be gems. We can work with (ChatGPT, Gemini or Hootsuite) continuously to craft each creative to make it as powerful as possible. Eventually, with your travel expertise, you must decide on which creatives/variations to use and how to edit them (ultimately, testing determines winners, not hunches).
After we see all of our ideas on a flow chart or on a spreadsheet, we can better see how they work together (or don’t). There is no software for this process. Mapping it out in a handwritten chart on a big piece of A4-sized paper is best. Then others on your team can enjoy this big picture view as well. It’s highly educational and engaging, which helps get everyone on the same page, so they understand their contribution and get immersed in it.
A social campaign theme has to be specific to generate impact on travelers. Your brand/UVP will shape the best campaign ideas. The overall theme will guide the tactics used in your posts. But first, we need to brainstorm lots of potential ideas! Creating and shaping them takes creativity, time and good judgment.
Campaign Ideas by Platform
Each platform has its own unique audience, style, and format. What works on Linkedin, likely won’t fly on Instagram or Tiktok. And I’ve heard enough crickets to know.
TikTok (short-form video, trends, aspirational energy)
- “Passport for the Two of Us”
Headline: “Your next stamp: together.”
Text: “Collect indelible memories, not things. One passport, two hearts, infinite adventures. Where’s your next stamp going?” - “Destination Duets”
Headline: “Two hearts, one destination”
Text: “Swipe through iconic couple spots—from Santorini sunsets to Amalfi rooftops with a view of the Mediterranean.”
Facebook (community + booking focus)
- “Escape Together”
Headline: “Your Next Couples Getaway Starts Here”
Text: “From romantic resorts to scenic tours, we craft the perfect trip for two. Start planning today.” - “Love at Sea”
Headline: “Couples Cruise Special – Set Sail for Romance”
Text: “Limited-time offers on unforgettable cruises for two. Don’t wait—adventure awaits!” - “Stay Longer, Love Stronger”
Headline: “Extended Stays, Endless Memories”
Text: “Condos and villas for couples who want more than a vacation—they want a love story abroad.”
LinkedIn (professional, partnership tone)
- “Romance is a Market”
Headline: “Couples Travel: The Untapped Growth Sector”
Text: “Our agency delivers curated romantic escapes. Let’s discuss partnerships that capture this rising demand.” - “Travel That Converts”
Headline: “Couples Campaigns That Drive Real Bookings”
Text: “From PPC to storytelling, we turn travel inspiration into measurable ROI for partners.”
- “Cruises as a Corporate Perk”
Headline: “Did You Know? Couples Cruises Make the Ultimate Loyalty Reward”
Text: “Work with us to design incentive packages that employees and clients will never forget.”
Instagram (visual inspiration + aspirational lifestyle)
- “Two Tickets to Paradise”
Headline: “Because sunsets are better shared”
Text: “Discover romantic escapes crafted for two. Explore now.” - “Couples That Explore Together…”
Headline: “…Stay Inspired Forever ”
Text: “From ancient streets to ocean waves, your love story deserves a beautiful backdrop.” - “The 7-Night Love Story”
Headline: “One Week. One Cruise. A Lifetime of Memories.”
Text: “Couples cruise packages designed for romance and adventure.”
Twitter (X) (short, witty, snappy hooks)
- “#CouplesGoals”
Tweet: “Skip Netflix & chill. Try Amalfi sunsets & thrill. #CouplesTravel” - “Cruise into Love”
Tweet: “Roses are red, oceans are blue, your next cruise is waiting, just for two. #TravelTogether” - “Love Extended”
Tweet: “Why go for a week when you can stay for a month? Extended condo stays = extended romance. #CouplesEscape”
Of course, all this creative brainstorming and more can last several days before we arrive at a set of campaign themes for each, and appropriate and believable for your agency/brand. It’s all about fit/adaptation which takes time to filter.
Executing Your Social Media Campaign
What was once laborious is now easier with tools available. Here are some helpful social media software solutions to choose from:
- Hootsuite – AI-powered platform with OwlyGPT, an AI assistant that scours live social feeds to help you create content, analyze performance, and build campaigns.
- Constant Contact (integrated with email) – basic social channel publishing
- Social Pilot – has AI Pilot, Ideate, Generate, and Rewrite Content With a Creative Wingman.
I didn’t mention Hubspot or Marketo or Adobe on purpose. Creative development should be conducted away from these marketing/publishing platforms. Creative imagination and play should be kept in their own area where you might generate amazing ideas.
It’s a fact that social media marketing is important to travel agencies, tour companies and DMOs. You can see how much work it is and the level of skill needed.
Social media campaigns can be very fruitful if you take time to build great creative with a clear purpose. Without such theme- driven processes, you might be flailing in the dark. There’s a big challenge here, but we can tame it.
Experience can help in high-performance campaign development, or it could hurt it. There are plenty of managers who believe in process, tools, and execution. Hopefully, you have some confidence now that you can create compelling, creative promotional campaigns as a whole, and make each platform develop leads.
Good luck generating more bookings via social media!
