Firms warned they must have a strategy for ‘switched on’ bloggers

Travel bloggers are potentially valuable for marketers but must be handled carefully as it becomes more commercialised, experts in a Travolution roundtable warned.

Travel bloggers are potentially valuable for marketers but must be handled carefully as it becomes more commercialised, experts in a Bazaarvoice and Unique Digital roundtable warned.

The event, held in conjunction with Travolution, saw panellists drawn from Avis, Hotels.com, Visit Britain, Thomas Cook, Souk360 and Lowcost Travel.

It discussed some of the latest trends in digital marketing and content creation and curation including how to exploit the increasingly influential world of travel blogs.

Phil Taylor, VisitBritain head of digital, said firms must develop a clear strategy as blogging shifts from an amateur pastime to a true commercial activity in its own right.

“The blogging space is becoming more commercial and there are constant pressures to pay for content – and we’ve just made it very clear that we don’t pay for content.

“It has caused us some issues, and it’s certainly not a popular decision among some of our bloggers, but we have made that very clear.”

And Kiri Nowak, SEO manager at Lowcost Travel Group, said: “We find building strong relationships with bloggers is the way forward and from an SEO perspective it is a good strategy moving away from the old link building techniques.

“But don’t be fooled. They are very switched on and understand where we are coming from as well. So you need to offer them something.”

To read the rest of the roundtable which has been split into six key themes, and to watch videos, go to the roundtable’s home page.