A STRATEGIC DIGITAL LEVER: SOCIAL NETWORKS

How has the world changed with the arrival of social networks? and in the world of tourism?

Photo by Tracy Le Blanc from Pexels

The evolution and spread of the various Social Media platforms have represented a revolution in the way we socialize. Initially created as a simple showcase for posting photos and videos, they have become a means of shortening distances, speeding up communication, and changing the habits of millions of people. These changes have progressively influenced the communication and marketing strategies of hotel companies. First of all, to understand this phenomenon it is necessary to give a definition of Social networks.

What are Social Media platforms?

According to the Treccani dictionary, they are “web platforms that allow the creation of virtual social networks, enabling users, usually after registering and creating a personal profile protected by a password, to share textual content, images, video, and audio and to interact with each other, as well as the possibility of searching in the database of the IT structure”.

This term derives from the English social, which means social and social/communication network. It is therefore a tool for exchanging content between millions of people quickly and easily.

According to a survey by WeAreSocial in the first half of 2021, the use of these platforms grew by 13% compared to 2020 with approximately +4.20 billion active users (about half a billion new users, or about 1.3 million users every day, or 15 people per second).

The use of social networking platforms — Source: WeAreSocial

The time spent on these platforms has also increased, with an average of around 2 hours and 25 minutes per day worldwide. However, this figure varies from country to country, and at the extremes, we find the Philippines with 4 hours on one side and Japan with 51 minutes on the other. In Italy, the time spent on social media is about 1 hour and 52 minutes below the world average.

Average time spent on social networks — Source: WeAreSocial

The age group that uses social media the most is between 25–34 (32%), followed by 18–24 (25.2%) and with increasing age, the percentages decrease to 4% in the 65+ age group.

However, what are the main reasons for joining and using these platforms?

- To be updated on the latest news and events (36%);
- For entertainment and entertaining content (35%);
- To fill the free time available (34%);
- To be aware of what friends are doing (33%);
- Sharing photos and videos with other people (27.9%);
- Researching products to buy (27.5%);
- Networking and meeting new people (26.8%);
- Because there are many friends who are members of these platforms (25.1%);
- Sharing one’s opinion (23.1%);

Another important element is to identify which platforms are most used worldwide. This gives you an overview of the platforms globally so that you can sign up and reach as many people as possible (consider the target audience you are referring to, as each platform has its own specific characteristics).
As the chart below shows, Facebook is the number one platform used worldwide in terms of a number of users, followed by YouTube, WhatsApp, FB Messanger, and Instagram.

Most used social networking platforms in the world Source: WeAreSocial

A look at Italy shows that active users on these platforms in 2021 will be about 41 million, a +6% compared to 2020. The time spent on the Internet reaches 6 hours a day, of which about 1 hour and 50 minutes within social networks. The importance of audio content such as podcasts and games is growing, with high growth rates. In addition, 31.4% of users who use social platforms are looking for or offering work.

The most used platforms in Italy are:
- YouTube (85.4%)
- WhatsApp (85.1%)
- Facebook (80%)
- Instagram (67%)

Based on the above research and data, the growing importance of these platforms has been highlighted and they cannot and should not be underestimated or ignored by tourism operators. In particular, hotels must take advantage of this digital revolution to increase visibility and consequently maximize profit. In the next sub-chapter, we will analyze the impact of social platforms on the Travel Journey and the strategies that hoteliers can adopt to increase their competitiveness.

Thank you very much for reading my article and if you are interested in this topic, don’t miss out on my other articles.

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