LinkedIn is a great resource for connecting with fellow professionals, promoting your personal brand or reaching a business audience with your product or service.
But it is also increasingly being used by B2C brands. For travel brands, embracing a platform with 839 million users – effectively a social network in business casual clothing – makes perfect sense when it comes to building better connections with audiences.
The statistics say it all
Out of all the social media channels, LinkedIn is the top for lead generation, boasting a 200 per cent higher engagement rate than other social media platforms and a visitor-to-lead conversion rate that’s almost 300 per cent higher than Facebook or Twitter.
LinkedIn users are fairly evenly split between men and women, with more than half of the users aged 25 to 34 and working in decision-making positions. In fact, 80 per cent of LinkedIn users are senior-level influencers and C-suiters.
Many LinkedIn users have cash to spend, with about 20 per cent of them Millennials who love to shop online, a demographic shown to have 200 per cent more buying power than the average online audience.
LinkedIn’s reputation as a reliable source of information is a boon to B2C marketers, with more than 70 per cent of consumers saying they’re more likely to consider a new brand if they hear about it first on LinkedIn.
Despite consumers’ preference for learning about new products via LinkedIn word of mouth, less than 5 per cent of all B2C marketers prioritise LinkedIn as a marketing platform. And with advertising prices almost 30 per cent lower than with Google, and a more clearly defined user demographic, the time is ripe for brands to tap into the potential of this underused social network.
The travel brands getting it right
Travel brands are finding LinkedIn to be a great resource for attracting new customers with marketing campaigns founded on high-value elements such as aspiration, innovation, social issues and quality.
After all, travel is something that connects us all and has increasingly become a luxury that people expect to enjoy. Recent research from Marriott International found that British travellers expect to travel at least five times in 2025.
McKinsey also found that an expanding base of aspiring luxury travellers is willing to spend larger shares of their wealth on upscale travel experiences. In fact, luxury travel (defined by those who spend more than $500 a night on hotel stays) isn’t just dominated by millionaires. Those who earn between $100,000 and $1 million now make up 35 per cent of the market. And, by 2028, the age group spending the most on luxury travel will be aged between 40 and 50, followed by the 50-60 age group.
With all this in mind, LinkedIn becomes a valuable tool for establishing brand recognition and building a connection with consumers. Here are five travel industry brands getting their marketing right by using LinkedIn to inspire and inform audiences.
Flash Pack offers boutique group adventures for solo travellers in their 30s and 40s, which is an ideal fit with LinkedIn users and the type of content they share. The group shares real-life stories and articles covering inspirational content that sparks wanderlust and cultivates an emotional connection to the brand. Flash Pack has used LinkedIn as part of a wider B2C strategy that has seen the brand amass a community of over 130,000 followers in more than 15 different countries.
With its collection of luxury Greek holiday destinations, Ikos Resorts has historically used LinkedIn to share B2B messaging. Recently, the brand has made the shift towards using it as a B2C communication tool, with a particular focus on highlighting its impressive green credentials - something that is of increasing importance for responsible travellers - and multiple awards. The hospitality brand has found LinkedIn to be an excellent platform for hotel social media content, capturing the imagination of travellers looking for luxury travel experiences, while also showcasing employment opportunities and the unique experiences at its resorts for travel agents to show clients.
Qantas is using LinkedIn to create feel-good travel social media content, including profiles and interviews with Olympians in the 2024 Paris Olympics plus daily photos and videos showing crew and staff behind the scenes. The international airline’s storytelling approach is utilised to build trust and a powerful bond with the company, while attracting new employees around the world with a significant focus on recruiting through the platform
Black Tomato is an award-winning creator of unique tailored travel experiences and uses LinkedIn to post B2B messaging as a leader in luxury travel. With its focus on dynamic, luxury travel focused around creating unique experiences, its target audience is the same ambitious professionals who use LinkedIn daily. Black Tomato hooks their attention by posting enthusiastic updates on the latest travel destinations visited by its employees. The posts bring a personal touch as they are written by travel buffs who project the travel company’s welcoming and wholesome brand image.
Luxury hotel chain Marriott Bonvoy dedicates a lot of its marketing efforts, particularly through its LinkedIn pages. Much is aimed at travelling executives in the B2C market, showcasing the diversity of its brand with some of the most eye-catching festivities held at its hotels around the world. The brand is a prolific producer of behind-the-scenes travel social media posts, showing how properties are transformed for big events while promoting a connection between sports and travel. It also takes a playful approach to its business audience, for example, showcasing incredible pools alongside a tongue-in-cheek post about how 15-minute breaks every hour boost productivity.
Find your audience
When it comes to marketing on social media, sometimes it’s the unexpected approaches that get the best results. If high-flying go-getters are among your target audience, LinkedIn is a great platform to find them. There you’ll be able to reach out to motivated travellers who speak your language. Consider using LinkedIn to create hotel social media content that works on both a B2B and B2C level, and find a new way to reach those travellers willing to pay top dollar for unique experiences.
Peregryn Agency specialises in helping travel brands communicate their message to diverse audiences through web content and social media marketing. We’re waiting to help take your brand to the next level.
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