How to manage your digital communication as a tourism professional during the Covid-19 crisis

At a time when the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and restrictive measures are being taken around the world, we feel it’s essential to take stock of the digital communications to be adopted by tourism professionals.
Indeed, our sector is one of the first to be affected by this crisis.
In a context of confinement, social networks play a vital role for all brands, as it is on this channel that travelers will seek answers to their questions and a little escape.

I want you to know that our entire team is at your disposal to help you, customers, partners or otherwise.
If we don’t pull together at this time, the disaster will be even greater.
Don’t hesitate to contact us via our contact form for a kind, non-commercial reply, and to get a personalized response, because every communication is different depending on the type of player.

Here are the key points to take into account in order to manage this crisis on social networks:

1/ Monitor your web and social media environment

Whether on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, take into consideration all the comments and private messages and personalize each response.
You can work on language elements beforehand to save time, because in this context, it’s often the same questions that come up.

Monitor your competitors on a daily basis, to find out what they’re doing, and highlight any reviews or comments they’ve received on their networks that could have a direct impact on you too.
It’s also imperative to monitor your profile frequently, so you can quickly pick up on any exchanges or mentions and react to them if necessary.

Look beyond social networks: blogs, forums, national, regional, general and specialized media.
The Google Alerts tool can help you with this daily monitoring.

2/ Be highly responsive

The coronavirus / Covid-19 crisis situation is constantly evolving, with new measures being taken every day.
Your social media communication must be in line with these measures.
If you don’t speak up first, others will and are likely to spread erroneous or truncated information.
We’re talking here mainly about foreign destinations that are closing their doors to French travelers, or travel agencies and tour operators who are the first to be affected.

Use official websites such as France Diplomatie to disseminate the right information in real time to your community.
Be transparent in your communication and explain the facts to build trust.

3/ Continue to communicate, but differently

Despite the crisis, we must continue to communicate, but differently.
Why continue to communicate?
Because, quite simply, if you stop communicating, you leave room for your competitors.
Admittedly, we’re in the midst of one of the biggest global crises ever, but it will end one day.
And when it’s time to get back to normal, if you haven’t communicated for a while, the social networking algorithms will make you invisible.
So here are our communication tips for Covid-19:

• Reduce the frequency of your publications, to between one and two posts per week maximum.
• Reduce your social media advertising budget and keep campaigns aimed solely at generating awareness and interaction.
• No commercial offer
• Focus on inspirational and different posts.
  For example, talk about gastronomy with a recipe from a particular country that you can make at home, feature a book or novel about a country, highlight a game typical of a destination.
• Continue to talk about your destinations and activities without making them the main topic
• For the B2B sector, you can focus on posts explaining the impact of the virus on your company and the measures put in place for the well-being of your employees, or you can write blog articles on specific subjects to encourage reading during the time of confinement.

In conclusion, be more connected than ever on your social networks during this period.
Monitor your pages on a daily basis, respond clearly and quickly to your community’s questions, and more than ever, work on your communications in a disruptive and intelligent way, with an eye to the post-crisis period.

As a communications agency specializing in tourism, our customers and partners are the first to be affected by this crisis.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
We’re here to help, and our hearts go out to you in these difficult times.

“There is no happiness without courage, nor virtue without struggle.”Jean-Jacques Rousseau