Branding social media in the travel industry

Abstract

It has been established that strong social media brands are important in the travel and tourism industry. Social media brands provide the link between customers and the travel firms and customers may or may not develop a degree of loyalty to brands. The present study suggests that trust in a social media brand has high influence in developing of brand loyalty. Based on hypotheses developed, trust in a travel social media brand is influenced by brand characteristics, company characteristics and customer characteristics. The present survey took place in Greece and examined the attitudes of visitors in the cities of Thessaloniki and Athens. The survey results demonstrate that social media brand characteristics appear more important in their impact on a customer’s trust in a brand. It was also established that trust in a travel social media brand is positively influencing brand loyalty. Finally, recommendations are developed for social media marketers in relation to building and maintaining customer trust in a brand.