Blog trips are an excellent means to generate online exposure for a destination. By hosting a select group of travel bloggers, a tourism board, airline, hotel (chain) and/or tour operator can benefit greatly from the writing and photography skills of bloggers as well as from the their online social networks. Blog trips can help to create an online buzz not once but three times.
The iambassador model adds a fourth round of buzz!
iambassador maximises the value generated by blog trips by turning the bloggers into digital ambassadors for the destination. Designed by Keith Jenkins, it is an innovative marketing model which effectively harnesses the value that travel bloggers can deliver through their blog content and social networks. The model involves a collaboration between influential travel bloggers and their blog trip sponsors and is designed to generate social media exposure centred on the destination as well as increase brand visibility of the sponsors.
A core group of influential travel bloggers
iambassador works with a core group of some of the most influential travel bloggers who specialise in a variety of niches. This ensures quality content that’s varied as well as an expansive global reach through the blogs and the bloggers’ social media channels. These bloggers have been selected for their high level of professionalism, proven blogging skills, experience with blog trips and their wide social media networks. A pool of travel bloggers is available to supplement the core group at any time.
Fully customisable
The iambassador product can be customised to meet your requirements and/or budget. For instance, a social media event can be organised as a stand-alone campaign (i.e. without a preceding blog trip) and whilst Twitter and facebook are the primary platforms used during the campaign, other social media platforms like Pinterest can also be added. Moreover, sponsors can determine the duration of the campaign (typically 1-7 days) and the number of participating bloggers.
Who is iambassador for?
The iambassador model involves a collaboration between travel bloggers and the tourism industry. The product can be utilised by tourism boards, tour operators, cruise companies, airlines and/or hotel chains (including PR’s who represent them) to market a specific destination or travel theme (adventure, cruises, gastronomy, safaris, city trips or beach holidays to name a few). The iambassador model is perfect for those who have organised a blog trip in the past or those who are in the planning stages of organising a blog trip.
We could not be more delighted with the success of iambassador and are proud to have been the first to pursue this venture with Keith. The campaign surpassed any expectations we may have had, with many travelers expressing their excitement about booking a trip to Jordan after learning so much about it from the campaign. We hope to continue working with innovative bloggers, such as Keith, in the future. – Jordan Tourism Board
Please note that the iambassador bloggers maintain full editorial control of content published on their blogs and via social media channels.
