The Social Technographics® Of US Online Travelers

User-generated content influences travelers' booking decisions, and travel eBusiness professionals know that they need to address their customers' needs for social media on their Web sites. Creating an effective social media strategy requires deeper insight into travelers' engagement with social media. By applying Forrester's Social Technographics® categorization to US online travelers, we learn that only a small percentage of travelers actually create content online. A much greater number read, watch, organize, and share content with their friends. Choosing which technologies to employ — whether that's blogs, RSS, podcasts, social networks, or the next hot thing — must come after a thorough analysis of your customers and your strategic objectives. To illustrate how travel sellers can apply Social Technographics to their own strategies, we present a case study of Delta Air Lines, analyzing how well Delta's existing social media strategy aligns people and technology with the airline's stated marketing objectives.