While many industries have benefited from Instagram, the travel and tourism industry has received a big fillip ever since people from all over the globe have started to post about their travel experiences and exploring new cultures. Instagram travel influencers have played a big role in making destinations and experiences popular. They partner with a variety of brands spanning travel agencies, hotels, resorts, and spas to luggage manufacturers, and organizers of festivals, exhibitions, and shows, and more. Becoming an Instagram travel influencer can seem like a dream job. You can travel all over the world to beautiful destinations for free, and also get free travel gear in return for posting high-quality content. If you would like this kind of job profile, you need to know how to become a travel influencer and make a success of it. Some handy tips from the pros:
Adopt a Smart Username
The Instagram user name is your identity, so you need to have a name that is short and sweet. It will not only help them to associate travel with it but also they will find it easy to remember. You should ideally maintain consistency of the name across all other social media you may be using as it will help to establish your brand. It also prevents confusion among people who may encounter you on multiple social media channels. The secret to a good Instagram username is making it authentic, real, and relatable so that you can own it.
Find and Decide Your Focus
When you decide to become an Instagram travel influencer, you will discover that you are one of several thousand people with the same aspiration. However, finding yourself in a crowded field should not deter you as there are plenty of ways in which you can determine a niche and establish yourself within it. Remember that the difference between you and the rest is your personality, your penchants, interests, and dislikes. Try to establish your unique voice by combining your travelogues with your other interests to make your Instagram travel account truly one-of-a-kind. For example, you could build your travelogues around the things you are passionate about such as food, sports, culture, art, etc. This kind of cross-pollination of interests can straightway leapfrog you over the rest and put you in the company of a select few travel influencers and in a position to appeal to a target audience that is interested in not only travel but also the other passion. The sky is the limit as far as your positioning goes as an influencer. You can even convert a disability to an ailment into an asset. If, for example, you have a mobility issue, you can specialize in travel destinations and facilities that are disability-friendly. The secret to success is finding what you love, combining them, and presenting authentic content that enthralls. Of course, you can buy Instagram comments for nominal sums to swell your engagement rate and increase the number of your followers.
Learn To Take Outstanding Photos
Photos are what Instagram is all about, which is why if you are going to succeed as a travel influencer, you need to be able to shoot awesome photographs of your experiences. You don’t need to post professional photos because in any case, a lot of other businesses in the travel sector are going all out to post picture-perfect shots. What your target audience will be looking out for is authenticity and a great sense of composition that brings home your experience to them. While there is no need for you to invest thousands of dollars in buying professional photography equipment, it can still pay off to buy a decent DSLR with a set of good lenses and a tripod. However, if you are hard up for cash, you can make a start with your smartphone and learn how to shoot great photos with it. According to Forbes, shooting moving objects in burst mode can help you to get the perfect shot you are hankering after. You can add a lot of punch to your photos by standardizing on a theme and using editing effects, including filters. However, it is important to restrain yourself and ensure that your photos do not lose the authenticity for which you are loved by your followers.
Conclusion
While you master the art of identifying locations and the art of visual storytelling, your success as an Instagram travel influencer will generally be measured across two important parameters by brands. One is, of course, the number of followers, you have, and the other is your engagement rate. Building your follower base is an outcome of how well you can post content that resonates with your target audience. However, you can help the process by ensuring that you respond promptly to comments on your posts. A healthy rate of engagement will invariably translate to better collaborations with the travel industry.
