It seems a long time since Facebook entered our lives. Designed as a method for university students to check out fellow students, it has now become a worldwide force in our personal – and business – lives. The benefit to the travel advisor is that Facebook is an incredibly easy way to market your services.

Independent advisors have limited time for marketing. Given the primary choices of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or Instagram (and whatever else is around the corner) I have to say that Facebook gets my vote. It’s huge, it combines words and visuals and it’s the perfect demographic if, like many advisors, your clientele is in the 45-65 age bracket.

So do you need a separate account for your travel business? Not any more. Our personal lives are so interwoven with our business lives that your personal life – including your travels – is now an important element of your ‘brand’.

Which is why you want to be sure to manage your Facebook image. Your personality should shine through as positive, loving what you do, informed and trustworthy. Tempting as it might be, don’t use your Facebook account to gripe about suppliers, a hideous airport experience or to air your personal views on politics.

Here are some more quick tips:

• Try to post daily. Programs such as Hootsuite allow you to write several posts at once but have them ‘stored’ to be posted daily.
• Post lots of photos of your own travels, past and present (visuals have been proven to get more engagement). Ask your clients’ permission to post their holiday pix and videos as tangible proof of how you make travel dreams come true.
• Ask questions (e.g. “What’s at the top of your bucket list?” “What do you think is the most romantic city in the world?”) By engaging your Facebook friends you strengthen the relationship.
• Join Facebook groups based on your interests (skiing, gardening) or business sector (hotels, tour operators) and befriend suppliers’ pages. Chime in with responses to questions and showcase your expertise and willingness to help.

As an independent travel advisor your image or ‘brand’ is one of your strongest assets. Why not build it quickly, easily and affordably with Facebook?