Twitter marches on – but who has the most marketing mojo?

As micro-blogging tool Twitter continues its march into the mainstream media, so too are travel companies catching on. A lot has happened since I first asked the question, back in October: Why aren’t UK travel companies using Twitter?

The answer now is: they are.

If you just want to see who in the travel industry is using Twitter, and skip the waffle – then just click through to my updated Travel/Twitter hit list. It’s got rankings now too, so you can see who the “best” are (according to Grader that is – Southwest Airlines wins, by the way, with an impressive 99.9). Otherwise, please read on!

So why the growing uptake?

Followers

Firstly, Travel Trade Gazette (the publication I work for) has seen a staggering amount of travel companies follow it (@ttglive) on Twitter. A good sign.

Media

Last week, we heard how a passenger on the US Airways plane that crashed into the Hudson used Twitter (and Twitpic) to take a picture of the scene.

Before this, speculation over whether Jonathan Ross (aka @Wossy) would talk about Twitter with Sptehen Fry (@stephenfry) on TV, when his chat show returns. (See also Fry in Madagascar in my earlier post: Can Madagascar benefit from the celebrity factor?)

Blog coverage
I think it’s also a good idea to point to a few other blogs/news websites that have also commented on travel and Twitter. For my Travel/Twitter hit list, I’ve also borrowed some names from these too, so they’re also credits in a way. These include:

USA Today: Travelers, businesses find a timely tool in Twitter
(@RebeccaHeslin)

Which state gets the most out of Twitter?

The T-List Does Twitter: Join the Travel Twitterati!
(@elliottng)

Travolution Twitter archive
(@travolution)

The future

I think we’re going to see Twitter evolve more as a communcation tool, and less so as a marketing tool. My tip is that Boarding will become quite big.

The idea is that you tweet #boarding, and your airport code, to @boarding_, in order to find other stranded Twitter travellers. Airlines are also leading the way in the travel and tourism industry when it comes to Twitter, so watch this space…

For further reading, this blog wonders about the correct use of Twitter, from a brand perspective: How can brands use Twitter effectively?

And phew, you’ve made it through all these links, and are still reading. Well done!