Social Media and Sustainable Tourism Marketing …
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5 Results and Analysis
The interviews covered three dimensions identified as the most relevant to the
research, as described in the methodology. Based on the owners/managers’ perceptions, the dimensions are: (1) the importance of and the current use of SM in the
promotion of tourism businesses and activities (in general); (2) the current and future
use of SM to promote activities and/or experiences within the VCLG; and (3) the
implementation of sustainable tourism practices and its promotion through SM.
Regarding the first dimension under analysis, all respondents are unanimous in
recognizing the importance of using SM for the promotion of tourist activities. The
resulting key topics are the importance of using SM: the types of use, how to manage
the investment, the human resources, and recognition of the key advantages.
All of the surveyed professionals value and use social networks as a tool for
external communication, but mostly in their informational aspect and not in the
commercial approach. From the recorded discourse, it was possible to conclude that
the professional approach to social networks is done in a poorly planned, amateur
manner and without exclusively dedicated human resources, mainly due to a lack
of investment capacity. As EAT1 underlines ‘the company does not have human
resources dedicated exclusively to social networks. I manage the content with myself
and an employee, but we accumulate with other functions. And we recognize that
we are self-taught, we have no training in social networks and digital strategies, as
today young people, regardless of their training area, have’. The exception to this
reality is presented by EAT5, which highlights its professionalism: ‘the company
has a digital marketing professional to work with SM and Google components’.
Despite this reality, the entities interviewed underline the recognition of the need
to professionalise this area. An example of this reality is assumed by EAT7, which
already has a contract established with a full-time professional to produce content
for SM.
The SM most used by respondents are Facebook and Instagram. In addition,
EAT1, EAT2 and EAT4 use LinkedIn and WhatsApp, while EAT6, EAT4 and EAT7
use YouTube. With regard to Twitter, only EAT6 mentions its use.
In general, the companies surveyed are aware of the specificities of the different
social networks. EAT7 states that ‘the Facebook and Instagram audiences are
different. The audience that follows us on Facebook is older, while the Instagram
audience is younger’. EAT5 stresses that ‘Instagram allows us to get more value out
of images’. Despite these findings, most respondents do not differentiate content due
to these particularities. However, EAT4 uses action cameras (GoPro) for the specific
production of video content for YouTube, considering in the short term the acquisition of a drone to professionalise its presence in this social network. EAT7 also
recognizes that ‘Facebook posts should have more text and Instagram more images’.
In terms of investment types, there was a clear division between companies that
invest in paid content (EAT5, EAT7) and those that choose only an organic presence (EAT1, EAT2, EAT4 and EAT6). The reasons for these differences are based
on the limitations of the company’s financial capacity (‘We do not invest because
309
5 Results and Analysis
The interviews covered three dimensions identified as the most relevant to the
research, as described in the methodology. Based on the owners/managers’ perceptions, the dimensions are: (1) the importance of and the current use of SM in the
promotion of tourism businesses and activities (in general); (2) the current and future
use of SM to promote activities and/or experiences within the VCLG; and (3) the
implementation of sustainable tourism practices and its promotion through SM.
Regarding the first dimension under analysis, all respondents are unanimous in
recognizing the importance of using SM for the promotion of tourist activities. The
resulting key topics are the importance of using SM: the types of use, how to manage
the investment, the human resources, and recognition of the key advantages.
All of the surveyed professionals value and use social networks as a tool for
external communication, but mostly in their informational aspect and not in the
commercial approach. From the recorded discourse, it was possible to conclude that
the professional approach to social networks is done in a poorly planned, amateur
manner and without exclusively dedicated human resources, mainly due to a lack
of investment capacity. As EAT1 underlines ‘the company does not have human
resources dedicated exclusively to social networks. I manage the content with myself
and an employee, but we accumulate with other functions. And we recognize that
we are self-taught, we have no training in social networks and digital strategies, as
today young people, regardless of their training area, have’. The exception to this
reality is presented by EAT5, which highlights its professionalism: ‘the company
has a digital marketing professional to work with SM and Google components’.
Despite this reality, the entities interviewed underline the recognition of the need
to professionalise this area. An example of this reality is assumed by EAT7, which
already has a contract established with a full-time professional to produce content
for SM.
The SM most used by respondents are Facebook and Instagram. In addition,
EAT1, EAT2 and EAT4 use LinkedIn and WhatsApp, while EAT6, EAT4 and EAT7
use YouTube. With regard to Twitter, only EAT6 mentions its use.
In general, the companies surveyed are aware of the specificities of the different
social networks. EAT7 states that ‘the Facebook and Instagram audiences are
different. The audience that follows us on Facebook is older, while the Instagram
audience is younger’. EAT5 stresses that ‘Instagram allows us to get more value out
of images’. Despite these findings, most respondents do not differentiate content due
to these particularities. However, EAT4 uses action cameras (GoPro) for the specific
production of video content for YouTube, considering in the short term the acquisition of a drone to professionalise its presence in this social network. EAT7 also
recognizes that ‘Facebook posts should have more text and Instagram more images’.
In terms of investment types, there was a clear division between companies that
invest in paid content (EAT5, EAT7) and those that choose only an organic presence (EAT1, EAT2, EAT4 and EAT6). The reasons for these differences are based
on the limitations of the company’s financial capacity (‘We do not invest because