The new Facebook Events app and why tour operators should take note

Last week Facebook announced its new Events app, designed for experience seekers looking to discover nearby activities they can do alone or with their friends.

Facebook’s study shows more than 100 million people are browsing Facebook Events on a daily basis. It doesn’t surprise us, then, that they have decided to design a standalone mobile app, so people who are genuinely interested in finding unique things to do can actually do so without leaving Facebook.

Don’t let the word “Events” trick you into thinking this app is reserved for finding festivals, fairs or conferences. For tour operators, it actually represents an exciting additional marketing opportunity to tap into, with very little cost and effort involved.

What it means for the user:

• Event seekers are able to browse events wherever they are using the interactive map.
• Facebook will recommend nearby activities based on location, time and interests.
• Users are also able to search for activities in any city or location, if they’re planning ahead of a trip or holiday.
• They can keep track of all the upcoming events by syncing their availabilities with third party calendars such as Google Calendar.

What it means for you, the tour operator:

• Your tours can rise above the Facebook noise and reach only the relevant people who are genuinely using Facebook to find local things to do.
• You can leverage Facebook’s massive audience to promote your tours at no additional cost (paid advertising is also an option if you want to expand your reach further).
• If someone marks that they’re “interested” in your tour, it will show up on their friends’ feeds which is again free marketing!
• By integrating a Rezdy tab onto your FB page, you can direct the purchasing link directly to it so your customers can complete the booking without having to leave Facebook.

Quick tips for tour operators to get started with Facebook Events:

• Familiarise yourself with Facebook Events best practices.
• Invest 1 to 2 hours a week to create and publish selected tours on your Facebook page; complement them with outstanding imagery, detailed descriptions and clear terms and conditions.
• Connect Rezdy to your page so you can accept bookings directly through Facebook. Check out the Rezdy tab demo here.
• Share the events regularly via your Facebook page to generate buzz.
• Prioritise your tabs so Events and Bookings come higher up the menu. You will need to have at least one event created for the tab to appear.
• Ensure the location or departure point of your tour is precise so you can capitalise on people who like to discover and book activities at the last minute.

Remember: there are 100 million people looking at Facebook events on any given day. This is a huge audience. Companies like Google and Airbnb have already announced they were tapping into tours and activities, so ensure you take advantage of these important movements in our industry to further grow your business.