The travel industry, which creates a multibillion-dollar industry composed of airlines, hotels and other aspects of travel such as car rentals, has made an attempt to appeal to more customers and achieve loyalty by reaching out through social networks such as Twitter and Facebook which have loyal and dedicated users.

Hotels have begun to promote their properties using established blogs and use sites such as Facebook to collect feedback about services and keep an eye on trends as they form. Social media and communications manager from Virgin America, Jill Fletcher, said that “social media is about the change the way we do things entirely.” It’s possible for companies to publish information over social networks about mistakes they’ve made or if the weather is going to have an impact on upcoming plans. The information doesn’t take as long to reach everyone and can be read on mobile devices, computers or spread by word-of-mouth.

Social media is becoming the preferred way to make purchases or reservations or even discover where to eat. Southwest Airlines has three individuals hired specifically to respond to and monitor questions that are sent through social-media networks. Those looking to buy tickets for Delta airlines can do so using their Facebook page.

The Marriott launched a page on Facebook to provide information about the chain and other relevant information that may be useful to their customers. The Hyatt created a virtual concierge using Twitter with staffers ready to answer any questions within the hour they were posted regarding where the best places to eat are or if a check-in is going to be late. It has evidently been very useful and was a smart decision since it has over 12,000 followers and has been copied by the Hilton.

The primary reason that companies in the travel industry want to establish themselves on social networks is because they want to keep a steady stream of customers as opposed to an individual transaction. Loyalty is encouraged by using incentives and freebies on Facebook and Twitter for followers or fans, who can receive discounts.

Some companies are also offering bloggers discounts and running giveaways to promote them to their network of friends and family members. To promote the opening of its 500th hotel, Country Inns & Suites actually offered free seven-day trips to bloggers with a large social media following. Loyalty members of other chains, such as the Marriott, have offered incentives such as free stays for promotional material.

Social media is also being the place that attempts to draw in larger groups for conventions, which have seen a significant decline since the recession hit. Social networking sites are the new advertising front and continue to spread in influence. Companies are recognizing that the younger crowd considers email as old school and, to reach the demographic, you need to channel them through means they are comfortable with and can access through mobile phones.

As an incentive for customers to promote a company or service the companies are giving loyalty points in exchange for promotion on Foursquare or Facebook, which are location-based social-networking tools. While it’s not exactly possible to determine how effective the social media efforts are on profits, it does appear that they are headed in the right direction. Experts warn that these companies should not abandon the older generation that have not embraced technology like the younger ones and still use human contact as the primary method of communication.

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When Joe Hall isn’t writing software, hes usually blogging or annoying people on Twitter. But don’t let that fool you, he does it all on the beach! Joe is the originator of Myrtle Beach Hotels.