There’s a very interesting post over at Marketing Pilgrim, about a study showing that 93% of American consumers want to see businesses on social media sites.

I see a few take home points for Alaska tour operators:

• People want use social media to solve problems and to conduct research
• Potential visitors will be looking for reviews and comments from your past customers
• Businesses should not use social media only as a means to force branding messages, but rather a means for open discussion and evaluation of products and services

The research suggests that people won’t necessarily use social media to evaluate businesses often, but I think social media could be particularly important for those researching their once in a lifetime trip to Alaska. Many people will do significant research for their Alaska vacation, and social media profiles, along with open discussion and positive feedback from past guests, could make your business stand out in the crowd.