We’ve hosted travel writers for a long time. A piece in the travel section of a big newpaper is a big deal. A credible story put in front of a lot of consumers. The price? Hosting a travel writer. Some wining and dining and showing him or her the the best and unique places of a destination. Put your best foot forward, the payoff is huge.

Now we have bloggers. The new influencers of the modern age. More fragmented and different to work with but the same principle. It’s in your best interest that they also produce compelling stories.

These influencers fill the top of the funnel. They create awareness and consideration. They can put you on somebody’s shortlist. In an effective, efficient and credible way. That’s huge.

But do you know who influences the bottom of the funnel? Everybody.

The above picture is from Paul Adams, the Global Head of Brand Design at Facebook. He wrote a small but profound book called Grouped. You should read it.

In his book he explains how influence really works. People aren’t rational beings. We’re also social creatures. Our brains are wired they way they were tens of thousands of years ago. Technology and innovation goes much faster than evolution. This was true one thousand years ago and it’s true now.

What’s changed for us marketers is the internet. Before the internet there wasn’t a lot we could do about it. But now we can

If there are 10 destinations on somebody’s shortlist, it is very likely that the final decision is influenced by a family member, friend of co-worker.

I was reading through some old blog posts and realized it’s been 3 years since I wrote “Should the ‘M’ in DMO stand for Management instead of Marketing“.