If you think social media is only a trend among teens and twenty-somethings, you’re mistaken. For instance, did you know that in 2014, for the first time, over half of online adults 65 and older indicated they use Facebook?

That was just one interesting nugget from a January report by the Pew Research Center on social-media demographics. The report also notes that 63% of online adults ages 50-64 use Facebook.

Taken together, these two age groups make up the entirety of the Baby Boomer generation — the generation that, TravelPulse reports, controls 70% of all disposable income in the U.S.

And, yes, in general the younger you go, the greater the percentage of online adults using a given social-media platform. Sticking with Facebook, which remains the most popular social-media site, the Pew report notes 73% of online adults ages 30-49 said they were users of the platform in 2014 (actually down a bit from 79% in 2013), as did 87% of online adults from 18 to 29.

In addition, Facebook users are highly engaged. The report says 70% of users visit the site daily, with 45% visiting several times a day.

Getting started

Essentially, if you’re not active on Facebook and other social-media platforms in your professional life, then you’re missing out on a key opportunity to connect with customers, and potential customers, of all ages where they dream and talk about their interests — including travel.

But if you haven’t been active on these platforms, where do you even start? Each platform has its own best practices as far as what and how often you should post, as well as its own demographics. Marion X. Bertaud, social media manager for Flight Centre USA, the parent company of GOGO Worldwide Vacations, suggests agents begin on a platform with which they are comfortable.

If you have been using Facebook on a personal basis and you’re comfortable with that platform, for example, then start there. Although Bertaud notes that you should create an account separate from your personal one for business purposes.

Bertaud, who previously consulted with businesses on launching and maintaining their social-media strategies, says of getting started, “It really all depends on which platform the agent chooses to be active on. Some platforms are more ‘needy’ than others, meaning you have to post more often.”

Twitter, for example, typically involves more frequent daily posts than Facebook, which is more demanding than Instagram, which is more demanding than Pinterest (scroll down below the break for a brief summary of some of the major social-media platforms).

If you don’t already have a social-media page dedicated to branding yourself or your shop, and you don’t have a preference for a given platform, Bertaud suggests starting with a LinkedIn account, which is more of a social network for professionals. “LinkedIn is not very demanding. You can repost articles on your news feed, which helps you keep your LinkedIn profile active and very searchable,” says Bertaud.

She adds that while a platform dedicated mainly to, and made up mostly of, working professionals may not seem like the ideal place to engage potential customers about vacations, it’s actually a good place to do just that. “Everyone who works — which makes up about 80% of LinkedIn users — wants to go on vacation,” she says. “Give them a break from the work articles they read on the platform and allow them a chance to dream for a few minutes!”

Your approach

Of course, there’s a lot more to social media than starting an account and making sporadic posts about offers. Social media at its core, after all, is more about becoming part of the conversation than taking a hard-sell approach or pushing products.

Bertaud suggests agents use social media to help potential customers dream. She says, “To help the social-media audience dream, you need to post up amazing and dramatic images that will make people wonder and start thinking of going to that or any other destination.”

Gauging responses will let an agent know when it’s time to interact. “You know when potential customers are ready to plan because they start engaging with you on social media. Usually they comment on a ‘dream’ image,’ by saying, ‘Oh that looks beautiful!’ or ‘I want to go there!’

“This is your time to introduce yourself and let them know you’re willing to start a discussion. But DON’T BE PUSHY. You can answer back with, ‘Yes, this is one of my favorite places to visit and I can help you plan it,’ or, ‘Hi, let me know when you are ready to plan. I am here for you.’”

Consistency is key

After you get started, keep at it! Building your brand on social media is not going to happen overnight, and Bertaud says a common misstep she sees is giving up too early. “After seven years of helping others, and myself, self-brand, what I notice is people tend to be at 100% for a month or two and then just sort of stop posting on their socials,” she says. “Although social-media platforms are forgiving if you ignore them, it actually looks bad on your end.”

People between the ages of 30-45 use social media as an alternative search engine to look for people and businesses, she says. She adds, “So if your profile has not been updated in more than six months, that’s like a grocery store keeping its expired products on the shelf: it looks bad, and you will lose potential customers.”

Bertaud notes that four-to-six months in the social-media world is like a decade in real life, so inactivity for that long is worse than having no social-media presence at all.

Some dos and don’ts

• With social media, be fun and positive! Don’t make negative posts, particularly ones that involve venting about your job or those you do business with.
• Obviously, stay away from posting material that may be offensive or insensitive.
• Avoid posting copyrighted images and material.
• Don’t post private information about your customers.
• If you are part of a larger agency, make sure to familiarize yourself with your company’s policies and guidelines for work-related social-media accounts, and keep your social-media manager informed regarding your activity.
• Take advantage of as many free features on a given platform as you can to increase your reach. Beyond that, paid features can help you target specific audiences and amplify your posts further, but Bertaud says you should try this only when you are comfortable and familiar with a platform. “I always say start small and don’t spend any money until you know enough or are using a platform often enough to pay additional fees to use it,” says Bertaud.

Below, we’ve made some notes on common social-media platforms: who uses them, how you should engage those people, and how often.

Facebook

Who’s using it? According to Pew Research, just about everyone: 71% of adult Internet users and 58% of the entire adult population. A majority in every age group among online adults uses the platform. Bertaud says Facebook is a good platform to reach both males and females in the 30-60 age range, particularly adults with young families.

What to post: Bertaud says as of 2015, you can no longer post deals without paying for an ad or boost post. Facebook, on its page for businesses, recommends posting consistently, using a healthy combination of timely text and high-quality images. Facebook’s example: when a holiday passes, post about the next holiday. The recommendation also suggests you review the performance of your posts to refine your approach.

Frequency: Bertaud recommends at least four posts a day during the week and twice a day on the weekends.

Twitter

Who’s using it? Pew Research says 23% of online adults use Twitter, and it is particularly popular with college-educated adults under 50.

What to post: You only have 140 characters in a Twitter post, so you have to keep it brief. Try to be fun, interesting, and informative, advises Bertaud.

Frequency: Twitter timelines move fast. If someone logs into his or her account 20 minutes after you make a post, that person may never even see it. Bertaud recommends 6-10 posts a day.

Pinterest

Who’s using it? According to Pew Research, 28% of online adults use this platform. This is another social-media platform that is not just for the young. Twenty-eight percent of online adults from 30-49 use it, and there was a big uptick in the number of users 50 and over from 2013-2014, Pew notes (27% of online adults from 50-64 in 2014 compared to 14% in 2013, and 17% of adults 65 and over in 2014 compared to 9% in 2013). Women dominate this platform, with 42% of adult online women using it compared to 13% for men.

What to post: Pinterest is an image-based social-media platform, and is built around posting and, importantly, sharing pictures and images you like. Bertaud says to think of Pinterest like the cork board in your kitchen when you consider content. If you’d put it on the cork board, chances are it fits on Pinterest.

Frequency: Three-to-five times a week should be good, according to Bertaud.

Instagram

Who’s using it? Mostly young users (53% of online adults from 18-29), although the 30-49 age group is also well represented (25%), according to Pew Research. Women are more likely than men to use it, but the split is not as dramatic as Pinterest.

What to post: Instagram is another image-based platform, although Bertaud recommends more adventurous and exciting images that would appeal to millennials, given the younger demographic.

Frequency: Bertaud suggests one-to-three posts a day during the week and one over the weekend.

LinkedIn

Who’s using it? This is the only platform in Pew’s study where the majority age group is not 18-29, although that age group saw a significant uptick in 2014 compared to the year before (23% of online adults in this group compared to 15% in 2013). The 30-49 and 50-64 age groups show the highest percentage of users (31% of online adults and 30% respectively). Even the 65+ age group grew in 2014, from 13% in 2013 to 21% in 2014, the study shows.

What to post: This is a social-media platform for professionals, but as Bertaud notes, don’t be afraid to engage users with the idea of travel.

Frequency: The least demanding platform, says Bertaud. Once a week is good, although it must be on a weekday. No weekend posts, she says.