The document discusses lessons learned from Expedia's use of social media. It provides an overview of Expedia's brands and operations. Case studies describe Expedia's social media strategy and tactics for its main website and recruiting channels. Key lessons include starting simply, focusing on quality over quantity, measuring engagement over followers, leveraging employee advocacy, and accepting the organic nature of social media.

1. Social Media: Lessons Learned at
Expedia from the Trenches
Kristin Graham
VP, Global Recruiting & Engagement
Expedia, Inc.
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2. Today’s Topics
• Expedia, Inc. – One company, many brands
• Case study: Expedia.com
• Social Media and Recruiting
• Lessons Learned (along the way)
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3. Quiz!
Which major airline has never put their
inventory on an online travel agency?
Southwest
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4. Quiz!
Which national airline is actually named for a
former acronym?
QANTAS: Queensland And Northern Territories Air Service
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5. Who we are:
 Largest online travel company in the world
 Second largest travel company in the world
 6,200+ employees worldwide
 Expedia.com - 20+ sites and growing
 Hotels.com - 70+ sites and growing
 Egencia - corporate travel now in 20+ countries
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6. Lesson Learned #1
Less is more…
….Find what forum suits you/your company &
spend quality time developing it
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7. Case Study:
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 7

8. Lesson Learned #2
You don’t need an in-depth strategy to get
started….
….but you will if you want to raise your game
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9. Social Media Mission: Expedia.com
All of Expedia’s social marketing activities filter through
“Where You Book Matters” with a focus on our
differentiating brand benefits.
We must engage consumers through social media in ways
that consistently enhance their booking and travel
experience with helpful information and functionality - not
gimmicks.
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10. Foundational Tactics
Customer Service Support
• Find and address customer service issues made public in social
media channels
• Mitigate reputational damage
Twitter:
• Use promotions and giveaways to generate interest
Facebook
• Develop custom tabs and channel exclusive content
• Encourage users to share experiences to develop community
YouTube
• Favorites, playlists, design enhancements
Expedia TripTips Blog
• Provide editorial guidance to establish clear voice of expertise
Expedia.com
• Include easy access to social channels in prominent places
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 10

11. How We Work
Social Media Complements Multiple Areas of Enterprise
Global
External Customer Operations
Bloggers Comments Crisis
communication
DBM PR
Social inclusion Triage, content
in emaildata synergy
sharing Internal
Bloggers
Cast from around
the org
Advertising Customer Ops
Ad inclusion,
Social Triage and
paid placement Media service
Legal GSO
Employee and Blog Moderation,
Consumer policies, Hotel Reviews
Copy right
protection International Merch/PSG Search
Offers and info, Social conversations
Points of Sale
appear in results +
There are fewer site integration
greater opps for
geographic collaboration
boundaries in social
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 11

12. How We Work: Building the Foundation
Objective Tactics Executed To Date
Creation of Facebook, YouTube, Blog channels and
Brand Building
rebrand of Twitter.
Launched and updated all social sites in tandem to
rebranding.
Produced monthly content calendar with input from
advertising and PR.
Protected brand reputation through customer service
triage and domain/copyright registration
Traffic & Transactions Published deals, offers and promos to Expedia.com
through our social channels
Drive awareness of existing Expedia tools
Monitored/participated in consumer and competitive
Traveler Insights
conversations.
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13. We’ve got an app for that!
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 13

14. Case Study:
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 14

15. By Comparison
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 15

16. Lesson Learned #3
Followers ≠ Success
….Find your love (and metrics) in the
intangibles, too
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17. Lesson Learned #4
Don’t go it alone…
….Get people involved and let ‘em have fun!
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18. Case Study: Employee Blog
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 18

19. The question of measurement: KPIs
MEASURE
Total Conversations

Tonal Sentiment /

Total Engagements
User Generated Content (Cumulative)
YouTube Views
Facebook Fans/Friends
Facebook Click-through
Twitter Followers
Twitter Click-through
High Authority Convo
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20. They love us….
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21. They love us not….
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22. Noise Control or Reputation Management?
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23. Lesson Learned #5
Find your rock star attributes
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24. Building Your Brand – The Success of Trip Advisor
Cities I’ve Visited app has 5+ M users
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 24

25. Lesson Learned #6
It’s not just a consumer brand space…
….Reputation is an internal/external affair
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 25

26. Case Study: @Expedia_Jobs
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 26

27. Lesson Learned #7
Humor is subjective
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28. Travel @ Work
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© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 28

29. Lesson Learned #7
Social media is organic….
…which means you simply can’t control
everything
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 29

30. User Generated Content: Employer Brand
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 30

31. User Generated Content: Employer Brand
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 31

32. Other Tidbits
• Find advocates & partners
 But err toward forgiveness not permission
• To in-source or out-source
 No right answer, but plenty of debate
• Originality is great but plagiarism is faster
 Learn from others and pick what works
• There are no gurus
 So just have fun and change as needed
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 32

33. © 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 33

34. Questions?
kgraham@expedia.com
http://twitter.com/expedia
http://twitter.com/kristingraham
© 2009 Expedia, Inc. Confidential & proprietary. All rights reserved. | 34