7: The Use of Content Marketing Through LinkedIn Company Pages by Portuguese Tour Operators

The tourism industry is going through a period of significant transformation, characterised by the shift towards a digital and competitive era. Tour operators (TOs) are thus compelled to adopt strategic marketing practices to enhance their visibility and engagement. This chapter presents the contribution of digital marketing, particularly LinkedIn, to the marketing and business development of Portuguese TOs. Research on LinkedIn Company Pages (LCP) was conducted, encompassing the content marketing approaches employed, levels of engagement observed and efficiency of social selling practices followed by large TOs in Portugal. The findings indicate that usage of LinkedIn as a marketing tool is low, with companies being unable to tap its full potential. Content analysis reveals a predominance of informational and technical postings on various levels of interaction in terms of frequency and type. While some firms are successful in utilising multimedia content to interact, others have poor interaction, thus minimising their impact and reach. The conclusions of the study reiterate the imperative of embracing more structured and varied content strategies in a bid to optimise online exposure and consumer interactions. The chapter provides a better understanding of the extent to which tourism operators can gain further competitive advantage by being more proactive online, as the revolutionising digital marketing environment unfolds for the tourism sector. This research identifies the potential of LinkedIn, a social network which is among the foremost in terms of professional networking, brand-building and customer-relations activities.