Hark! What are Users of Social Media Saying About Timeshare?

Social media monitoring, one of the latest marketing tools, is getting much attention lately. One user is the timeshare industry's trade association, ARDA. As part of ARDA's Social Listening Initiative, the organization is using online listening tool Radian6 to monitor social media news from sites such as Facebook and YouTube, plus news, blogs, forums and more, to find out the chatter about timeshare. The results are published in the Hark Report.

Hark Report

How does it work? The listening tool monitors unsolicited reviews of what individuals are saying about the timeshare industry. Keywords, like "value" or "love" along with "timeshare" are searched and then run through a calibrated industry profile. ARDA then weeds through relevant posts to find digital conversations that reveal what people are feeling and sharing about timeshare. As a timeshare executive, you can use the information to adjust your marketing strategies. As an owner you may find valuable suggestions and answers to your questions.

The Tide is Turning to Positive

The feedback from social listening shows that the tide of attitude about timeshare is getting more positive. People are realizing the benefits of timeshare owning and they're sharing it. Here are some of the notable conclusions and relevant comments gathered from the data:

  • Timeshare makes vacationing a financial possibility for larger families. This was posted on the Forum Post, "We bought for a NICE and large enough space for our big family. We wanted nice, we wanted convenient, and we wanted LOCATION. We look at our timeshare as prepaying our trips. So is it worth the money? Yes, because we have a family of six, and are adopting again and my mom and her partner plan to join us on a trip or two. To stay in a nice resort that would hold ALL of us would cost a fortune."
  • Location continues to be of significant importance and there is still appeal in going to the same place every year. From Facebook, an owner posted, "We've loved going back to Maui every year. The kids love going to the beach and swimming at all the different pools at the resort. It’s just a fantastic."
  • People want to know how to use their timeshare after the prime "family vacation" years. Here are questions posted to the DIS Board Forum, "Still thinking about long term family changes and vacation needs as time goes on BEFORE purchasing. I have 2 small children now and know they will grow and change. Do you mind sharing how your family has changed and if you still enjoy DVC now? Would you do it again? Do you enjoy going without kids? Have you traded in to try RCI?"
  • Timeshare employees remain an important, integral part of the overall vacation experience for guests and owners, as unique and interesting people. From a personal blog, "I spent a couple of days on Kauai and stayed in Princeville because I could use a timeshare for free. I did no planning for this island. The timeshare had a concierge on duty, so I stopped in a couple of times to find help making plans for the day. Enter Kai—one of the concierges, and a Kauai native. She has lived all over the world and lives an adventure lifestyle when not helping people like me navigate their way through her island."
  • When people explain the benefits of timeshare, they consider it the best of all worlds.  From a Forum Post, "For personal travel, if it’s just the two of us or our immediate family, I prefer staying in privately rented condos or timeshares vs. staying in a hotel. I own a Westin timeshare and really love their resorts. I love that they blend the conveniences of a condo (including separate bedrooms and TV's, kitchen, washer/dryer, and grills) with the amenities of a hotel, such as a great pool, hot tub, tennis court, and poolside service. That IMO, is the epitome of my type of vacation."
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