Having said that, since the advent of the digital age many of us make sure we are able to remain in touch our normal lives while we’re away. Whether we choose to take a laptop, tablet or cellphone with us, or perhaps we make a daily trip to the local Internet café, we don’t quite feel as though we can relax properly without knowing everything is OK back home. Here are four common reasons to get onto to the web during a vacation.

Send and receive emails

The first thing most people do when they log on to the Internet when on holiday is to sign into their email account. For many tourists, the email system is the only way to remain in touch with people back home, so they therefore feel happier once they have ascertained that there are no issues that need to be dealt with. A sizable proportion of travellers also check their work inbox at least once or twice while they’re away as well.

Find out the sports results

OK it’s fair to assume this is mainly a male thing, but it doesn’t make it any less important. There are plenty of tourists who won’t be able to relax fully on even the most comfortable sun-lounger if they don’t know whether the New York Jets, Manchester United or the All Blacks won their most recent game. Thankfully, the Internet makes it easy to keep up with the sporting action from all across the globe.

Social networking

A quick look at Facebook or Twitter is often all that’s needed to keep us up to date with all the news and gossip from home. Social networking sites have become increasingly popular in recent times – there are more than 160 million Facebook users in the USA alone – and for many people the day isn’t truly complete without a look at the statuses of friends, work colleagues and family members.

Check out the weather forecast

Looking at online weather forecasts on holiday serves a double purpose. You can find out hopefully how hot and sunny it’s going to be in your chosen destination in the coming days and, perhaps more importantly, how wet and miserable it will be back home. Needless to say, it can be great fun to let everyone know just how warm you currently are and how the only way to keep cool is by ordering an ice cold drink.

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Post Photos

According to a 2012 survey by ROI Research, 44% of respondents reported that they were more likely to engage with brands if messages contained pictures. More so than video or plain text, photos draw users in quickly and make them curious about the content. A financial education company, Online Trading Academy, found that posting photos of traders at their workstations dramatically increased engagement with the Facebook page. Those traders who were featured were eager to share the pictures with friends and the campaign drew numerous comments, “likes”, and shares from followers.

Ask Questions

Questions are a great way to increase the number of comments on your home page and also generate a higher edge rank score for certain posts. If you ask a question that receives several replies, that activity will appear in more newsfeeds. The more visibility a post has, the more comments and likes it can earn. It’s a cycle of engagement where the more interaction there is on the page, the more interaction there will be. Asking questions is also a great way to informally survey customers and adjust your business model to better satisfy them.

Update Cover Picture

This is a great trick for increasing brand exposure and boosting edgerank. When a major update occurs on a profile page – things like updating the cover picture or changing a relationship status – the Facebook algorithm ranks it more highly than other activity and bumps it up higher in more friends’ newsfeeds. This exposure will generate higher engagement with the page and will often lead to new likes and followers. It’s a good idea to update the cover photo to something relevant and eye catching. Some companies opt to change theirs with the seasons; others update it to reflect industry news or events.

Promote Posts

You can direct traffic to specific links or pages with Facebook’s promoted posts. This increases post exposure and lasts longer in newsfeeds than an ordinary status update. For example, if your business receives press or other positive reviews, you can point your customers towards the article by posting a link on the Facebook page. Then, for a small fee (usually between $5 and $15) you can pay to promote the post for the next several days and target either friends of the business or an extended network. Promoting posts means that people who might never have heard of your company are exposed to it and become familiar with the brand. Eventually, these folks who engage with your Facebook page are likely to become real-life, paying customers.

Ultimately, using social media for small business is what you make of it. If you don’t put in much effort, you won’t get a lot out. But by regularly interacting with your followers, asking questions, posting pictures, and staying engaged, you can boost community involvement with the page and see your efforts rewarded.

By Brian Patterson. Follow him on Google +.

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