Blogging ForTravelershow the Arizona Office of Tourism started* a blog.

*is starting

Travel 2.0An industry-focused blog which discusses the latest trends in technology and the effect on the travel industry.

-Be confident and comfortable about the topic.-Be aware of the dedication required.-Be patient while building your audience.-Post often.-Post actionable topics.-Cultivate your community.-Participate and communicate with other bloggers.

Why a blog?Why should the Arizona Office of Tourism, or any travel organization, start a blog?

-Communicate openly with potential travelers.-Provides an alternative form of communication.-Engage the influencer audience.-SEO.-Change perception of your destination.-Public relations.-(Somewhat) Easy solution for online participation.-Employee ownership / pride / moral.

Random Stats.According to Forrester Research, the demographic breakdown of ‘Spectators,’ defined as online users who read blogs, watch videos or listen to podcasts.

- 49% of 12-17- 59% of 18-21- 54% of 22-26- 41% of 27-40- 31% of 41-50- 26% of 51-61- 19% of 62+

Rethink success.Would you rather have…

500 people who have actively subscribed to receive near-daily updates from a blog.

Or

5,000 people who have subscribed to receive monthly emails (that they don’t open).

What you need.So, you have decided to start a blog. But where to start? What do you need?

-Multiple, dedicated bloggers.-Blogger / content schedule.-Turn-key blogging platform.-Design / layout / specs.-Tone / voice guidelines.-General blog guidelines.-Marketing / promotional / distribution plan.-Goals / tracking / statistics / monitoring.

Consider.Prior to launching your new blog, consider these points.

-Will you and your team dedicate the time required?-How do you motivate the blogging team?-Will you openly show blogger(s) identity?-What happens when a blogger leaves?-How will you address negative comments?-Does the organization understand the commitment?-Is this the right tool for your demo / audience?-How will your blog fill a void?

What to do.The good stuff. Write all of this down at least 3x in your little notebook.

-Know your audience.-Begin posting content to your blog prior to launch.-Determine the SEO value of /blog or blog(dot).-Research and find other local bloggers.-Develop a 3 and 6 month evaluation plan.-Prepare for pain.-Incorporate your blog in everything.-Read, friend, link, talk, learn, reference.-Use proper grammar and punctuation.

What not to do.The bad stuff. Whatever you do, don’t do this.

-Post infrequently.-Disguise or fake your identity.-Write content months ahead of time.-Farm out the work.-Delete / erase comments w/o guidelines.-Ignore comments.-Plagiarize.-Obsess over traffic and PageRank.-Get off topic.-Consider yourself bigger than your readers.

Examples.I hope no one from the ‘bad examples’ group is in the room. (If you are, sorry, try harder)

The Good-Travel Oregon-uwishunu-Pennsylvania

The Bad-Delaware-Scottsdale-South Idaho

Me.Troy ThompsonSenior Interactive Marketing ManagerArizona Office of Tourism

tthompson@azot.gov

Blog:travel2dot0.wordpress.com