Working with Social Media - visitparksvillequalicumbeach.com€¦ · Tweet using your targeted...
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Working with Social Media June 8, 2010 Ministry of Tourism, Culture & The Arts (Tourism BC) Mikala Taylor
Transcript of Working with Social Media - visitparksvillequalicumbeach.com€¦ · Tweet using your targeted...
Working with Social Media
June 8, 2010Ministry of Tourism, Culture & The Arts
(Tourism BC)Mikala Taylor
What can I use Social Media for?•Conversation: what people are saying about you OR your competitors•Engagement: grabbing attention – and keeping it•Home truths: What do people think you’re good at? Where could you improve?•Confusion/complaints – immediate and personal responses•Answering simple questions ‐ quickly•Sharing industry info – events, articles•Networking•Collaborating /Brainstorming
Learning........and sharing that learning….….and in so doing, AQUIRE CUSTOMERS
Social Media is a like a plant. It needs care and feeding and tends to blossom when you talk to it once and a while.
Don’t Panic...that this slide has too much info
Crawl, walk, run, fly
FACT: Customers are Reviewing You Online (and if they aren’t yet, they will)
•Customer/visitors reviews matter – online users trust other online users more than they trust your own advertisements.•There are THOUSANDS of travel communities that allow visitors to post reviews AND VIDEO of their experiences.•Guides and associations are now regularly posting user reviews – eg, brochures, guides•Forums are buzzing with people looking for advice – and giving it. Eg: BCRobyn.blogspot.com (@BCRobyn)
What this means for you:1000s of reviews = You’re Being Indexed on Google = Other potential customers are finding these reviews
How Can I Make Social Media Work For My Tourism Business?
•Quality not Quantity •Focus on Customer Service and Question Answering•Identify which Social Networks are right – start as a joiner, then build up. •Know your target market – surveys, newsletter, info from larger associations •Speak to them in their language. Tone is vital in social media. •But the best bit is? You can quickly change tack.•Stay up to date and look and act professional – update your website, RESPOND•Remember, it’s a conversation – be flattered if people talk back to you, even with negative feedback. Be professional and courteous.•Collaborate
Getting started
• Define your objectives• Learn where your audience tends to gather• Listen• Plan your strategy• Start small and build on your experience
» (And find someone in your organization who enjoys or is already doing social media stuff – BUT NOT NECESSARILY THE INTERN!)
It’s all about people: Personas
Video = Good for Tourism
Every minute, 24 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube
Let’s talk about Twitter
Twitter Share of Audience
(Source: comScore Media Metrix)
Twitter is not just for the kids...nor is it just about what kind of coffee I had
today...*
“Twitter is a real‐time information network powered by people”
*....Okay, it is also about coffee
...and Tourism...
Tools: TweetDeck Will Save Your Life
http://tweetdeck.comNow also integrated with iPhone, GoogleBuzz,
Foursquare and has scheduled updates
Twitter at Events
During US Nat’l Travel & Tourism Week, many DMOs, suppliers and VCs coordinated and tweeted about travel, using hashtags (#ntw09) and same avatars/pics to raise awareness.
They Tweeted About:•The industry and their experiences•Takeaways from Seminars•Why travel matters•Some VCs promoted podcasts or other activities (Chicago promoted their FB!)•Contests for Tweeps answering tourism‐related Q’s (make ‘em join to enter)•Giveaways
Follow one voice, or many voices...OR BE THE VOICE
Network, Learn, Share
Top Twitter Tips for Tourism Businesses(don’t worry about all this text, you’ll get a copy)
1. Use Twitter. Google indexes Twitter Feeds and drives traffic to your website2. Strategize. Plan ahead with an editorial schedule to tie in with planned events, promotions, etc.5. Use 3&3 rule – three tweets and three re‐tweets per day 6. Tweet smart; tweet at different times throughout the day; use ‘pending tweets’ functionality to schedule tweets outside of your work day but in time zones relevant to potential target audiences.7. Tweet using your targeted keywords.8. Use pics and website URLs (remember to use URL shortener like tinyurl.com).9. Proper Twitter etiquette is to follow those who follow you – but be cautious of “cleaning” your list of who you follow regularly.10. Follow your competitors and their followers.11. Speak and engage with your audience (this is key to Twitter)12. Follow other DMOs or destinations and don’t be afraid of conversation13. Follow partners in your communities; Hotels, attractions etc already on Twitter and reach out and engage with them14. Get a Twitter Widget (http://twitter.com/goodies/widgets)
Source: ideahatching.comA Couple of Chicks E‐Marketing
Can you measure Social Media?
•Do a count of positive posts •Do a count of questions/negative feedback.... respond daily. AND DO NOT FEAR.•Set up social media buckets – sentiment, quotes, retweets etc (tool eg: Scoutlabs)•Check out how quickly after you post people retweet your info. Get a feel for timing.•If you set up a schedule...see what works, when (eg @TourismBC)•Has it spawned a relevant conversation? Follow the flow. See where it takes you...•Do you have new Inbound links? Set up a Google Alert (go on, it’s okay)•Follow up – encourage Tweeps to tweet about their experiences = bookings/ROI•Count followers – look at ebbs and flows and compare against your schedule
Tweet #2 at 8:30 a.m. on Monday Nov. 30:We're giving away a mountain. YOU+19 friends could have private use of a BC mtn for ultimate ski trip. Pick your mtn: http://budurl.com/5vk5
Tweet #1 at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday 11/25:Winter's biggest giveaway: YOU+19 friends skiing a BC mountain. All yours. Private. For real: http://budurl.com/5vk5#GreatMountainGiveaway
Results:
>> 6 retweets in 41‐hour period
>> At least 1,740 additional people could see our tweet
Results:
>> 17 retweets in 6‐hour period
>> At least 35,682 additional people could see our tweet
What’s it meant for us?
• Flickr.com: – 45,000+ views since 2007
• Youtube.com:– 1,170,000 views in the past year (April)
• Twitter.com:– 4,700 followers right now
• Facebook.com:– 971 fans right now
....and they told two friends, and they told two friends, and soon, and so on and so on.
Stuff to Check Outwww.youtube.com
www.tripadvisor.com
www.flickr.com
www.facebook.com
www.twitter.com
www.facebook.com/help.php?page=414 – Setting up a FaceBook Group page
www.facebook.com/ads ‐ Information on Facebook display advertising
http://help.twitter.com/portal ‐ How to use Twitter
www.google.com/alerts ‐ How to Set Up Google Alerts
http://maps.google.com – Look Yourself Up on Google Maps
http://tweetdeck.com – a great free download that lets you view Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, LinkedIn, FourSqurea messages
http://guerrilla‐viral‐marketing.suite101.com/article.cfm/6_twitter_tips_for_tourism_organizations ‐ 6 Twitter Tips for Tourism Offices
http://mashable.com/2007/10/23/social‐networking‐god ‐ 350+ Social Media Site list!
http://www.atdw.com.au/tourism_e_kit.asp ‐ Tourism Australia’s amazing E‐Marketing kit, lots of PDFs+
• Tips on using social media for business:
– http://blogs.computerworld.com/15820/tips_on_using_social_media_for_business
• 10 Small Business Social Media Marketing Tips:
– http://mashable.com/2009/10/28/small‐business‐marketing/
• The Problem with Conversational Marketing:
– http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2010/04/06/the‐problem‐with‐conversational‐marketing/
• The 11 Commandments of Corporate Tweeting:
– http://www.thebigmoney.com/blogs/c‐tweet/2010/03/05/11‐commandments‐corporate‐tweeting
