My daughter Natalie and I are in Halifax where we went out for dinner last night. She posted this picture of me to Facebook this morning – and left a comment on it for me. There just happened to be a live music event happening at the Pub. Ever the Twit, she pulled out her camera, took a few pics, unknown to me – shot some video and interviewed the band – on her little camera! Later, she posted the video to Youtube and Facebook and joined the bands social networking page at Facebook. She did this for Fun. For Free. . . . and the band, well they couldn’t be happier.
We’re living in an era where the idea of creating content online is vital to your business. The bad news is that most tourism businesses have never even heard of many of the current technologies and their potential impact on your business . . . (my recent post to link tourism industry via Twitter made that loud and clear)
The good news is . . . there is a whole generation of Twits out there who use these technologies to social network all the time! I call them the Twits! Todd Mafin calls them the Facebook generation. Whatever you call them, these young people hold the key to your business success. Your ability to recruit them, and more importantly retain them is key.
Here’s how to recruit a Twit:
In your application process ask:
- about their youtube channel,
- where they blog (not if, where)
- which social networks they use.
- have ever made a mashup video or
- arranged an event on facebook?
- Do they IM or use Twitter?
- Do they share photos online with friends?
- Ask which podcasts they listen to
Get the most out of them to enhance your business and retain these Twits:
Make your Tourism workplace Twit-friendly by encouraging:
- posting of your events on your blog and social networks like facebook
- posting of videos on your youtube channel
- blogging on your blog
- updating your business facebook page
- making daily posts to your Twitter account
- taking photos and creating online image libraries
Make these a part of the job description of every person you hire this summer and you’ll have happy Twits and a booming Web 2.0 presence for your tourism business.
Your competitors will wonder how you have the time to create all that Internet Marketing content. As for my daughter, sorry, she’s already been recruited – unfortunately, I have to find someone to fill her shoes.
