Eavesdrop – It’s allowed (even encouraged)
One of the most useful things about Twitter is that conversations are public. The problem is that with so many conversations going on it is impossible to follow everyone who might be your ideal guest.
However, it is possible to eavesdrop on conversations that include your keywords. It’s an accepted part of the Twitter Universe to see a Twitter Post that includes a keyword phrase you are following and to respond with a solution – even if you don’t follow the person who tweeted.
Identify your Keywords
Think of keywords as the questions your potential traveler might be asking that you have the answer for. If you have difficulty, just go through the list of keywords that come up when you ask yourself these questions about the guests of business or region:
Who are they? What are they doing? Where are they traveling to? How do they travel? When? Why?
- Learn more about keywords in this instructional keywords video
Follow your Keywords
I use Seesmic Desktop Twitter Application to monitor conversations from those I follow on Twitter and Facebook. I also get search phrases related to our tourism business directly in my stream – even from folks I don’t follow.
- There is a nifty little setting in the app that makes it possible to include search results in your stream(see below) . This is just like following your keyword phrase(s).
- Use the search box in the top right hand corner of Seesmic Desktop to subscribe to any search phrase related to your business.
- You can add as many keyword search columns as you like. Either keep these open and monitor your keyword phrases or watch for tweets that show up automatically in your timeline.
Be Helpful
The beauty is that it takes very little time to provide a helpful solution to a traveler in need. When you see tweets that include your search phrase, they all won’t be relevant, but some will provide great leads.
For instance, in a conversation about “Algonquin Park”, one of our keyword phrases I saw this tweet:
To which our staff replied
Earlier today, we saw this tweet about another keyword phrase “yoga retreats” related to our experiences:
It was an open invitation to share more information about our upcoming yoga retreats.
Use your keyword phrases in your Tweets
Travelers use search.twitter.com or apps like Seesmic to research information and plan travel or seek advice. If you use your keywords in your tweets from time to time, you’ll show up in the search results of travelers who are using Twitter for travel research.
