social Web

It is important that tourism businesses and regional marketing organizations build up digital assets (words, photos video, audio) but it’s more important to know how to use them.

How to use your digital assets

Understanding how to use your media on the social Web to boost your business requires a clear understanding of the
4 types of social communications your business can use on the Web:

listening – be aware of communications from guests across Web 2.0 platforms. Learn more about listening with Google Alerts. Businesses can also use Twitter Search to track the buzz about their business or region. Also listen to what folks are saying on TripAdvisor.
responding – respond to guest concerns and encouraging those who are giving your business positive reviews.
communicating – share your digital assets across a wide variety of platforms. Giving Current news. Post your videos on Youtube and other video sharing sites.
engaging – interview and showcase your visitors while they are on site. Help guests share their digital content online. Pay attention to your fans on Facebook and thank them for commenting and sharing. Also pay attention to folks who comment on your videos and other digital assets. Relationships are enriched with these communications with people who take the time to engage with you.

If you are overlooking any one of these areas, your social marketing efforts are being compromised. Engaging and responding to the content being shared by your fans and guests is like returning phone calls. It’s just good business

Yesterday’s post, illustrated that every traveler has an audience.

{ 1 comment }

I just reviewed Chris Brogan’s smart e-book – how to use the social Web to get a job and it inspired me to think about hiring.
Last spring I wrote a post about hiring a twit to get your Internet Marketing program in order for your tourism business.

The Winter holidays might be a good time to start thinking about how you can re-craft your job application form to include some of the categories in these two documents.

Hiring in the tourism sector is going to get very competitive in 2009 as your organization gets into competition with others in tourism looking to hire the best and brightest. With an eye to enhancing your business by recruiting someone with a strong Web 2.0 profile (aka – the social Web) make hiring Twits a priority.

And make sure you give your twits an opportunity to expose your business to new opportunities on the social Web by giving them time each day to document your business with video, audio, photos and text and promote your biz on your social outposts all over the Web…

After all, if you had a chance to work for one of two tourism businesses: one that was Web savvy and one that wasn’t; and you were a twit, which job would you take?

{ 0 comments }