From the beginning, business partner Becky McCray and I talked about developing not only our Tourism Currents course, but eventually an online “mall of services and products” tied to social media education for tourism-related organizations. Most would be ours, some might be from affiliates who we trust and recommend.
I think I first heard the term from Glenda Watson Hyatt, who has her own educational offerings on accessibility.
The first step in that direction is now live; in addition to our full six-week online course, you can buy one or more individual lessons in social media for tourism.
It’s learning materials that you want, when you need them. We talked about it (plus some other goodies) in our June 2011 newsletter.
Thanks, as always, for your support.
(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!)
Thanks Signalfire for featuring the video in their blog post about why social media works for CVBs and DMOs….this demonstrates why you should allow your CVB videos to be embedded on other people’s sites; it helps spread them to a wider audience.
When you make a video, always include a URL in the title or credits, so that those who see the video out on the web can find the rest of your work if they’re interested.
(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!)
One of the presentations at SoMeT 2010 (Social Media Tourism Symposium) was from MMG Worldwide and covered a variety of ways that tourism organizations can engage visitors through their mobile devices.
As a travel enthusiast who is beginning to really rely on her own smartphone, I particularly liked the idea of providing location-specific ringtone and wallpaper downloads.
This got me thinking about what I’d like to see, since I have conferences and speaking gigs coming up this fall in:
** Hutchinson, Kansas – 140 Conference Small Town – some great shots from the Cosmosphere space museum, or Third Thursday in downtown Hutch or the Underground Salt Museum, plus maybe John Mellencamp’s “Small Town” or something from these five songs for Kansas.
** Tulsa, Oklahoma – AWC National Conference (Association for Women in Communications) – there’s terrific Art Deco architecture in downtown Tulsa, perhaps played to the tune of “Tulsa Time” (did you know that there’s an Eric Clapton version of the song?)
** Los Angeles, California – BlogWorld and New Media Expo’s Tourism track, yay! – wow, where to start for the wallpaper; the swoopy silver Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood sign, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the Capitol Records building that looks like a stack of vinyl records (yes, I remember those.) Good ringtone music is tougher – not sure the Doors’ “LA Woman” works, 10,000 Maniacs’ “City of Angels” is better with the lyrics, not many remember Sinatra’s “LA is My Lady.” I’m kinda stuck on this one; will hum “California Dreamin’” until someone helps me out down in the comments.
** Tunica, Mississippi and the Delta - SoMeT 2011 – I’ll land up the road in Memphis and then drive south down historic Highway 61 to Tunica. This area lends itself to poignant closeups rather than panoramic shots (unless it’s an aerial photo of the river) but you could include the Crossroads in nearby Clarksdale, where one legend says that bluesman Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for guitar skills. The whole region is stuffed with music, but I’d go for John Hiatt’s “Memphis in the Meantime,” Paul Simon’s “Graceland” or Chuck Berry’s “Memphis,” then anything by James Cotton, or “Traveling Riverside Blues” or ”Got My Mojo Workin’.”
Travelers like to really experience the essence of places when they visit, so why not use visuals and audio on that phone that they’re never without these days, to make them feel at home in your town?
Bonus idea, although not specifically mobile: put a few destination-related badges or widget downloads on your website, for your supporters to grab and put on their blogs.
What other digital trinkets can you think of that your visitors might enjoy?
(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!)
I’ve known Caroline for years in my travel blogging hat, and met Brian for the first time in person at last year’s Symposium on Social Media in Tourism (SoMeT.)
Nowhere else can you get social media education specific to tourism and hospitality PLUS the opportunity to connect with 8000+ bloggers and podcasters (we’re planning a blogger/CVB speed dating session, too.)
See you there!
(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!)
(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!)
How to best incorporate bloggers and online publishers into standard press trips/fam tours is an ongoing item of discussion in many tourism circles.
I’m seeing more and more interest by bloggers in constructing individual fams directly with CVBs and DMOs, rather than participating in group tours that don’t represent the sort of travel that they – or their readers – prefer.
Here’s one perspective about press trips from Matt Kepnes (Nomadic Matt) in a travel blogger’s Facebook discussion about press trip pros/cons (quoted with permission:)
“I stopped taking press trips for this reason. I was and still am offered incredible luxury trips but I just can’t take them. It doesn’t mesh with my message. Would I love a luxury trip? Yeah, but I can’t in any good way write about it.
Plus I find press trips to be super-jammed-packed itineraries with little personal time or space to relax or get to know a city. I instead now just work directly with tourism boards to set stuff up. I get to make my own itinerary, stay in hostels, and travel cheap. They don’t care because I am still writing about the destination for them (which is all they care about) and I’m a pretty cheap date…hostels, a train pass, and some city sightseeing cards and I’m good to go. That’s nothing for them.”
Some organizations may see group tours as a more efficient use of resources and time, but this assumes that bloggers need a lot of hand-holding. Many do not; an independent experience makes a lot more sense for them, and will probably result in more compelling and interesting coverage.
Some may say no to your press trip because the timing is off or it’s just a bad fit, but the chances of acceptance and a positive experience are a lot better if the trip matches the person taking it.
Pretty much always true, right?
(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!)
And how psyched we were last year to have co-facilitators with us from the Seattle CVB, the Pensacola (FL) CVB, the Beaumont (TX) CVB and meetings expert Jeff Hurt?
Well, in case you haven’t already heard us cheering about it on Facebook or Twitter, we have two confirmed speakers joining us for this year’s Tourism Track at BlogWorld and New Media Expo West, in Los Angeles CA, November 3-5, 2011 (yes, it’s moved from Las Vegas.)
Shanna Smith Snyder from the Abilene TX CVB (a 2011 Texas Social Media Award winner!) and Doug Anweiler from Authentic Seacoast Resorts in Nova Scotia will join us to help teach you more effective use of social media in your destination and hospitality marketing.
We’re also planning on a speed-dating session between our tourism attendees and some of the 8000+ bloggers and online publishers who go to BlogWorld.
Other co-facilitators will be announced soon!
(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!)
On the first day of the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) tech conference in Austin, I was part of a video interview project led by Nancy Spears and the genConnect team out of Colorado.
Here are their thoughts on 10 people at SXSW you should include in your social network, which includes a sidebar viewer with all of the videos. I’m rather honored to see that my interview ended up between Rick Murray’s (head of Edelman Chicago) and Jay Rosen’s (renowned journalism professor at NYU.)
In my roughly 3 minute interview (complete with an offstage shout-out by passing Hawaii social media goddess Neenz Faleafine) I described what Becky McCray and I do with social media education at Tourism Currents, how destination marketing today demands more personal interaction with visitors (including online) and how strongly we believe that most tourism pros can already do the really important stuff, which is a lot harder to teach than technology: creating a compelling portrait of their destination in the eyes of visitors.
The vision and story….you already have it and that’s the hard part, not Facebook, Twitter, blogs et al.
(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!)
Toward the end of the podcast recording we talked about Tourism Currents and which destinations, hotels or organizations do a particularly good job with marketing using social media.
Chris mentioned doing some social media CVB training when he was in Maui, and that local hotels, restaurants and resorts all sent representatives to learn. Smart.
We all gave a shout-out as well to Hawaii-based PR pro Nathan Kam, who does a bunch of tourism work on Oahu. He’s professional but also very personable and fun, and he reaches out to people online in a very un-market-y way.
Of course we left out plenty of other great examples, but still, that’s a pretty good list if you want to check them out.
I’m happy to hear about your favorite social media stars down in the comments, and have a listen to the podcast when you have a chance!
Update: Gary sent me the code to embed the podcast right here….
(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!)
You may have noticed that Facebook Pages have a different layout – they look more like personal profiles and you can do some new things while acting administratively as a Page.
Here is what intrigues me about the ability to act as a Page or a brand (representing a CVB, DMO or Tourist Board) and not as a person: the opportunity for better cross-promotion of your region’s offerings.
Here are a few examples….
** Heritage trails, wine trails, quilting/craft trails and scenic byways can highlight each of their stops and sights.
** Chambers of Commerce can interact more effectively as a Chamber with their member businesses.
** Regional DMOs can interact with the Pages for their towns, agritourism places, trails, attractions, hotels, restaurants, shops, parks and nature reserves.
** Economic development and downtown development entities can cross-promote their offerings.
Drawbacks?
The usual: we’ll see ham-handed, intrusive marketing and spammy info broadcasting by people who act like a thing instead of a person.
“Hi, I’m Fred’s Donuts! Buy me!”
Sherman warned about this on Mashable:
“Posting behind the banner of your brand is fine on your Page, but moving into other spaces as a brand can be invasive and unwelcome.”
What are you thinking about doing with your new powers on Facebook?
(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!)
From the beginning, business partner Becky McCray and I talked about developing not only our Tourism Currents course, but eventually an online “mall of services and products” tied to social media education for tourism-related organizations. Most would be ours, some might be from affiliates who we trust and recommend.
