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Archive for April, 2011
What content tips and tricks do you need to know?
What will give you the edge over your competitors?
Whether you’re a luxury travel startup or established tourism operator, you probably need a social marketing strategist on your content/marketing teams. Someone to advise and train you on how to maximize your exposure on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube – not to mention creating postings for your blog and website.
We all have heard it before – content is king! Speak to any SEO expert and they will confirm that having the right content on your website is essential to get good rankings. When your website is constantly being updated with new content and images, it helps increase your site’s retention, bookings and enquiries, encourages repeat visits, and increases the browsing time.
But it is important to get the right balance of content as too much will overwhelm your visitors; too little and they will just go elsewhere. Just as it is important to get the right balance of social media pages working together.
Since the birth of social media, the type of content expected by potential customers has dramatically changed. Nowadays, when people visit your website, blog or Facebook they want to see reviews, videos and photos from other people who have used or experienced your service or product as this is believed to be more trustworthy.
Tip for New Media Novices
1. Seek an experienced web content writer/online marketing manager, someone who is a savvy strategist. This will not cost you an arm n a leg.
2. Work with the marketing writer to develop your Social Media Startup kit, something that complements your online and traditional marketing plan and budget. A savvy plan won’t break the bank.
3. Start with Facebook or a Blog, then progress to Twitter and You Tube if your destination/accommodation/tour/service warrants more interaction with your guests/customers. Monitor these daily, and reply with those who make comments.
4. Develop the content. Images (including videos) are as important as words – for the search engines and because users click on them a lot. If your content or marketing team does not have this material for the content writer, create and collect this first.
5. Create a template that suits your style, tone and story. The Blog and Facebook images can be different or close to your website design. A good web graphic designer will help you with colours, images, easy-to-read layout, great navigational buttons and useful widgets that help distribute your content and message.
For more tricks of the trade, ask Peacock Tourism Marketing’s Birds-of-a-Feather team. They’ve been involved in travel themselves, and creating content for other operators for many years.
No doubt about it. Today it’s imperative to extend your story.
How do you do it?
By integrateing the power and reach of social media marketing with traditional online strategies.
Start Here
1. Build a Social Media presence and personality. Have a plan to use available, current tools like Facebook, You Tube.
2. Cross link between Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Blogs, Linked In and News Feeds to traditional marketing and company website.
3. Use a content manager– Use Word Press or Blogger and add postings and images at least weekly, if not daily.
4. Listen and Answer users – Comment back to your visitors, provide useful links, collect data and build a 1-on-1 customer relationship .
5. Check Statistics and Insights – review weekly and adjust campaign if necessary
The Big Benefits
The Birds of a Feather team at Peacock Tourism Marketing listens first and foremost. We are of the school where one-to-one communication is paramount. You talk, we listen, then together we develop a strategy and implement it with our sleeves rolled up. Peacock Tourism works on one client at a time – onsite at the startup and online afterwards.
What you Get
Get a Savvy Strategy – plain English, no techno babble, creative thinking, and tips you can implement quickly, cheaply, easily.
Get to know the team – The editor is your primary contact for website and blog content and images and how to make your online presence work smarter. The marketing manager is your primary contact for technology and insights on social media channels and Google/Facebook ads.
We’ve been hearing a lot about new editions of not so old books – but then everything in the online world changes rapidly. The title recently recommend by social media strategists is “The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly” by David Scott.
I’m waiting to buy the next edition out soon (because my local library only has one copy of the 2nd edition and I can pre-order the 3rd edition now).
There are so many books out there on related topics – from “The Zen of Social Media Marketing” to “Guerilla Social Media Marketing” by the same authors as “Guerilla Marketing, now in its 4th edition.
Feel overwhlemed? Join the crowd. But press on with your reading and then find a social media savvy strategist to help you with your online marketing and creating and maintaining your brand’s presence on social media channels. There are as many channels as there are books, but Peacock Tourism Marketing likes Linked In, Facebook, Twitter and You Tube, in addition to a good, easy to use content-management system enabeld website.