The rules of effective marketing are the same for personal networking and social media networking.

My two rules for Blogger/Facebook/Twitter/You Tube/Linked In channels are:

1. Host a big event.  Make it an event that supercharges your fans’ enthusiasm and gives them something to talk about.

2. Share exclusive content. Give your  fans a sneak peek, an early sample, or access to private updates to help make them feel like a real group of insiders.

Commit. There are thousands of new Facebook groups and fan pages started every day. To stand out, you’ve got to earn new fans and repeat visitors with great content regularly.

Follow us for news and thoughts on social media marketing in the digital age for operators who know they need to be in that space but aren’t yet…We can help you strut your stuff online.

Facebook

Twitter

You Tube

]]> http://www.peacocktourism.com/2010/02/peacock-tourism-goes-social/feed/ 0 http://www.peacocktourism.com/2010/02/228/ http://www.peacocktourism.com/2010/02/228/#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:25:08 +0000 peacock http://www.peacocktourism.com/?p=228 Been working too hard to blog often, but when you look at our hours, you’ll understand!

We work…

The Birds-of-a-Feather team at Peacock Tourism is relied upon by operators and suppliers of lodging, attractions, tours and travel services for online marketing services and target communications to gay and lesbian travelers.

We are experts at uncovering what drives gay travelers to choose where they go on holidays – and at building integrated marketing programs to attract them to your destination or property by using the internet, social networks, gay media and direct marketing.

The principals have nearly 30 years’ experience in gay tourism and travel technology; one is a founder and the other is an ambassador of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association. Along with its affiliates, they represent clients in Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, United States and Canada .

“Travel planning is still one of the leading reasons consumers use these channels.  If you want gays and lesbians to find your hotel, attraction, event or tour when they are planning their holidays, you better be going digital,” says gay tourism marketing specialist Dee Farrell.

If you need to assess your online marketing strategy in terms of reaching the gay market, hire an expert to fine tune your campaign and then hire a content creator to contribute to the blogs, video channels and Facebook and Twitter accounts you’ve established.”
–Dee@PeacockTourism.com.

Edited from Wikipedia and comments by a Digital Marketing Maven

As the lesbian and gay travel market has grown and developed over the past 30 years, it’s been the travel industry which has embraced and been at the forefront in marketing to the gay and lesbian community.

The world of gay and lesbian travel is maturing, and now there are companies dedicated exclusively to gay tourism marketing and business associations solely for this segment of the industry.

• On the Business-to-Business (B2B) front, the first and foremost of these is the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), one of the largest and oldest gay business associations worldwide.  With conventions and symposiums held each year throughout the world, IGLTA is one of the finest representations of a truly global trade association that mirrors the growth of the gay community worldwide.
• On the marketing front, my company Pink Banana Media and IGLTA cofounder Dee Farrell’s company (Peacock Tourism Marketing) have emerged to specifically help travel agencies, tourism bureaus, tour operators and resorts better reach and serve gay and lesbian travellers.

How to Reach the Gay Traveller

The travel industry is catering to gay and lesbian travelers more than ever. Still, it takes more than flying a rainbow flag to attract these travelers — and their dollars. And in today’s digital age, it takes more than advertising to get the attention of savvy surfers.  If you’re brand/message is not yet interacting with these consumers/travelers, you better catch up!

Blogging is tool to engage people

Traditionally, destination marketing has been divided into two distinct market groups – travelers coming INTO a destination and locals (or natives) already LIVING IN a destination.  With the continued shift of online marketing to social media and Web 2.0, the distinction between these two groups is becoming blurred.

Traditionally, when targeting a consumer using banner ads or direct e-mail, a destination worked with specific media either targeting the inbound gay traveler or the person living in that city or region.  The two media were very different, and yet crossover existed even then in the form of local event listings, restaurant specials and bar and club updates, all of interest to both locals and travelers alike.

Today, when promoting a destination on Facebook, a blog, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube, that crossover works to a destination marketer’s advantage, as a more single and unified message can be delivered that appeals to both markets.  This advantage makes it even easier to work with a wider variety of local and travel media from which to share content with and partner with for an even more comprehensive and stronger destination marketing campaign targeting the gay and lesbian traveller and  local community.

Colleagues through IGLTA

Matt, Mr. Pink Banana, and Dee, Chief Bird at  Peacock Tourism, met through their work with the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA.org).  They are collaborating on bringing a how-to seminar to Australia so Rainbow Tourism Accredited and IGLTA operators can learn how to implement savvy digital marketing to their target campaigns.

The workshops will be held in Sydney and the Gold Coast in 2010.   ”Take our strategy outline, modify to best suit your destination’s unique needs, and adopt social network marketing as one of your top growth areas for marketing in the next decade.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results!”

So preach Dee & Matt in conjunction with Mark at Rainbow Tourism.com, the sponsor of the operator workshops.

Gay Marketing Exercise Shoes

Gay and lesbian escapes in Queensland

Two entities at the top and bottom end of the state of Queensland have asked for gay tourism marketing assistance.

One is a new region in terms of attracting gay and lesbian visitors, and one is a long-established destination that is under new management.

There are several ways Peacock Tourism Marketing, and also its sister company Rainbow Tourism Intl., can help Gold Coast Tourism and Turtle Cove Resort.  The online options include use of social media and video marketing, and these operators will be invited to a seminar by the leading expert in this area who will be visiting from the US in Feb. 2010.

Talking about the importance of using social media networking
and video marketing solutions to grow your business.

RJ Neel, serial entrepreneur

September 2009.

RJ, we’ve discussed many times that the world isn’t interested in blah, boring or the ordinary.  Because of your tremendous body of knowledge about new media, I have a few questions and curiosities.  Help!

Q. How does our small company keep our blog topical, the site interactive, feed a Facebook fan page, and build a following on Twitter?  Do we need a full-time social media dork like Ellen uses to tweet live during her show?

Thanks for your reply.  Emma Enterprises, NYC

(Stay tuned for RJ’s video reply.)

– Dee Farrell, Chief Peacock, blogs at Peacock Tourism Marketing, with a focus on marketing communications tactics for tourism operators who OUT reach to lesbian and gay travelers.