Twitter

Some twitter basics today.

It's come a long way from only 140 characters in a tweet and Teens tweeting that they're currently in the bathroom.

Celebrities are using it. Causes are using it. It even comes in handy during political upheaval.

Few people are using www.twitter.com = though if you're a true beginner, it's a great place to start.

Twitter tools like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck have evolved to help humans use the Twitter concept better and more effectively. Also Twitter for mobile is another handy tool for your smart phone

You're also going to need a URL shortener (is that a word?). Something like www.bitly.com
In order to drive people to your website or to other interesting websites, you need to use as many characters as you can to write witty content and use a URL shortener to make those long website addresses as short as possible.

In order to find out if people are clicking on your URLs you need an account with your preferred URL shortener. AND you need to tie it into your Twitter tool.


For example

You find a super awesome website you want to share

You open Hootsuite, which you've tied into your bitly account (using the options inside Hootsuite)

You write "check out this awesome site http: short link !"

You wait

Pretty soon, one of your followers will retweet you, you'll know via Hootsuite

And you'll open your bitly account and it will tell you how many people clicked on your link to your awesome website

You can compare that to the number of followers you have to see whether the percentage is high enough for you to say "I got some good ROI on that"

If not, then go back to the drawing board and try for better content in your next tweet.

Also try hashtags - putting a # in front of keywords

Example Tweet: I love #nb #potatoes fresh from the #garden smothered in real butter

This kind of tweet can be found by people doing searches on the words NB, potatoes and garden

For more on hashtags check out www.tagdef.com

Again this is just an overview on twitter, I didn't even talk about sharing photos or finding followers, or what to do when a spambot signs up to follow you.

I'm saving that for later.

Til next time,

Beth

Think like a customer

Liberally copied from Dear Radian6 - but it totally sounds like something I would say, and since I haven't said anything in a while, it's a good place to start again :) So many times I've read articles and thought, I should write something similiar for my peeps but never get to it. My new strategy is I'm going to start quoting more - we'll see how it goes.


If you are thinking like a customer, you can better appreciate what your customers may like. So keep this in mind when you share content, advice or just reach out in a friendly tone. Make what you say count. Infrequent, compelling interactions will mean more to your customers than a whirlwind of pokes and hellos that only fill a social site up with too much talking.


It is likely a rare occurrence that a customer taps you on your social-web-shoulder, pokes you and giggles then waves frantically in excitement just for the opportunity to be your friend. Customers want to know what’s in it for me? – known in marketing circles as WIIFM. So if you’re waiting for customers to cheerfully connect with you online just because, you may be waiting a long time.


Do you remember the excitement you felt when you were given a wrapped gift and the contents of the box were entirely a mystery? Surprises can be exciting, so why not surprise your customers by friending them first and joining in on the conversations they are having about you, about travel in general and their love/need for flying? Customers who experience an interaction from behind a social profile tend to turn their ear towards that brand and actually listen.

Perhaps one of the greatest examples of surprising customers is the KLM Surprises campaign. KLM really took flight using social media to demonstrate just how eager they were to soar above customer’s expectations.

The video is a little slow in the middle but hang with it.






If you need help with your social media strategy, contact me, the TourismTechnology.com program can help

Til next time
Beth

Deadlines!

1. Tourism Technology Award - deadline to nominate yourself or another operator is March 31 March 31 is also the deadline for the TIANB Pioneer Award, and Parks Canada Sustainable Tourism Get your nominations in today!



2. Social Media Workshops - register now for the second year of TT.com presents Social Media Workshops for Tourism Operators. We've found a great expert, and we're going to take it to the next level. Last year was more of an introduction to the tools. This year, we're focusing on SMART objectives, developing key messages, researching your online status, and measuring impact. Saint John, April 26 Fredericton, April 27 Edmundston, April 29 Register now!





3. It's never too early to register for TIANB Annual Conference, May 25-27 in Miramichi Excellent speakers including Chef Lynn Crawford Social Media guru Amber McArthur Festival Genius Michel Gauthier HR Whiz Pierre Battah Register now!

The Social Ostrich reappears

I know I'm supposed to be writing about Online Revealed but I haven't downloaded the presentations and put it altogether in a report yet - patience

What I am going to write about it the continued existence and appearances of the Social Ostrich.

I first noted the Social Ostrich in my post of June 4, 2010

Back then he was cute, perhaps charming, a little out of touch but bearable.

I recently ran into another one just last week at the Fredericton Tourism Launch / Tourism and Parks JackRabbit presentation.

Today in 2011, he is not cute, not charming, but overbearing and down right bad for other people's business.

The Social Ostrich spouts things like:

"if it ain't broke, don't fix it",

"I like to talk to people on the phone",

"I still use my paper based day planner for reservations"

The Social Ostrich has his head in the sand, and he'll keep you down there with him if he can.

DON'T LET HIM

All business operators need to PLAN FOR CHANGE. Using Social Media and moving to online reservations is simply

PLANNING FOR CHANGE!

Someday soon, that Social Ostrich is going to finally pull his head out of the sand and there's not going to be a customer in sight. He'll be starting from scratch trying to find customers and build an online brand. His business that was once going to provide his retirement in Arizona is now worthless. He has no future bookings, and no online customer fan club to fall back on.

If you're smart you'll be the one with all his customers, they are out there for the taking and keeping.


If you think you are a Social Ostrich, email me. The TourismTechnology.com program can rehabilitate you.

If you see one in the wild, let me know, I'd like to take the Social Ostrich and wring it's neck (humanely). I hear Ostrich is the new Turkey ...

Beth
beth at tianb dot com

Trip Advisor / Trip Advisory

Some astonishing travel tales both coming and going to NF a couple of weeks ago. I won't bore you with the details but NB should be thankful that most of our tourist don't fly here. I hear even in the summer, landing in St John's can be iffy - and that's your Trip Advisory :)

Jim Brody from Trip Advisor was a speaker at HNL, he had some things to say - namely that Social Media and Travel were made for each other. I agree. If there is one thing that Travel is it's social and interactive.

He also touched on User Testing, User Studies - every person's online experience is unique. No two people visit a website in exactly the same way. The way your eyes scan across the screen (left to right, right to left), the clicks you take, how you use the browser tools. Make sure you're trying to view your own website through fresh eyes. Ask friends and family for honest opinions.

Check out Trip Advisor on Facebook, apparently they have a new game that's highly addictive.

He also mentioned some interesting statistics, they always have statistics.

4800 Brazilians viewed information on NF. That's a little more then one might think isn't it? Now it doesn't mean they are all coming, they could just be displace Newfs viewing images of home. But either way, people all over the world are viewing things all the time.

75% of people use Trip Advisor as a research tool
25% of people write the reviews

So do what you can to promote yourself on Trip Advisor, ask clients to write reviews, respond to reviews. Post new images. Cross link between your site and Trip Advisor. Use the internet to break down barriers

The internet, and I think he means your website really, is the only medium where someone from Boston and someone from New Zealand can view your marketing with the same download speed and delivery time. It's instant.

No waiting for it to arrive in the mail
No attachment errors
No email bouncing


It's available at 3 am or 3 pm

When they want it

What message are you putting out there? Is it good enough?

Using your EQ types, it's about WHAT they are looking for, not where they are or who they are



Later gators,
I'm off to Toronto for a week to learn even more wisdom to pass along

Beth
Tourismtechnology.com

TIA Conferences

Greetings

I'm off this week to Hospitality Newfoundland & Labrador's (HNL) Annual Conference. Each Atlantic provincial Tourism Industry Association (TIA) has its own annual conference. The Tourism Technology.com project attends each one to increase visibility for the project and encourage more operators to sign up for the mentoring session.

Since each TIA has only a handful of staff, one of the Tourism Technology.com coordinators travels to the others conference to work the trade show.

I'm going to NF, NS rep is going to PE, NF rep is going to NB etc.

The point is you might want to consider attending one of these conferences, just to get some different perspective. Consider their speakers. View their provincial presentations.

NF is in February,
PE is in March,
NB is in May,
NS is in November,


Food for thought, it doesn't hurt to know what everyone else is doing.

Have a great week,
Beth

About Me

How many times have you seen the About Us tab on a website (Contact Us also counts)?

How many online contact places do you have (email, blog, linked in, facebook, website)?

Wouldn't it be great to store all those in one place?

And fancy it up with fonts and pictures?

Check out About Me

It's a great one page "dashboard" to post your details for all your online places

Check out mine Beth A

There are probably more free online apps like this, but this is the one I found and I like it. It was simple to create and now it's a one stop shop for all my contact info.
You can email me from there, read my blog, connect on FaceBook and Linked In.

And the URL is super easy to remember about.me/bethashton

You could create one for your business and use it on your business cards. Or just use it for personal use.

If you meet a friend on the street, you can say "Hey connect with me at about.me/bethashton" and then they can choose the connection options they prefer - email, facebook, linkedin, twitter etc.


Check it out and let me know what you think.

Beth

Musings

This week I want to share with you the blog of my friend Margaret -

Margaret's blog


Through no influence of mine, Margaret embodies everything I tell you you should be doing:


She's doesn't have a technical background.

She sets a writing schedule.

She's real, in the sense that she writes in a language people can understand and relate with.

She cross promotes with her facebook page.




While I wish I could take some credit, I can't. Margaret is organically the poster child for how I want you to start blogging and/or facebooking, and/or updating your website.

Reach inside you and find your inner Margaret.


And if you need some help, I'm still offering the TourismTechnology.com mentoring sessions


Contact me,

Beth

Canadian eTourism Awards

Just wanted to let everyone know about the Canadian eTourism awards program.

Now accepting nominations until January 30th

To be awarded in conjunction with Online Revealed in Toronto, March 8 and 9

Best website

Best user generated content

Best online campaign

Best innovative use of technology / media

Check out their home page


And nominate yourself today !!

Conferences 2011

Greetings

Already the new year is looking better then last year. In fact, excluding that sentence, let's not mention 2010 again.

If you're interested in learning more about Social Media and tourism, there are a couple of conferences coming up that you might be interested in attending.

Canada e-Connect, February 2-4 in Toronto

I've attended e-Connect the past two years, and it's not in the budget to go again this year. Organized by TIAC, it has a tourism / social media focus. Sometimes I find the content more directed at DMOs or someone with a larger marketing reach but overall it gets the brain cells going.

Check out their speaker list

PS If you're not going to e-Connect, you can still see Amber MacArthur at TIANB's Annual Conference, May 25-27 in Miramichi :)



Online Revealed , March 8-9 in Toronto

My first online revealed was last year... OK 2010 had one good thing in it! This conference is also tourism and social media focused. Produced by A Couple of Chicks Marketing.

The Chicks bring in loads of talented speakers from all price points and vantages.

I'll be attending again this year, and it's jammed packed with sessions , they've combined with a one day Canadian Tourism Marketing summit

So it's a great opportunity to join me, as I won't be able to take it all in !

Some of you may remember the Chicks from TIANB's Annual Conference last year in Edmundston. They talked about the usage of social media and bringing it into your ecosystem. How social media can drive sales... now's the time to dig out those notes you took and review your 2011 strategy.


Also TIANB, Tourism and Parks, and Tourism Atlantic (ACOA) are doing FREE presentations on a variety of topics around NB over the next couple of weeks.

Be sure and attend to learn all about EQ and more!

Check out the date and times here



Stay tuned,
Beth