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

Blog in review

So I've been blogging for a couple of years now - how time has flown by.

I'm fairly sure no one is reading it but I persist.

If only so I don't have to update my email signature. That's such a pain...


Depending on your business, blogs still have their place, though probably not as separate entities like this one, probably some page on your website that you update a lot during your peak season and periodically the rest of the time.

A lot of the purpose behind the blog has moved to social media. The conversations and interactions take place on Facebook. However Facebook hides behind a user account system, don't just assume all your followers have Facebook accounts. While a blog is out there for all to see and read.

Until we reach the realm of one username and one password for all, we'll always be multiplatform.


Unlike traditional media, there aren't blog or Facebook salespeople who call you up to renew like there are for your radio ads, or print materials or newspaper ads. Internet marketing is all about you; your time, your memory, or a trusted employee.


Here's a couple of posts from 2009 that I thought would be good to read again, or for the first time:

The 12 days of Website Best Practices


Just get the job done


I guess I didn't have anything earth shattering to share in 2010, doesn't surprise me, it was crappy year personally, not professionally

Professionally, I did 24 mentoring sessions, finally meeting project targets. Operators are starting to seek me out, rather then me pestering them. Awesome.

Some really great new tourism sites went up this year.

NB Trails

Auberge Les Jardins

Discover the passage

Festival Western

and I'm sure there's many more. I'm hearing from mentoring session clients every day who are in the process of developing a new site or new social media strategies.


Bring on 2011 !

Happy Holidays :)

Beth

beth@@tianb.com

How your website is like your car...

I drive a 2006 Hyundai. I bought it new, off the lot. Yes, I probably over paid but that's not the point.

Every month I pay a little on that car.

Every three months, I take it for oil changes or something and pay some more.

And every now and then I look at the new scratches, or a rock hits it and I witness its slow death.

As soon as a car leaves the confines of the auto plant, it's starting on its slow death. Even a car that never gets driven will eventually succumb to rust and elements.

And so does your website. You just don't realize it.

Every month that you don't look at your website and update content, it's dying.

Every season that goes by and you don't post new pictures, it's dying.

Testimonials that don't get posted, are like arrows through its heart.


Sure you can rebuild the engine, but the exterior will still rust out on you.

Eventually you have to stop and admit defeat.

And get a new car.


Or a new website.

Unless you're a mechanic - cars and their repairs are expenses that you just have to accept in order to get on with your life. (Besides public transit options etc)

So unless you're a web developer - technology costs of running a tourism operation is something you have to accept in order to market your business.


Website code that you bought in 2006 doesn't run as well as website code you can buy now.
Was Vista or Windows 7 out when that code was written? Nope.
Was Firefox and Google Chrome and IE 7 / 8 out? Nope.
Was the iPad and the iPhone out? Nope.

You need code for all these applications and devices.

Does my iPod sync with my old car? Nope.
Does my car talk to me or recognize my voice? Nope.
Is my car a hybrid? Nope.

These are all the improvements I must weigh against the cost of a higher monthly payment or being payment free - does that even exist anymore?


So find the money, find the will, find the determination and put out some bytes that the internet can be proud of!


I'll get off my soap box now.

If you need any help with any of that, you know where I am


Beth

Vancouver - it really is the other coast

Hi All,

Just back from a week in Vancouver visiting friends and I knew, I just knew, that you would want to hear all about it.

Background - Vicki and I went to University together. She now lives in Vancouver (Burnaby) with her husband, her daughter who is eight and her son who is two and their dog Horton. She runs a daycare in her home. She and her kids are active, busy, and fun! I only get to see her every three years or so, and I miss her already.

The first thing I noticed on the ride in from the airport was the lack of billboards. Vicki says they are working on the highways and the ads should be back soon. Whew.

The next thing is the guest room, cause it's like 2 AM AST and I'm not as young as I used to be.

Running a daycare from your home means early starts, lots of activity and sometimes late evenings. There's no time to check things out on a desktop / laptop in the office upstairs. She relies a lot on her mobile phone. Everything from finding contact numbers, to directions, to Elmo's official last name :)

Snack hints, quick game solutions, and other kid related tidbits are accessed via her mobile.

At night, recipes for cookies and breads are on the laptop in the kitchen while we bake for the next day.

She facebooks while we're at the amusement park and uploads photos of my green face after the last ride.

(note - she's not obnoxious about it, mostly while we're in line)

When we go out for the day and leave her assistant in charge, they text every now and then to make sure everything is OK

She doesn't have a GPS device in the car

And another thing I notice is that the cars are like 99% BC license plates. Which makes me realize not a lot of people drive to Vancouver / Victoria. They fly in. And maybe rent cars, which would also have BC plates.

So there probably is more reliance on mobile directions then GPS devices

In the end, the big take away is that every corner of this country is different. The method visitors use to arrive, tour, and interact varies a lot with geography.

But I think, and this is just me thinking out loud, that Mobile is finally here, there and everywhere.

Fright nite at the PNE - goulish