Archive for the ‘ITMI’ Category
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
Is seeing reallybelieving?
Photo tips for Travel & Tourism pros
Ever find yourself in a spot you just know your clients would love to see themselves?
Using photos online is an awesome way to strike up engagement with your clients and draw attention to the great experiences you have to offer them. And the good news? You can take these pictures yourself!
#1 Photograph Lighting
No matter what the subject of your picture is, the lighting can make or break the quality of your photograph. Always make sure that the main focus of your photo is easily visible, and when possible, try to make the subject the brightest part of the picture.
Hotels: to showcase your rooms, utilize both natural and artificial light. Watch for glare from reflections on windows and mirrors.
Destinations: take advantage of the hours of sunrise and sunset in order to give your destination an out of this world appearance. If you are taking a photo of a landmark when the sun is behind it, consider using the flash feature to fill in any unwanted shadows. You may have to use manual flash for this – many cameras on Auto will not flash during daylight.
Travel Pros: use natural light to make a landscape or landmark pop during sunrise when few people are around to interfere with your shot! Be sure the sun is not creating distracting shadows within your frame.
(image with glare from lighting)
(image free from glare)
#2 Photograph Framing
Lead all eyes right to the target of your photos by framing your subject properly. One way to frame your subject is to use the Rule of Thirds: dividing the photo into nine equal squares and placing the object of focus on or near an area where the lines intersect.
Image by John R. Daily, Source
Hotels: include multiple features of a room in one photo by placing them on opposite sides/corners of a photo. If you wish to only highlight one feature, place it in the center of the photograph to maximize attention.
Destinations: when photographing landscapes, keep the land/water level just below the center of the photo. Use lines in the landscape as “leading lines” to draw attention to a certain subject/area!
Travel Pros: use the “Grid” option on your camera to more easily follow the Rule of Thirds with your shots. Use distance to your advantage by allowing an object or line to travel diagonally across the shot, such as a stream or pathway!
These two tips will help you get some sensational snaps of your own to show off to your clients online!
Next in the Photos in Social Media photo tips series: How to Use Photos on Different Platforms. Stay tuned!
Thanks to Ruby Murphy for her research and input.
Other posts you may enjoy:
2 Photo Tools for Travel Pros
5 Powerful Pinterest Tools
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By Catherine Heeg
About the author, Catherine J. Heeg
Catherine Heeg is a travel, hospitality and tourism industry thought leader. As President of Customized Management Solutions and an international speaker and trainer she delivers customized interactive social media, marketing and communication workshops and webinars. Customized social marketing strategy design and coaching keep her driving results for the tourism, travel and hospitality industry.
Tags: marketing, marketingplan, Photo Tips, Photography, sales, salestips, Selling, social engagement, tourism industry, tourismbusiness, tourismsalestips, touroperator, tourwholesaler, travelagent, travelindustry
Posted in Branding, hospitality, hotel industry, ITMI, marketing, NACTA, National Tour Association, NTA, OASIS, strategy, tourism industry, Tourism Sales Tips, Travel Consultant, travel industry | No Comments »
Friday, May 25th, 2012
Creating compelling blog content is a powerful way to captivate!
Blogging to Captivate
Captivate your clients. Captivate new clients. Captivate the media.
Did you know that 19% of travelers consult a blog when planning a trip? Think about how many people you have an opportunity to reach when you showcase your expertise and provide readers with added value.
When I speak at industry conferences the biggest blogging question I hear is “Where do I find interesting and relevant things to write about?” Great question and here is a list of solutions for you!
These content boosting opportunities have been divided into expertise levels so that if you’re just starting out in the blogging world you’ll find ideas in the novice section to quickly and easily get you rolling out blogs with content that’s easy to access and research. Then as you get more comfortable with your writing style there are intermediate ideas that you can use to leverage your skills. The advanced ideas are great for bloggers that need more momentum to keep their content fresh and engaging.
Novice Content
When you begin a blog it can be overwhelming and exciting at the same time. These essential content building sources will give you a jump-start. Each of these killer ideas are designed to tap into your creativity and let your expertise shine. How about writing about:
- Historical facts from your top selling property, attraction or destination
- Top Customer Service issues that are brought up by your clients
- Funny questions from clients
- * You know the ones…”can my dog sit on my lap on the plane?”
- Trivia from destinations, hotels, attractions.
- * How many eggs does your favorite ship board prior to departure?
- * How many pumpkins did your top selling boutique hotel order last Halloween?
- * Construct your blog around the trivia and weave in additional information that will temp people to call you to book their trip.
- Review your client comments and testimonials for possible content.
- Did someone compliment you on your insider knowledge of a specific destination? Write a blog post about it with some insider tips and a call to action to book with you Include the client testimonial (with their permission)
- Subscribe to other blogs
- * Supplier blogs and trade blogs are a great inspiration to help you capture ideas
- Search out others in your sector to see what’s top of mind for them
- Check what conversations are happening at other Social Media sites
- * Check out supplier sites as well as associations and other travel agents
- Mine the web and social sites of your top selling suppliers for the latest press releases
- * Add your experience with the topic and showcase your photos
- Read a variety of publications for relevant, interesting travel news
- * write a blog on your thoughts and experiences as related to the article
- * Link to the original article
Inspiration is merely the start of great blogs. You’re an industry expert and here’s your chance to be inspired to write material that will entice people to look to you when planning their travels.
Happy writing. Where do you find inspiration for your blog?
Here are some time saving writing tips
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Tags: blog, blogging, hospitality, marketing, sales, salestips, Social Media, tourism industry, tourismbusiness, tourismsalestips, touroperator, tourwholesaler, travelagent, travelindustry
Posted in blogging, Branding, ITMI, marketing, Social Media Marketing, strategy, tourism industry, Travel Consultant, travel industry, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
Are you interested in knowing more about when to Tweet? Do you wonder how many of your clients are using Twitter? Does it keep you awake at night analyzing what people are saying about your company or a preferred supplier.
Here are a couple of my favorite tips to manage, analyze and market.
- Set up a managing tool such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to manage, schedule and oversee your social sites. These tools let you pre-schedule your posts and will provide some analytics for you.
- Want to know what people are really saying about your company or a preferred supplier? Simply go to: Twitrratr or SocialMention. These tools are easy to use and provide up to the minute details.
- Check out services that analyze your Twitter following and assign the most productive time for you to Tweet. See TweetWhen
- Also check out When to Tweet for stats on when your followers are re-tweting. This service takes awhile to search your Twitter feed and followers.
- There are services that will search your client base and determine who is currently on Twitter. Check out Flowtown
- Try Twello! It’s the yellow pages of Twitter users. This is a great way to pick up the Twitter handles of specific people; clients, thought leaders or industry gurus who may have a unique Twitter handle.
- See this travel specific blog for additional Twitter strategies
These tools make it easier to manage your time and get the most from your social media experience. As you can see, this is only a brief list of my favorite Twitter tools. What are your favorites? Please use the comment section below and share with our travel colleagues.
Let’s keep the conversation going. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Tags: marketing, sales, salestips, Social Media, tourismsalestips, touroperator, tourwholesaler, travelagent, travelindustry, Twitter
Posted in airline industry, hospitality, hotel industry, ITMI, NACTA, National Tour Association, NTA, Social Media Marketing, Time Management, tourism industry, Tourism Sales Tips, Travel Consultant, travel industry | No Comments »
Friday, February 11th, 2011
Getting involved with social media and finding the time to stay on track with your social media marketing strategies may have to involve a change in your focus. For example, think about how much time are you currently spending putting together a printed newsletter, or proofing ads. How much time do you spend working with your printer on a new flyer, and working on the graphics for your latest flat sheet? Have you considered spending this time on digital marketing efforts?
Talent Search
Consider which of your team may be most valuable to you in this new media role. Is there someone who’s brilliant at writing copy? Who in your office composes the best customer service letter? You may consider working with them to design your strategy, brainstorm your content and develop a time frame to implement this new form of conversation. In addition, there are specialty firms that will start up and maintain your social media sites for you.
Timing
Eventually you’ll be able to scan your social media sites, respond to messages and build new content in about 1-2 hours per week. This is the average most users in our industry spend on social media. Granted, at the start you’ll spend more time learning and getting used to the new systems.
Here’s a hint: carve out time each day to work on your social media endeavor.
As tourism professionals, can we afford not to be a part of these conversations? These conversations are already taking place and when we’re involved we’re adding value for our clients and discovering opportunities.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin
Catherine Heeg is an international speaker and trainer in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Social Media Marketing….know you need it. NO time! Here’s the solution for you! We’ll set up and/or maintain your social sites for you. This gives you time to be brilliant in your own work!
Let’s keep the conversation going. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Tags: Facebook, hospitality, LinkedIn, marketing, salestips, Social Media, Time Management, training, travelagent, travelindustry, Twitter
Posted in Facebook Marketing, hospitality, hotel industry, ITMI, marketing, National Tour Association, NTA, sales, Social Media Marketing, Time Management, Tourism Sales Tips, Travel Consultant, travel industry | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011
Now that you have decided to take the leap and get involved in social media, there are a few important first steps that you will want to consider to ensure your success with all of the social media tools available to you.
1. Sign up and look around
Check out other Facebook members by signing up for a free Facebook membership. Take a tour of Twitter after signing up for an account; search out conversations by typing a key word into the search box. With or without a free account on LinkedIn, you can search for colleagues by typing their name in the ‘find people’ box to see their profile.
2. Listen!
Check out other corporate and personal profiles and pages to listen to what’s being said and who’s talking the most. How about checking out:
-
- Facebook sites of supplier you currently work with
- A favorite DMO’s Twitter page
- Group Tour Magazines web site, then click through to their social media sites
- Customized Management Solutions blog for creative marketing ideas
- LinkedIn profiles of your supplier sales reps
There is valuable information and discussions going on right now. Do you want to miss out?
3. Buyer Persona
I would strongly urge you to dig a bit deeper into your client base and get to know your clients more intimately and understand your perfect clients better. This will help you to understand what type of content will be appealing to your clients, what forms of social media your clients participate in, as well as the communication frequency that will appeal to your clients. By getting to you’re your clients better, you will then have a smoother transition from traditional to new media.
You will find examples of buyer personas or perfect client worksheets in many marketing books. You can also connect with me and I’ll send you a PDF of one I’ve designed for the tourism industry.
Catherine Heeg is an international speaker and trainer in the tourism and hospitality industry. Check out the social media division that will set up and maintain your social media presence for you! We do the work and you reap the rewards. Here’s the solution!
What are your biggest social media questions?
Let’s keep the conversation going. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Tags: buyerpersona, Facebook, Facebookmarketing, facebookpromotion, hospitality, LinkedIn, smallbusiness, Social Media, tourism industry, travelindustry, Twitter
Posted in Branding, hospitality, hotel industry, ITMI, marketing, National Tour Association, NTA, sales, Social Media Marketing, tourism industry, Tourism Sales Tips, Travel Consultant, travel industry, Twitter, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, January 31st, 2011
Facebook is continually adding new features to engage existing fans and draw in potential new fans. Let’s talk about some features that are relevant to the tourism industry.
Events: Facebook fan pages have an event tab that allows you to enter upcoming events that your company is participating in or sponsoring. Think of the possibilities using this feature could provide! For example, you may want to enter your group departures here, listing the upcoming special events at your attraction or restaurant, or list the festivals and cultural events your DMO would like to market to a targeted audience of fans. Once an event is posted, you can invite your fans and check who plans to attend the event. Event attendees can also check the guest list and invite their friends. For more info, check out this how-to guide.
Contests: You can also engage your fans and draw potential fans into your conversations with contests. When you use the ‘search’ function on Facebook, you’ll locate their contest building application called “Wildfire”. Imagine building a contest that will spread like ‘wildfire’ and draw many new visitors to your site as word spreads. Tauck Tours is a great example of a successful contest.
“Places”: There’s a new feature of Facebook called “Places” that allows members to “check in” to places they visit, and write comments and status updates about the location. For example, a hotel guest may indicate (via Facebook “Places”) that they are currently at your hotel, that they love the service, and then go on to rave about your comfy beds. Perhaps one of their personal Facebook friends sees this posting and decides to book your property based on their friend’s recommendation.
As you can see, once you have created your Facebook business page, there is a vast amount of features and resources to help you reach out to your existing and potential clients. Remember, the benefits that Facebook offers to help you engage with your clients are only a click away!
Catherine Heeg is an international speaker and trainer in the tourism and hospitality industry. Check out the social media division that will set up and maintain your social media presence for you! We do the work and you reap the rewards. Here’s the solution!
What are your Facebook success stories?
Let’s keep the conversation going. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Tags: Facebook, Facebookmarketing, marketingplan, Networking, NTA, salestips, Social Media, tourism industry, tourismbusiness, touroperator, travelagent, travelindustry
Posted in Branding, hospitality, hotel industry, ITMI, National Tour Association, Networking, NTA, sales, Social Media Marketing, Travel Consultant, travel industry, Twitter, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Saturday, January 29th, 2011
Are you still thinking why do I need to be on Facebook? I don’t have the time! Maybe you already have a Facebook page, but are wondering how to update it and keep your fans engaged.
You are not alone in these thoughts. Travel professionals seem to be agonizing over how to start, why they need or want to be on Facebook, and what reward it offers.
With over 500 million Facebook users worldwide, there are many people in your target audience waiting to hear from you!
This posting will focus on Facebook fan pages, or business pages, as opposed to personal profiles. In order to get started on Facebook, you will need both a personal profile and a business page, but for clarity we will focus only on the business page. On a business page fans ‘like’ you or join your page in order to take part in the conversations. You do not ‘accept’ them as you would do on a personal profile.
2 reasons why Facebook is so important
- Facebook opens one more channel of conversation with your clients and potential clients: it allows for a 2-way conversation to take place. Unlike print marketing or radio advertising, Facebook allows you to have 2-way conversations and learn more about your client’s wants and needs.
- Facebook pages are searchable on the Internet, meaning that when a client Googles your company name, not only will your website listing appear, but your Facebook business page will also be accessible. Even if your client isn’t a member of Facebook they can still access your business page! This information is truly valuable from a tourism perspective. Just think about a client who’s searching for a tour that your company offers and finds a lively conversation on your Facebook page about this particular destination. Not only will this client be engaged, but they will also have a chance to get to know you and your current clients quickly.
Remember, there are many people in your target audience waiting to hear from you. Read on to learn more about the cool new features on Facebook that will help you to reach out and engage with both your existing and potential clients.
If you’re daunted by social media, I have the solution for you! My new division will set up and maintain your social media presence for you. When you engage my services you can focus on what you’re most brilliant at while reaping the rewards of social media marketing. Check this out and get started today!
Catherine Heeg is an international speaker and trainer in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Let’s keep the conversation going. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Tags: Facebook, facebookfans, Facebookmarketing, facebookpromotion, LinkedIn, marketing, sales, Social Media, tourism industry, tourismsalestips, training, travelagent, travelindustry
Posted in Branding, Facebook Marketing, hospitality, ITMI, marketing, National Tour Association, Networking, NTA, Social Media Marketing, strategy, tourism industry, Travel Consultant, travel industry, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, January 28th, 2011
Are you asking yourself how LinkedIn could help connect you to industry leaders and jumpstart your job search? I recently spoke at the ITMI Symposium and found that for tour directors, as independent contractors, this was a huge issue.
With over 90 million LinkedIn members who are professionals in many fields, what better way to boost your credibility and accessibility? LinkedIn is similar to other forms of social media you begin by making connections and participating in conversations.
Here’s a couple of ways to begin building your connections:
• Search LinkedIn for names of people you’ve met thru industry presentations, conventions and seminars you’ve attended,
• LinkedIn provides a search tool that you can search by company name. The tool then lists all the employees of that company that are on LinkedIn, as well as stats regarding top job titles, top schools and median age of member employees,
• Read the trade publications and industry news websites. Search out names of industry leaders and then connect with them on LinkedIn,
• Connect with people you previously worked with.
Once you sign up with LinkedIn and begin your search using the ideas above, you can invite people to connect. Merely check the appropriate box indicating how you know this person and compose a brief personalized note saying where you met them or how you found their name. I would not recommend mentioning that you’re looking for a job at this point.
Next, check at the top of the web page for the search key ‘Jobs’. Simply complete the information and you’re rewarded with available positions that fit the specified category. In addition, all groups have a job board connected to the group and available to group members.
3 Mistakes to Avoid:
1. Beginning the job search conversation too soon. Listen, participate and learn first.
2. Not cleaning up your Facebook page. Do you really want potential employers to see your personal photos? You may want to start a new personal profile calling it your ‘at work’ profile. Additionally, if you’re a contract worker (perhaps a tour director) you may want to build a business fan page.
3. Posting irrelevant news or information. This is a professional space and your future may well lie in the connections you make here.
What tips and success stories can you share? I look forward to keeping the conversation alive as we all learn better from each other.
Catherine Heeg is an international speaker and trainer in the tourism and hospitality industry. Connect on LinkedIn
Let’s keep the conversation going. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Tags: Facebook, hospitality, ITMI, LinkedIn, marketing, Networking, sales, Social Media, tour directors, Tour operators, tourism industry, travelindustry
Posted in Branding, hospitality, ITMI, marketing, Niche Marketing, Social Media Marketing, strategy, tourism industry | No Comments »
