Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Thursday, March 29th, 2012
Are you ready to make the switch to Facebook’s new Timeline?
How about some inspiration?
Here are some industry leaders who have already updated their Facebook business page to Timeline and are showcasing their product and increasing their exposure. Enjoy!
Upgrade tip:
- Choose wisely. Consider a product shot, gorgeous photo of your property or people using your service. Think about what will attract your perfect clients.
- Be certain to use photos that are yours, are royalty free or that you’ve purchased from a reputable on-line source.
- Consider I-Stock or Fotolia
- There are a few things Facebook doesn’t allow in your Cover Photo:
- Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”
- Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section
- References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features
- Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”
Tips for Travel and Tourism Pros:
- You may consider changing your cover photo to highlight destinations during their peak selling period. For example, in fall when you’re selling sun vacations change your cover photo to sunny destination photos you’ve taken, purchased or acquired the rights to use.
- Tour Operators may want their cover shot to speak to their current clients as well as potential new clients by using photos of people enjoying a focal point of your business. For example, if you provide cultural tours how about a photo of group participants enthralled by a private docent led museum tour. If your focus is culinary tours, how about a photo of a group entranced by a chef-led cooking demonstration.
- Highlight the destination you’re focusing on in your regular Facebook posting calendar. For example, if you’re talking about Italy on your page and highlighting things to do, fabulous museums and cycling tours, change your cover photo to match the theme and show guests of yours pedalling thru the beauty of Tuscany.
- As a hotel, you may consider capturing the attention of visitors by showcasing a different property each week or month based on selling patterns and/or availability.
- Hotels may also want to focus on aspects of their marketing mix and feature a photo of a bride during the prime wedding booking season. How about focusing on corporate meetings, conventions or conferences during the time you’d like to boost this business.
- Attractions can focus on photos of people enjoying the main parts of the attraction with family and friends. Be certain that you obtain any releases you may need to use photos of people.
- Restaurants and dinner show venues may want to show groups of people participating in and enjoying the entertainment. Future guests and group buyers will be drawn to people who look like their demographic laughing and participating in the fun.
- Edit the names and graphics of the apps/tabs that appear on your page.
Industry Timeline Examples
Starwood
A Loft Hotels
Ritz Carlton
Barcelo
Globus
Tauck Tours
Sports Travel and Tours
- Discover Hawaii Tours
Tags: Facebook, facebookfans, Facebookmarketing, facebookpromotion, hospitality, hotelsales, marketing, NTA, Social Media, Timeline, tourism industry, tourismbusiness, tourismsalestips, touroperator, tourwholesaler, travelindustry
Posted in Facebook Marketing, hospitality, hotel industry, National Tour Association, NTA, promotion, Social Media Marketing, strategy, tourism industry, Tourism Sales Tips, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
LinkedIn Events + Twitter = Powerful event marketing for Travel pros.
Events applications on Facebook and LinkedIn are powerful ways to spread the word of your upcoming group tours, special events and training workshops. Choosing the right application for your specific event is critical. In an earlier post we worked thru the benefits of using Facebook Events as a marketing tool to bring you a greater critical mass of awareness and exposure. Here we’ll delve into the distinct advantages of LinkedIn Events when marketing on a B2B level. In a subsequent post we’ll explore proven ways to blend social and traditional media.
LinkedIn Events
Are you targeting professionals for your upcoming event? Is your next tour designed with history professors in mind? Does your city need to attract more architects to your new Skyscraper Museum? Yes? LinkedIn provides the answer to niche marketing.
Creating an event on LinkedIn starts in the ‘MORE’ tab. (for a step by step guide, please see the screen shots and advice at http://ow.ly/3Mumv)
Even if you’re not the event organizer you can still create an event and include the organizers contact information. Once created, you’ll see a URL that you can use in your e-mail blasts and blog posts. At this point you can also invite your connections who will then see the invite on their weekly update as will all of their connections. Think how this could spread.
Twitter
Twitter is fabulous for getting the message out quickly! Consider the hotel that’s hosting a gourmet wine pairing event or the tour company planning an exclusive demonstration of Thai music at their next consumer evening. How about tweeting small details to tempt and tease potential clients.
Tips:
- Include photos and links to your event pages and web site.
- Ask people to re-tweet to gain momentum immediately.
- Consider using a media calendar to plan your tweet strategy and timing
Twitter’s search capability grows infinitely when you include a # (hashtag). You can start your own # simply by beginning to use whatever word you’d like to describe your event and then using other common # to increase your visibility. Let’s use the Thai music example, you could create a hashtag #thailand, #thaimusic, #thaitourism. This idea will draw people passionate about this topic to your event page while garnering you new clients on your tour to Thailand.
Advanced tip: If your event is large enough you may want to start a new Twitter account just for the event. Think about the NTA Convention (#NTA2010). This will allow you to amass passionate followers and generate conversations. From here you may want to consider a live Twitter feed being shown on a large screen during your event.
What strategies have you used to market your tourism events?
Join the conversation….. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Tags: Facebookmarketing, hospitality, hotelsales, LinkedIn, marketing, NTA, sales, salestips, smallbusiness, Social Media, tourism industry, tourismbusiness, tourismsalestips, tourwholesaler, travelagent, travelindustry, Twitter
Posted in airline industry, marketing, National Tour Association, Social Media Marketing, strategy, Tourism Sales Tips, Travel Consultant, travel industry, Twitter, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 29th, 2011
Do you go to sleep at night thinking about how to engage and grow your Facebook Fan base? Or does it cause you sleepless nights? I hope neither is the case! However, here are 3 essential tips to help you gather more loyal fans.
I’ve been speaking to a group of NACTA travel consultants aboard the Voyager of the Seas and these pros are seriously committed to growing their business using the tools available on Facebook.
Here are a couple of tips to get you thinking creatively.
1. Add hyperlinks from your blog posts back to related information on your Facebook page.
- When you repurpose your blog to other sites like ezinearticles your new group of eyeballs will be drawn to your Facebook page and ultimately your business. Be certain that once they arrive at your Facebook page there’s relevant information to raise their curiosity. When you provide some value-added material they’ll love you and reach out as your newest fan. This value-add can be something as simple as a packing list, a tip sheet for the destination you’ve covered in your blog or your list of insider tips for the cruise you’ve just taken.
2. Use e-mail superbly!
- Compose an email that includes the 2 most important words for your clients….YOU and BECAUSE! You’ll want to engage those on your mailing list and entice them to visit your fan page because these people already know you and may be looking for more information for an upcoming trip.
- Be certain to include your blog and Facebook links into your e-mail signature.
3. Join conversations on other blogs where your clients may already be doing their research.
- Remember 19% of travellers read a blog when planning a trip.
- Have you considered joining conversations on the blogs of your favorite CVB’s and DMO’s? When you join these conversations, potential travellers to that destination will notice your posts, respect your expertise and connect with you for their booking.
Advanced bonus tips:
- Create a landing page also known as a Welcome page. People are 67% more likely to ‘like’ a Facebook page that has a welcome page. (my web designer is a pro at this—Troy Jaggard). Check out my Facebook page and find more industry resources there when you ‘like’ it.
- Run a contest. Check out the Wildfire application for details and costing. (don’t worry, it’s very reasonable.)
- Develop an ad targeted to your audience demographic. (remember you can set your budget)
- Add polls and surveys into your blog posts. Please answer this survey so that I can continue to provide you with relevant information. Check out how it works!
- Check off your progress on this checklist that I’ve put together for travel pros.
These are tips that supplement your relevant content. In combination with understanding your audience, you’ll have a winning strategy! Please become a fan of the Customized Management Solutions Facebook page for more tips and techniques to grow your business.
What exciting techniques have you used to grow your fan base? When we share our ideas our industry only becomes stronger and more relevant to consumers. Look forward to hearing from you.
Keep the conversation relevant. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Tags: blogging, Facebook, marketing, NACTA, Networking, smallbusiness, Social Media, Surveys, tourism industry, travelindustry
Posted in blogging, Branding, Facebook Marketing, NACTA, National Tour Association, Networking, Niche Marketing, Social Media Marketing, strategy, tourism industry, Tourism Sales Tips, Travel Consultant, travel industry, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011
Absolutely! Check out the Banff Crasher Squirrel. This marketing phenom has an e-mail address, a Twitter feed and a personal Facebook page. Now Banff National Park has emerged as the the world‟s most influential destination marketing organization (DMO) on Twitter, according to Influencers in Travel. Measured by Klout score, the @Banff_Squirrel Twitter account ranks in the Top 10 of all Travel Companies Worldwide on Twitter, and is the only DMO to crack the Top 30 list. More info here.
This is a great idea for a destination mascot, a hotel resident dog or cat, or even a digital waiter or attraction concierge. Think of the possibilities of interacting with your clients thru a pseudo personality like this.
This is merely a drop in the ocean of great ideas I’ll cover in this blog. Please let me know what other questions you have and I will continue to answer them in this column and thru audio podcasts.
Let’s keep the conversation going. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Tags: blogging, Facebook, hospitality, hotelsales, marketing, tourism industry, tourismbusiness, touroperator, travelindustry
Posted in Branding, Facebook Marketing, Networking, Social Media Marketing, strategy, Tourism Sales Tips, Uncategorized | 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 »
Friday, February 4th, 2011
Are you, like others in the tourism industry, wondering if social media is here to stay, not yet certain about making the leap to get involved in social media yourself?
Social media has people talking more frequently and to people they may have never had the chance to meet otherwise. For the world of tourism, it means that our destinations, products and tours can be talked about around the world or across the back fence at all hours of the day.
New Conversations
Through social media I’ve had the chance to connect with a tour operator in South Africa, a hotelier in Dubai and a tour guide in New York. All of this happened in a discussion group on LinkedIn, talking about the exciting ways people are using social media. These examples are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to social media possibilities. Think about how many people now find new employees, connect with clients and keep up to date on supplier information – all via social media.
7 Touches
There are now innumerable ways for us to reach out and touch our clients. Marketing theory tells us that it takes 7 touches, or marketing impressions, to create a decision. Spreading these 7 touches out over a variety of channels will ensure that current/potential clients and brand evangelists will hear our story told in multiple mediums and voices.
2-Way Conversations
The beauty of this new media is that we’re able to start and join 2-way conversations.
Think about print marketing in the newspaper or those flyers you send to your mailing list. Is there any 2-way conversation happening? Both of these mediums involve ‘push marketing’. We push information and hope they don’t think we’re pushy.
Pull Marketing
With social media we’re involved in ‘pull marketing’. We’re pulling or drawing people into a conversation that they are already interested in pursuing. They’ve found our Facebook page and have been drawn into the conversation by other people as well as an unsatisfied need that we can fulfill.
It’s all about building relationships through rapport, compelling conversation and the chance to satisfy a need.
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: marketing, sales, smallbusiness, Social Media, tourismbusiness, travelagent, Twitter
Posted in blogging, Facebook Marketing, hospitality, marketing, Networking, sales, Social Media Marketing, strategy, travel industry, Twitter, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
Advertising on Facebook is one of the most economical and targeted ways to reach potential new clients. What is great about Facebook advertising is that your ad can be targeted to only appear on Facebook profiles that match your selected criteria. Now that is a great way to reach your targeted audience!
You can choose your target audience for these ads based on the following criteria:
• Location, age range, gender, education, relationship status, gender interest, work places (specific employers), languages spoken & keywords.
For example, if you are promoting a group departure to Spain, and your ad included the keywords “Spain”, “tapas”, and “flamenco”, you would be able to reach individuals who listed those keywords as their personal interests in their profile. Thus, Facebook advertising is a powerful way to reach a specific audience and keep within a set budget. Speaking of budgets, Facebook advertising makes it possible run an ad campaign and choose the limit you would like to spend each day. For example, some companies spend about $25 to run a 4-5 day campaign.
Facebook provides the most up to date way to stay in touch with your clients. When you open the new channels of communication available to you on Facebook, more people will find you and become involved in your success. Engage your clients today and you will be ensuring your future success!
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: advertising, Facebook, facebookpromotion, hospitality, hotelsales, marketing, NTA, salestips, Social Media, tourism industry, tourismsalestips, touroperator, travelagent, travelindustry
Posted in Facebook Marketing, hospitality, hotel industry, National Tour Association, Networking, NTA, sales, Social Media Marketing, strategy, tourism industry, 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 »
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Is summer usually a time for you to kick back and enjoy the nice weather while hoping that your clients will remember you in the fall?
Think back to when you were a kid…summer was a time to learn cool new things. I learned to tip the canoe and then right it without having to bail it out. Were you excited to learn how to dive, perfect your back swing on the tennis court or read that new book?
Why not make this summer your chance to learn something exciting that you’ve contemplated, yet put off. Perhaps you know that you need to get more involved in marketing your business. Here are some tips to get you started.
Social Media
Start by taking a look at what your suppliers, competitors and industry leaders are doing. Get involved by webinar to learn the best practices and how-tos of marketing via social media. Then try your hand at one form and practice and listen.
Your marketing plan
Every once in awhile I look outside our industry to learn what others are doing in their marketing efforts. Lately I’ve noticed a couple of things;
- businesses are revising their marketing plans more frequently to keep up with clients changing needs
- small business owners are becoming even more fluid in adapting to new technologies
- contract workers are flourishing. Tourism based businesses are jumping on the band wagon and bringing in experts when necessary to build a new marketing initiative, take on a project like social media or explore new destination opportunities.
Ask for Referrals
Currently, the tourism and hospitality industry relies so heavily on word of mouth and social networking to promote. Summer is a great time to contact past clients that you think of as ‘raving fans’ and ask for their testimonials to put on your web-page. Have you considered putting together a marketing effort aimed at your Facebook fans. Maybe a contest that will enable them to brag about their trip.
Start a summer romance with your business and your clients. Dive into these 3 tips and your fall will become a scorcher.
Keep the conversation relevant. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” –Charles Darwin
Tags: Facebook, hospitality, hotelsales, LinkedIn, marketing, marketingplan, referrals, Social Media, tourism industry, training, travelagent, travelindustry, Twitter
Posted in hospitality, hotel industry, marketing, National Tour Association, NTA, sales, Social Media Marketing, Travel Consultant, travel industry, Uncategorized | No Comments »
