Posts Tagged ‘blogging’

5 Key Blog Marketing Tactics + Infographic

Tuesday, September 25th, 2012

So you’ve spent your valuable time blogging about your latest fam trip, the newest addition to your attraction or destination or adding a new video blog to your archives, now what?

How do you get more eyeballs to see your posts?

As travel pros, we have exciting topics and a never-ending supply of possible content.  Marketing it is essential!

Here are 4 ways to maximize your marketing.

Tip #1 – Newsletter

Announce your newest blog post in your e-newsletter, print newsletter or thru an e-mail blast.  Bonus tip:  make sure you check that the link opens in a new window.

Tip #2 – Facebook

How about adding your blog to your Facebook page?  Check out Networked Blogs for a free and easy way to automatically post your blog to your Facebook business page. Bonus tip:  remember to use a media calendar to plan out your weekly themes, then add links to your blog posts that focus on these themes.

Tip #3 – LinkedIn

Depending which blog platform you use, check out the applications in LinkedIn. Bonus tip:  Announce your newest blog posts in LinkedIn groups to which you belong.

Tip #4 – Twitter

Conversations on Twitter are real time and it’s an excellent way to spread the word about your newest blog post.  Join conversations, use # that refer to your blog topic and @mention specific followers who are a part of your blog.

Tip #5 – Pinterest

Don’t forget to include your blog posts links into Pinterest pins.  This is an incredible way to spread the word and engage new readers who have searched out a specific destination.  Try this:  Create a board of photos from a desination.  In each Pin description include info on the photo as well as a link to your blog post that highlights this destination.

Follow this blog for additional tips and tactics for travel pros.  In upcoming blog posts I’ll share more essential marketing tips for your blog.

Below are some essential tips to ensure your blogging success.  I found this infographic here.

 

Source: pinerly.com via Pinerly on Pinterest

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3 Social Monitoring Tools

Thursday, August 30th, 2012

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

Want to know what’s being said about your company, destination, top supplier or hotel?  These tools are great for listening in from the outside—being that mouse in the corner.  With the information you learn you’ll be able to adjust your marketing, customer service or products.

Social Mention.

Discover the sentiment that your company generates across the social spectrum. You’ll find information based on 4 categories providing insight into key areas of engagement.  Plus you’ll be able to see who’s talking about you and in what medium.  It’s a great way to get your arms around customer service as well as sales opportunitites.

DMO’s and CVB’s:  Destinations can use this to track what’s being said about their destination and/or partners of their organization.  You can check out your advocates and engage them in conversations and other opportunities.  How about connecting with these advocates and entering into a blogging agreement with them or having them contribute to your Pinterest boards?

Travel Agents:  This is the perfect opportunity to learn what’s being said about your top suppliers so that you can be on the cutting edge in your blog posts and your sales efforts.

Hotels: Sales teams love Social Mention as a way to keep up with client conversations across the social spectrum.

Here’s how it looks:

Scrolling down you’ll find top Keywords, Hashtags, Users and Sources.  This will give you a glimpse into how people are searching for this company or product and then you can incorporate these findings into your own marketing.

Tip:  Leverage the opportunity and join the conversations to develop brand advocates.

twitrratr

Track the sentiment of people talking about your destination, hotel, top supplier or attraction. This tool quantifies comments and gives you a percentage of Neutral, Positive or Negative.

Tip:  Look closely at the context of the comments as I’ve found that one negative word will be ranked as a negative comment when in reality it may be positive.

Google Alerts

This stellar, free site is key to learning what’s being talked about across our world.  Setting up custom alerts gives you the chance to learn what’s being said about your company, destinations, associations you belong, as well as key words that matter to your business.   Automatically receive updates on a daily, weekly or ‘as it happens’ basis.

Here’s how to set this up:

In the search query box enter the company, destination, attraction, hotel group or key words you’d like to receive updates.  You can include key words you generally search.  I’ve set up alerts for ‘social media in travel’.  By putting phrases in quotation marks you’ll get a cleaner search that shows more relevant information.

Next you can select what type of results you’d like; everything, blogs, news, video, discussions, book.

The ‘How Often’ and ‘How Many’ selection depends on how you plan to use it.  You can easily change any of these factors.

Travel Agents:  Consider setting up alerts for your top suppliers and associations.  While you may get duplicates of e-blasts, you may find you’ll get more in-depth information.

Tour Operators:  You may consider setting up alerts for key destinations you serve to learn of up to the minute news and event information.

Destinations:  Have you considered setting up alerts for surrounding destinations that you could potentially partner with for events, festivals and cultural happenings.

Suppliers:  Get a sneak peek at your competition!  Or check out what your top partners marketing.  You may have a chance to then market your product in a unique way.

These tools give you insider information into social marketing.  Isn’t it amazing how you can track who is talking about what?  So why not utilize these resources?  These monitoring tools are key features for this facet of your social medi strategy.

Which tools do you currently use?  Which would you like to use?

Other relevant articles on this topic:  3 Twitter Tools + 1 Facebook Tip

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When you ‘like’ my Facebook page you’ll have access to Free Resources just for travel pros!

Custom Apps

Friday, July 13th, 2012

Do you want to attract Facebook users to your page?  In order to do so, you will want to engage your audience through original, fun, and creative means!

Custom apps are an essential way to make your page POP!  This section of your Facebook page used to be fairly stagnant.  Now you have the option to customize the caption and photo that accompanies each.

Custom apps can be created using companies like Involver, Scribd, Sprout Social, Wildfire apps.

Once you’ve created your app here’s what to do to leverage it’s appeal

1 .Move it to a position that will always appear on your page

2. Customize the caption and image.  Try a catchy word pairing. Think about: New, Free or Win.

a) Remember if you do sponsor a contest or even mention a sweepstakes you need to use an approved platform to market it on Facebook.  This applies to photo and video contests as well.  Consider Wildfire apps or Offerpop  for your contests.

b) A photo speaks a thousand words.  When you upload a custom image to your new tab, make certain you own the rights to use this photo.  The best option is to upload a photo you’ve taken.  Otherwise consider a photo purchasing site like I-Stock, Fotolia or Dreamstime.

Here’s how you can make this happen on your page:

•Log into your Facebook page as an Admin

•Hover over the app you’d like to customize

•Click on the pencil that appears

•Select Edit Settings

•Custom Tab Image, click change and  browse your library of images and upload

•Save when you’re finished

Creative examples in our industry:  

DMO’s are leveraging their blog posts and maximizing their social engagement

 

Tour Operators are using these apps to highlight new contests and video libraries

 

Tour Operators are also editing the Events app to showcase their niche

 

Hotels are maximizing this powerful tool with booking options and showcasing features and contests 

 

Cruise Lines are focusing on bookings and creating sharing tools

 

Attractions are focusing on new events to build excitement.  If they have other associated pages, they are creating a tab to lead fans to other Facebook pages.

 

Large agency groups are creating business opportunities with ‘find an agent’ apps that search by location.  Notice the Survey Monkey app here?  

 

Check out this business building app.

 

Associations are using surveys in their apps line-up

 

Travel agents are showcasing their blog by using Networked Blogs app

Notice the custom caption below the blog app?

To change the caption beneath the app here’s what you do:

•Log into your Facebook page as an Admin

•Hover over the app you’d like to customize

•Click on the pencil that appears

•Select Edit Settings

•Custom Tab Name, enter the name you’ve decided on for this tab

•Save when you’re finished

•Click OK to finalize

Strategy Tip:  Select a catchy, descriptive name and graphic for your apps.

These essential features continue to make Facebook a key marketing component for tourism and hospitality leaders.  Are you making the most of your page?

What apps have you added to your Timeline?

For more information on Timeline, click hereAnd here!

Additional Timeline tips and strategy can be found:

7 Steps to a Powerful Timeline Pin

8 HOT Highlight Tips for Tourism Pros

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When you ‘like’ my Facebook page you’ll have access to Free Resources just for travel pros!

Must-read Advanced Blog Tactics for Travel & Tourism pros – 16 tips

Thursday, May 31st, 2012

Did you know that 19% of travellers visit a blog site when planning a trip.  Wouldn’t you love for them to be so intrigued with your content and expertise that they book with you?

Content is KING!  Yet sometimes we all find it hard to get creative enough to entertain, educate and engage in each and every post.  To help you break out your creative side here are some killer ideas for you.

Curate content.

  • •Find your ten favorite travel websites.
    • •Publish a post listing these top ten sites and explain why you like them.
    • •Tip:  When selecting these websites, make sure they don’t have links to other agent booking engines or directly to supplier sites.
    • •Highlight your top 10 favorite suppliers/ships/hotels/beaches/resorts/destination…you choose
      • •You may want to write a blog about each category
      • •Enlighten your readers with your experiences enjoying each
      • •Include photos and your own reviews
      • •Capitalize on success
        • •Showcase top travel bloggers.  Check out this list.
        • •You’ll lead your readers to other top quality material and they’ll thank you for the resource
        • •Then make sure you’re on that list next year!
        • •Put together your own Top 10 listof resources
          • •Top travel apps, suitcases, packing tips
          • •Top wineries to visit in California and other destinations you sell
          • •Top restaurants in your top selling destination

Mine Socially

  • •Search your Facebook business page comments
    • •Write about what people are talking about
  • •Search supplier Facebook pages for comments and questions that may be similar to what your clients might ask.  This is like getting a gift for free!
  • •Search Twitterfor comments on your top destinations
    • •This will give you an idea of popular conversations that you can use to inspire your writing.
  • •Listen, really listen, when you phone/email clients upon return.
    • •Expound on their trip highlights.
    • •Put together a list of your favorite travel bloggers and connect with them about guest posting opportunities.
      • •Consider finding people who’s expertise compliments yours
      • •Search blog directories such as Technorati, AllTop to see what’s HOT!

Inspiration

  • •Write a review. Think about a product/supplier/destination that you like, and are happy to endorse, and write a review about it. No need to get too creative, just explain what you like about it, and why.
  • Use a current movie as inspiration. Just think, your research could be a trip to the theater
    • The Artist or Midnight in Paris and write about Paris.
    • The Help, focus on the old-South and current events, museums that will add perspective to the movie.
  • TV Shows as inspiration.
    • SMASH or Glee, write about new Broadway plays.
    • Cooking shows (Cupcake Wars, Chopped) and write about unique cooking schools in destinations you currently sell or have group departures.
  • Best selling books as inspiration
    • Snowflower and the Secret Fan—blog about modern day China and the chance to learn more about their history.
    • Corelli’s Mandolin.  Write about Italy and all it has to offer currently
  • Review your favorite Travel guide books for your top destinations
    • Highlight your top 5 or 10 guide books and review the ease of use, inclusions, size, etc.
  • Review your favorite ethnic cookbook
    • Weave in travel, culinary, wine and cooking school options.
    • Include a call to action to book with you


22 Ways to Create Compelling Content - Infographic
Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

This infographic can be found here.  For additional social media related infographics, please check out my Pinterest boards.

Which of these content opportunities will you use first?

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When you ‘like’ my Facebook page you’ll have access to Free Resources just for travel pros!

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