Posts Tagged ‘Networking’
Friday, February 22nd, 2013
Travel pros are always searching for new ways to reach untapped markets.
Leverage your LinkedIn Presence
LinkedIn is the opportunity to reach new potential clients in a different channel and meet them thru a business networking situation. That’s great news for both leisure and corporate travel consultants, hoteliers that focus on both markets, as well as tour operators and receptive operators.
LinkedIn has been called the ‘red-headed step-child’ of social media. As a red-head growing up with dark haired parents, I always thought that maybe I was the step-child. When LinkedIn came along I had to check out this new ‘Red Head’. So I jumped on the band wagon and have found great connections and new ways to communicate with colleagues.
Marketing tactics
Travel consultants
Think of the possibilities of marketing yourself to distinct groups of professionals by giving them the gift of time and relaxation in their next vacation. Consider reaching small business owners and providing them expertise for their corporate travel planning.
Hoteliers
Consider LinkedIn as a way to reach out to conference planners and corporate-stay decision makers.
Tour Operators
Have you thought about maximizing your connections with industry leaders and keeping up with your suppliers.
I love the Infographic below as it brings focus to 10 ways to make the most of your social networking.
Positive Positioning Statements
My favorite tip is #2: Optimize your positioning statement. This is a critical piece of your LinkedIn success when members are searching for a skill set or expertise.
Travel pros may want to list their title as “Cruise Expert” or “Vacation Pro” to aid in search results both within LinkedIn as well as in organic internet searches.
Tour operators may find success listing their key destinations in their title. It may look like this; “New York and Washington DC inbound receptive expert”.
What successes have you found on LinkedIn?
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Join me socially: Facebook, Twitter , LinkedIn and Pinterest
When you ‘like’ my Facebook page you’ll have access to Free Resources just for travel pros!
Here are other marketing articles for travel & tourism pros:
5 Creative Ways to Market your Social Presence
3 + 30 Proactive Promotional Tips for your Blog + Infographic
5 Key Blog Marketing Tactics+ Infograhic
By Catherine Heeg
Tags: hospitality, hotelsales, LinkedIn, marketingplan, Networking, sales, salestips, Selling, smallbusiness, social engagement, Social Media, tourism industry, tourismbusiness, tourismsalestips, touroperator, tourwholesaler, travelagent, travelindustry
Posted in Branding, hospitality, hotel industry, Infographics, LinkedIn, marketing, Networking, promotion, sales, Social Media Marketing, strategy, tourism industry, Tourism Sales Tips, Travel Consultant, travel industry | No Comments »
Friday, February 8th, 2013
Google +. Is it worth paying attention?
With 400 million registered users and more than 100 million active users visiting the service every month it’s hard to ignore the impact on the tourism, hospitality and travel industry.
With the introduction of Brand pages, Google+ leverages another marketing channel to connect, inspire and compel brand advocacy…plus maximize revenues and relationships.
Here are some clear reasons to get involved today!
- Hangouts. Free video conferencing is available for up to 10 other Google+ members. Tap into social interaction that can be recorded and viewed by others on demand. Imagine group planning sessions, media interaction, guest relations and internal communication all via video chats.
- Hotels consider using a Hangout with staff members from around the country.
- Attractions can use a Hangout to let sales people and tour operators know of new developments.
- Tour Operators can Hangout with key clients or group leaders.
- Circles. Similar to lists on Twitter and groups on Facebook, Circles takes you one step deeper into your marketing efforts. A business can now easily market directly to segmented audiences by sharing content only with selected Circles. Business pages can Circle other businesses, but not people…at this point in time.
- Hotels can pass along rate information only to tour operators, not their entire list of followers on Google+
- Attractions can target the drive market with promotions to geo-based Circles.
- Tour Operators can create a Circle of potential group leaders (who have a business profile on Google+) and learn what is needed to build the perfect package.
- Note: When people add you to their Circles they will always see your brand’s posts.
- SEO Ranking. Google is proven to give preference in search rankings to content shared in Google+. This means that your business is more likely to rank higher in Google searches and that ranking increases for people who have added your business into one of their Circles.
- Search. When your company is searched using “+your company name” it stands out immediately as the company logo is shown and the real estate is larger for Google+Businesses. See this example for Tauck Tours:
Searching Tauck on Google+
What do you like about Google+ brand pages?
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Tags: Google + Brand pages, Google Plus, Google+, hospitality, hotelsales, marketing, marketingplan, Networking, sales, salestips, Selling, social engagement, Social Media, tourwholesaler, travelagent, travelindustry
Posted in Branding, Google +, hospitality, hotel industry, marketing, Mobile marketing, Networking, promotion, Social Media Marketing, strategy, tourism industry, Tourism Sales Tips, Travel Consultant, travel industry | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 30th, 2013
Did you know that your Facebook fans only see about 16% of your posts? I was appalled when I learned this.
Here’s the secret to boosting your exposure and reaching more of your fans.
#1 Get Notifications
To ensure that your hard work, research and frequent posting gets you the most mileage possible your fans now have to take one more step to get information from you. The secret tool in your toolbox is to ask your fans to check ‘Get Notifications’ and ‘Show in News Feed’ once they ‘like’ your page. Here’s how it works:
You may want to post this graphic (see the smaller version below) on your page and then include a post showing people what benefit they’ll get when the check “Get Notifications”. (To save this image to your page, please right click on the image below, choose ‘save link as’ then choose a place on your hard drive to save this graphic. Then go to your Facebook page and select “Photo Video” > Attach Photo> browse your hard drive and select this graphic that you saved >Post.)
With this graphic you may consider saying something like this:
Travel pros may want to say “For the latest travel info, please remember to check “Get Notifications” so you’ll be sure to receive the most up to date destination info from me.”
Destinations—consider posting a brief note like this…”Do you LOVE ______________(fill in your destination name)? Check “Get Notifications” so you’ll be the first to hear what’s hot and happening here in ___________(fill in your destination)
Hotels can easily mention a benefit that’s provided on their Facebook page and create a post like this….”If you’re looking for more great recipes and fun events at _________ (fill in your hotel name), don’t miss a beat. Click “ Get Notifications” and keep up to date!
Remember to do this yourself as well! This way you’ll continue to get the information you need from the business pages you’ve ‘liked’ right in your newsfeed. This will keep you up to date on all the news from your own suppliers, destination partners and services that you depend on to provide the best service for your clients.
Hint, Hint….you’re invited to click ‘Get Notifications’ on my page. Here you’ll find relevant social media and marketing tips for travel and tourism pros.
#2 Interest Lists
Are you finding it hard to sort thru all the great information you receive every day on your Facebook page? Here’s a way to sort thru it quickly and easily while capturing a snapshot of what’s top of mind in our industry.
When you set up “Interest Lists” on your personal profile, you can easily manage your news feed by creating a customized newspaper for yourself. Here’s how to set up interest lists on your personal page.
First: On the navigation bar on your personal page scroll down to Interest Lists, then click “Add Interests” (See #1 below in the screen shot)
Second: Name your “Interest Lists” and add interests as related to your business and the topic of the list.
Travel Pros may want to add an Interest List for each specialty; Cruising, Adventure Travel, Top Hotels, Tour Operators, etc. They may also want to create Interest Lists for their top destinations. This will give you a birds-eye view of what businesses you’ve ‘liked’ are talking about .
Destinations can create Interest lists on the personal page that’s associated with the business page. You may consider adding Interest Lists for Entertainment, Dining, Attractions, etc. This will give your page manager a chance to easily scroll thru posts and share information relevant to your Destinations page fans.
Hotels consider creating Interest Lists for attractions, restaurants, shops and services in your locale. Like Destinations this will give you easy access to relevant posts that can be shared on your Hotel page.
In #2 on the screen shot below you’ll see how to add business pages to your customized Interest lists. Facebook also provides suggestions for you to subscribe. These new subscriptions will appear in your customized Interest List feed.
This simple step makes it easy for you to curate and assemble your own customized newspaper so you can easily see what’s happening and share relevant info with your fans.
Taking this one step further you may want to also encourage your fans to add your business page to their own Interest Lists. This will give you even greater exposure and opportunity to build a stronger relationship with your fans.
These 2 tactics are part of a marketing strategy to bring you more buzz and biz!
What other tactics do you find helpful in growing your following?
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When you ‘like’ my Facebook page you’ll have access to Free Resources just for travel pros!
Tags: Facebook, facebookfans, Facebookmarketing, facebookpromotion, marketing, marketingplan, Networking, Questions, sales, salestips, social engagement, Social Media, Timeline, tourismbusiness, tourismsalestips, touroperator, tourwholesaler, travelagent, travelindustry
Posted in Facebook Marketing, hospitality, hotel industry, marketing, Networking, promotion, Social Media Marketing, strategy, Tourism Sales Tips, Travel Consultant, travel industry | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 29th, 2013
Google+ is becoming an essential tool for the travel & tourism industry. Early adopters have shown us a path to success. Let’s explore some current best practices to maximize your presence.
Google + Best Practices
Share content about your business as well as other industry information. Research has shown that out of 9 or 10 posts 1 or 2 can be about your own business.
- Destinations can share information from hotels, restaurants and attractions to broaden their circle of influence.
- Hotels and attractions can share not only their in-house specials but local events, updates on local promotions and even video.
Comment other businesses to increase your own brands’ awareness.
- Tour Operators & Attractions can comment on a Destination update to draw attention to their own itineraries and new developments.
Photos in every post increase engagement and awareness. The space allocated to photos and videos in a post is large and clear. Focus on your Cover Photo and change it by season to highlight new events and group departures.
Profiles include clickable links and a variety of relevant sections to showcase your business. Key areas of impact are your blog, website, social sites, newsletter and on-line booking engine. Maximize the power of your key words by weaving them into all sections of your profile.
Customize the names of the Circles as well as your cover photo and logo. Stimulate reader attention to your blog, website and other social sites by creating links to each.
Icons! Add the +1 icon to your website so that people can more easily share your information.
Early adoption of new ways to socially reach more clients has been proven to uncover new business. When you harness the excitement you’ll join these companies who are already reaping the reward of early adoption. (Please note this is a brief list and I apologize if I missed your company.)
- Tour Operators: Tauck Tours, Globus Family of Brands, Explorica
- Hotels: Four Seasons, Hilton, RIU, Hyatt
- Cruiselines: Celebrity, Princess, Viking River Cruises, Fred Olsen Cruising, Carnival
- Attractions: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Callaway Gardens
- DMO’s: Visit Palm Springs, Destinations in Florida, Glacier Country Montana
What other best practices have you found helpful?
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When you ‘like’ my Facebook page you’ll have access to Free Resources just for travel pros!
Tags: blogging, Google+, marketing, marketingplan, Mobile marketing, Networking, sales, salestips, Selling, smallbusiness, social engagement, Social Media, tourism industry, tourismbusiness, tourismsalestips, touroperator, tourwholesaler, travelagent, travelindustry
Posted in airline industry, blogging, Branding, Facebook Marketing, Google +, marketing, Mobile marketing, promotion, sales, Social Media Marketing, strategy, tourism industry, Tourism Sales Tips, Travel Consultant, travel industry | No Comments »
Friday, January 25th, 2013
Fact or Fib? 80% of U.S. social network users prefer to connect to brands through Facebook.
Fact or Fib? Social media and blogs reach 80% of all U.S. Internet users.
Are you reaching your potential clients with your social media marketing?
Here are 5 powerful ways to reach a wider audience while drawing more fans, readers and followers to your social channels. By creatively funneling people from one channel to another you will leverage their involvement and help them become more engaged. They’ll get to know you better!
You know the saying; people buy from people they know and like. Here are some tips to develop that relationship.
#1 Blog Sharing 
Sexy Bookmarks is a great tool to encourage people to share your blog. It’s reactive and cool! When you hover over an icon it pops up! Plus you can customize which icons appear in your blog. Here’s what it looks like.
An RSS feed is a way to capture their attention with each new blog post.
Bonus tip: Once people see your blog, remind them to connect with you on your other social sites by including an invitation to connect via hyperlinks to each of your other social and web sites. See below for an example.
#2 Facebook | Blog 
Networked Blogs is an easy to set up app/tool that will automatically roll your latest blog post right to your Facebook page. Here’s what it looks like on your Facebook page.
#3 Pinterest |Facebook 
WooBox is the go-to tool ensuring that your Facebook fans have direct access to your Pinterest page. Simple to install it puts a Pinterest app front and center on your Facebook business page.
Bonus tip: Pinterest has just added Business pages. You can now change your personal Pinterest site into a business page and add your website verification that makes it easier for people to find you. When you complete this step by adding some code provided by Pinterest to your website .
Here’s what your Pinterest bio will look like.
#4 Twitter Engagement 
Have you uploaded your new Header image? Twitter has recently given us more real-estate to brand and show who we are and what we do. Here’s your chance to put a picture or graphic of your specialty, niche or latest fam destination. Remember to include links to your other social sites in your Twitter profile. Here are some great examples from our industry.
#5 Measure & Monitor 
Some of my favorite tools to learn more about when to post, fan demographics and HOT news are:
- SocialMention-track what’s being said about your top destinations, suppliers and your company
- Crowdbooster—measure and optimize your social marketing, plus tips to help you improve
- GoogleAlerts—set up a notification system to be alerted to top news on your key words
- TweetWhen – track your Twitter stats
- Facebook Page Insights—check your fan demographics and success of your posts
- Reachli—learn more about your Pinterest audience with analytics
- More of my favorites.
Fact or Fib? Both are FACTS! Gripping reasons to leverage your involvement and up your game!
For more stats please go to: http://bit.ly/W3mWet and http://bit.ly/U3QKGa
What success stories have you had marketing your social sites?
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Join me socially: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest
When you ‘like’ my Facebook page you’ll have access to Free Resources just for travel pros!
Tags: blog, blogging, Facebook, facebookfans, Facebookmarketing, facebookpromotion, hospitality, hotelsales, marketing, marketingplan, Networking, Pinterest, salestips, Selling, social engagement, Social Media, tourismbusiness, training, travelagent, travelindustry, Twitter
Posted in blogging, Facebook Marketing, hospitality, hotel industry, marketing, NACTA, National Tour Association, Networking, NTA, OASIS, Pinterest, promotion, sales, Social Media Marketing, strategy, tourism industry, Tourism Sales Tips, Travel Consultant, travel industry, Twitter | 2 Comments »
Friday, November 16th, 2012
freedigitalphotos.net
1 Hour and 17 minutes! That’s how long people spend on Pinterest.
1 in 5 Facebook users are on Pinterest DAILY! That’s 4 million daily unique visitors to Pinterest.
Are you leveraging this untapped potential in your own marketing? Here’s how to engage your followers and turn them into clients today!
Tip #1 – 
Announce your latest Pin on your Facebook business page and provide a link.
Photos on your Facebook page are more readily shared and ‘liked’ so here’s your chance to maximize your social reach. In working with travel pros I’ve found that people are more likely to share photos of beaches, sunsets and food. Where’s your focus going to be?
Tip #2 —
Do you want to engage and sell more? A call to action is crucial to reach your goal. Ask your Facebook fans to re-pin their favorite photos from your boards.
Bonus tip: Is cruising your niche market? You may consider setting up boards for each cruise ship you’ve sailed, then ask your fans to re-pin their favorite photos to their own Pinterest boards. This is a call to action along with building remarkable reach. Then, consider making this into a contest. More on that later.
Tip #3 — 
# aren’t only for Twitter! When you’re composing a description of your latest Pin think about key words that people may search and include as many as you can using # for the most important. Picture this—you’ve just returned from a fam trip and you’re in the process of marketing that destination. How about creating a board for the destination then in the description of each pin include something like this: “#name of destination, is great for #activity enjoyed. I had a spectacular time! Tip: remember to #travel tip”
Tip #4 —
Your blog is the perfect avenue to talk about what’s exciting on your Pinterest site and ask for comments and re-pins. Have you considered inserting some of your best photos into your next blog post, talking about Pinterest in that blog and then linking people to your Pinterest site? An awesome way to stimulate conversation all while maximizing credibility!
Tip #5—
Try this…in your next e-blast announce your newest Pinterest board additions, provide links and ask people to comment and re-pin their favorites.
Bonus tip: make sure that your links in your e-blast open in a different window so you don’t lose your blog reader.
When you put these techniques to work for yourself, imagine the potential for reaching and engaging your fans in a unique new fashion. Ignite and inspire your friends, fans and followers with these techniques!
What success stories have you had with your Pinterest site?
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Tags: blog, blogging, Facebook, facebookfans, Facebookmarketing, facebookpromotion, hospitality, hotelsales, LinkedIn, marketing, marketingplan, NACTA, Networking, Pinterest, sales, salestips, Selling, smallbusiness, social engagement, Social Media, tourism industry, tourismbusiness, tourismsalestips, touroperator, travelagent, travelindustry, Twitter
Posted in blogging, Branding, E-mail, Facebook Marketing, hospitality, hotel industry, LinkedIn, marketing, NACTA, National Tour Association, NTA, OASIS, Pinterest, promotion, sales, Social Media Marketing, tourism industry, Tourism Sales Tips, Travel Consultant, travel industry, Twitter, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 21st, 2012
Measure, Monitor and Metrics are the key words in social media today. Many of us find that merely getting the social marketing plan executed is demanding enough. Let’s explore the essential tools designed to boost your effectiveness by giving you insights into your audience engagement.
Social fans today demand relevant, up to the minute information that will help them plan, execute and dream about their next trip.
Engagement and sentiment are crucial. Let’s explore these key social metrics.
Measurement Tools
Imagine if you were able to figure out why and when your fans were available to read your latest Facebook post or Tweet. With these tools you’ll have that information at your fingertips.
Facebook Page Insights. Once your fan count exceeds 30 you’ll have access to demographics as well as which posts reach the most fans. When studying your Page Insights, re-order the list of your posts by Reach. To do this, click on the down arrow next to reach and it will re-order from lowest to highest or the reverse order. These are the number of unique people who have seen your post.
Study each post to see what time and day it was launched on your Facebook page. Check out what type of posts are generating the best reach for you. Are they posts that share photos, links or ask questions? Dig deeper into the analytics to look for trends, then put out your next series of posts based on this information. Tip: Test your strategy over a couple of weeks to see what other patterns emerge. Then build on this success by posting in a similar style to reach an even greater audience.
Page Insights Bonus tip
Recently I was talking with a travel client who had a really good handle on the demographics of their client base that travelled with them regularly. When we started digging into the analytics of their Facebook fans we found the demographic skewed much younger. We were then able to adapt our posting voice to appeal to this demographic. This is a powerful way to use a different channel of communication to reach another audience and grow your business.
Here’s what you will want to investigate in your own Page Insights. Click on Reach then study the age, gender and location of your fans. Here’s how it looks.
Tip: Don’t forget to look at the cities your fans hail from. You-all can always adapt your voice there as well, eh? (Ok, that’s a bit of my Southern-ism and Canadian combined.)
Timely.is, WhentoTweet, TweetWhen.
Who wants their tweets to fall on deaf ears? These tools give you the chance to reach your followers when they’re listening. Measure your Twitter reach and times of greatest visibility.
Timely.is provides you time frames and hours to optimize your tweet schedule. As a sample they will analyze your last 199 tweets and provide this information for you. These analytics are looking at when you’ll reach your greatest audience. If you sign-up for their service they will post your tweets at the optimal times to reach your audience.
WhentoTweet.com used to be a free service and now they charge $4.99. It’s a comprehensive look at the times your audience is available. WhentoTweet analyzes when your followers tweets and gives you a personalized recommendation of the best time of day for you to tweet.
Here’s what the sign-up looks like:
Here’s what results look like for @mashable. Based on your Twitter usage you can decide if the value is there for you to use this service versus the other free services covered here.
TweetWhen will give you stats on when you’re most likely to be re-tweeted. Here’s what my analytics look like:
With this information I’ve planned my most important tweets for Tuesdays between 3 and 4p EST. Then, I look at my next best time and schedule other posts for Thursdays during that same time frame. What do your analytics tell you?
Tip: Leverage the timing of your live tweets to begin conversations with your followers. Then check your @replies and direct messages at least daily to keep up with your new connections.
Measurement tools are an effective way of reaching your followers, and to better understand when the best time to get your message across is. Have fun boosting engagement!
How often do you measure your audience?
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Tags: Facebook, facebookfans, Facebookmarketing, facebookpromotion, hospitality, hotelsales, marketing, Networking, NTA, Page Insights, salestips, Selling, Social Media, Timely.is, tourism industry, tourismbusiness, tourismsalestips, touroperator, tourwholesaler, travelagent, travelindustry, TweetWhen, Twitter, WhenToTweet
Posted in Branding, Facebook Marketing, Mobile marketing, Monitoring tools, NACTA, National Tour Association, Networking, NTA, OASIS, promotion, sales, Social Media Marketing, strategy, Time Management, tourism industry, Tourism Sales Tips, Travel Consultant, travel industry, Twitter | No Comments »
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
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!
Tags: blog, blogging, CITC, Facebook, Facebookmarketing, hospitality, hotelsales, Infographics, marketing, marketingplan, NACTA, Networking, NTA, sales, salestips, Selling, smallbusiness, Social Media, tourism industry, tourismbusiness, tourismsalestips, touroperator, tourwholesaler, training, travelagent, travelindustry
Posted in blogging, Branding, Facebook Marketing, hotel industry, marketing, NACTA, National Tour Association, Niche Marketing, NTA, sales, Social Media Marketing, strategy, tourism industry, Tourism Sales Tips, Travel Consultant, travel industry | 2 Comments »
Friday, March 23rd, 2012
Did you know that video generates 60% of internet traffic?eyejot logo
Now you can easily harness the power of video and combine it with e-mail in one simple tool.
Imagine being able to send an e-mail with your video (not just as a link), but with the player right in your e-mail. That’s right! Your clients open your e-mail and see your smiling face in the message box. WOW! I’ll bet they’ll see you in a whole different light! (yes, the pun is intended)
Marketing Tactics
1. Introduce yourself to new clients
2. Market your upcoming group departures
3. Showcase a particular feature of your hotel or attraction
4. Send a thank you, birthday or welcome home message to your clients.
5. Bonus! Welcome a group leader or potential client to your hotel, restaurant or attraction.
Check out Eyejot! It’s the most fun I’ve had with video e-mailing in a long time. Once you sign-up you can choose the free or paid version and begin creating your own video. All you need is your computer with a web-cam. Now there’s also an app for the I-Phone.
Here’s what the create screen looks like:
With the free version you can send an unlimited number of 5 minute messages to any e-mail address. Spread the word socially using the embed code or URL link to paste into your blog, website, Facebook or Twitter. With an upgrade you can even send documents. Vimeo offers a similar service.
Once your client receives your video e-mail they can easily reply for free!
How cool would it be to send an Eyejot to a potential cruise client direct from your next ship inspection?
Impress your potential clients with an Eyejot after a crucial meeting.
Hoteliers are using Eyejot to follow up with group leaders prior to arrival.
Attractions use Eyejot to introduce themselves to new Tour Operators. Think about using your mobile device and filming your Eyejot in front of a signature part of your attraction.
Recording Tips
1. Make a test recording and check the background of your video.
- a. Is it a clutter-free area?
- b. Does it reflect a scene that would entice your clients to book with you?
- c. Can the viewer see part of your hotel lobby, attraction or restaurant that’s crucial to their decision making process?
2. Test your voice and adjust your distance from the screen or mobile device
3. Have some fun and let your personality shine!
What successes have you had with video email?
Check out my Facebook page for more social media, marketing and business development tips, tricks and tactics.
Tags: Customer Service, Eyejog, Facebook, Facebookmarketing, hotelsales, marketing, Networking, salestips, Social Media, tourism industry, tourismbusiness, tourwholesaler, travelagent, video email
Posted in E-mail, Facebook Marketing, hotel industry, marketing, Mobile marketing, sales, Social Media Marketing, Travel Consultant, travel industry, Video | No Comments »
Friday, February 10th, 2012
Market Your Events
Do you want 3 new ways to market your events and tours? In this audio podcast we’ll explore the power of Facebook Events and how to create them. We’ll look in depth at the power of LinkedIn Events. Don’t miss the last part where we delve into secrets of integrating new and traditional media.
Check out this short audio podcast. I’m interested in hearing your success stories. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Tags: Facebook, facebookfans, Facebookmarketing, facebookpromotion, LinkedIn, Listening, marketing, Networking, Podcasting, Podcasts, Social Media
Posted in Facebook Marketing, LinkedIn, marketing, Social Media Marketing, strategy | No Comments »
