19 Ways to Use Blab in Your Travel & Tourism Marketing

Do you remember ‘The Brady Bunch’ TV show? Remember how each family member appeared in a separate square and they could all talk to each other?

Now there’s a live-casting video platform that looks similar and gives you the chance to meet with 2-4 other people via live video while others watch and listen. The cool thing about Blab.im is that you can move people in and out of the video seats. Viewers can ask questions either from a seat in the live video section or from the sidelines. Imagine the possibilities for sharing information, relating experiences, networking and building relationships.

Figure 1 – Live-casting inspires conversations. Blab makes it easy to host, record and grow relationships

Features of Blab

Blab.im can be used to host live conversations where people can see one another without being in the same room or even in the same country. This is an opportunity to get ‘social’ with fans and viewers in a very visual way.

A recording can be easily made and archived for the future. This opens a whole new world of content driven training conversations. Once the Blab is recorded you can download just the audio or just the video. This allows you to use it in a variety of ways to market and to repurpose.

Repurpose your recorded Blab. Share your Blab as a podcast on i-Tunes. Upload to a video platform like You-Tube, Vimeo, Facebook, etc.

You can even embed your recorded Blab into your blog or website. What a cool way to amplify your message as well as archive it in your owned asset.

As the host/moderator of a Blab you can move people in and out of the video seat. Think about late night talk shows where a guest moves over a seat when the newest guest arrives. Same idea with Blab. You can easily move people in and out of the video boxes as the conversation progresses.

Moderate your blab. As the conversation evolves a viewer can ask to be moved into an open video seat. When the moderator approves the new person moves into the video seat.

Viewers can ask questions. These questions are shown on the right side of your screen and visible to everyone.

Sharing is easy on Blab. The left column of the screen consists of 2 boxes; share to Twitter or share to Facebook.

Subscribe to Blabs you love. When you find a ‘Blabber’ you like you can subscribe to their show.

Schedule your Blab in advance. Once you schedule your Blab you’ll receive a URL so you can promote it in advance.

All Blabs are public.

What does it look like?

When you tune into a Blab the screen looks like this.

Left Side: You’ll be able to share the Blab socially while you’re viewing it. When you’re viewing the Replay you’ll also see a list of ‘Related Blabs’ that may be of interest.

Center: The Moderator is featured in the top left position. Guests are in the other 3 postions.

Right Side: A running view of messages in one tab and mentions in the other tab. This line-up shows the viewers that are online during a live Blab.

Figure 2 – An easy to navigate dashboard makes it simple to host or to join the conversation.

Getting started on Blab is easy with these tips. Finding your way around the simple how-to’s when you host your own Blab can be found here. I really like this easy guide to Blab.

Travel Industry Uses for Blab

As a travel pro, imagine the possibilities:

Host an informative group planning meeting with your clients.
Create a series of Q&A sessions about your top destination
Host a discussion with a top supplier about a destination or ship and invite your clients
Interview a supplier about new destinations or ships and invite your clients and staff
Host a show for potential clients to showcase your expertise
Follow up Blab. Keep the post-trip buzz alive and inspire the planning of the next trip
Review a recent fam trip, site inspection or ship inspection

As a destination, imagine the possibilities:

Host a pre-event or pre-festival ‘warm-up’ session to create buzz
Create a series of Q&A sessions for meeting planners or group tour operators
Interview visitors about their in-destination experiences
Host a show that invites consumer questions
Kick off a promotion
Introduce a new venue, festival, event or partner.

As a supplier, imagine the possibilities:

Create a series of Q&A sessions for each of these markets:
1. Consumers, meeting planners, wedding planners, group tour leaders, tour operators, travel consultants, sports teams, etc.
Introduce your product features and benefits:
1. Hotels can showcase meeting space, event services, new renovation projects, dining options, etc.
2. Cruise lines can highlight experiences, culinary options, activities, etc.
Kick off a promotion
Host a pre-event, pre-sailing, pre-grand opening ‘warm-up’ session to create buzz
Interview stake holders and/or top clients about their experiences with you
Create a Q&A session with your key staff people:
1. Hotel GM
2. Chef
3. Concierge
4. Sales team
5. Behind the scenes team

The live-casting possibilities are endless. Blab creates another way to engage with our clients in a fun and social atmosphere. You can open the door to new, stronger relationships and position yourself as a brand leader who stands apart from the crowd.

How will you use Blab in your marketing?

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