Imagine showing your clients and potential visitors a glimpse of what their vacation could look like…live and in the moment. Unpolished! Unvarnished! Real!
Now what if your viewers could chime in with their questions and comments and you could answer them on the spot? Wouldn’t that be amazing!
Do you find that travelers today want to see exactly what things look like and ask questions so they can get the real feel of a destination or tour activity?
Live streaming video gives you the chance to satisfy this desire for your clients, potential clients and people you don’t know yet. And it’s simple! Using your phone camera and possibly an external microphone (if you want to capture interviews or testimonials) you’re ready to roll.
Tip #1 — Going Live in Destination
Travel Oregon uses Facebook Live to showcase an Oregon Moment of Zen; sunsets, rushing rivers and skiing at Mt. Hood. In talking with Emily Forsha | Content & Community Manager, Global Integrated Marketing she shared how Travel Oregon is going live and gaining huge organic reach. They also use Periscope to live stream interviews.
Travel Alberta has had success with using Facebook Live at the Calgary Stampede. Susan Darch, Director, Global Media & Content passed along the tip of using social media influencers to help reach a wider audience.
After Hurricane Matthew hit Savannah, Lauren Cleland, Digital Content Strategist and the team at Visit Savannah used Facebook Live to shoot 4 videos to show that Savannah was alive and well. They visited a variety of sites to showcase the vitality of the city after the force of the hurricane. The live streaming video series garnered over 100,000 views. One of them alone attracted over 83,000 viewers and was aided by a small ad budget.
While Facebook has a 1.5 hour limit on live streaming broadcasts, the longer you go live the higher your viewership will be. Visit Savannah proved this point with a 1.5 hour view of the St. Patrick’s Day parade. It earned over 40,000 views.
Don’t have Stampede or skiing to showcase?
Tip #2 — Board Meetings Go Live
SYTA, Student Youth Travel Association, has used Facebook Live to live-stream the beginning of their board meeting. Providing viewers with a quick intro and meeting overview they attracted over 1200 views. Impressive!
Tip #3 — Converse & Connect
Do you have some more seats to fill on your next group tour?
Would you love to connect with some potential new clients and refresh your client list?
Each of these marketing efforts is easier when you include live streaming video into your playbook.
Going live to showcase your next group tour is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
#1 – Market your live streaming video in advance
#2 – Test your lighting, sound and background
#3 – Go Live on your mobile or desktop
Live Video Tips
Armed with a selfie stick or a short tripod and an external microphone Visit Savannah hit the town. Lauren offered these tips to keep audience engagement high:
- Re-iterate your topic often as people are joining in at random.
- Re-introduce yourself and your topic regularly so newcomers understand the point of the live video.
- If you have high retention, keep going.
- Content ideas here.
Video Gear Tips
Knowing what you know now about live streaming video, how will you incorporate this social powerhouse into your marketing strategy?
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About Catherine Heeg
Catherine Heeg is a recognized social media trail blazer passionate about social media and marketing in the tourism and hospitality industry.
She creates and delivers meaningful, dynamic workshops that meet your unique needs in the Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Industry. She and her team help travel, tourism and hospitality pros design and implement social media marketing strategies and tactics that drive traffic to their social and web sites. Learn more…
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