As the travel & tourism conference season is in full swing, do you need to maximize your attendance and make the most of the new connections you’ll meet?
Check out these social tips before your next conference and stay connected to your audience of fans.
General Social Marketing tips
- Make sure your business cards and printed information lists your social addresses and icons.
- Ensure your social pages’ bios and profiles are up to date
- ‘Like’ your upcoming appointment contacts’ business page on Facebook
- Connect with your appointments on LinkedIn
- ‘Like’ the Facebook page of the conference or convention for all the latest news
- Join the convention group on LinkedIn
- You’ll find your Groups here under the Interests tab:
- Tweet in advance and pre-schedule tweets to run during the upcoming conference
- Use the designated #
- Circle your contacts on Google+ for business
- Ensure your most up to date brand image is on all your social sites
- Update your Vine and Instagram accounts
- Participate on Twitter, Instagram, Periscope, Meerkat and Facebook using the designated conference hashtag #
Travel Agents
- Update your social sites and let your clients know what conference you’re attending and how it will benefit them.
- Use your social sites to build relationships with other conference attendees
- Connect in advance
- Use a QR code on your business card and referring people to your LinkedIn profile, mobile website or Facebook page.
- Check out goo.gl and kaywa.com to create your own QR code
- Update your blog to involve readers in the exciting plans you’ll be making at the conference
- Make sure your blog appears on your Facebook business page.
- Networked Blogs or Graffiti provides an app
- Create Pinterest boards for destinations you serve
- Create Pinterest boards to showcase your blog, relevant video and value-added materials
- Pack your audio and video recorders and schedule interviews with your top suppliers
- Set up a Google+ hangout or Blab to learn what destination your clients want to see
- Showcase your suppliers using a live-cast video tool like Periscope or Meerkat
- Interview suppliers
- Post your experiences on Instagram
- Create short videos and post photos
- Upload your short videos to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, your website and your blog
Tour Operators
- Update your company social sites
- Use your Facebook and Twitter sites to build client relationships
- Ask which destinations/hotels/sights your fans would love to visit
- Conduct a poll of your client base to assist in planning new tours
- Survey your e-blast readers using Survey Monkey or a similar tool
- Showcase destinations and/or suppliers using a live-cast video tool like Periscope or Meerkat
- Interview suppliers
- Post your experiences on Instagram
- Create short videos and post photos
- Upload your short videos to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and your blog
- Use a QR code on your business card and referring people to your LinkedIn profile, mobile website or Facebook page.
- Check out goo.gl and kaywa.com to create your own QR code
- Create a QR code and include on material you’ll use at your booth.
- Lead readers to your mobile website or Facebook page
- Post a video of your hotel, destination or attraction
- Develop a QR code taking people to an info sheet about your business
- Print this QR code on your hand-out materials and use it in your follow up.
- Create a QR code to link to an interview inviting trade to visit
- Update your blog to involve readers in the exciting plans you’ll be making at the conference
- E-mail top accounts to ensure appointments
- Make sure your blog appears on your Facebook business page.
- Networked Blogs provides an app
- Create Pinterest boards for destinations you serve
- Create Pinterest boards to showcase your blog, relevant video and value-added materials
- Create a series of Vines or Instagram video showcases
- Pack your audio and video recorders and schedule interviews with your top suppliers
- Set up a Google+ hangout or Blab to learn what destination your clients want to see
Suppliers
- Create a series of Vines or Instagram video showcases
- Use a live-cast video tool like Periscope or Meerkat to showcase your booth
- Interview show attendees
- Create a QR code and include on material you’ll use at your booth.
- Lead readers to your mobile website or Facebook page
- Post a video of your hotel, destination or attraction
- Develop a QR code taking people to an info sheet about your business
- Print this QR code on your hand-out materials and use it in your follow up.
- Create a QR code to link to an interview inviting trade to visit
- Ensure your company social & web sites are up to date
- E-mail top accounts to ensure appointments
- Consider starting a trade only closed group on your Facebook page
- Create a trade only portal on your website
- Post your experiences on your social sites using the conference #
- Create short videos and post photos
- Upload your short videos to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and your blog
- Create video and/or PowerPoint presentations and post socially and on your website for the trade. Check out SlideShare and embed into your e-blasts
- Create Pinterest boards that are relevant to the trade.
- Consider including shopping notes, hotel info, destination video, blog posts
- Update your blog so that the trade gets an update from you prior to the conference
- Consider creating a contest or special event revolving around the conference
Armed with these tactics you’ll find your upcoming conference will be even more successful. The social aspect of the conference will grow with you continued virtual networking.
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Social Marketing Strategies for Travel and Tourism
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