Social Media in Travel

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Here is a presentation I gave on 1/17/2012 to the St. Louis Business Travel Association.The primary goal was to give a broad introduction to mainstream social media networks that can be used by businesses and business professionals. I took the time to carve out statistics and uses that would relate to their needs in the travel industry.

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SOCIAL MEDIA IN TRAVEL

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Utilizing social media to be more effective and to provide greater value in your work place.

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EXPERIENTIAL | DIGITAL | DESIGN

BEFORE WE BEGIN.

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WHO’S THIS GUY?

Josh Kocurek

Associate Brand Manager at Switch (@liberate)

Board Member of Social Media Club St. Louis (@SMCSTL)

linkedin.com/in/joshkocurek

twitter.com/joshkocurek

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WHAT’S ALL THIS CRAP?

Live Tweeting Hashtag: Want to share what you’re learning with the Twitterverse? Use this.

140 Character Knowledge: Tweet-worthy nuggets of gold.

Sharing Time: Be prepared to participate.

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FOR THE NOOBS.

“Resistance to social media is pointless. Your customers are there. Your competitors are there. You need to be there.”

Facebook: 800+ million active users. (predicted 1 billion by Aug. 2012)

Twitter: 100+ million active users.

LinkedIn: 50+ million active users.

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GOT IT. NOW MAKE ME AWESOME.

NOT SO FAST!Let’s make a few things clear.

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MYTH. BUSTED.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT

easyfreequickthe answer to everythinga waste of timeexclusive to Gen-Y for everyone

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WHY DOES THIS MATTER TO ME?

in social media usage for travel recommendations and services in the past 12 months.

40% INCREASE

Social sites are almost always geared toward, or naturally gravitate toward, recommendations and referrals.

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Increase traveler satisfaction through real-time communication and knowledge sharing.

Helps travel managers understand what is most important to travelers (anticipate their needs).

Increase your overall visibility and voice.

HOW DOES IT ENHANCE MY TRAVEL PROGRAM?

THE HOLY TRINITY

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When it comes to using Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for social media marketing.

NO EXCUSES.

PRESENCE IS MINIMAL. PARTICIPATION IS OPTIMAL.

TWITTER

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“Its like a sort of internet Ren Fair. Its like Dungeons & Dragons but for cool people who have got friends.”

- Craig Ferguson (on Twitter)

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BUILD IT. BUILD IT RIGHT.

Username: Your username should make sense.Profile pic: Use a professional-ish picture of your face! (No egg face)Bio: 160 Characters total. 80 about you. 80 about work.Link: Don’t leave this blank!

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SEARCH. NOT JUST FOR GOOGLE.

Find relevant and real-time thoughts, people, pics and videos on a certain topic.

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SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR YOU.

Airlines @SouthwestAir (Southwest), @Delta (Delta), @JetBlue (JetBlue)

Hotels @HyattConcierge (Hyatt), @RSHotel (Roger Smith), @StarwoodBuzz (Starwood)

Hotels @TripIt (TripIt), @TripAdvisor (TripAdvisor)

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CHAT ROOMS ARE SO 1997.

Travel Talk on Twitter (Tuesdays)

#TToT

Participating in Twitter chats, using a common hashtag, increase your reach and relevance in a particular topic.

Marketing Chat (Mondays)

#MKTGCHAT

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THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB.

Management Hootsuite | TweetDeck | Twitter Client

Following Formulists

Metrics Google Analytics | Bit.ly

FACEBOOK

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The only REAL reason anyone remembers birthdays anymore.

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THE INTERNET’S KITCHEN SINK.

Fan Pages Brand presence and voice. Customer interaction.

Groups Specialized think tanks. Niche link and knowledge sharing.

Events Gain attention and attendance.

Promotions Sales, services and opportunities to interact with fans.

Media Photos and videos galore.

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YOUR COMPANY HAS ONE OF THESE, RIGHT?

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HOW TO SUCK AT FACEBOOK.

One-Sided Convo AKA SPAM. AKA only sharing your content. Not asking questions.

Not Completing Your Profile Sound familiar? How are people supposed to find you?

Not Utilizing Your Employees Multiple voices will spread the word faster.

Falling Off The Internet Once you commit, you’re in. No one likes a barren wasteland.

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RESPECT THE SIDEBAR REAL ESTATE.

SubscriptionsA new way to follow professionals without

having to worry about rejection.

Sponsored Stories / AdsCheap. Effective. Relevant.

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TABS? THERE’S A PLUGIN FOR THAT.

Custom Tab / Landing Page Static FBML | Welcome

Store Payvment

Social Networks involver (Twitter, Blog, YouTube)

LINKEDIN

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It’s like Facebook, but fancier.

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LET’S GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY.

LINKEDIN IS NOT (AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED) A COPY OF YOUR RESUME.

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YOUR PROFILE IS EVERYTHING.

Vanity URL: Let’s go for consistency..Profile pic: Use a professional-ish picture of your face! Headline: Sum yourself up.Links: This is a hub. Give options to branch out.Summary: Be detailed. This is for search.

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TAKE IT FOR A SPIN.

Connecting Cold connecting is fine. Personalize your outreach. Be yourself.

Groups Similar to Facebook groups. Find topics/niches that relate to you and share your expertise.

Recommendations Reciprocate. Don’t be afraid to ask. Shoot for quality over quantity.

OTHER FUN STUFF

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Photos. Reviews. Pins. And more.

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INSTAGRAM. NOT JUST FOR HIPSTERS.

Largest Mobile Social Network 2 million new users in November 2011.

Photo travel guide Geotag your pictures. Use hashtags (ala Twitter).

Link Your Accounts Tweet and FB your pics for maximum effectiveness.

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YELP. BECAUSE FINDING GOOD CURRY IS TOUGH.

Most credible sourceYelp is the most often used social network for local business and restaurant reviews.

Customer Engagement Businesses cherish their ratings and participate in the conversation to keep customers happy.

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TRIPADVISOR. A NO BRAINER.

Ultimate Resource for TravelExtremely active community.

Reviews to Live By A venue’s review could make or break a sale.

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TRIPIT. STALKING MADE EASY.

Consolidating Your TravelsEverything in one place.

Share With Your Friends A network in it’s own, but also expandable to FB and Twitter.

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PINTEREST. THE FUTURE OF CURATION.

Show PersonalityNot everything has to be business focused.

Pin More Than Just Pics You can share some of your favorite articles and tips for traveling.

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MOBILE. GET THOSE APPS.

It’s TrueThere really is an app for everything.

82% of Travelers Are MobileShouldn’t you be?

TIME FOR QUESTIONS

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I can’t promise answers...

Don’t make me beg.

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OKAY, WE CAN BE FRIENDS NOW.

Josh Kocurek

joshk@theswitch.us

twitter.com/joshkocurek

linkedin.com/in/joshkocurek

liberateyourbrand.com (Switch)

joshkocurek.com (Personal)