5 essential social media accounts your business should have for tourism and travel marketing. Presentation showing examples, tips, explanations and research by Travelshake.com

1. 5 Essential Social Media Accounts for Tourism MarketingLaughlin Rigby,Marketing Director, Travelshake.com@Travelshake The Hotel Technology Briefing Dublin, 25th January 2011

2. Five Essential Social Media Accounts for Tourism Facebook Twitter YouTube Foursquare Travelshake

3. Tourism and Hospitality businesses worldwide are embracing Social Media as an effective marketing tool.

5. Content: What will you say, offers, news, videos, photos

6. Campaigns: competitions and contests to engage your fanbase

7. People: Who will update and maintain the social media accounts

8. Platforms: Which ones - Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Travelshake.Key Elements of a Social Media Strategy

9. Creating an “Owner’s Ecosystem” © Travelshake Twitter Facebook Direct booking Google Maps Youtube Flickr Owner’s Website Travelshake Forums Skype/IM Blog Review Sites Email Database

10. The Owner’s Ecosystem and its “Google Share” Website Facebook Travelshake Review Sites Youtube

11. facebook

12. What are Irish Hotel Updating About on Facebook? Special offers (20) Competitions (18) Events (in hotel and area) (12) Seasonal themed (11) Hotel News (10) General Hello (9) Awards (8) Trying to get more fans (8) Content updates (photos etc.) (7) Weddings (6) PR (5) Exclusive Facebook Offer (4) Golf (3) Spa (3) Local attractions/tourism (2) “There were 127 updates from 54 Irish hotels over 48 hours.” © Travelshake Social Media 2010

13. Number 1 Hotel on facebook in Ireland Facebook is a key part of the hotels online marketing strategy.......... .........gets their fans opinions on recent stays, keeping them informed of future offers & events in the city, sending hotel pictures & videos. “I really don't think that any business should be without it in this day and age and all it costs is your time.” – Geoff Dawson

14. Play Food & Wine – Restaurant in Ontario, Canada “the restaurant spends no money on any advertising, beyond remaining very active on Twitter and Facebook and running email campaigns” “We have sold out every event we’ve had since we opened by using only Facebook, Twitter and our mailing list.”

15. They are able to reach out to loyal customers, food bloggers and the rest of the community, to make them feel like insiders who are part of the restaurant’s day-to-day operations.

16. Welcome Page on Facebook

17. Customised Side Panel on Facebook

18. Vero Beach Hotel & Spa, Miami – Welcome page

19. Facebook Offer Redemptions: Began issuing FB codes for discounts on best available rates e.g. FOLLOW Codes generated 270 more room nights this year

20. Good management response to customer post about offers

21. Facebook Policy for Promotional Campaigns Competitions must be run through an application if they are running on facebook Don’t use the wall to run a competition, it’s against fb policy Competitions can’t use a Facebook mechanic for entry i.e. to like a page, upload a photo/video, comment on a post, promote a post to friends You are allowed to restrict competitions to fans © Travelshake Social Media 2010

22. Campaign Platforms for facebook Wildfire Involver MiproApps Pagemodo Kremsa “Poll” Fanappz Other platforms: Vitrue.com, BuddyMedia.com, ContextOptional.com, NorthSocial.com, Static520.com, Tabfusion.com, facebooktabsite.com, shoptab.net, Vendor © Travelshake Social Media 2010

23. Making a Facebook page more engaging Use Facebook Apps Place Facebook Ads Run a Poll or contest Use the @ Tag Upload a large main image with other social media account listed on it Upload Videos and Photos Write consistent updates Start Conversations with your fans Link to Twitter or vice versa Create a unique landing page to encourage likes Get fans to upload fan photos and tag them © Travelshake Social Media 2010

24. twitter

26. restaurant news

27. holiday hours

28. ask fans what they would like to see on the seasonal menu

30. Respond to requests and questions within an hour

32. They tweet funny pictures, new wines, and local products that become available and it creates a special connection between them and their fans

33. YouTube

34. Branded Hotel Channel on YouTube

35. YouTube videos indexing in Google

36. Low Cost Digital Video Ads

37. ACE HOTEL NY – Creative use of video for hotels

38. ACE HOTEL NY – Social Media Film “Charley”

39. foursquare

41. InterContinental and Topguest

44. promote their loyalty programs

46. Travelshake.comthe first Social Media Platform for the Tourism Industry Worldwide

47. 500+ Tourism Businesses Worldwide on Travelshake

48. Travelshake.com lets businesses….….create their own free digital media profile that showcases their business, offers, expertise & local knowledge.

49. Travelshake puts social media accounts in a tourism context

50. Key Profile Features for a Hotel on Travelshake.com Direct Bookings Offers Feed Video Social Media Feeds User Interaction Peer to Peer Recommendations

51. facebook and twitter automatic updates on Travelshake Premium Account puts updates on homepage

52. Dedicated Travel Video Platform

53. Pinpoints Integrated for Smartphone Directions

54. Integrated Wildfire Campaign Platform on Travelshake

55. Integrated Social Media Promotion

56. Country Inns & Suites Social Media Promotion As Country Inns & Suites By Carlson prepared to open its 500th hotel in College Station, Texas, earlier this year, it offered free seven-day mystery trips to three bloggers active in social-media sites.

58. Across seven states, staying in a different Country Inn each night.

59. Mystery scavenger hunt with the next clue received by video on their mobiles after completing the previous one.

63. Promote your social media accounts on your website

66. Monthly Account Management

67. Digital Travel & Hotel Videos

68. Facebook Competitions and Campaigns