Here is a recap of what I said and a link to the PowerPoint presentation I showed. I welcome your comments and thoughts and hope you can utilize some of the information provided.
Slideshow:
History Lesson
Social Media has been around since the beginning of time. It's how we learned about new things, it just didn't involve computers. Today's "Social Media Era" started in the late 1990s with websites like MySpace and Friendster and with the emergence and acceptance of Facebook in 2006, the global community that is available to "like" your business has grown and is listening.
Below is a graph of the History of Social Media which you can see larger by clicking on it.
The social landscape changes constantly. Recent developments in social media include:
- Google Realtime Search Quietly Adds Quora, Gowalla, Others (April 25)
- Google's coupon service Offers is now live in select cities (NYC, San Fran, Portland). (April 21)
- Yahoo Sells Delicious To YouTube Founders (April 27).
- Social Network Pioneer Friendster To Erase All User Photos, Blogs And More On May 31.
- Facebook launches Deals. (April 26)
- Still in the testing phase :: Facebook has made several new self-serve ad targeting options available to a test group of users, including family status such as “Parents”, “Engaged (< 6 months)”, or “Newlywed (< 1 year)”, as well as “Has birthday in < 1 week”. Those in the test group have the option to target ads to broad categories of interests, such as musical genres, types of sports, activities such as photography, and professional categories such as real estate, in addition to traditional precise interest targeting.
New Marketing Trifecta
Including your other traditional avenues of marketing, a new marketing "trifecta" is now a consideration you should pay attention to when planning your marketing strategy for your business.
Global Trends
Some of the trends that we're seeing in Door County include the Geosocial, Group Buying, and QR Codes. Facebook Commerce will start to take a front seat as well, and there is always Social Search.
I'll talk a little bit about each one and why they're important:
Geosocial sites including Foursquare and now Gowalla (since Google just bought them) are important ways that tourists with smartphones are finding what's going on in the area, where to eat, and where to stay. Your business is likely already there because you aren't required to put it on sites like Foursquare, so it's best to be watching the conversation and engaging the group using it.
Group Buying includes sites like Groupon, and now Facebook's Deals and Google's Offers. A few places in Door County have already done a Groupon deal. The things to consider about making an offer is if you would give the offer normally and confirm expiration dates and limitations.
QR Codes are the squares that are popping up in print marketing and other unique places throughout the advertising world, and in Door County you'll notice quite a few of them in the Visitor's Guides, local advertising and elsewhere.The things to consider with QR codes is providing a unique experience for the person who will be snapping a photo of the QR code. Take them to more information about the product or service, have it dial your number, don't just make it a link to your homepage which is likely right next to the QR code within your advertising anyway (unless you have a very long URL).
Facebook Ecommerce is something that is relatively new and hasn't had a huge presence in Door County's social media savvy businesses yet. But it will be. You will be able to link your hotel's booking engine within Facebook and sell products.
Average Time Online for Americans
Nine hours! That includes a Google survey that claims 39% of smartphone owners use their devices in the bathroom. (Hmmm, toilet paper ads anyone?)
B2C Trust
This infographic defines the new trust model that we find today thanks to social media. Consider talking your fans like your best friend or how you would if they came into your store. Remember, your fans liked your business. If your talking about the local area or an upcoming area event, be sure to tie it to your business.
Social Media Team
With all the time people are on social media, it feels like you should be on that much too. But the reality is that you have a business to run. How can you get it all done? Enlist a social media team of experts. This is a nice simple example of whom you could enlist to build your team.
Social Media Policy
With your team in place, you should have a Social Media Policy. How do you handle working with good and bad comments? What can your ambassadors give away? How often should you be posting and what should you be saying? These are just a few things that you need to spell out for your team.
Below is a graphic that is an example of a Community Management Scenario Map which might help you start the conversation within your company.
Where You Should Be
The top four places a Door County business should be is Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. Facebook is the largest social media network at this time and more likely than not, your demographic is there. Twitter is another popular tool that is heavily utilized in the tourist industry. YouTube is the second most searched engine behind Google. Put some clips of your business or you/your team at work and link back to your other marketing efforts. And LinkedIn is where you can connect with other business owners to ask questions and find your next great employee.
Being in Door County, you should also look into your presence on Foursquare, Gowalla, and TripAdvisor, if you haven't already.
All of these sites are free at this time. They offer different marketing opportunities and reach different demographics. Try to change your messaging between the mediums even if it's the same topic to keep your messaging fresh.
Contact Me
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