the content field guide tourism yukon · • piggy back off tourism yukon’s campaigns to grow...
TRANSCRIPT
2THE CONTENT FIELD GUIDE - TOURISM
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Chapter 1: Content StrategyWhat is content?
Why is content Important?
What is our Content Vision?
Tourism Yukon’s Content Strategy
What’s in our Content Strategy Backpack?
What is the one thing for me to focus on?
Understanding our Themes
Chapter 2: Field ReadinessThe Field Ready content checklist
Your Content Team in 3 steps
Creating a Content Plan
The Right Content Channels
Content Sources
Measuring Success
Chapter 3: Telling the Yukon StoryVoice & Perspective
The Yukon’s Audience
Gallery: Best Practices & Tips
WHAT’S IN THIS GUIDE?
Introduction
Introduction
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WHY WAS THIS GUIDE CREATED?
WORKING WITH TOURISM YUKON
BUILDING A CONTENT PLAN GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR CONTENT
Tourism Yukon is doing more and more with
content marketing every day and taking
advantage of that has never been easier:
• Save time and money through shared
content
• Piggy back off Tourism Yukon’s campaigns
to grow visitations
Build a content plan together that is
manageable and effective:
• Whose is responsible for content?
• Creating a content plan
• How can content be sourced?
• Gallery of examples
Understanding where to use content and how
to drive results:
• The Yukon audience
• Recommended content channels
• Recommended strategies
The Content Field Guide was created in response to questions from the Industry. It is designed to be a resource for immediately actionable strategies
that you can use in your own business to take your content efforts, visitations and sales, to the next level. In this guide we focus on three specific areas;
Introduction
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Together we can bring the possibilities of the Yukon to the prospective
traveller by raising our overall level of awareness and helping them find
their path to us.
But there is a lot of ground to cover and today’s prospective traveller is
constantly discovering and devouring Destination content from a
well-spring of sources.
It’s up to us tell the Yukon’s story, but it is the traveller who is setting the stage for us and making it clear when, where and how the Yukon story can make a difference and influence them.
Because in the end that’s what we really want. To be the most influential
source of content about the Yukon experience.
And to do that we need to understand what drives our most valuable
audience to travel and how we can appeal to them with the right content
that makes an emotional connection.
This field guide is going to set out the path to partnering with Tourism
Yukon to leverage the investments we are making to build success for
yourselves.
Let’s get started!
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WHAT IS THE RIGHT CONTENT?Throughout this guide we’ll be talking a lot about content and developing content for different channels and formats. We’ll also share some examples and best practices.
First, let’s explore what we mean when we say content and some of the critical content formats to be planning for.
Our recommended list has been created with the understanding that you already have a website and a strong handle on creating product and promotional content.
When it comes to content, we have put together the critical components that will drive your success.
The critical components to strong content are:
1. Voice: Real, Authentic. Continuing to use actual people and tell
real stories whenever possible. The first person narrative is compelling,
relatable and resonates.
2. Audience: We use content to let travellers know that the Yukon
understands them, can meet their specific needs, and represents their values.
3. Emphasis: Impactful, Simple, and Useful. Delivering the perfect mix of
functional, emotional and entertaining content.
4. Tone: The Yukon Character + Audience-Centric Tone. The Yukon’s core
qualities never change but using humour, voices and people can help change it
enough to suit different audience needs.
The critical content formats are:
1. Photos: Real, Authentic. Use actual people and tell real stories whenever
possible. The first person narrative is compelling, relatable and resonates.
2. Videos: Think short form, under 1 min and under 30 seconds. People want
to consume small vignettes of the experiences they are interested in.
3. Blog Articles: Impactful, Simple, and Useful. Delivering the perfect mix of
functional, emotional and entertaining content.
4. Social Media Posts: The perfect social media post is always a marriage of
a smart headline, compelling image/video and relevant tags.
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“Mass communication” is largely a thing of the past.
People now demand personal communication - content
that is made for them. And they want more than just to
consume that content. They want to participate in it,
become a part of it, and share it.
WHY IS CONTENT SO IMPORTANT?
People always want to know the price and want’s on offer but
there is a big emotional aspect to buying travel that needs to
be fulfilled before any transaction happens.
This is why the average traveller visits 12 sites prior to
making a purchase decision. To make sure they've answered
every question and to kindle their desires to be somewhere
extraordinary.
Destination content has exploded because travellers have
made it a valuable and profitable practice to tell the
experience story of a destination from many different
perspectives.
Content is about giving the prospective traveller what they
want, it’s about telling our own story and letting the travellers
tell theirs and share their experience.
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Our content vision describes the essence of the Yukon
experience, the audience being spoken to and Tourism
Yukon’s role and place in telling the Yukon story.
“The Yukon is a welcoming and generous destination of unparalleled
beauty and authenticity that captivates visitors under the spell of the
midnight sun and the dance of northern lights. Here, visitors feel deeply
connected to the land, the pristine wilderness that surrounds them and the
people they encounter or share their journey with. Yukon’s rich and unique
history, paired with its exceptional geographic location, fuels and nurtures
creative, innovative and pioneering spirits.
Tourism Yukon is a part of the community of storytellers who provide a
window into the culture and natural phenomena that compels the world’s
adventurers, lovers of beauty and constant explorers to discover the
Yukon.
We are a source of inspiration, knowledge and practical wisdom for those
seeking to experience a place that has no comparison.
WHAT IS OUR CONTENT VISION?
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Our shared vision is a critical component in presenting a unified front albeit
through many different perspectives to give the prospective traveller a
vision of what they might experience while visiting the Yukon.
By working together …
• A streamlined strategy will help to organize content and simplify the
process
• Unified planning efforts will help build a simple and reliable content plan
• Our collective story becomes more impactful, by providing educational,
valuable content that is more strongly positioned to fill gaps and address
the prospective traveller’s needs, concerns and interests
• Shared content means less assets to produce but more assets to work
with
• Save time, money and resources
HOW IS OUR VISION RELEVANT TO YOU?
WE NEED YOU TO HELP TELL THE STORIES THAT MATTER.
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WHAT IS OUR CONTENT STRATEGY?
To do so we need fill the content gaps between presenting a travel
product and what it feels like to experience it. That is so important to the
change we are making with this strategy. A new focus on how the Yukon
delivers, in so many ways, on the experience drivers that chase people
out into the world to explore.
And we need to share those experiences in the right place, in the right
formats with the right audience. So our content strategy is organized in a
very simple way:
1. Who is our audience?
2. What are their experience drivers?
3. What are the creative themes that bring them both together?
4. What is the best format to tell the story?
The rest comes down to planning, execution and working best practices
to get the strongest results from our content.
Our content strategy is about telling emotional, experiential stories that
connect with prospective travellers on a human level. The travellers who
choose to come to the Yukon are travellers who are passionate about
experiencing the world. But they want to see and feel it before they come
here.
Price, promotion and product do not tell the complete Yukon story.
Which is why we’ve created a strategy that is all about the traveller and
their motivations to travel first and foremost. Our content strategy is
meant to be awareness and consideration driving. We want to find and
attract the best possible prospects for you.
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WHAT’S IN OUR CONTENT STRATEGY BACKPACK?
AUDIENCES EXPERIENCE DRIVERS THEMES
We are focused on delivering the
Canadian traveller to the Yukon. But not
just any traveller, we have targeted 4
distinctive segments that have shown
through research to be our best bets.
For every segment we target, there is a
list of experience drivers that are critical
to their purchase decision. These drivers
help to determine what stories we are
going to tell and how.
Themes allow us to tell a very human,
personal and emotional story. And you
cannot tell the Yukon story without
emotion and exploring the way the
experience here makes you feel.
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WHAT’S THE ONE THING FOR ME TO FOCUS ON?
THEMES.
There are a lot of moving pieces to Tourism Yukon’s content
strategy. But the most important aspect for us all to be
collaborating on are the use of particular content themes.
We’ve come up with our list of themes based on established
primary research, a lot of industry and operator input and
collaboration with tourism experts. In each and every theme
there is one part audience, one part experience driver and
one part creative license.
That is why themes are at the foundation of our content
strategy to influence prospective travellers through experiential
content.
If you can connect with a traveller at an emotional level, you
can influence them to come spend time with you.
Next, let's cover the most important themes that you can
incorporate into your content plan.
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PATHFINDER
The story of the Yukon is written in the paths that are woven through its landscape making it one of the most accessible wildernesses in the world.
What to Focus on:
River, Road & Trail
Wilderness is the word for possibilities here and our
adventures are as varied and amazing on land as they are on
water.
Freelander
Passionate adventurers need to chart their own path and with
a wilderness that is accessible from major roads, urban hubs
and hundreds of trails, finding your own way is what makes us
so appealing.
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IMMERSED IN NATURE
Exploring nature at its most majestic and wonderful; through the eyes of the traveller.
What to Focus on:
Natural Wonder
A first person account of our iconic wonders and the emotions
they bring out in us. Look to craft stories during an experience
to help bring the prospective traveller closer to the Yukon.
Wildlife
Observing wildlife is one of the most memorable and happiest
adventures in the Yukon. For many, what the Yukon has to
offer is so outside their everyday experience, the more we can
share the relationship between land, people and wildlife, the
more we can compel them to visit.
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LIVING HISTORY
The history of the Yukon is yours to experience through its people and communities.
What to Focus on:
The Connected Spirit
Focus on longer form stories, like blog posts and videos, that
speak to the First Nations’ connectedness to the land.
The Pioneering Spirit
The modern expression of innovation and human
accomplishment in the Yukon. The pioneering spirit never died,
it is strong and embedded in the Yukon of today.
Vibrant Communities
Tell the story of how our communities have transformed
themselves through art and culture and the ingenuity of the
Yukon spirit.
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ENCOUNTER ADVENTURE
Encounter Adventure explores the extraordinary experiences in nature for the extraordinary adventurer. We are one the world’s most pristine wildernesses and we need to show it.
What to Focus on:
Off the Grid
Wilderness adventures for those that are looking for the
extraordinary wild.
No Logo Adventures
Bespoke wilderness adventures that encourage the adventurer
to follow their own path instead of a fixed itinerary.
Great Events
Showcase content on the key events that can only be
experienced here in nature.
The Quirky Spirit
Editorials on the people that embody the uniqueness of the
Yukon spirit.
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PLANNED. PACKED. CREATE.
THE FIELD READY CONTENT CHECKLIST: • A Content Plan has been created with your themes and sources of
content identified
• Your preferred channels have been set up
• Someone is now in charge of content, either as a role or as a
division of their time
• You have mapped out your sources of content: of when, where and
how content can be developed as easily as possible
• You are ready to produce, publish and track your weekly or monthly
content output and have a good handle on the best practices
Over the course of this section we are going to walk you through:
1. Setting up your content team
2. Creating a content plan
3. Working within the right content channels
4. Finding your sources of content
5. Measuring success
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The good news is that a content team can be as big as a
single person and still be really effective. Think of all
those influential travel bloggers generating reams of
content with just their phone and a passport. Creating
great content does not require you to have access to
dozens of skilled creatives and agencies.
CHOOSE A LEADER
Step 1 Put someone in charge of content planning and working with outside
content producers who is responsible for the following:
• Developing your content plan by picking your themes, channels and
sources of content
• Coordinating with Tourism Yukon on content themes and best
practices*
• Managing your content calendar so you can see what content is being
developed when and for what purpose
• Making sure content gets developed
YOUR CONTENT TEAM IN 3 STEPS.
*Contact Tourism Yukon for more information on how you can
coordinate with Tourism Yukon on content themes and best practices.
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Step 2
Start making sure content development is part of your weekly or monthly
activity plan. Whether it’s looking to a blogger for writing help, taking
photos and videos, your operations or staying on top of your content
calendar, feeding your channels is critical for success.
The most important activities in this step are:
• Developing your content plan by picking your themes, channels and
sources of content
• Coordinating with Tourism Yukon on content themes and best practices
• Managing your content calendar so you can see what content is being
developed and for what purpose
• Plan for your sources of content - When can content be easily created?
What are some upcoming opportunities? Who can help you create
content?
SET A CONTENT PLAN TO PAPER.
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Step 3
Step 3 is all about getting your content developed and published into
the market. For many of you, creating content outside of a project or a
website update is going to be a new experience. The reality is content
is going to become part of your daily routine. Not to worry, a well
thought out content plan will help make execution more than
manageable.
• Follow your content calendar and weekly or monthly plan
• The Content Lead should be reviewing the content before it’s
published, ensuring many of the best practices are being applied
• You must be publishing! Part of your content plan should outline
who is responsible for specific types of content creation
MAKE CONTENT A WEEKLY GOAL.
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A good content plan is simple, concise and directional. Like the
way a good map is. And it doesn’t take a lot of work to get your
content needs organized and set down to paper. To make it even
easier, we’ve develop a content plan framework to help you get
started.
In chapter 1 we talked about how we are looking to set the Yukon apart in the
mind of the traveller by speaking directly to their emotional drivers for travel. We
want to influence them to choose the Yukon as their travel destination so we
need to be very compelling.
To do that we need to balance the amount of product content, which features
prices and restrictions, and promotional content, which features discounts and
restrictions, with experiential content.
Experiential content is story based, highly visual and is about the traveller’s
experience. It can be told by the traveller, yourselves or a travel influencer. But it
is always about the way the Yukon makes you feel.
As a recommended approach, here are the building blocks for your experiential
content plan:
THEMES: How do I fit into Tourism Yukon’s themes?
PRODUCT: Where and when can I tell the human side to my product story?
What about the experiences I offer gets people’s emotions going?
EVENTS: Are there any events that I am a part of,or impact me, that I can tell a
story about?
BIG CONTENT: Is there a great piece of content, maybe a video, that someone
has created that I can leverage in my storytelling?
CREATING A CONTENT PLAN.
Let’s quickly cover what some of the benefits are to having a
content plan:
• Helps to identify where your content needs and priorities are
• Makes coordinating with Tourism Yukon all that much easier
because you’ll know what you’re looking for
• Reduces the amount of work involved by focusing your content
efforts - less is often more!
• Keeps you organized week by week, channel by channel to
ensure the content keeps rolling out
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The first step you’ll need to take is to create a simple outline of each building block and
look for the connections that you can support with content. Keep it quick and simple:
you’re not looking to solve problems, only for the broad strokes.
THEMES: Pathfinder, Immersed in Nature, Living History and Encounter Adventure.
- Where do I fit into in these themes and where can I contribute content that will help
bring the themes to life?
PRODUCT: Accommodations, Tours, Group Experiences, Adventure Experiences.
- What part of my product experiences really drive a traveller’s emotions?
EVENTS: Yukon Quest, Available Light Film Festival, Adäka Cultural Festival, The Thaw
Di Gras Spring Carnival.
- What can I do differently this year to capture moments from some of our best events?
BIG CONTENT: Vacation Planner, Yukon Stories (Video), My Yukon Broadcast
Commercials, Influencer Video.
- When I see something I love, whether it’s a video or social post, I should immediately
think, “How can I use that?”
CREATE AN OUTLINE.
CHAPTER 1CONTENT
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NEXT, CREATE A SIMPLE CHART
THEMES PATHFINDER IMMERSED IN NATURE LIVING HISTORY ENCOUNTER
ADVENTURE
Product
Fill in your ideas here
Events
Big Content
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AND FILL IN THE CONNECTIONS FROM YOUR SKETCH
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Telling the Yukon Story
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We spoke early on about how our content strategy is
focused on filling the gaps between experiential,
emotional content and product promotional content.
People always want to know the price and want’s on offer
but there is a big emotional aspect to buying travel that
needs to be fulfilled before any transaction happens.
This is why the average traveller visits 12 sites prior to
making a purchase decision. To make sure they've
answered every question but it also kindles any desire to
be somewhere extraordinary.
Destination content has exploded because travellers
have made it a valuable and profitable practice to tell the
experience story of a destination from many different
perspectives.
For your content to be found by prospective travellers and ultimately lead back
to you, your content plan will need a well thought out trail.
Out there in the wilds of the internet, you’ll see a lot of other ways to describe
your content trail: content network, channel map, ecosystem, platforms etc…
They are all essentially the same thing and exist to map out the connections
between your website, social media and influencer or partner content.
The content trail will help you plot out the best content formats by channel and
make sure all your efforts drive visits to your website.
WEB: Your website and primary presence onlineSOCIAL MEDIA: Your active social media channelsEMAIL: Your consumer targeted email campaignsOTA (Online Travel Agency): Your presence on Trip Advisor and other OTA’s that also need content rich experiences.
THEN CREATE A CONTENT TRAIL
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CHAPTER 2
Telling the Yukon Story
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CHAPTER 2Field Readiness
CHAPTER 2
MAP OUT YOUR FORMATS
WEB SOCIAL EMAIL OTA
Blog Post Video
Testimonials Itineraries
Photo Galleries Reviews
Video Photo Galleries
Testimonials IllustrationInfographic
Surveys Facebook Live
Facebook Messenger
Instagram Stories
Testimonials Blog Post
Photo
Photo GalleriesQuestions &
Answers Testimonials
There are a lot of formats and options to creating and making content available to the prospective traveller.
From a best practices standpoint, content is generally broken into a few groups:
TEXT BASED CONTENT
AUDIO & VIDEO CONTENT
GRAPHIC CONTENT
LIVE CONTENT
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SAMPLE CONTENT TRAIL
CHANNELS PATHFINDER IMMERSED IN NATURE LIVING HISTORY ENCOUNTER
ADVENTURE
Product
Fill in your ideas here
Events
Big Content
Trip Advisor
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IT DOES NOT NEED TO GET ANY MORE COMPLICATED THAN THIS.
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WE RECOMMEND.
THE RIGHT CONTENT CHANNELS
There are a lot of choices to be made when it comes down to where you spend your time and energy publishing content. Since we all have a limited amount of each, it’s best to start with only a few channels that can really deliver the audience we’re looking for.
Content publishing criteria:
• Traveller preference • Ease of linking and sharing between a website and other
channels • The ability to target and support content with paid media • The ability to measure and track results • Support Video, Ads, Editorial Content and Promotional
materials
Facebook Instagram
In addition to your website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Trip Advisor are the best choices for getting your content directly into the hands of your target audience.
Trip AdvisorTwitter
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Why Facebook?
Facebook is a recommended social media channel because it’s an established source for travel ideas and inspiration at the top of the sales funnel to generate conversation, drive awareness, gain leads and convert prospective travellers into buyers.
To get the most out of Facebook be sure to:
• Stick to your content plan and themes to make generating posting ideas as easy as possible
• Focus on getting some great shots and short videos out there• Be ready to answer back and talk to people through comments and
messenger• Less is always more! Short and snappy text • Stick to one idea per post• When you are ready, look into promoting your posts through the
Facebook Ad Manager• Focus on fun and emotion, even when talking about price, product
and promotion
FACEBOOKNot all days are equal on FacebookEngagement rates on Thursday and Friday are 18% higher, compared to other days in the week.
Be a FollowerPay attention to what others are doing in the industry. You can always tell when something is working for someone else if they are generating a lot of likes, shares and comments.
Photo posts get 39% more interactionsPhoto posts get more engagement than links, videos or text-based updates. They actually account for 93% of the most engaging posts on Facebook.
Shorter posts get 23% more interaction Writing posts that are below 250 characters can get you 60% more engagement. Cut it down to less than 80 characters and you’ll see another big lift in comments, likes and shares.
Questions generate 100% more comments Sometimes it’s best to ask really good questions of your followers to bring them into the conversion.
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FIELD READY CONTENT.
Why Instagram?
For Travel and Tourism brands, Instagram produces high
engagement as Travel content is already one of the most popular
experiences. With a ready made audience waiting to discover you, all
you need is a consistent eye for composition and a knack for telling
your story to propel yourself towards success.
What goes into an effective and popular Instagram channel?
Instagram has quickly become the visual language of the internet.
Users can post images, videos and a combination of both through
what they call stories. Instagram is well known for it’s quirky
personalities, captivating images, love of all things animals and a lot,
and we mean a lot, of travel influencers.
Be active in the Instagram community
Instagram works best when you use it to make connections and build
relationships with other users. This doesn't mean you have to devote
your life to it but it does mean making time to comment and like other
user’s content regularly.
INSTAGRAMThis is as top of the funnel as you can get
Instagram is about driving awareness. It is not a place to have a lengthy
conversation or sell a particular package. It is heavy on story and
snack-able experiences. Use Instagram to show a human side of business
that you may not have shown before.
#hashtags
Hashtags are the single most important aspect to your Instagram posts.
Popular hashtags are trail markers by which new followers are going to find
you. A power user can be found loading a post up its limit with 30
hashtags.
Here’s a sample of some hashtags currently being used by
TravelYukon.com:
#exploreyukon #explorecanada #yukon #wildernessculture #theoutbound
#tourcanada #enjoycanada #bestvacations #neverstopexploring
#welltravelled #letsexplore #liveoutdoors #mindthemountains #yukonquest
Emojis
This illustrative language can help you in humanizing your posts which lead
directly to more content likes, conversions and gaining followers. They are
quick and easy to use and, well, people just naturally respond to them.
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Twitter: Be What’s Happening
Twitter is another key platform that with a simple and thoughtful plan
you can deliver new and happier travellers. Twitter users are, by
definition, passionately interested in brands and experiences. They
are also the sharing types you want in a loyal band of followers:
● Twitter has over 313 million monthly users.
● Those users send 6,000 tweets per second—that’s more than
half a billion per day.
● Twitter users are three times as likely as Facebook users to
follow a brand.
There are a few questions you should answer about how and where
you want your time on Twitter to deliver value back to your
business. Focus on answering what you want Twitter to do:
generate new sales leads, build awareness about your business
and experiences, and/or be an effective support channel for
customers. It can do all three, but that’s going take up a lot of time
and effort, so it would be best to choose a specific business goal
and work toward it.
While you give that some thought, here are some quick start best
practices to get your Twitter up and out into the field.
TWITTERBe Visible on Twitter
Proper set-up of your account is critical, as many new followers will only
find you if your Twitter is easily searchable and they “get” who you are
from a quick page view.
The Best Handle is a Simple One: Make sure your handle is short and
is understandable. For example: @DawsonCityYukon or
@AirNorthHoilday. Keep it simple and only add additional letters if you
need to define your location in a meaningful way.
Complete Your Twitter Bio: It’s really a big deal to have your entire bio
and Twitter account completed. This is what helps followers find you! Be
sure you include industry-related hashtags, such as #TravelYukon and a
link to your website.
Promote Your Twitter, Always: The best way to get your Twitter out
there is to promote it on everything, such as your website, email, directory
listings and so on. If you start to think of your Twitter handle as being as
important as your phone number, you’ll make sure it gets out there.
Search & Add Valuable Twitter Followers: Building the right follower
base on Twitter takes time. Without great followers, your Twitter will never
take off. Search and find other accounts that you know prospective
travellers are interested in. Follow them and mine their follower list to
source and build out your base.
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FIELD READY CONTENT.
TRIP ADVISORTo get the most out of Trip Advisor:
Claim and complete profiles
Trip Advisor recently cited “Restaurants with hours of operation on their Trip
Advisor listing see 36% more engagement than those without them”
Use Photography
Like all social media, visual imagery is key to capture the attention of travellers.
Photos, along with reviews, give potential guests another reason to choose you.
Trip Advisor recently explained that “restaurants with 11 - 20 photos see double
the amount of diner interaction over no photos at all” and those “with at least
one Management Photo (photos posted by you or your organization) see 44%
more engagement over those with no photos”. So selecting the right Primary
Photo (the main image on your listing) and Management Photos are key.
Respond to Reviews
Responding to reviews, both negative and positive, is key to being successful
on Trip Advisor. Quite simply, a response to a comment shows you as an
organization are interested in feedback and telegraphs that you take customer
service seriously. Responding publicly, is an opportunity to correct
inaccuracies, provide more information, show gratitude and appreciation and
ultimately show reviewers and potential customers what your brand is about.
Why Trip Advisor?
To start, look no further than the stats.
● 500M reviews and opinions
● 390M monthly average unique visitors
● 7M accommodations, restaurants and attractions
(Stats from TripAdvisor.com)
Originally a travel opinion aggregator for hotels, Trip Advisor has
grown (and continues to grow) adding airlines, vacation rentals,
restaurants, activities and more. Today, it is the world’s largest
travel site with millions of travellers visiting each month to plan their
perfect trip.
It’s a no brainer to be on Trip Advisor. For the basic service it’s free
and will increase exposure of your business to a large qualified
audience - and gives you access to a selection of free marketing
tools.
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There is a lot of flexibility today in terms of where you can find
content sources that prospective travellers are willing to spend
time with. Which adds up to a win-win situation for the average
content planner because it means you can find low-cost to no-cost
solutions that people will still find authentic and engaging.
You will also find that developing high gauge, professional content
doesn’t always come with a hefty price tag. Many travel
professionals are looking to build their own brand’s content and
rely heavily on traditional FAM trips.
And never forget that sharing someone else’s content is always a
good idea.
To get your content plan up the mountain focus on 3 strategies for content development:
1. Your In-House Team
2. Partners & Customers
3. Influencers & Travel Bloggers
CONTENT SOURCES
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Creating great content doesn’t require a huge team of people.
THE IN-HOUSE TEAM
Here are some tactical/practical content sources you can work into your everyday operations:
Take candid and behind the scenes snapsNot every shot has to be a staged production; personal, small focus stories are just as interesting to people as iconic landscapes.
Focus on short 15 - 30 second video clipsGet to the heart of the matter quickly, whether it’s something offbeat, extraordinarily beautiful or a day in the life experience, make it short and sweet.
Assign themes to specific events, experiences and peopleNo one activity from your organization or business can capture all your content needs so it’s best to parcel them out in smaller, focused bites.
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Some stories are best told by those who’ve experienced them, which is why incorporating customers into your source of content is going to be a key ingredient of success. Today’s traveller is increasingly influenced by first person stories from fellow travellers since they represent an unfiltered and genuine view of an experience.
For its part, Tourism Yukon is constantly developing programs to generate and capture personally based travel experiences that you can mine for content in your own channels.
PARTNERS & CUSTOMERS
Here are some tactical/practical content sources you can work into your everyday operations:
#hashtagsLook for ways to incorporate #hashtags into your marketing materials and experiences. Travellers have learned to pick up on these cues and many of them will use them when capturing their experiences.
ReviewsBoth the bane and the boon of any destination, traveller reviews, comments and testimonials are a guaranteed way to influence prospective travellers. Look for as many ways to capture them as possible, online and offline, and manage the negative ones openly and honestly.
Follow the Path Be sure to have a good understanding of the content themes the Travel Yukon team will be working with throughout the year. Check in regularly with the Travel Yukon channels to see what posts are getting the most attention and what opportunities are there for you to take advantage of.
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Almost every DMO, including Destination Canada are making travel influencers a part of their marketing plan. Their ability to deliver stunning creative, first person experiences and prospective audiences are big reasons as to why they have become a fixture in destination marketing.
You may not be ready to go out into the wild and build up your own influencer relationships, but the team at Tourism Yukon most certainly is. There will be many opportunities to collaborate with an influencer that Tourism Yukon is hosting and to reap all the benefits.
INFLUENCERS & TRAVEL BLOGGERS
Here are some tactical/practical content sources you can work into your everyday operations:
Share your content plan with themSome Influencers like to do their own thing while others appreciate any direction or support you can give them. Either way, be sure to get involved and let them know what your needs and expectations are. You can always trust an influencer is there to create amazing content but you may need a small hand in it to ensure it’s content you can use.
Influencer content needs support Be sure to have a plan to pre-promote, repost and just generally talk about the fact that you are hosting an influencer. The content they create goes directly to their audience, it’s up to you make sure any blog posts, images or social media posts get as much visibility as possible outside of an influencer’s content trail.
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Here is a quick cheat sheet for Tourism Yukon’s content network, in addition to Destination Canada which feature some true Yukon gems.
http://www.travelyukon.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TravelYukon/
https://twitter.com/TravelYukon
https://www.youtube.com/user/travelyukon
https://www.instagram.com/travelyukon/
TOURISM YUKON
DESTINATION CANADAThe team at Destination Canada is always working to find and publish the best travel content about Canada and more often than not, the Yukon shows up as a Destination inspiration. Be sure to keep an eye on their content network as well.
https://www.facebook.com/ExploreCanada
https://twitter.com/ExploreCanada
https://www.instagram.com/explorecanada/
https://www.youtube.com/user/canadiantourism
http://canadakeepexploring.tumblr.com/
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MEASURING SUCCESS
1. IS THE AUDIENCE YOU’RE
REACHING THE RIGHT ONE?
2.DO THEY VALUE YOUR
CONTENT?
3.HOW CAN I GROW MY
AUDIENCE?
Any solid measurement strategy starts with the right questions and then uses the tools at hand to capture results. We want
to measure the effectiveness of our content because content can sometimes be a challenge to create. It’s an investment and
like any good investment we want to stop doing the things that aren’t working and do more of what is.
Measurement is a complicated business at best but all our work boils down to a few simple questions that we want answers
to:
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This question is best understood by measuring the volume and quality of traffic your content is driving to your website.
1. IS THE AUDIENCE YOU’RE REACHING THE RIGHT ONE?
Bounce Rate - Did a visitor come to the site, see one page and then leave immediately? Bounce is a normal part of any site. You want this to be below 50% ideally.
Time on site (Dwell) - The measure of how much time visitors spend on your site and with your content. This can vary based on a lot of reasons, but any visitors that spends less than 30 secs is considered weak. Look for dwell times to be between 2-4 minutes.
Referrals - Referrals are going to show you where some users are clicking on links to find you. They can come from search engines, blogs, other websites and social media.
Understanding where your traffic is coming from is the key to understanding where your content efforts are being effective in carving out a path to finding you. It will also let you know if other people are mentioning you on their blogs and linking back to you.
Exit Pages - This is different from looking into your bounce rate, which measures those one page visits, to looking that page people most frequently leave from. Exit pages are good indicators of dead or blocked paths that may need a little more content to make them really valuable to the visitor.
Unique Visits - If you’re just starting to look into your website metrics, your unique visitors a good place to start. Unique visitors represents the count of individual people that visited your site regardless of the number of times they visited your site. So, if Robin visits your site once and Claude visits your site five times, you will have two unique visitors and six total visits.
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They best way to understand if your audience is enjoying and finding value in your content is to measure what they do with it. Which is a lot simpler than it may sound.
2. DO THEY VALUE YOUR CONTENT?
Shares and Likes: Within your social media channels these numbers are readily available at the post level. For Shares and Likes, you want to set a target between 2% and 5% of your total followers sharing or liking any one piece of content.
For example, if you have 1000 followers on Facebook, for each and every post you are looking to see if you’re getting anywhere from 20 to 50 likes. Not every post is going to hit that target but pay really close attention to the ones that do!
Comments: Expect to see a much lower rate of commenting than liking and sharing. Commenting can take a bit of work on behalf of the user where as Sharing and Liking is a simple click so expecting less than 1% of your overall followers commenting is about right.
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3. HOW CAN I GROW MY AUDIENCE? Here are some things to look into when trying to figure out what people
like:
What headlines seemed to capture the most clicks?Do your headlines need to be shorter, punchier and more fun? Are you relying too much on product and promotional headlines?
What pictures seem to drive the best reactions? For example, people really love animals. It’s almost a law of the internet. But they also like untagged and behind the scenes views and people being happy.
Does the odd video you posted do markedly better than a photograph? Because that wouldn’t surprise us. Video is consistently a top performing content format. Maybe it’s time for a little more of it?
Are there content themes that are doing more than others? If you’ve included Tourism Yukon’s themes in your content plan and developed some supporting content, which themes are delivering prospective travellers?
After you’ve been posting content for a few weeks under specific themes and pillars and you're starting to see that it’s working, the next big question is, “How do I easily get more?”
By following the simple measurement plan we just laid out and by focusing on some of the creative details, you will grow the unique number of visitors that find you.
Remember the most important reason for measuring any of your content is to stop doing what is not working and start doing more of what is; with
less effort.
Start by going back over a month or so worth of posts, plus your top pages and referrals. Look for the top performers and try to figure out the patterns.
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We are authentic, original, and down-to-earth. When we speak, we use simple but powerful language – emoting the feeling of open arms, open doors, and open minds. We are unlike anyone or anywhere else and never try to be something we’re not. Yukon is a no-rush kind of destination and our communication is a reflection of the power of our land and our non-judgmental ways. We recognize beauty in everything – the longest, darkest winter nights and the endless, glowing summer days.
As Yukoners we are friendly, playful, approachable, and even cheeky at times - never aggressive or harsh. Our tone is that of our local communities, our wisdom, our inspiration – open minded and full of possibility.
WE ARE…
CAREFREEUNINHIBITEDFRIENDLYOPEN-MINDEDCOLLABORATIVECREATIVEPLAYFULHONESTINCLUSIVESINCEREENERGETICSUCCINCT
VOICE & PERSPECTIVE WE ARE NOT…
HARSHOVERLY TECHNICALBLUNTCRASSAGGRESSIVEJUDGMENTALNEGATIVEGENERICELITECONDESCENDINGOFFENSIVEVERBOSE
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THE YUKON’S AUDIENCE
AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCERS CULTURAL EXPLORERS FREE SPIRITS
Typically understated travellers looking for authentic, tangible engagement with destinations. They have a particular interest in understanding the history of the places they visit.
Cultural Explorers are defined by their love of constant travel. They embrace, discover and immerse themselves in the culture, people and settings of the places they visit.
Free Spirits are highly social and open-minded. Their enthusiasm for life extends to their outlook on travel. Experimental and adventurous, they bask in hedonistic experiences that are shared with others.
NO HASSLE TRAVELLERS
No-Hassle Travellers are cautious, dutiful and reserved people who seek secure group travel that allows them to escape from the duties and obligations of everyday life.
Our primary target for any content experience is the domestic Canadian traveller. They represent the largest possible source of revenue and opportunity for the Yukon. Working from fundamental traveller research from Destination Canada, we grouped 4 types of travellers into an audience pool. Each one has their own view of the world and social values but they do share may of the same experience drivers that guides their travel decisions.
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AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCERS
“I have no need to ‘show off’. Health is a physical and spiritual personal journey. You have to think for yourself to embark on it.”
Experience Drivers
• Visiting well known natural wonders• Multi-day touring on their own by car• Visiting world heritage sites • Visiting well-known historic sites/buildings• Mountain and glacier viewing• Visiting national, provincial parks to view wildlife and surrounding nature and/or to participate in adventure experiences
Social Values
• In charge but not striving• Physical & spiritual health is a priority• Independent thinkers• Reserved with a libertarian outlook• Comfortably upscale but not ostentatious
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CULTURAL EXPLORERS
“I am one of a kind and think the imagination is a great thing. As human beings, we have a responsibility to the environment and the people around us. I root for the little guys.”
Experience Drivers
• Visiting well known natural wonders• Visiting world heritage sites • Multi-day touring on their own by car• Visit well-known historic sites/buildings
• Visiting national, provincial parks to view wildlife
• Participate in adventure experiences
• Mountain and glacier viewing
• Staying at a wilderness lodge
• Boating• Visiting small towns/villages
Social Values
• Confident & goal-oriented• Happy & healthy • A highly affective approach• Like to stand out from the crowd• Prefers to support the little guys• No logo!
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NO HASSLE TRAVELLERS “I know the world is a beautiful place and worth seeing but I
can't enjoy travelling if I have to worry too much.”
Experience Drivers
• Visiting well known natural wonders• Visiting world heritage sites
• Visiting national, provincial parks to view wildlife
• Participate in group adventure experiences
• Visit well-known historic sites/buildings
Social Values
• Personal Control• Religiosity• Need for status recognition (not in materialistic sense)• Racial Fusion• Flexible gender identity• Everyday ethics
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FREE SPIRITS
“I want to get ahead and for this I need to take risks. Working hard pays off. Being social helps in establishing great networks and it’s more fun to be in groups. When I make it I will give back.”
Experience Drivers
• Visiting well known natural wonders• Visit well-known historic sites/buildings
• Mountain and glacier viewing
• Visiting national, provincial/State park to view wildlife
• Participate in adventure experiences
• Boating• Wildlife viewing - Land based animals & bird watching
• Visiting small towns/villages
• Flight-seeing
Social Values
• Attraction to crowds• Joy of consumption• Social mobility • Penchant for risk
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We’ve collected some examples that illustrate how tourism companies are
successfully using engaging content through a range of channels.
GALLERY
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Channel: Blog
Why it works.
● Not only do blog posts feature promotions, they also offer
clients information about the hotel’s philosophy, for example
the use of local products. They’ve also created a related
hashtag #opusloveslocal which can be used throughout their
social channels
● They offer articles that help visitors with trip planning such as
neighbourhood restaurants, sightseeing and activities
● They also feature articles on local artists and events
● Photography is appealing and they often use creative blog
titles e.g. Calling all Beach Babes
HOTEL
OPUS HOTEL VANCOUVERwww.vancouver.opushotel.com
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Channel: Instagram
Why it works.
● Beautiful photography is used to reflect this luxury brand
● Imagery is consistent and enticing through the whole
Instagram account
● Relevant hashtags are used on every post, making it
easier for potential customers to find them
● The hotel responds to all comments which increases
community engagement and improves audience reach
within Instagram
ROSEWOOD GEORGIA HOTELwww.rosewoodhotels.com/en/hotel-georgia-vancouver
HOTEL
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Channel: TripAdvisor
Why it works.
● The company profile is complete and there are plenty of
photos both from guests and the property making it easy
to learn about the hotel
● Responses to reviews and questions are detailed and
consistent which not only engages the community but
reflects a strong customer service ethos potential clients
would find appealing
BOUTIQUE ACCOMMODATION
FOGO ISLAND INNwww.fogoislandinn.ca
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Channel: Facebook
Why it works.
● Posts are regular and fun
● Posts are primarily photos which are more engaging than text. The
written content is short, to the point and often with a touch of
humour
● Photography is not staged but features people involved in activities
as well as the antics of animals at the ranch, which conveys the
sense that it’s a down-to-earth, fun experience
● There is good community engagement in the comments - they
clearly value their customers
● The company profile is complete which makes it easy for potential
customers to get more information
BOUTIQUE ACCOMMODATION
ECHO VALLEY RANCH & SPAwww.evranch.com
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Channel: Twitter
Why it works.
● Completed bio which allows people to quickly know what the
company does: Polar bears in the summer? Yes!
● Great photos and engaging content
● Regular tweets and retweets of interesting content
● Use of hashtags which helps potential clients find them
TOUR COMPANY
CHURCHILL WILDwww.churchillwild.com
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TOUR COMPANY
Channel: Instagram
Why it works.
● There is a great mix of images that includes photos of guests
experiencing the product, as well as wildlife and staged photos
● The text is engaging and they use relevant hashtags
● They have created their own hashtag #SmallShipBigAdventure
● Good bio copy which quickly tells people what the company is all
about
MAPLE LEAF ADVENTURESwww.mapleleafadventures.com
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TOUR COMPANY
Channel: Blog
Why it works.
● Articles are written by past clients and staff which offer a very
personal insight into the experience being offered
● Posts are regular and have “share” links embedded in the
teaser text on the blog’s menu page
● Blog titles are creative and capture your interest, making you
want to read more
● They also encourage people to follow them on Facebook so
they don’t miss any blog posts which increases engagement
across platforms
CHILCOTIN HOLIDAYSwww.chilcotinholidays.com
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TOUR COMPANY
Channel: Facebook
Why it works.
● Posts are either photos or video which encourages more
interaction
● Images are immersive and consistently on-brand i.e. outdoor
adventure. Most posts feature people in the outdoors engaged
in activities.
● Posts are regular which improves audience reach
● The company interacts with the community in the comments
● Text is short and to the point
FRESH ADVENTURESwww.freshadventures.ca
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ADVENTURE OPERATOR
Channel: Facebook
Why it works.
● Great use of on-brand images and video
● Text is kept short and to the point, allowing the imagery to tell
the story
● Photography is immersive and vibrant with people actively
engaged in and enjoying the experience
● They consistently engage with the community in comments
● Their Instagram account is also visually very engaging
CANADIAN MOUNTAIN HOLIDAYSwww.cmhski.com
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ADVENTURE OPERATOR
Channel:: TripAdvisor
Why it works.
● Their profile contains lots of photos and is completed with all
relevant information
● Thoughtful responses to all customer reviews which shows
their commitment to customer service
EAGLE WING WHALE WATCHINGwww.eaglewingtours.com
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ATTRACTION
Channel: Blog
Why it works.
● The blog contains very interesting articles that are also of
value to customers. Articles feature “behind-the-scenes”,
recipes, DIY projects and events. Interesting content such
as this helps to improve search rankings and encourages
people to subscribe.
● Visually very appealing with great photography and a clean
layout
OKANAGAN LAVENDER & HERB FARMwww.okanaganlavender.com
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ATTRACTION
ROYAL BC MUSEUMwww.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
Channel: Twitter
Why it works.
● Interesting and regular tweets
● Tweets/retweets provide useful information such as other
things to do in Victoria and items of cultural and historic
interest, appealing to a range of audiences including visitors,
locals and history/culture buffs
● Strong use of photos including customers enjoying the
museum
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FESTIVAL/EVENT
CALGARY STAMPEDEwww.calgarystampede.com
Channel: Facebook
Why it works.
● Posts are visual with the use of photos and video
● Even though the Stampede is an annual event, they post on
a daily basis, year round, which maintains interest and
excitement about the event
● Frequent use of humour
● Very on-brand with most posts featuring horses (animal
photos are a favourite on Facebook) and cowboys
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FESTIVAL/EVENT
LUMINA BOREALISwww.luminaborealis.com
Channel: Instagram
Why it works.
● Use of video and intriguing photos
● Bio is inspiring
● The use of hashtags makes it easier for people to find
them
● Photos of people enjoying the event
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SIGHTSEEING ACTIVITY
VANCOUVER MYSTERIESwww.vancouvermysteries.com
Channel: Facebook
Why it works.
● Great use of humour with witty copy which they carry
through all of their platforms including the website
● Use of hashtags (particularly on their Twitter account)
including their own #crimeindowntown
● Most posts are photos of guests having fun
● Very strong community engagement
● Their content really conveys a sense of fun and laughter
= effective brand communication