Tourism101Packet

By:SavannahGreer

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TableofContents

SectionI:StateTourismSectionII:SocialMediaSectionIII:GrantInformationSectionIV:InternationalTourism

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I. StateTourism

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SweetHomeAlabama• THEALABAMATOURISMDEPARTMENTisreadytoworkwithtravelindustryprofessionalstohelpmakeitaseasyaspossibletoplananAlabamavacationforyourclients.

• ALABAMAGROUPTRAVELPLANNER,offeringsuggesteditineraries,HubandSpokeandthemedtoursalongwithhotelandattractioninformation.

• SPORTSMARKETINGCOORDINATOR,assistingeventorganizerswithlocatingfacilitiestohostmajorevents.

• REUNIONSERVICES,filledwithideasandhow-tosolutionsspecificallydesignedtomakeplanningyournextreuniongosmoothly.

• OpportunitiesregardingFAMTOURSfordomesticandinternationaltouroperatorsandtravelagents.

• DESTINATIONTOURISMPROMOTION,chartertravelandsuggesteditineraryplanning.

• ALABAMACALENDAROFEVENTS,publishedannually,providingdescriptions,contactsandtimesofevents.

• DIGITALIMAGESofattractionsandevents.Availableuponrequestforreproductionorvisualpresentations.

• PRESSKITSandtriparrangementsforjournalists.• ColorfulseriesofstateTRAVELPOSTERS.

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SweetHomeAlabama:HowtoWorkwithAlabamaTourism

AguideforthetravelindustryonservicesofferedbytheAlabamaTourismDepartment.

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II. SocialMedia

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TimetoGetSocial:TheHow-ToGuideforSocialMediaMarketing

1. KnowYourMarket–U.S.TravelFactsandStatistics• Feweradultsaretravelingwithchildren.• Drivingvs.Flying

o Nearly8in10(79%)leisuretripswerebycarcomparedtolessthanhalf(48%)ofbusinesstrips.

• Leisuretravelersareolderthanbusinesstravelers.• Travelinghouseholdsearnmorethannon-travelinghouseholds.

• Tripplanningsourceshaveshiftedoverthelastseveralyears,withsocialmediaandmobiledevicesbeingusedmoreoften.

• LeisureTravel:o Directspendingbydomesticandinternationaltravelerstotaled$644.9billionin2014.

o Morethan3outof4domestictripstakenareforleisurepurposes(78%).

o U.S.residentslogged1.7billionpersonaltripsin2014.o TopleisuretravelactivitiesforU.S.domestictravelers:(1)visitingrelatives,(2)shopping,(3)visitingfriends,(4)finediningand(5)beaches.

• BusinessTravel:o Directspendingbydomesticandinternationaltravelers,includingexpendituresonmeetings,eventsandincentiveprograms(ME&I),totaled$283billionin2014.

o ME&Itravelaccountedfor$114.2billionofallbusinesstravelspending.

o U.S.residentslogged452millionpersonaltripsforbusinesspurposesin2014,with36.7%formeetingsandevents.

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• YourMarketisMobileo 74%andrising:representsasignificantmarketshareoftheU.S.buyingpopulation

o 87%ofthosewithincomesover$75Khaveasmartphone.o 70%ofmobilesearchesresultinactionwithinanhour.o Forthefirsttimeever,over50%oftravel-relatedsearchestakeplaceonmobiledevices;morepeopleareconsumingtravelcontentfrommobiledevicesthanfromdesktopcomputers.

o In2016,morethan50%ofonlinetravel-relatedsearchwillcomefrommobiledevices.

o 56%ofleisuretravelerscite“recommendationsfromothers”asthemostcommonresourceforresearchingleisuretrips.

o 92%ofconsumerstrustrecommendationsfromfriendsandfamilyoverotherformsofadvertising.

§ Themeaningof“friends”hasnowwidenedwithsocialmedia.Marketersmustheavilyweightthenewpowerofrecommendationsfromfriendsandfamilywithinthecontextofourinterconnectedworld.

o TimelyTips:§ Abalancedsocialplanincludes:anunderstandingofyourmarketsandhowtheyinteractonline.

§ Authenticexperiences:Givethemsomethingtotalkabout.AmericanLeisureTravelerswantlocal,authenticandmemorableexperiencesandproductsthatareuniquefromwhattheycangetathome.Theyalsowanttoshareaboutitonsocialmediawiththeirfriends.

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2. User-GeneratedContent• USER-GENERATEDCONENT(UGC)isanyformofmediauploadedbyeverydaypeople,usuallyviasocialmedia.It’sthecontentyourcustomersarepostingandseeingeveryday.Butisalsoreferstoastyleofcontentyoucancreate.Somethingthatfeelsauthenticandpersonal,likearealperson’sbehindit,becausethereis.

• Travelersarealreadytakingphotosoftheirfavoritedestinationsandpostingthemonsocialmedia.Now,let’sgetbusywithencouragingcurrentcustomerstopostcontentsoyoucanuseittogainnewcustomers!Andthroughittheycaninteractwithyou.

• LETITBEKNOWN.Usein-storedisplays,handoutsormenustoencouragecustomerstotagyourbusinessintheirposts.Tellthemhowtoconnectwithyouonyoursocialmediaprofilesusingyourusernamesandhashtags.

• INCENTIVIZEYOURAUDIENCE.Designpromotionalincentivesforyourcustomerstosharecontentabouttheirexperienceswithyourestablishment.Considerprovidingdiscountstopeoplewhoareinteractivewithyoursocialmediaaccounts.

• LISTENANDREPUBLISH.Monitorsocialfeedsforfanswhoaretalkingorcreatingcontentaboutyourbusiness.Acknowledgeandengageinthoseconversations.Ifitisgood,shareorrepublishitonyourownfeed.

• STARTSMALL.Whensomeonepostsaboutyouonsocialmedia,nomatterhowsmall,always,ALWAYSrespond.Thisishowyoubuildengagementandloyalfans.

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3. Hashtags• FACT:ArecentsearchofInstagramhashtagsrevealedmorethan4millionimagestaggedwith#waterfall,morethan11milliontaggedwith#mountainsandmorethan9milliontaggedwith#festivals.

• Hashtagsareoneofthemosteffectivetacticsforspreadingyourmessagesandconnectingwithothersonsocialmedia.

• Hashtagsmakeusersfeelconnectedtoeachotherandyourbusinessbyidentifyingunifiedtopics.

• Anybrandcancreateitsownhashtags.Hashtagsareagreatwaytogeneratebuzzaroundamarketingcampaign.

4. MakeItVisual• Inaworldwhereweareoverwhelmedwithinformation,imagesarethenewsocialcurrency–andattentionisthenewcommodity.Ourbrainsprocessvisuals60,000timesfasterthantext.

o Peopleare44%morelikelytoengagewithcontentthatincludespictures.

• Bottomline,it’sanincreasinglyvisualgameandyoumustplayaccordinglytosucceed.

• Noweveryoneisastoryteller–thatmeansyouandyourcustomer.TheHolyGrailforamarketerisanemotionalrelationshipwithyourcustomer.

• Withsocialmediathisisveryattainable.Imagesspeakthelanguageofemotion.

• OnTripAdvisor,photosimpactaccommodationbookingsevenmorethanreviews.

o Propertieswithatleastonephotohave+225%morelikelihoodofbookinginquiry.

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o Propertieswithmorethan100photoshave+238%morelikelihoodofbookinginquiry.

5. KnowYourself• Adestination’sbrandisthesumofallthestoriestheirvisitorshearaboutit.Withthisinmind,it’simportantto1)givevisitorssomethinggreattotalkabout,and2)areasontosayit.

• Afterall,remarkableexperiencesigniteremarkablestorytelling.

• Basedonprovenprinciplesofeffectiveplacebranding,aunifiedcommunityidentityisessentialforestablishingawell-knowndestinationimage.

6. Instagram• Thenumberonephotostreamingmobileapp,allowinguserstoposttheirdailylifeexperiencesandinterestsfromtheirmobiledevices.

• Over200millionactivemonthlyusersshareover60millionphotosdailythatgenerate1.6billion“likes”.

• Instagrambuildsvaluableconnections,loyaltyandtrustwithyourcustomers.It’syourvisualstory.Usersgotheretobeentertained.

• Thepurposeofthisplatformistoprovideabehind-the-sceneslookintoyourcompanyordestinationculture.It’sanopportunitytoshowcaseyourbusinesspersonality,yourhumanside,whatmakesyou“you”orwhatmakesyoutick.

• Peopleareinterestedinrelationshipswithotherrealpeople,notwithbusinesses.

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7. Facebook• Over968milliondailyactiveFacebookusers• TravelisthemostsharedtopiccategoryonFacebook.Astravelbrands,yousellexperiencesandmemoriessoyouhaveabetterchancetostandoutfromalltherestbyusingphotosandvideosthatgetuserengagement.

• BusinessPagesmust“PaytoPlay”whichmeanslessexposureunlessyouadapt.

• FacebookhasreducedthenumberoftextonlystatusupdatesfromBusinessPagesthatappearinthenewsfeeds.

• Themoreinteractionpostsreceive,themoreexposureFacebookgives.IncreasedcustomerengagementshowsFacebookthatyourpageupdatesareinterestingtoyourfansandFacebook,inturn,makingyourupdatesappearmorefrequentlyintheirnewsfeeds.

• Instructions:o Payup.Boostingposts,advertisingapageandcreatingoffersareallpaidoptionsthatcanbringyoureyeballsandinteractionwithafairlysmallinvestment.

o Motivateinteraction.Facebookisaboutpeopleinteractingwithotherpeople.Remember,“wordofmouth”isnowtheprimarywaytoexpandyourreach.

o Bereal.PeoplecometoFacebooktobeentertainedandinteractwithrealpeople.Being“salesy”doesn’twork.Showyourhumanside.

o Getvisual.Createasocialmediablackboardbyregularlypostingphotosandgraphicsaboutyouritems,yourstaffandyourcustomersenjoyingthemselvesandyourbusiness.

o Getexclusive.TellcustomerstowatchyourFacebookpageforon-lineonlydeals.

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o Offerincentives.EncouragecustomerstopostabouttheirexperienceonFacebook.“ShowusonyourmobileatcheckoutthatyouravedaboutusonFacebookandreceive10%off.”

o Doyourhomework.85%ofpeoplewholikeabrandonFacebookarepastandpresentcustomers.Takeadvantageofthisopportunitytoaskforfeedback,customerpreferencesandimproveproductsandservices.

o Letnocommentgounnoticed.YouMUSTengagewithusersinthecommentsandrepostsnomatterhowsmall.42%ofconsumersactiveonsocialnetworksexpectananswerwithinthehour!

8. Location-BasedMobileSearch• 28%ofadultshaveusedlocation-basedservicestogetrecommendationssuchasthebest-ratednearbycaféordirectionsfromtheircurrentlocation.

• Customersandtravelersnowrelyontheirmobiledevicesasavitalsourceoflocation-relevantinformationuponwhichtheymakeanincreasinglynumberofdecisionsonhowtospendtheirtimeandmoney.

• Whendecidingwheretogo,yourcustomersareusingplatformssuchasGoogleMyBusiness(formerlyGooglePlaces),TripAdvisor,FourSquareorYelp.

• 40%ofmobilewebsearchesareforlocalbusinesses.• 74%ofadultsmartphoneownersages18andoldersaythattheyusetheirphonetogetdirectionsorotherinformationbasedontheircurrentlocation.Whichmeansiftheycan’tfindyouwiththeirphone,theywon’tbecomeyourcustomers.

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• Instructions:o Beonthelist.Makesureyourbusinessislistedonallthekeynetworkswhereyourtravelersaremostactive.

o Attheveryleastcreatea“GoogleMyBusiness”Profile.ItwillimproveyourpresenceonGoogleandmakeyoushowuponGoogleMaps.Goheretogetstarted:www.google.com/business.

o Keepitupdated.Keepyouronlineprofileaccuratebyensuringthatyourstreetaddresses,phonenumbersandotherrelevantinformationiscorrect.

9. On-LineReviews• TripAdvisor,Yelp,GoogleReviews,FourSquare,andUrbanspoon–thesearejustafewexamplesoftravel-relatedsitedwherecustomerreviewsarecrucialandprevalent.

• Wedon’ttrustbrands.Wetrustpeople.• Wordofmouthnowplaysoutpubliclyandreviewsareeverywhere.

• Reviewshaveanincreasinglyimportantroleinthedecision-makingprocess,arguablymoresothanonlinetravelagenciesorevenfriendsandrelatives.

• Agreatdestinationbrandisbuiltthroughthestoriespeopletelleachother.Andsocialmediahasonlyacceleratedthatprocess.Gettingmoreoftherightstoriestoldisyourgreatopportunity.

• Particularlyforaccommodations,managementresponsestocustomerreviewsonthesesitesdirectlycorrelatetohighertravelerengagementandoverallcustomerratings.

• TripAdvisorreceives190millionreviews,withover280millionuniquevisitorsonitswebsitepermonth.

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• 77%ofuserswillseekreviewsaboutaccommodation,50%aboutrestaurantsand44%aboutattractions.

• 53%ofTripAdvisoruserswon’tbookahotelthathasnoreviews.

• ON-LINEREVIEWSINSTRUCTIONS:o CLAIMIT.Claiminganaccountwillallowforabrandtorespondtouserreviews,toupdateinformationanduploadphotosandvideos.

o MOTIVATE.Givethemsomethingworthtalkingaboutandthatwillmotivatethemtoshare.

o ENCOURAGE.Ensureyoursatisfiedclientsarewritingravereviews.Offeradiscountiftheysharedaboutyouonline.Followupwithanemailwithadirectlinkoreasywaytopostarevieworsharetheirexperience.

o CURATE.Whenpeopledosharereviewsandstories,youmustfindthemandtakeadvantageoftheinformation.

o RESPOND.GoodorBad-providearesponse.o PUTITTOUSE.Hiddenwithinallthosecustomercommentsarewordsandphrasesthatcanbeusedasthewrittencontentonyourwebsite.Usingyourcustomer’sexactwordscanhelppersuadeprospectstosignupforyournewsletter,bookaroomorhireyourservice.

10. Pinterest• Pinterestisavirtualbulletinboardofimages(think:digitalscrapbooking).Userssharevisualimagesfromaroundthewebby“pinning”themontoaseriesoftheirownvirtualboards.Pinterestrefersuserstothesourceoftheimages,whichis

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hopefullyyourwebsite!Getdiscoveredbymillionsofpeoplelookingforthingstoplan,buyanddo!

• ApinisanimageaddedtoPinterest.Youaddimagesfromawebsiteusingthe“PinIt”button,oryoucanuploadanimagefromyourcomputerorphone.Pinsfromthe“PinIt”buttonautomaticallylinkbacktothewebsite.Foruploadedimagesyoumustaddthelink.

• Alreadythirdmostpopularsocialnetworkandcurrentlythefastestgrowingone.

o MostpopularcategoryisTravelo 80%ofpinsareactuallyre-pinso WebreferralsfromPinterestarehuge–moreinfluentialthanGoogle+,TwitterandLinkedIncombined!It’salsogreatforimprovingyourwebsite’sSEO(SearchEngineOptimization).

o 80%ofusersarefemale.Highpercentageofusersareaffluent:over28%over$100K.

o 75%ofdailytrafficcomesfrommobileo ShoppersreferredbyPinterestare10%morelikelytomakeapurchasethanthosefromothersocialnetworks.

• Instructions:o Setupcompelling,inspirational,veryspecificboardsbytopic.Optimizethedescriptionofeachboard;includemeaningfulkeywords,otherusernamesandhashtags.

o Spendtimelookingaroundforideasandbusinessinspiration.

o Setupabusinesspage,notapersonalaccount.Thishelpsyoureceivebettertraffictoyourwebsite,plusitprovidesanalytics,whichallowsyoutoembeda

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“Follow”button,a“Pin”linkandProfileandBoardwidgetstoyourwebsiteforuserstopinyourmaterialandconnectwithyoumoreeasily.

o Usebuilt-inanalytics.WithPinterestAnalytics,seewhatpeoplelikefromyourprofile,whattheysavefromyourwebsiteandhowmuchtrafficyougetbyaddingthe“PinIt”button.Getnewdataaboutyouraudiencetoo,includingtheirgender,location,etc.Tailoryourpinsbasedonthis.

o Useplacepins.Placepinsareofprimaryimportancetotourismbusinessesbecausetheyincludeextradetailsliketheaddress,phonenumberandlocationonamapsouserscanpullupusefulinformationforplanningatriporwhileonthego.

• Pinsareaboutthedestinations,notthecompany.

11. Twitter• Twitter’sMission:togiveeveryonethepowertocreateandshareideasandinformationinstantly,withoutbarriers.

o 271millionmonthlyactiveuserso 500milliontweetsaresentperdayo 78%ofTwitteractiveusersareonmobiledevices

• Whatisatweet?o Anexpressionofamomentoridea.Itcancontaintext,photosandvideos.Millionsoftweetsaresharedinrealtime,everyday.

o Thebesttweetssharemeaningfulmoments–bigandsmall.Ifyouthinkit’sinteresting,chancesareyourfollowerswilltoo.

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• Instructions:o Replybycommentingonatweettojoinaconversation.o Retweetbysharingatweetwithyourfollowersandaddyourownthoughts.

o Favoriteatweettolettheauthorknowyoulikeit.o Hashtagyourtweettolinkwithanongoingconversation.

12. ManageYourMedia• Utilizedashboardstomanagemultipleaccounts,acrossvarioussocialnetworks.ThemostpopularisHootsuite,butthereareothersaswell.

• Listenin.OnlineListeningisawayofmonitoringthewebandsocialnetworksinreal-timeforkeywordsand/orhashtagsofyourchoicetolocateconversationsyoushouldjoinandinfluentialpeopleyoushouldengage.(SocialMention,TweetDeck,Buffer)

• Facts:o Bufferhelpsyouscheduleandoptimizeyoursocialpostsaswellasprovidesanongoingeducationaboutsocialmediaandcontentmarketing.

o SocialMentionisarealtimemedia-monitoringapplicationwhereyoucananalyzeyouron-linecontentandstayontopofwhoismentioningyouandinwhatcontext.Thisishelpfulsothatyou’llnevermissanopportunitytorespondtoacustomerandshowthatyoucare.

o TweetDeckletsyoumonitorimportanthashtags,effectivelyfollowthelistofinfluencers,getnotifiedofyourdomain’smentionsandofcoursehavemore

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flexibilitywithyournotifications.TweetDeckisTwitterexclusive.

o Otherusefulfreetools:Topsy,GoogleNewsandGoogleAlerts

• Instructions:o Themostconvenientwaytostayontopofrelevanthashtagsistodesignateeasilyaccessiblecolumnswithinyourdashboard.Inmostofthetoolsaboutyoucanestablishcolumnsbysocialnetwork,searchterm,Twitterlist,hashtagoruser-accountandgetconstantnotificationsonanyupdates.

o Consideraddingacolumnforyourownbusinesshashtag,whichyouarehopefullypromoting,andcheckitwheneveryouhaveamoment.Addfurthercolumnsastheybecomerelevant,forexample,whenyoulaunchahashtagmarketingcampaignsorsocialmediacontest.

o Intoday’sworldofinstantaccesstocustomers,nevermissanopportunitytoreacttosomethingmentionedaboutyouonline.Showthatyouarearealpersonandthatyoucareaboutyourcustomersandyourbrand.

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III. GrantInformation

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LinkforthematchingGrantApplication:http://tourism.alabama.gov/forms/matching-grants/

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IV. InternationalTourism

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