An August 2015 presentation for Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana tourism partners. Includes tying social media to overall strategy and goals, how to build community online, how to monitor online reputation, and examples of best practices. At Tourism Currents, we do online & in-person training in social media for tourism & hospitality. More at http://www.tourismcurrents.com

1. Sensible Social Media
Sheila Scarborough
Tourism Currents

2. 1) Start at the top. Focus!
2) Know YOUR market(s) and
be where they are online
3) Listen. Respond. Be helpful.
4) “Team Southwest Louisiana”
is YOU
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

3. 1) Start at the top.
Focus!
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

4. Strategy....
Get One
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

6. Strategy Down to Each Social Post
Goals for your business, attraction, or hotel
Marketing communications to support goals
Social media that supports your marketing
Instagram
Instagram posts to reach particular market

7. Strategy to Social Post Example
Attract more nature-loving visitors to SW LA
Marketing goal to support - reach birders
Social media to support birder outreach
Instagram
Instagram photos of birds, using hashtags like
#birding & #birdsofinstagram

8. INTEGRATION
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

10. Communications
integration means ...
It all fits together
It looks like you
It sounds like you
It supports YOUR plan & goals

11. Let’s Get It All On One Page

12. 2) Know YOUR market
(visitors, customers, guests)
Be where they are
online
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

13. Fastest-growing user demographic?
You're looking at it ....

14. Of U.S. online adults surveyed:
71% use Facebook
28% use LinkedIn
23% use Twitter
28% use Pinterest
26% use Instagram
Source: Pew Research Social Networking Fact Sheet

15. Source: Pew Research

16. Social media users by age:
18 – 29 years: 89% use it
30 – 49 years: 82%
50 – 64 years: 65%
65+: 49%
Source: Pew Research Social Networking Fact Sheet

17. Your visitors are not only
social, they're mobile
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

18. Facebook has 1.1 billion
monthly active mobile users.
30% of those access the
network ONLY from their
mobile device.
Source: Facebook Shareholder Report
Via Expanded Ramblings
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

19. 3) Listen.
Respond.
Be helpful.
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

20. We have 2 of these,
but one mouth.
Consider that ratio.

21. To manage your
online reputation,
you must monitor
that reputation.
Listening online =
monitoring
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

22. To Listen Online, You Need....
 To know when someone is
already talking about you
 Active response to mentions
 To use search engines to find
content about you
 Seek & review, possibly
respond
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

24. Key to
listening...
Notifications
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

25. Listening
on Twitter
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

28. search.twitter.com
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

31. Listen / monitor
with dashboard
tools like
TweetDeck
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

33. Listening
on
Facebook
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

36. You can also tag people
& brands on LinkedIn
& Google+
Listen for people
tagging you there....
...and respond!
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

37. Listening on
TripAdvisor
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

40. More Tools for Listening
 Dashboard like Social Mention
 Google or Talkwalker Alerts
 Brand name, keywords
 Blog & Image search
 Search on YouTube
 Google Analytics
 When someone links to you
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

41. Say
Thanks!
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

45. Good listening &
responding is
good customer
service
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

46. Remember...
Use these.
A lot.

47. 4) “Team
Southwest
Louisiana”
is YOU @SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

48. Why Everyone's
Social Media
Matters to
Southwest
Louisiana
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

49. Go, Team!

50. Give People More Than One
Reason to Visit

51. Build strength!
Business by business, town by town

52. Showcase Your Appealing
Community Spirit

53. Learn From Each Other,
Make Each Other Better

54. Combine Online & Offline for
Stronger Community Mindset

55. 5 Ways to Use
Social Media
For Your Town
& Region
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

56. 1) Share &
highlight
each other
(pass the karma)
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

63. 2) Always Try
to Tag & Link
(it's like waving)
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

66. 3) Set Up
Facebook Lists
of Each Other
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

69. 2 Ways to Group Things in
Facebook
 From your personal FB account
 On News Feed left sidebar - “Interests”
 “Add Interests” then “Create List”
 Add people & Pages of interest
 Name the List & decide if Public, Friends or
Private
 From your FB brand/biz Page
 Go to Insights on your Page
 Add “Pages to Watch”
 Their latest posts pop up in a box
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

70. 4) Set Up
Twitter Lists of
Each Other
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

72. Setting Up a Twitter List
 While logged into your account....
 Look upper right to your small photo next to
blue Tweet box
 Mouse over, see “Profile and Settings”
 See dropdown options, select Lists
 Right side, “Create a list”
 Name, describe, decide Public or Private
 Start adding people and
businesses/organizations
 Remember to use it!
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

73. 5) Use local
hashtag
#VisitLakeCharles
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

75. Always think....
What do I know, &
who else in town
needs to know it,
too? @SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

76. Best Practices:
Blogging
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

80. Best Practices:
Facebook
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

86. Best Practices:
Twitter
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

89. Best Practices:
Instagram
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

91. The problem
with auto-
sharing across
platforms
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

95. The marketing team....
Chamber or CVB
Area attractions, businesses,
organizations, & destinations
You
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

96. "The CVB gets visitors
to the destination, but
YOU have to get them
through your door."
Leslie McLellan, Just a Small Town Girl and
Visit the San Jacinto Valley, California

97. Team SW Louisiana To Do List
 Make sure the CVB knows about your
social media profiles
 Help them help you
 Support each other & give shout-
outs!
 Tag on Facebook, link to them, use their
@name on Twitter
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

98. "I don't have time to manage one
of those 'telephones.' I'm too
busy running my business."

99. Free = kittens not beer

100. 1) Start at the top. Focus!
2) Know YOUR market(s) and
be where they are online
3) Listen. Respond. Be helpful.
4) “Team Southwest Louisiana”
is YOU

101. Photo Credits
 Mobile travelers with tablet (courtesy
BJMcCray on Flickr CC)
 Free kittens not free beer (courtesy
pinguino at Flickr CC)
 All other screenshots & photos are my
own
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents

102. Thank you!
Sheila
Scarborough
Tourism
Currents
@SheilaS
@TourismCurrents