ENGAGING THE LONG TAIL Using the Power of User Generated Content & Social Media to Market Travel Stephen Joyce CEO Sentias Software Corp.

Who is Stephen Joyce? President & CEO of Sentias President of IFITT North America Executive Committee of Canadian E-Tourism Council Chair North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce Publisher of the Tips from the T-List Avid Travel Industry Blogger 14 Years of Internet Consulting Experience

LONG TAIL LONG TAIL LONG TAIL SOCIAL MEDIA

what is the LONG TAIL?

selling less of less more

NICHE

“ We sold more books today that didn't sell at all yesterday than we sold today of all the books that did sell yesterday.” Amazon Employee Longtail.typepad.com

HUH ?

I AM THE LONG TAIL The long tail is about catering to individual taste & desire through abundance of choice.

CTC Explorer quotient is one way of catering to travel motivators.

LONG TAIL OF TRAVEL Experiences and destinations that cater to a traveler's specific needs or desires.

Adventure Wine Culinary Art River

LONG TAIL EXAMPLE Environmentally conscious family wants a sightseeing tour at their destination in a green vehicle.

LONG TAIL EXAMPLE

YES, IT CAN WORK... ... the product inventory exists and can be available for search and purchase ONLINE. IF

NICHE IN CHINA If you're one in a million, there are still a thousand of you.

LONG TAIL LONG TAIL LONG TAIL SOCIAL MEDIA 

is ? social media WHAT

“ Social computing is not a fad. Nor is it something that will pass you or your company by. Gradually, social computing will impact almost every role, at every kind of company, in all parts of the world.” Forrester Research Social Computing

of ? social media ASPECTS

PARTICIPATION Encourages feedback from everyone! Audience = Contributor

TRANSPARENCY Openness, sharing, comments are encouraged. Fakers will be caught!

CONVERSATION Social media is a conversation not a monologue.

COMMUNITY Promote common interests and foster sharing of information and opinions.

CONNECTIONS Social media is by definition, connected to people, sites, and resources.

LIKE WHAT ?

Find people who offer up their couches to travelers.

Share travel experiences and find people with similar interests at your destination.

Meet other travelers, share tips, create travel blogs.

Open hotel, destination, attraction, & cruise reviews, with photo sharing, and comments.

Hotel reviews from travelers with Meta-search.

SO WHAT ?

... and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media. 113 Million Blogs

... watched everyday on YouTube. 100 Million Videos

... on Facebook 80 Million Users

... on MySpace 185 Million Users

BUT WHY ?

Humans are SOCIAL

We live in COMMUNITIES

We share EXPERIENCES

We seek COMPANIONS

Social networks let us be human

... only more efficiently

Remember slide shows?

LONG TAIL LONG TAIL LONG TAIL SOCIAL MEDIA  

NOW WHAT ?

JOIN IN 350+ Social Networks

By participating, you... establish your expertise

Darren Cronian, from the U.K., has built a strong reputation as a consumer travel advocate.

By being open, you... build credibility

Bill Marriott's blog is considered one of the best corporate blogs in the travel industry.

By contributing, you... demonstrate generosity

Claude Bernard, from France, is a great resource for interviews and insight in travel marketing.

By being community minded, you... continue the conversation

Tips from the T-List brings travel bloggers together and promotes discussion and debate.

By sharing, you... feed the web

The T4 blog is #3 on page 1 of Google for 5.5 Million results.

BUT HOW ?

Share your words Start sharing your experiences and traveler experiences using a blogging platform like blogger.com or wordpress.com.

Share your pictures Use flickr.com to host photos of your destination or tours. Write short but detailed descriptions. Use relevant keywords.

314,000 Photos tagged with “British Columbia”

Share your videos Use YouTube.com to host and share your marketing videos, tv spots, interviews, and more. Add descriptions and keywords.

23,000 Videos tagged with Calgary

BECOME THE AUTHORITY Tag your text, photos, and videos so that you become the authority for your destination or travel product.

Who owns your destination?

perception IS reality ONLINE

HOW DOES IT APPLY TRAVEL ? TO

DESTINATIONS Encourage local tour, activity, and event providers to make their products available for search and purchase on-line.

RETAILERS Encourage your suppliers to make their products available for search and purchase on-line.

SUPPLIERS Get your products on-line and in a format that is searchable and can be distributed ONLINE.

SUPPLIER GENERATED CONTENT VS. AGGREGATOR GENERATED CONTENT

Like user generated content. Suppliers control the content, pricing, & inventory. Content is consistent across multiple distribution channels. SGC

Like traditional media. Content is controlled by the aggregator. Aggregators tightly control distribution. AGC

REDUCE : Duplication RE-USE : Existing Content RECYCLE : Your assets

WHAT TO DO ?

CONTENT it is all about

Improving information Relevance (fit) & trust can increase shopper satisfaction & improve loyalty. Effect of Utilitarian & Hedonic Motivations on Consumer Satisfaction with Travel Websites. University of Central Florida, Ohio State University Information Technology & Tourism, Vol. 10 pp. 75 - 89

ENGAGE your stakeholders

LEAD by example

Banff Lake Louise has a “Share Your Story” section that allows visitors to submit photos and videos.

SHARE your assets

CTC uses CleanPix.com to host digital images and video that can be shared on-line.

DISCOVER your audience

READ what they read

COMMENT on interesting posts

CONNECT with your audience

BUILD something for THEM

INVITE them to help you

INVITE feedback

RESPOND to feedback ... always

and always

ALWAYS !

STAY

ENGAGED

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