The document discusses the importance of social media for businesses in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. It provides guidelines for an effective social media strategy, including listening to conversations, engaging when appropriate, and monitoring and adjusting strategies. It also presents case studies of how businesses have successfully used social media to increase sales and brand awareness.

1. SOCIAL MEDIA FOR DUBLIN 11/5/08

2. Web 2.0 overview Why is it important? Guidelines and applications Case studies Key takeaways TODAY’S DISCUSSION

4. 18% 25% 12% 25% 48% 44%

5. Projected growth of CGM Spending on social media and “conversational marketing” – albeit still in their nascent stage – will surpass traditional marketing spend by the end of 2012 - TWI Surveys, Inc

6. Communications landscape New sources of information and influence We are no longer in control Authenticity and openness are essential Business conduct must be ethical and transparent Social media/Web 2.0/CGM is here to stay

7. Continuing evolution Lines blurring between: Converging marketing disciplines Online/offline reputation management Public and private communications “ Pros vs. Joes” (journalists and bloggers vs. anyone with a computer)

8. Social media is even more important in the travel, tourism and hospitality business!

9. Social media even more important in the travel, tourism and hospitality business!

10. Social media guidelines This must become part of how we do business Balance emphasis on social media with expertise in content Incorporate social media strategies and tools the way we would any other Deliver the right message to the right audience via the right medium Unique opportunity to listen to, learn from and influence the consumer-led conversation

11. Basic social media strategy Listen to the conversation Review and analyze learnings Engage if and when it makes sense Monitor and adjust Measure results

12. Top 10 reasons to monitor social media Complaints – catching something early shows responsiveness Compliments – capture and share via Del.icio.us Expressed need – monitor key words, offer assistance Competitors – reach out to customers proactively Crowds – watch for trends, spikes

13. Top 10 reasons to monitor social media Influencers – easy to identify via social media Crises – watch for triggers ROI – measure impact of efforts over time Audit – analyze sum of online communications Threads – conversations across different platforms

15. Social search Aggregators Del.icio.us , Shadows , Yahoo's MyWeb , Furl , Digg Collaborative directories Prefound , Zimbio , Wikipedia Taggregators Technorati , Rojo , Bloglines Social Q & A sites Yahoo Answers , Google Answers

16. Blogs Every niche has online influencers Online buzz about a site or brand is priceless Blogs deliver invaluable market research Blogs can create a community of brand ambassadors

17. The big picture

18. The big picture

19. Takes one to know one Start a blog yourself Serves as a home base for all social media activity Facilitates two-way conversation Search engine optimization benefits Powerful market research tool Give voice and personality to your brand

21. Top social networking sites Myspace Facebook Flickr LinkedIn Fastest growing: Twitter, Tagged, Ning

22. Niche social sites Tripadvisor IgoUgo Virtualtourist.com Chowhound Guidespot Yelp MyTravelGuide RealTravel Epinions DontGoThere.org

23. Online reputation management Google is your true home page Show your best face online Check entries on Wikipedia, travel Web sites Monitor and participate in blogs and message boards Respond when it makes sense Reach out and fix problems where possible

24. Personal brand management How are you connecting? How much is too much? Define role and value of social media for you as well as your brand Know that what you say online to one person, one time … you’re saying to everyone, all the time

25. CASE STUDIES

26. Experience Columbus Launch of edgy new destination marketing campaign Goal: get local ambassadors talking and engaged Hosted blogger event 7/31 Invited 50 and 35 bloggers attended – all 35 blogged Results: overwhelming response, BUT thick skin needed! “ The campaign may not have received four-star reviews. But Experience Columbus certainly did.” ~Advergirl Results saved online at http://delicious.com/LaraK/ExperienceColumbus

27. Caminito Argentinean Steakhouse Single-location restaurant in Northampton, Mass The Prime Cuts Blog shares cooking and kitchen tips, tricks, recipes and more Prime Cuts TV channel on YouTube and Viddler for weekly/bi-weekly how-to videos Social monitoring and response program Active on Yelp.com; encourages visitors to leave reviews there Presence on MySpace , Upcoming , Facebook , Twitter , Plurk , FriendFeed , LinkedIn and Flickr Results: 30% increase in sales when competitors are flat or down

28. GETTING STARTED

29. Joining the conversation: Listen Observe online communities where your brand is actively discussed Participate in conversations as if with someone in real life whom you respect Pay attention to how community members interact with each other Reach out to people as a person NOT as a marketer or communicator

30. Joining the conversation: Engage Be helpful and bring value to the conversation Positively represent the personality and perception of your brand This is the only way to earn your online audience’s Respect Business Loyalty Referrals

31. Four Stages of Engagement I. Listen IV. Evaluate III. Contribute II. Participate

32. Creating content Participating in larger conversations Integrating into social networks Provide a valuable application Build relationships on and off-line Contributing to the community

33. Blogs: Blogpulse, Google, IceRocket, Technorati Podcasts: Digg Twitter: Tweeterboard Tags: Del.icio.us YouTube and Flickr: Rankings/counters on-site Forums: Board Tracker Web Stats: Compete, Alexa, Google Analytics Wikipedia Edits: Wikiscanner, wired.reddit Paid Services: Radian 6, CustomScoop, Nielsen Buzz Logic, Cyber Alert, Andiamo Systems Measurement tools

34. Benefits of social media Deeper relationships with visitors/guests Increased awareness for brand Better communication with audiences Broadening of professional network Search engine prominence Increased web or blog traffic

35. Join – and really maximize – LinkedIn and Facebook Use RSS feeds to bring your news to you daily Join Technorati – aka blog central Start a del.icio.us page for your brand and/or yourself Read travel blogs and join relevant socnets/communities Join Twitter and try microblogging (70/20/10) Begin social media monitoring/listening program Seven things to take away

36. QUESTIONS? [email_address] @LaraK on Twitter Blog at www.larakretler.com 614-383-1618 (w) 937-271-9151 (c)