travel, tweets & trends: a social media case study

TRENDS

TRAVEL

@AbileneCVB

A Social Media Case Study

SHANNA SMITH SNYDER

&

SOCIALNOMICS 101

…where can I find you guys?

– Facebook– Twitter– YouTube– Flickr– Delicious– Foursquare– Gowalla– LinkedIn– Blog: The Abilene InSite

That’s great, but…

• It’s FREE!• Builds relationships/Broadens your network• Increases brand awareness • Helps SEO• Increases website traffic• Can help reach journalists/media• Empowers followers to be viral

ambassadors for your brand

THE BENEFITS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

WHY ARE WE DOING ALL THIS? • Initial purpose? – To increase exposure to Abilene &

ACVB. Refer individuals (visitor or local) to the website & blog.

• To receive the following benefits: – Increased SEO/rankings;– Increased brand awareness, image

and recognition;– Direct and real-time communication

with target audience

• Social media has leveled the playing field especially in the budget department. – In the online world, it’s no longer

pay to play.

• Make the visitor’s experience better than expected—and potentially increase visitors to the community – Influence Decision to Travel– Social Media = Informational Service

• Start small and master one platform at a time

• Who was our Target Audience?– Leisure? Sports? Meeting planners? Locals?

• Reach people we wouldn’t be able to otherwise

• Overall goal? Transparency & Authenticity

Initial Goals & Objectives

• Social Media Timeline– Which platforms?– What did we want our blog to look like?

• The One-Year Plan– Get set up on all platforms– Target Audience on each platform?– Gather quality followers, etc.

• Social Media & Blogger Policy

Initial Strategy

• The One-Year Plan became the Two-Year Plan

• We have a solid audience on different channels & know where to target different messages.

• Social Media is now integrated into the ACVB Marketing Plan

• Best advice: Be flexible. Be willing to CHANGE & adapt.

Okay…so…now what?

• Track from Day 1

• Consider email accounts tied to social media platforms

• Fan Page versus a “Friend/ personal Page”

• Adapt a Policy

• Social Media “School” for Staff

• Update Content Often

• Consider Time Management Tools

Project365

TWISITOR CENTER

TRAVEL MATTERS

Blog & Social Media Directory

FBML TAB: FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

ACVB QR CODES

A QR-HOW TO

QR…WHY?!

QR…WHY?!

Trends: What’s Hot?

• Paying attention to mobile Stats

• QR Codes • Location-Based

Marketing/Gamification

• Social Couponing • Consumer Content

Curation• Social Commerce• Monitoring

Conversations

That being said…

Cool Examples & New Things to Try

TIPS FOR PR PROS • Do what you do best• Stay focused on goal; don’t get bogged down by all of the tools• Twitter IS great tool to connect with journalists • Delicious = great tool to document coverage • Don’t treat bloggers like 2nd class media • Incorporate SoMe into your crisis management plan

Generally AVOIDED Practices

• Duplicating Twitter strategy on Facebook

• Don’t post only “plain-text” status updates

• Blocking followers to share content

• Forgetting to comment on your follower’s content (i.e. no interaction)

• Having 2 profiles/ profile versus a page

• Not updating your platforms

Question &Answer

Shanna Smith SnyderDirector of Communication

Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau325.676.2556 (Office)

shanna@abilenevisitors.com @shannasmith

@AbileneCVB

Contact Information

SOURCES

• Abilene CVB Social Media Sites (screenshots)• Carnival, Delta, Dell, Visit California &

Goodwill websites (screenshots)• Flickr Commons (Photos & graphics)• MGH Marketing Blog (QR Code chart

screenshots)• Social Media for Arts Service Organizations by

Sarah Page (screenshots)