This may be stating the obvious for many, but I’m seeing the same problem so often that there’s obviously a disconnect….
If your tourism organization is participating in social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc., do not forget to put a prominent link to those on your main destination Web site.
Give your eager and enthusiastic customers multiple ways to find you, connect with you and talk about you.
Yes, I know that Web site real estate is a precious thing, and you may have to break some “personal rice bowls” to make this happen (meaning things can get political, your Webmaster may not want to give space/links to other platforms, etc.,) but here’s why you want to do it….
For example, when someone becomes a Fan of your state tourism Facebook page, a note to that effect goes onto that individual’s personal Profile page. This means that all of, say, “Susie Smith’s” Facebook friends can see that she just became a Fan of XYZ state. Some of them may click through to see what you’re all about, because they trust Susie and are interested in her interests.
Result? More eyeballs are seeing what your destination has to offer.
Here’s a Web site to emulate: Discover Ohio.
Their state tourism organization is on Twitter at @DiscoverOhio, they have an Ohio Flickr Group for photo-sharing, an Ohio YouTube channel and here’s the Ohio Tourism Facebook page.
You know what’s really great? The logo links (widgets) for all of those social media sites are clearly displayed on the right-hand side on the front page of the main Ohio tourism Web site.
It makes it a no-brainer for Ohio enthusiasts to click through, connect and communicate with Ohio tourism in at least four different places. That’s how you can seem to be “everywhere.”
Make it easy to connect. Make it easy for your visitors (and your residents) to talk with you and about you.
That’s just good destination marketing, right?
Who else would you recommend for providing multiple ways to connect? I’d love to read about them in the comments below.
(Oh, and one more thing I don’t see often enough – give me easy access to some images from your destination. See that Lake Erie lighthouse up there at the top of the post? Discover Ohio made it easy for me to use, as long as I gave them credit. They have a simple-to-find free images page for media on their Web site. Thank you, Ohio!)
Roger, the guy behind Discover Ohio on Twitter, has been very supportive and helpful to me. He’s RTd a lot of my Ohio related stories–someone who is actually paying attention to when their destination is mentioned and appreciates the coverage.
When I mentioned that we thought we’d take a short trip to Ohio, he contacted me with some nice suggestions tailored to my interests (this all happened on Twitter). And where am I as I type this? Ohio 🙂
Hurray for Ohio – how nice that you’re there, erm, spending money! 🙂
I haven’t had nearly as much response and interaction with any of the Michigan tourism people…
Ya snooze, ya lose, Michigan!
Don’t worry, I spend a fair share of my $$ in Michigan 🙂
Ohio has made it particularly easy to deal with them, though. And we’re so close to the border that we’ve always spent a fair bit of time in that state as well.
Roger and the rest of the team at Ohio Tourism have done a great job engaging with social media. As someone who grew up in Ohio and now works for their ‘rival’, Indiana Tourism, I’m very impressed with everything Ohio Tourism has done! Congrats!
Thanks for visiting, Jeremy. Sometimes the best motivator for change is when an organization realizes that the competition is onto something. 🙂
Best of luck with your new business. I have made good use of the Discover Ohio website and our State Parks web site. Great article
Thanks, Joe Todd – I had fun putting it together!