Josh Hallett - an internationally recognized thought leader in the convergence of social media and corporate public relations & marketing – joined the largest contingent ever to attend Michigan’s Driving Tourism Conference to deliver his presentation entitled “Promoting Your Destination in the Age of YouTube, MySpace and Facebook”.
Here are few interesting points from Josh’s keynote on social media, delivered Tuesday morning from the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids:
- The audience now has control of your brand and can change its perception at will.
- 60% of journalists are using blogs and social media to find story leads.
- In today’s online environment, it is as easy to deliver content, as it is to consume it.
- “Marketing and advertising is the result of having a lame product.” (My personal favorite.)
- There are 8,000 Disney related photos loaded onto Flickr each day.
- 60% of online teens are contributing content and they are setting a very high bar in terms of future online expectations.
- For the tourism industry, everyday is a FAM Tour online. (Another favorite.)
- Use as much user-generated content as you can to support your current site content.
Following his very well received presentation, Josh was kind enough to catch up with me and answer a few questions. Here they are:
Q: There is so much content available online right now. Where is the saturation point for consumers?
JH: There is never going to be a saturation point because there is so much out there for an audience with multiple interests. If it is relevant, they will find it and refer it someone else with a similar interest. The referral networks are the key to sharing information; it is the power of peer-to-peer.
Q: State and local DMO’s have always been content distributors for their specific areas. How do you see the role of travel DMO’s changing because of social media?
JH: I see two things happening. First, they have to begin connecting with consumers who are passionate about the travel destination. Then they have to realize that it is o.k. if the content is coming from 3,000 miles away rather than a local source. When that happens, the sources will amplify the message. We know that peer-to-peer content resonates more.
Q: Where would you recommend that a DMO, hotel, resort, attraction, etc. start if they have not explored any social media options?
JH: They really need to play off their specific product offering. If they have a photogenic destination, Flickr would be a great place to start. If they have a niche product that is engaging, creates interest and discussion, maybe a forum would be a good place.
Q: There is plenty of discussion about Facebook/My Space pages. How can a DMO take advantage of this?
JH: It all comes down to staffing and time to be successful. They need to leverage the existing communities and content that is already there. MySpace has not been used real well in terms of destinations. What they just need to remember is to contribute meaningful content. They have to remember that everything must be interesting, engaging and compelling.
Thank you again, Josh. Everyone in attendance appreciated your insight and time!
Conference Notebook:
Fresh Message Matters – Trips to Michigan from a cluster of three traditional feeder markets increased 109% from 2006 to 2007. The budget/adverting spend in each year were very similar. The difference was the marketing message – the new, award winning Pure Michigan campaign. IMO, the campaign radio and tv spots can only be described as “kick-ass” and they make me proud to live and work in the state of Michigan. But, 109% is HUGE. Lesson learned, it pays to keep things fresh. Kudos to McCann Erickson and Travel Michigan.
More Content Ideas – Echoing Josh Hallett’s mantra on content, the Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor Convention and Visitors Bureaus are syndicating content through the Issue Media Group of Detroit. During the “Panel on Urban e-Marketing”, both organizations explained how they are spreading good news about their cities in the form of special interest stories and online video. Not only are these groups using engaging content to inspire potential visitors to their destinations, but they are also driving search traffic to their web sites with algorithm favorites – fresh, keyword dense copy.
Go Gov! – Governor Jennifer Granholm was on-hand to fire everyone up about some additional tourism funding that is making its way through the legislature. I know these speeches look like some typical political spinning, but she is, and always was, a big fan of tourism. The Gov got it from day one. Now, thanks to the hard work and lobbying efforts of TICOM, MACVB, and MLTA, the industry is gaining some respect in the house and senate. I guess it doesn’t hurt when each travel ad dollar spent puts $2.82 back into the state treasury.
And More - Thanks to Rick Hert of the West Michigan Tourist Association for leading, and Dave Lorenz of Travel Michigan for organizing, a 5-mile running tour through the neighborhood streets of Grand Rapids early Tuesday morning. It was a great way to start the day!