It’ll be years before the victims of this disaster recover, if at all. But, as we can’t unring that bell (or in this case, put the oil back in the pipe), we have to focus on what we can do to facilitate recovery for the lovely coastal towns whose beaches and reputations were stained by this disaster.

If you’ve got marketing dollars, now is the time to spend them.

Your tourism, visitor’s bureau, local or regional website needs to be addressing all the wonderful features of your town and reminding vacationers that you’re still open for business.  If you’ve got local photographers, invite them to submit new photos and then get those photos out through Flickr, Facebook and Twitter.

Build a social media campaign, like this one run by the Jamestown Foundation that encourages past visitors to talk about their vacations and events. If you’ve got a YouTube channel, so much the better. Link to vacation videos that show your sparkling beaches, your lovely shops, your friendly locals and fantastic restaurants. Need some inspiration? Check out Currituck County, North Carolina. Now is an excellent time to invest in a pay-per-click campaign that helps users reconnect with your town or find you for the first time.

Family vacations, reunions, honeymoons and holidays are all still happening. Make sure these people know that good things are still happening at your place, too.

Melissa Baumann is a Search Marketing and Tourism Specialist as well as a seasoned world traveler.

So you’ve realized that writing articles for your tourism Web site is a major contributor to site traffic, but you aren’t sure what to start writing about. Constantly coming up with blog ideas can be tiresome, and it can interfere with your already busy day-to-day routine. When blogger’s block kicks you when you are down, here are a few ideas to help generate blog ideas.

• Bragging rights. Has your travel agency or tourism board been recognized with any awards lately? Your blog is a great place to list those in as much or little detail as you wish. Tourists will look forward to seeing your great traits in action, and you have the opportunity to put something on your virtual refrigerator door and be proud of your accomplishments. Blogging is a great outlet for this rather than a stuffy press release to a media outlet.
• Coming attractions. What festivals or conventions are coming to your neck of the woods? By showcasing them, you will have the opportunity to throw out the welcome mat with a simple article on your Web site. This also looks great to all tourists because you will show your hospitality to all future groups.
• Themed days. No one says you have to blog everyday, but it’s nice to know you will always have an entry on a certain day. Having a certain theme to go by for a certain day or days of the week will continuously generate content. Think of “Follow Friday” for Twitter, but directed toward your destination. “Saturday Shopper” could be an entry posted every Saturday, featuring a new retail shop each week. Alliteration, of course, isn’t necessary, but the idea has no limits.
• Steal deals. Is a hotel or resort in your area boasting incredible product or travel packages? Write about these deals for your future tourists. Be careful, though. Don’t start a trend with some local businesses and not promote others.
• Field tourist questions. Leave a question box somewhere on your blog and get around to it every now and then. If someone wants to know where the closest amusement parks are in your area, you can write an entry about that, posting directions and maps, as well as offering other places of interest your destination has to offer. By addressing each future tourist in your blog entry, you will build instant rapport with them.
• Post pictures. Sometimes, there just isn’t anything to write about. Why babble on about something your future visitors may not care about? For times like these, consider a photo slideshow of a recent event, or of local flair. A few sentences can narrate these pictures, and voila: instant blog post.

Even though the ROI is great, you may think that blogging is just too much effort. Hang in there. With many social bookmarking opportunities and a soapbox to brag on your destination, you will begin to see results in a matter of time.

If you find yourself unable to put the effort into writing, let us write for you. With trained SEO travel writers on staff, Simple Tourism has the writing skills and social media knowledge your site needs to attract more visitors. For more information, contact us today.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer specializing in articles about Social Media Optimization and SEO for travel Web sites.

Enter SEO writing. SEO, or search engine optimization, uses keywords to attract Google, Yahoo and other search engines to rank results. Web sites that are rich in certain keywords rank higher than similar ones that don’t use as many keywords.

So what does this have to do with your tourism Web site? Everything. Not only should your site have keyword-rich content, but you should consider running a blog posting new content once or twice a week. By continuously posting new, relevant content about your destination, you are more likely to get noticed by Google. When search engines notice that you are continuously writing about the same categories, your site will move up the search rankings, improving your visibility online.

Don’t stress: content writing is easy. Just focus on your destination’s best features, continuously highlighting something new each time. A simple rule of thumb: do not overuse keywords for the sake of using them. Keep in mind that people will continuously revisit your site if it is written in a non-monotonous way. Sunny beaches, powder-white ski slopes or historical landmarks are the topics people will want to read about when they visit your travel blog.

If you have no idea where to begin, or just need to get your feet off the ground with SEO, look no further than Simple Tourism. We will work with you to figure out what your CVB, tourism bureau or travel agency needs to move its Web site up the results list. For more information, or for a free quote, contact us today.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer specializing in articles about Social Media Optimization and SEO for travel Web sites.

No city is too large, and no town is too small to attract convention-goers. The first hurdle to clear when showcasing your destination is making sure you brand your size well.

If you are trying to market a large city, your goal should be to make it seem smaller to tourists. To some, the thought of going to a large, new place can be overwhelming. A Web site catered to that person will include public transit routes, hotel information, restaurant guides and estimated travel times to and from points of interest. Making your convention center the focal point of your Web site while setting everything else of interest around it will make visitors feel that your destination is all-inclusive and easy to navigate.

However, if you are promoting a small town, you might want to make the town feel as big and welcoming as possible. Play up your town’s big features, showcase restaurant reviews and focus your attention on what sets your town apart from others on its Web site. Using photo sharing sites like Flickr to help share pictures on your Web site is a great way to show off local flair. Like a large city, focus again on your town’s meeting facilities. They may not be the size of a convention center, but they could appeal to smaller organizations.

No matter your city’s size, your CVB or travel bureau can attract crowds with the right tools. A successful tourism Web site with high search rankings will attract people far and wide to take a second look at your destination. Not sure where to begin? Contact us today for  more information.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer specializing in articles about Social Media Optimization and SEO for travel Web sites.

According to a recent study, 81 percent of all marketers surveyed said their social media efforts have generated exposure to their business, and 61 percent of marketers saw an increase in Web traffic. If your destination isn’t keeping up with trends in social media, your CVB or tourism bureau is losing money. Here are a few ways to market your travel agency using social media.

1. Search for groups and individuals’ interests on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to find out what people are saying about your destination.
2. Publish your blog articles on Digg, Delicious, Reddit and other social bookmarking sites to generate a wider viewing audience.
3. Constantly update your travel blog with new information, paying attention to Google Keywords to improve your search engine results rankings.
4. Extend friendships to tourists (former and future) to maintain relationships and keep them coming back.
5. Use photo sharing sites to link pictures taken by tourists to create a community among people who are interested in your destination.
6. Twitter travel deals and packages, as well as updates on area construction, new businesses, events and festivals.
7. Offer contests and promotions through social media outlets to help increase your followers.
8. Create customized URLs to Facebook and Twitter to provide another contact option for tourists. (e.g. www.facebook.com/yourcvbhere)
9. Create a network or online community among all businesses in your area to provide more information to your future tourists, as well as generate more traffic back to your profiles
10. Post videos on a YouTube account of different activities to participate in at your destination.

Having an active presence in many social media platforms will not only generate more exposure to your CVB or tourism bureau, but it will also redirect people back to your Web site. When you sign on with Simple Tourism for our SMO package, you have the option of customizing a social media presence as it suits your business or bureau. Contact us today for a free quote.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer specializing in articles about Social Media Optimization and SEO for travel Web sites.