CVB, DMO, Tourism & Destination Marketing - Online Marketing and SEO for Travel and Tourism Sites » social bookmarking

Using Social Networking in Tourism Marketing: Twitter

admin — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:18:21 +0000

What is it?

Twitter is a social networking site that allows users to answer the question “What are you doing?” in 140 characters or less. People have the opportunity to “Follow” people from all over the world to keep up with friends, headlines or even celebrity gossip. There is no limit of how many people can you can follow, and if you no longer want to follow someone (or have someone follow you), you can turn this option off. Twitter also comes with a search box so you can search for people or ideas that interest you, and read those user updates.

Who uses it?

Twitter has a very all-inclusive group of users. News organizations post headlines, companies post updates and press releases, travel agencies post deals and packages, retail stores post discounts. On the flipside, the Average Joe and Jane can post anything about their personal life from updates about a boat he’s building in the garage, or how a new recipe was a big hit at the dinner table last night.

Benefits in Tourism Marketing

Because Twitter is so user-friendly and easily maintained, it is almost unspeakable to not have an account for your CV or tourism bureau. Adding travel aficionados (and future tourists) as friends and keeping up with their interests and wants can help you be more in-tune of what they are looking for. Also, use Twitter to keep up with your competition. Finally, if your travel agency keeps a running blog, you can “tweet” each blog entry, directing more traffic to your site, and hopefully to your destination. Tweeting travel deals, new resort features and package information are all possible ways to make Twitter work for your tourism marketing plan.

How to sign up

Twitter is as simple to register for as it is to use. Just create a user name and password, provide an e-mail address, enter a captcha and you are ready to go.

Social media optimization defines the use of new portals and sites designed to bring people of common interests together, and travel-related companies have recognized the marketing potential for such sites. At Simple Tourism, we specialize in the maintenance and development of your brand and destination via social media exposure. Social networking sites offer Internet users the opportunity to discover where to eat while on vacation, and which resorts have the best deals. These networks also provide businesses the opportunity to boost the link popularity of their main websites and draw potential subscribers to become regular visitors of their sites as well. 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.

Using Social Bookmarking in Tourism Marketing: Digg

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:51:50 +0000

What is it?

Digg is a social media site geared toward bookmarking. When users find what they are looking for online and like what they see, they have the ability to Digg it, or add it to a bookmarked list of other sites they enjoy. Users can search for articles online via a search box at the top, or they may choose to browse the listed categories. These topics include: Technology, World & Business, Science, Gaming, Lifestyle, Entertainment, Sports and Offbeat. When someone finds an article they like, they can “Digg” it, adding to it’s popularity and likelihood of being found by other users, or they can “Bury” something, taking away a popularity point.

Who uses it?

People who use Digg are constantly going through information on the Internet. Some may have a toolbar on their browser that allows them to instantly “Digg” or “Bury” each page on the Web site. However, newcomers to the Digg world can see how popular certain topics are, and which pages provide the best information.

Benefits in Tourism Marketing

Digg can work for your CVB or tourism bureau – you just have to know how to make it work for you. Having a Digg account should be an active process, not something to just sign up for and let it work for you. Digg allows the posting of all Web sites, so if your travel agency has a blog, you can upload each entry to the site. This not only promotes your destination, but allows for more circulation of your content online. Doing so allows more traffic to flow back to your site. If you tag your entries with keywords describing your destination, potential tourists will have the opportunity to find your CVB or tourism bureau easier.

How to Sign Up

You can provide Digg with as little or much information as you’d like when you register. If you have a Facebook account, you can enter your login information and it will automatically import friends and info, as well as post content to your wall as you upload content. If you don’t have Facebook, simply create a username and password and provide an e-mail and you are on well on your way to Digging through the Internet.

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

Using Social Bookmarking in Tourism Marketing: StumbleUpon

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:54:57 +0000

What is it?

StumbleUpon is a social media bookmarking site that allows users to keep all of their favorite sites they stumble upon in one place. Similar to Digg and Delicious, StumbleUpon allows you to search in categories of News, Photos, Videos, Arts, Business, Computers, Health, Fun, Lifestyle, Music, Science, Sports and Technology. You can also search for specific articles and filter them by tags.

Who uses it?

Like most social bookmarking sites, the majority of StumbleUpon users are people who constantly search and sift through content online. Easy usability and downloadable toolbars and widgets make this site easy to use to everyone.

Benefits in Tourism Marketing

StumbleUpon provides another place for your content to be delivered online. With each blog written for your CVB, travel agency or tourism bureau’s Web site, each separate URL can be posted on StumbleUpon. People are also able to write reviews of each site on StumbleUpon. In addition to those benefits, you are allowed to tag and place your page into categories, putting it in the same category as related pages. Tags are also another feature you can use to help people find articles about specific topics (i.e. tourism, golf destinations, beaches, resorts).

How to sign up

Registering for StumbleUpon requires a valid e-mail address and a username and password. You will also be prompted to provide your gender and birthday. After that, simply post your articles and start looking for reviews.

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

Using Social Bookmarking for Tourism Marketing: Mixx

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:15:46 +0000

What is it?

Mixx is a social bookmarking site that allows its users to view a customized list of sites they want to see on the web. When you log in to Mixx, you see the top stories in each of the categories you want to see. Categories consist of Popular, News, Entertainment, Sports, Business, Life, Health, Tech, Science, Fun and Community. In order to see stories on this site, users have to submit a link. Then, other users can vote on its popularity. As pages gain popularity, they can move up and down the story popularity rankings, which have an effect on where the story is placed in certain categories. Users can also join communities that share similiar interests to help generate information about what they are interested in.

Who uses it?

Mixx users are most active in their individual communities they can join. By finding other Mixx users that are interested in what you are, more news stories are generated toward a specific topic. Most users are information seekers who have what they want to read brought to their profile page for easy accessibility.

Benefits in Tourism Marketing

If your company has a blog that generates a different URL for each entry, it is wise to take advantage of social bookmarking sites. It is easy to get started sharing content on Mixx. Finding people that are interested in your company’s interests is a great way to network and attract clients. After you upload your site’s address, you can tag it with keywords like “travel,” “tourism,” “destination,” and “resorts” that make it easier to be found by users.

How to sign up

Signing up for Mixx is easy. You can either use your AOL, Yahoo, Google, Facebook or Open ID information, or create a new account with an e-mail address and password. Take a few minutes to get yourself familar with the interface and the posting of information. Join a few communities and be sure to keep posting your Web sites often.

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

Using Social Bookmarking in Tourism Marketing: Kirtsy

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:05:54 +0000

What is it?

Kirtsy is a social bookmarking site that allows users to bookmark articles on sites they think are the most interesting, then put them in a popularity contest against each other. On Kirtsy, articles are categorized into articles about: Arts & Entertainment, Design & Crafts, Family & Parenting, Fashion & Style, Food & Home, Internet & Technology, Mind, Body & Spirit, Travel & Leisure, Politics, and World & Business.

Who uses it?

Although it mimics popular bookmarking sites like Digg and Delicious, Kirtsy is directed toward the female audience. Most of the articles have something to do with women’s interests, and articles get voted on relevance to make sure they do.

Benefits in Tourism Marketing

Like most social bookmarking sites, publicizing your CVB or tourism bureau is easy when you can post URLs of each new blog. If your travel agency offers services or products that women would find useful, place it on Kirtsy to increase its likelihood of getting seen by potential clients. By generating content for your company as many times as possible on the Internet, you are building the exposure of your brand. Kirtsy also has the option to categorize submitted articles as “Travel & Leisure,” which would help direct traffic to your site and ultimately, your destination.

How to Sign Up

To register, simply provide an e-mail address and desired username and password and you are well on your way to adding and reviewing content online.

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