It’s no surprise that social media is the way of the future. Would you like to improve your Resorts social media visibility? Whilst there is no set method of optimizing your Web 2.0 content, there are definitely a few key ideas that Resort can implement to increase loyal followers, web traffic and customers.
Put the ‘Social’ in Social Media
The purpose of social media is to converse and connect with people within the network. Think of websites such as Facebook and Twitter as networks filled with friends. These friends are different to strangers you would walk past on the street, you already have something in common with them – social networking. The idea is to reach out and communicate with them, strike up a conversation. As long as you do it properly these types of social networking sites give you the opportunity to ask your friends and fans questions, provoke thought amongst your network. By encouraging friends and fans to post content on your Facebook, you are exposing them to your resort.
Make sure you keep up to date, and check your @ replied on Twitter and your Direct Messages (DMs) often- Always be proactive in responding to messages and posts.
CONTENT is the key
Your social media presence is different to your normal web site. You can be more conversational with your tone, you can be more enthusiastic and most importantly you can ensure your Pages and Posts are engaging.
Images and video’s are a great way to engage viewers, keep them interested in your product or in related products and services. Do you have something worth showing your readers? Don’t be afraid of displaying how beautiful your resort is. The content doesn’t always have to be about your resort. You could simply show them something interesting that is occurring within the industry. Providing helpful and engaging information will keep viewers coming back. Another important thing to remember with content is its high SEO potential – your social media site is a fantastic way to create buzz!
Give your readers something to TALK about!
Be thought provoking, the number one way to ensure readers come back to your site is to give them something to want to engage with. Encourage them to talk to each other about the information you have given them. Photo’s and links or special promotions can be very helpful in getting readers to talk. Asking for reader’s opinions is another great way to generate talk. Remember the online community is not passive and they want to talk, so give them something to talk about!
“Go Viral” – Get the Buzz
It’s always a good idea to take note of the ‘trending topics’ on Twitter. You can utilise popular ones such as ‘TravelTuesday’ (a great one for travel related info) or the ‘FollowFriday’, which allows you to thank your new followers. Don’t forget the beauty of re sharing info such as a funny YouTube video or something great that was said about your resort. You could even generate buzz by creating a competition on Facebook. When it comes to creating a buzz around your resort the options are endless.
Be Neighbourly
Don’t be afraid of your competitors, other local businesses or important bloggers. Firstly friend/fan/follow them too (haven’t you heard the saying keep your friends close and your enemies closer?). Host events both via the net or in person (with local businesses and readers), send your invitations via Twitter or Facebook. Encourage local social networking groups to host “Tweetups” or in person meetings of Twitter friends, at your resort or local hotspots within your destination.
Don’t Spam your readers!
It is quite common that you will have people who follow you on multiple social networking sites. It is important that you don’t regurgitate the same information in each place. Cross promotion is fine if it’s done sparingly. By overloading readers with the same content comes across as spamming them- and this is not a good way to earn friends or followers. Even though there is an option to link your status updates from twitter and Facebook, it’s a good idea to keep these separate. That way you have two avenues to provide interesting content to your readers.
Keep at it!
Like with any new project it takes time to perfect it. The growth of your success won’t occur overnight but it will happen. Don’t get discouraged by the varying follow/fan/friend rate – your continued efforts will pay off over time.
Social Media is the way of the future. This new form of marketing is constantly evolving and new techniques are emerging daily. The options in social media networking are endless, so keep up with the times and get connected!
