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The Tourism Power List for December

Welcome to The Tourism Power List for December! The Power List features the Top 10 professionals in the tourism industry! You can view the previous Power Lists for the Tourism and Hospitality industry by clicking here.

Sponsorship options are now available for The Tourism Power List! If you want to sponsor this month’s list, click here for prices and info on sponsorship levels.

If you want to be eligible for The Power List, do this:

1 – Follow me on Twitter. Make sure you have your position and the technology company you work for listed in your profile.

2 – If you want to nominate someone else to be on the Power List, tweet me their username on Twitter and I will be happy to check them out.

 

Here’s where you can find all the candidates for The Tourism Power List. If you’re on that list, you are eligible for the Power List.

Here is the Tourism Power List for December.  There will be a number after their name in parentheses that shows the change in their score this month versus last:

1 – Kathryn Shea Duncan, Sr Director of Social Media, Lake Charles CVB, Power List Score – 95(+1). The Queen stays on top! Congrats to Kathryn for holding down the top position yet AGAIN. And this really is a testament to how well Kathryn uses Twitter/X to amplify and promote events and happenings in the Lake Charles and surrounding areas. The competition at the top of the Power List is very strong, and Kathryn continues to lead the pack. Her volume of tweets if off the charts, but it isn’t quite overwhelming. She shares a mix of media: Articles, podcasts, images, videos, she has it all, and all focused on the Lake Charles and surrounding areas. Well done, once again!

2 – Jim Hagen, Sec of Tourism for South Dakota, Power List Score – 93 (-). Jim keeps cranking out solid month after solid month.  Good posting volume, good mix, he does a great job of highlighting South Dakota and why you should want to travel there. The amount of talented tourism pros at the top of the Power List is just insane. Jim, congrats on another stellar month, I have no doubt an even bigger 2024 is in store for you!

3 – Ben Berthelot, Lafayette Travel CEO, Power List Score – 92 (-). Ben just keeps getting better. Good volume, love how he adds a little bit of personal view on most content he shares. Jim and Kathryn, if Ben has another big month like this in December, I think January’s Power List could be in for a change at the top. Good luck guys, and well done Ben!

4 – Leisha Elliott, Executive Director, Marion Co, WV CVB, Power List Score – 88(-3). So this is where comparisons hurt Leisha’s score a bit.  Leisha posts a lot of content, but 100% of it are reposts. It helps to have some variety and add in some personal takes on the content you share. It can simply be a sentence or two, but it helps the rest of us understand why your content is worthy of our attention.  Kathryn, Ben and Jim all do this, and if Leisha could start working in some personal additions to the content she shares, her score would quickly jump back up to the 90s. Still, 88 is a very solid score!

5 – Chris Landry, CEO Louisiana Travel Assoc., Power List Score – 85 (+2). Another good month for Chris. His posting volume isn’t as frequent as the Top 4, but it’s still pretty good. He has a nice mix of content, works in some personal comments as well. Volume is really the only difference why his score wasn’t even higher.  Keep it going, Chris.

6 – Kyle Edmiston, President/CEO of Lake Charles CVB, Power List Score – 84 (-1). Not a bad month for Kyle, posting was a bit inconsistent. But honestly, the competition on this Power List is so strong, the slightest hiccup can cause a score drop, and that’s the case here. No worries, it will be easy to see a bounce-back month for Kyle soon!

7 – Adriana Cruz, Executive Director, Texas Economic Development & Tourism, Office of Gov Greg Abbott, Power List Score – 80.(-1) Volume of content falls a bit for the rest of this Power List. Adriana’s content is always focused more on economic development in Texas than tourism. If Adriana can increase her posting volume and have more of a focus on attractions and destinations in Texas, her score could easily jump 5-10 points.

8 – Jessica Blankenship, Exec Dir of KY Music HOF, Rockcastle Co Tourism, Power List Score – 77 (-2). A fairly quiet month for Jessica. Of all the tourism pros in the Power List, I think Jessica is the one I want to see more content from the most.  I would love to see more content on the music and country music scene in Kentucky, as well as info on the state as a whole. I know she wears many hats, but so do many members of the Tourism Power List.

9 – Diana Plazas,CSMO Caribbean & Latin America at Marriott International, Power List Score – 75. (-2) Diana’s profile is like that scene in a horror movie, “It’s quiet…too quiet!”  I would love to see more content as she works in an adjacent industry (hospitality). Let’s hope we see more activity on Twitter/X from this talented tourism pro in 2024!

10 – Kari Eakins, Dir of Strategy and Business for the Wyoming Office of Tourism, Power List Score – 72 (-).   Kari does just enough to stay in the Power List for a second week.  Congrats Kari, I hope you can build on that next month and go even higher!

 

So that’s it for the final Power List for Tourism for 2023. I love this group, it’s so strong, especially at the top.  A round of applause for all of you for shining a light on the attractions and destinations in your area! I hope each of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Please follow the people that made this list, you can click on their name and it will take you to their Twitter profile so you can follow them. If you would like to nominate yourself or a peer for inclusion in The Tourism Power List, please follow me on Twitter, and make sure you have your position and the company you work for clearly listed in your Twitter profile. That’s it! All candidates for the Power List are on this list.

Would you like to sponsor The Power List for Tourism? Here’s information on available options as well as prices.

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The Tourism Power List for November

Welcome to The Tourism Power List for November! The Power List features the Top 10 professionals in the tourism industry! You can view October’s Power List for the Tourism and Hospitality industries by clicking here.

Sponsorship options are now available for The Tourism Power List! If you want to sponsor this month’s list, click here for prices and info on sponsorship levels.

If you want to be eligible for The Power List, do this:

1 – Follow me on Twitter. Make sure you have your position and the technology company you work for listed in your profile.

2 – If you want to nominate someone else to be on the Power List, tweet me their username on Twitter and I will be happy to check them out.

 

Here’s where you can find all the candidates for The Tourism Power List. If you’re on that list, you are eligible for the Power List.

So before we jump into the Power List for November, a couple of takeaways:

1 – Consistency counts. I had to make a couple of close calls on ranking some of the members of the Power List. When it comes to frequency of posting, I tend to look at body of work moreso than the last month.  We now have been tracking the Power List for Tourism for a few months now, so it’s harder to have a big month and leap up in the rankings. That was possible at first, but now it’s more about your body of work and that will be even more important moving forward.

2 – Still seeing a lot of reposting of tweets versus sharing tweets with a quick explanation of why it’s interesting. Adding personal thoughts on content you share is a great way to increase engagement AND build thought leadership.

Here is the Tourism Power List for November.  There will be a number after their name in parentheses that shows the change in their score this month versus last:

1 – Kathryn Shea Duncan, Sr Director of Social Media, Lake Charles CVB, Power List Score – 94(-). Kathryn’s hot streak at #1 in the Power List continues, but it was super close this month.  Kathryn had a ton of tweets again this month, but all reposts. Hopefully she can slip in a few thoughts on her tweets next month. But her grip on the top spot lives on, congrats Kathryn!

2 – Jim Hagen, Sec of Tourism for South Dakota, Power List Score – 93 (+1). Jim just keeps inching toward the top of the Power List. His volume isn’t as high as some of the other members of the Power List, but Jim always does a great job of sharing some quick thoughts with tweets that he shares.  That is always appreciated, and if he has another great month in December, it could lead to a new #1! We’ll have to see what happens…

3 – Ben Berthelot, Lafayette Travel CEO, Power List Score – 92 (+4). Banger of a month for Ben! Good volume of content, and he does a great job of mixing in some quick comments and takeaways. This is the second month of being ranked in the Power List for Ben, so body of work dinged him a bit.  If Ben can put together a couple more months like the last one, he could be flirting with the top spot.

4 – Leisha Elliott, Executive Director, Marion Co, WV CVB, Power List Score – 91(-). Very solid month for Leisha, although all her content was reposts. Still, she had great variety, and even as reposts, her content does a great job of highlighting attractions and events in the Marion Co area.

5 – Kyle Edmiston, President/CEO of Lake Charles CVB, Power List Score – 85 (-4). A quiet month for Kyle, especially compared to the rest of the Top 5. It happens, this is a busy time of the year, let’s see what next month has in store for him.

6 – Chris Landry, CEO Louisiana Travel Assoc., Power List Score – 83 (+10). Very nice sophomore effort from Chris.  His volume of tweets was up, and he had a great mix and some personal opinions added to the content he shared.  I believe a 10-point jump is the biggest one month gain in ANY Power List so far, not just for Tourism.  Nice going, Chris!

7 – Adriana Cruz, Executive Director, Texas Economic Development & Tourism, Office of Gov Greg Abbott, Power List Score – 81.(-1) Once again, a bit of a struggle with where to rank Adriana. Decent volume of tweets, all reposts. A bit more focus on destinations and attractions and some original content would jump her score way up.

8 – Jessica Blankenship, Exec Dir of KY Music HOF, Rockcastle Co Tourism, Power List Score – 79 (-). Volume of content shared will be a bit of an issue for the last three spots of the Power List. Jessica wears multiple hats, as do a couple other members of the Power List. But both her jobs are so interesting and content around either or both jobs would do very well for her. Let’s hope the volume improves a bit throughout the rest of the year.

9 – Diana Plazas,CSMO Caribbean & Latin America at Marriott International, Power List Score – 77. (-3) Another quiet month for Diana. Let’s see what December brings!

10 – Kari Eakins, Dir of Strategy and Business for the Wyoming Office of Tourism, Power List Score – 72.   New entry alert! Congrats to Kari for sneaking in the Power List at the last spot. There is a noticeable decrease in number of tweets among the last few members of the Power List, so if Kari can increase her volume of tweets in December, she could jump of 2-3 spots easily.  Congrats Kari!

 

So that’s it for our 3rd Power List for Tourism! We will close out 2023 next month with the final edition of the Power List for the year.

Please follow the people that made this list, you can click on their name and it will take you to their Twitter profile so you can follow them. If you would like to nominate yourself or a peer for inclusion in The Toursm Power List, please follow me on Twitter, and make sure you have your position and the company you work for clearly listed in your Twitter profile. That’s it! All candidates for the Power List are on this list.

Would you like to sponsor The Power List for Tourism? Here’s information on available options as well as prices.

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Revolutionizing Travel and Hospitality: Crafting an Intuitive, Frictionless Tourism Booking Experience

Tourism booking

In the ever-evolving world of tourism and hospitality, one key element remains timeless – the power of a seamless and intuitive booking experience. For key decision makers in these industries, ensuring that potential travelers can effortlessly plan their getaways is essential for success. In this article, let’s look at some strategies you can leverage to create an intuitive, frictionless tourism booking experience that will captivate your audience and drive conversions.

Understanding the Essence of a Seamless Tourism Booking Experience

Tourism and hospitality decision makers know that every detail counts when it comes to attracting and retaining customers. Your website’s booking experience is often the first and most significant interaction a potential traveler has with your brand. To make a lasting impression and encourage bookings, an intuitive and frictionless booking process is imperative.

Crafting User-Centered Design

Designing a successful tourism booking experience begins with putting the user at the forefront. Here are the key steps to ensure a user-friendly booking process:

  • Know Your Audience – In the vast landscape of tourism, understanding your diverse audience is paramount. Tailor your website to accommodate the typical visitor to your area or destination. Create personas for the audience you want to target, then create content and a visitor experience that meets the needs of this group. BONUS: Here’s a detailed guide on how to create personas in your content marketing strategy.
  • Streamlined Navigation – Your website’s navigation menu should be clear, intuitive, and labeled with descriptive titles that cater to the info your visitor wants. Help users find what they’re searching for with labels like “Accommodations,” “Activities,” and “Special Offers.” Implement new terms as needed based on user feedback.
  • Mobile Optimization – Ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices. It’s no longer 2010, a mobile-responsive website is no longer an option, it’s a necessity.  A mobile-optimized site provides a consistent booking experience, regardless of the device used, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or desktop.  If your website defaults to ‘desktop view’ on mobile devices, it immediately sends a bad message to visitors, and many will immediately leave your site as a result.
  • Simplified Booking Forms – Keep booking forms concise and straightforward, requesting only necessary information. Utilize autofill features to expedite the process and save travelers valuable time. Simplicity = convenience.
  • High-Quality Visuals – In tourism and hospitality, captivating visuals can evoke wanderlust and entice bookings. Utilize high-resolution images and engaging videos to create a sense of anticipation and encourage travelers to commit. Pro tip: Work with professional photographers to visually capture your destination or location. If your budget is limited, consider working with a local college or university in an internship program that could give you access to photography students. A good photographer will understand how to take pictures that tell a captivating story about your destination.

Building Trust and Credibility

In an industry heavily reliant on trust, conveying credibility is of utmost importance. To build trust with potential travelers, consider these strategies:

  • Transparent Pricing – Display pricing for accommodations, activities, and services clearly. Include any additional fees or taxes upfront to foster trust and transparency.  Travelers expect to see content that is clear and easy to understand. If you make it difficult for the visitor to properly assess the costs involved with securing a trip, they are less likely to spend money with you.
  • Guest Reviews and Testimonial – Satisfied travelers are your best salespeople. Leverage visitor recommendations and testimonials on your site, and especially promote this content on order pages or any page where the visitor tends to leave the site without confirming a reservation. Remind the visitor that other travelers committed to the trip, and enjoyed it.
  • Secure Booking Process – Implement robust security measures to safeguard your website and user data. Display trust badges and security certificates to assure users that their information is safe. Clearly promote and detail your privacy policy to put visitors at ease.
  • Accessible Customer Support – Provide easy access to customer support options, such as live chat, email, or a dedicated phone line. Responsive customer service can swiftly address traveler inquiries and boost confidence in the booking process. Also include an FAQ so travelers can do their own research and proactively answer questions that may arise during the consideration phase.

Optimizing the Booking Experience

A frictionless tourism booking experience depends on several factors working together harmoniously. Let’s explore these critical components:

  • Clear Calls to Action – Strategically position clear and enticing calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout your website. Employ action-oriented phrases such as “Book Now” or “Reserve Your Stay” to prompt immediate action. Survey visitors and identify potential bottlenecks in the UI. Often, a visitor is ready to commit to a reservation, but the page they are on may not have a clear CTA. Add when necessary.
  • Progress Indicators – Progress indicators can help visitors see the progress they are making, while bringing clarity to the booking process. The additional level of transparency helps create trust while also encouraging the visitor to complete the booking process.
  • Personalization – Offer personalization options, such as room preferences, meal plans, and activity choices. Allowing travelers to customize their experiences enhances engagement and satisfaction.
  • Dynamic Pricing – Consider offering dynamic pricing options based on demand, seasonal events, and local packages. This gives the traveler more options, and it increases booking opportunities for your destinations and attractions.
  • One-Click Bookings – Simplify the booking process for returning travelers by offering one-click booking options. Returning guests can make bookings swiftly, enhancing their user experience.

Leveraging Data and Analytics

Data-driven decision-making can significantly improve the booking experience. Always make use of data and analytics to fine-tune your website’s UI. Areas to consider include:

  • Conversion Tracking – Implement conversion tracking to identify which parts of your website and booking process are most effective in converting potential travelers into guests. Also, identify areas where travelers are leaving without booking. Attempt to diagnose why the traveler abandoned the booking process, and rectify the situation by adding the appropriate support, content or CTA that the traveler was looking for.
  • A/B Testing – Conduct A/B testing to experiment with different elements of your website, such as button colors, form fields, and layouts, to optimize for conversions. Again, survey visitors to get insights into potential improvements. Then publish and A/B test different options to find the one that leads to more conversions.
  • User Feedback – Solicit user feedback regularly through surveys, on-site feedback forms, and online reviews. Valuable insights can reveal pain points and areas for improvement.

Addressing Common Challenges

As the traveler goes through the booking process, there are a few common issues that may crop up. Work to address these potential issues proactively, to help ensure a frictionless booking process for the traveler:

  • Booking Modifications – Implement clear and user-friendly booking modification policies to accommodate travelers’ changing plans and reduce booking-related stress. Clearly communicate what happens if a change is made in their itinerary, as well as the process for any changes the traveler might make. Giving the traveler options to change after booking helps ensure peace of mind with the decision to commit to the booking.
  • Local Regulations – Stay informed about local regulations, such as tourism taxes or accommodation restrictions, and ensure that your website complies with these rules.
  • Multilingual Support – For international travelers, provide multilingual support. Translated content and multilingual customer service can enhance the booking experience for non-English-speaking travelers. Also, regularly survey your visitors to make sure the most frequently used language options are available.

Commitment to Ongoing Improvement and Innovation

Staying at the forefront of the tourism and hospitality industry means being committed to continuous improvement and innovation:

  • Competitor Analysis – Keep a close watch on your industry peers. Analyze their booking processes, website designs, and user experience to identify opportunities to outperform them. If something is working for a competitor, attempt to determine why, and see if changes can be implemented in your own booking process.
  • Embracing New Technologies – Stay updated with the latest technologies and trends in web design and user experience. Implement innovative solutions to enhance your booking process. Focus first on user-feedback to find potential bottlenecks in the booking process, then investigate if emerging technologies could help in these areas.
  • User-Centered Workshops – Organize workshops or focus groups with real travelers to gain insights into their booking experiences and gather suggestions for improvements. Mack has been conducting on-site workshops, focus groups and breakout sessions with customers and users for over a decade. Email Mack to get more information on setting up a custom user feedback system for your CVB or destination.

Conclusion

In the highly competitive tourism and hospitality industry, crafting an intuitive, frictionless tourism booking experience is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. By implementing user-centered design principles and continuously optimizing the booking process, you can maximize conversions and leave a lasting, positive impression on potential travelers. As the tourism landscape continues to evolve, staying ahead of the curve in user experience innovation will help ensure the success of your destination or attraction.

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The Tourism Power List For October

Welcome to The Tourism Power List for October! The Power List features the Top 10 professionals in the tourism industry! You can view September’s Power List for the Tourism and Hospitality industries by clicking here.

Sponsorship options are now available for The Tourism Power List! If you want to sponsor this month’s list, click here for prices and info on sponsorship levels.

If you want to be eligible for The Power List, do this:

1 – Follow me on Twitter. Make sure you have your position and the technology company you work for listed in your profile.

2 – If you want to nominate someone else to be on the Power List, tweet me their username on Twitter and I will be happy to check them out.

 

Here’s where you can find all the candidates for The Tourism Power List. If you’re on that list, you are eligible for the Power List.

So before we jump into the Power List for October, a couple of takeaways:

1 – The tourism pros, especially those in the Top 5 of the Power List, are competing against themselves as much as they are the rest of the list. Sometimes if I am torn on where to rank two pros, it can simply come down to activity over the last month. This is a very strong group, but that also creates more competition and means everyone has to be on their A game each month.

2 – I see a lot of reposting of content versus sharing content with an explanation of why it’s interesting. I think part of this is due to experience, the more experienced tourism pros seem more likely to share an original take on the content they are sharing, while their less experienced peers seem more likely to share and move on.

3 – We have three new entries this month! I feel like this makes a strong group even better!

 

Here is the Tourism Power List for October.  There will be a number after their name in parentheses that shows the change in their score this month versus last:

1 – Kathryn Shea Duncan, Sr Director of Social Media, Lake Charles CVB, Power List Score – 94(-). Another solid month for Kathryn, she is a content machine! A good mix of different types of content; Articles, pictures, podcasts, all focused on the Lake Charles and surrounding areas of Louisiana. She did go a bit heavy on reposts this month, but she also mixed in more tweets with her original content than most tourism pros put out in several months. Well done, Kathryn, you again lead the pack!

2 – Jim Hagen, Sec of Tourism for South Dakota, Power List Score – 92 (+1). Jim had a very good month.  His volume of tweets was up, and although the majority were reposts, he did include his original take on several of the tweets that he reshared. This was honestly the difference between Jim being 2nd or 3rd on this list. Well done, Jim.  Keep it going!

3 – Leisha Elliott, Executive Director, Marion Co, WV CVB, Power List Score – 91(-2). A solid month for Leisha. It felt like her content output dipped slightly, but it was still really good. Almost all of her content was resposts, but it does a great job of helping to promote the Marion County area of West Virginia.

4 – Kyle Edmiston, President/CEO of Lake Charles CVB, Power List Score – 89(-). Status quo this month for Kyle, and that’s not a bad thing. His volume of tweets drops versus the Top 3, but he also does a better job of adding his original take on the content he shares. This really does help increase engagement, especially replies. This of it as if you are adding ‘This is why I think this article/picture/podcast/video is worth your attention.”

5 – Ben Berthelot, Lafayette Travel CEO, Power List Score – 88. New entry alert! Congrats to Ben for joining the Tourism Power List this month AND an impressive debut at #5 in a very strong group! Ben has a lot of content, and a good mix promoting the Lafayette, Louisiana area. Sports, music, nightlife, food, and festivals. Solid mix of content, a lot of it, and a few original takes sprinkled in.  Nice job, Ben!

6 – Adriana Cruz, Executive Director, Texas Economic Development & Tourism, Office of Gov Greg Abbott, Power List Score – 82.(+2) I again struggled a bit with where to rank Adriana’s profile this month. Adriana wears multiple hats, and much of her content is focused on  economic development news in Texas, as well as coverage of what Texas Gov Greg Abbott is up to. She does post a lot of content, but I would still like to see a little more content devoted to actual tourism in Texas.

7 – Diana Plazas,CSMO Caribbean & Latin America at Marriott International, Power List Score – 80. (-3) There is a noticeable decrease in posting volume for the last 7 spots on this list, starting with Diana. I enjoy her content and the mix, I hope to see more of it next month!

8 – Jessica Blankenship, Exec Dir of KY Music HOF, Rockcastle Co Tourism, Power List Score – 79. New entrant alert! Congrats to Jessica for joining the Power List! Jessica is like a few others on this list, she wears multiple hats. The majority of her content is focused on music events and functions associated with the KY Music HOF. So this content does work from a tourism angle as well. Congrats on joining the list, Jessica!

9 – Chris Landry, CEO Louisiana Travel Assoc., Power List Score – 73. New entrant alert! Congrats to Chris for joining the Power List this month. Chris’ frequency is a bit lot compared to the other members of the list. Hopefully that will increase as we move forward, and his score will follow I am sure.

10 – Robin Bloom, Director of Content, Philadelphia CVB, Power List Score – 70 (-3).   A quiet month for Robin, I hope that changes soon.

 

So there’s the FIRST update to our Power List for Tourism! And THREE new entrants, congrats again to Ben, Jessica and Chris!

Please follow the people that made this list, you can click on their name and it will take you to their Twitter profile so you can follow them. If you would like to nominate yourself or a peer for inclusion in The Toursm Power List, please follow me on Twitter, and make sure you have your position and the company you work for clearly listed in your Twitter profile. That’s it! All candidates for the Power List are on this list.

Would you like to sponsor The Power List for Retail? Here’s information on available options as well as prices.

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How to Protect and Enhance Your Tourism Destination’s Online Reputation

tourism reputation management

Online reviews from current and former travelers are vital to forming your destination’s online reputation. For instance, travelers use their mobile devices 83% of the time to research a trip before booking. What others are saying about your destination or attraction matters to travelers, so your tourism reputation management strategy should be given serious consideration.

This comprehensive guide explores proven strategies travel marketers should employ to actively monitor, manage and build their online reputation and credibility.

Conduct Sentiment Research Across Sites

In the introduction I mentioned that 83% of travelers are doing trip research on their mobile phones. You also have to consider how much research travelers are doing at home on their laptops as well. The point is, travelers will be doing a LOT of online research, and your destination or attraction must actively monitor the information that travelers will be reviewing, so you can manage your online reputation appropriately. Here’s some tactics to keep in mind:

  • Monitor review sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp, Google Travel, and Facebook for location-specific mentions. When a traveler begins researching a potential trip, review sites will be one of the first stops they make. You must be aware of what is being said about your location online, so you can build out a proper tourism reputation management strategy.
  • Conduct social listening across platforms to analyze trends in perceptions, issues and reactions. This applies to mentions of your destination as well as competing attractions or locations. Figure out what’s working for you, and what’s working for others, and adjust your tourism reputation management efforts accordingly.
  • Survey recent guests to see what they liked and disliked about their stay. Pro tip: Follow up personally with 4-star reviews and ask these guests what could have been done differently to earn a 5-star review.
  • Audit star ratings, attributes and keywords frequently cited to identify strengths and weaknesses. Don’t focus solely on complaints, often guests will appreciate a feature of their stay that you may not be focusing your attention on. When guests are telling you that something is working, put a spotlight on it!

Being aware of what travelers like and dislike about your destination or attraction gives you the information you need to improve the guest experience.

Optimize First Party Review Generation

Focus on generating increased reviews from guests and visitors. Also focus on generating more positive reviews internally and via third party sites by:

  • Email guests to encourage reviews. As part of the survey, ask guests to tell you at what point in their trip were they the most satisfied, for instance at the beginning, middle or end. Once you have identified the point during a stay where the average guest is the most satisfied with their trip, send an email asking for a review. Send a followup email 2-3 days after the stay ends reminding the guest to fill out your survey, if they haven’t already.
  • On-site signage with QR codes to easily leave a review before departing. Track survey results of the most popular locations at your destination or attraction and place signage with survey reminders in these location. The idea is you want to give your guests a reminder to fill out a survey when they are most satisfied with their stay. Also make sure the signage encourages reviews on third party sites such as Yelp, TripAdvisor and Google Reviews.
  • Offering incentives like loyalty points, discounts or free amenities to motivate contribution. By tying incentives to reviews from loyalty program members, you are encouraging your most satisfied guests to leave reviews, which is exactly what you want, especially on third party sites.
  • Sharing positive feedback publicly to build social proof. Digital signage on-site can show guest reviews and social media posts from satisfied visitors. This also models the type of behavior you want current guests to exhibit, so include a call-to-action with signage encouraging guests to create and share their own feedback on their own social media accounts.

First party platforms allow you to highlight strengths through UGC.

Respond Skillfully to Negative Reviews

Negative feedback is inevitable. How you respond to negative feedback is even more important than the criticism itself. Here’s some tips to keep in mind:

  • Respond professionally and calmly to critical reviews. Never get defensive, remember that your tone and energy will greatly dictate any future interactions with this guest as well as others.
  • Empathize with their dissatisfaction and if a legitimate error was made, offer to make it right. Do NOT apologize for an error until you have confirmed that the error actually happened.  Believe it or not, sometimes the customer IS wrong. It’s fine to apologize for their feelings when you first interact with the dissatisfied guest, but you should not apologize for something unless you know it happened.
  • Let the guest know that you have considered their feedback, and clearly communicate what steps will be taken to address. This is vitally important if the interaction is happening in public such as via tweets or comments on a social platform. By letting the guest know that you are taking steps to address their complaints, it communicates to that guest and any potential guests viewing the interaction that you take complaints seriously.  This communicates respect for the guest and it can help diffuse the situation.
  • Consider inviting unhappy reviewers back as guests to change perceptions. This also communicates that you want to ‘make it right’ and that you want to prove to the guest that you have acted on their feedback in an effort to improve the situation.
  • For unfounded claims or ‘fake reviews’, tactfully present facts or contact platform admins. Do NOT argue with a guest who has presented misinformation, it may not have been intentional. Politely correct the misinformation, and invite the guest to contact you directly (and more importantly privately) in order to address their concerns.

BONUS: Your Complete Guide to Responding to Angry Customers Online

If criticism is handled correctly, you can often convert an angry guest into a passionate fan.

Promote Positive UGC Broadly

Regardless of the industry you are in, your best salespeople are your happy customers/guests/visitors. As we’ve already discussed, travelers will consult reviews and feedback left by other travelers before committing to a trip. So you want to do all you can to promote positive content created by your happy guests and visitors. Here’s some tactics you can use:

  • Spotlight UGC in ads and across your digital touchpoints. Focus on sites that you know travelers will likely be using when researching an upcoming trip.
  • Re-share guest content to your social accounts when permitted. UGC builds trust with fellow travelers.
  • Aggregate video and visual content for compilation promotional reels. Pro Tip: Monitor social channels and if you find guests sharing content during their visit, contact them and ask if you can use their content. Offer perks such as loyalty points or room upgrades.
  • Publish curated guest galleries on your website highlighting stellar experiences.

User content highlights your best salespeople: Your happy guests.

Continuously Improve based on Insights

Use ratings, attributes and feedback to guide ongoing enhancements:

  • Identify recurring themes in complaints so they can be addressed systemically. Likewise, uncover recurring themes that are viewed positively by guests and develop a plan to leverage them.
  • Develop improvement plans for locations or services suffering repeated low ratings. Track problems and collect feedback from guests on desired improvements. Make changes as possible, and then communicate to guests that improvements have been made, based on visitor feedback. This communicates to guests that you will act on their feedback.
  • Look at highly rated competitors to identify gaps in the visitor experience.
  • Align guest satisfaction with desired brand associations through data analysis.

Proactively managing your reputation leads to higher visitor satisfaction, and loyalty.

Today’s travelers heavily factor reviews into travel plans. By embracing authentic engagement, responding quickly to guest feedback, and continuously improving, tourism brands can turn even critics into vocal advocates over time.

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Monday’s Marketing Minute: Another Elon Misstep, Instagram Still the King of Influencer Marketing, YouTube Adds AI Tools for Creators

Happy Monday, y’all! It’s the first official full week of Fall! My favorite time of the year! I hope you are ready to have a productive week, here’s a few stories that caught my eye over the last week:

 

I started to spin this story into its own post, and probably will at some point soon. Elon is floating the idea of charging ALL Twitter users a fee to use his platform. This is the first time in my 16+ years of using Twitter that I am seriously considering if it is time to leave the platform. Working on the Power Lists for Technology, Retail and Tourism (with Restaurants debuting on Weds) has been an eye-opener. I had always heard peers claim that there was a mass exodus of professionals from Twitter when Elon took over, but I just assumed that was overblown. It’s not, at least not in the four industries above.  Pros from technology, retail, tourism, and restaurant are absolutely more active right now on LinkedIn than they are on Twitter. In reviewing hundreds of Twitter accounts over the last month, I lost count on how many pros hadn’t tweeted in 2023, who were active on LinkedIn. I’ve been hearing ‘Is Twitter dying?’ for at least the last 10-12 years. This is the first time I think it’s a legitimate question to ask.

 

Companies working with influencers are still spending more marketing dollars on Instagram than anywhere else. Perhaps it’s simply a desire to be contrarian, but I’m wondering if there’s an opportunity for a certain brand to partner with the right influencer and create some momentum on Snapchat? Sometimes it pays to go in the opposite direction of the herd.

 

Social media platforms continue to integrate AI as a way to aid creators. LinkedIn has done it, Elon is working on an AI alternative to ChatGPT that will no doubt be integrated into Twitter/X, and now YouTube is doing the same. I think we will eventually see a time very soon where video platforms like YouTube will allow you to create a video on the fly from a simple prompt, using AI. An additional app YouTube announced is YouTube Create, which is a standalone app that is geared toward mobile creators, giving them simple editing tools to use on the fly. I actually think it will be a big hit with smaller YouTube creators.

 

So that’s it for this week’s edition of Monday’s Marketing Minute. On Thursday, I will have a new post on tourism marketing. But tomorrow the debut edition of The Restaurant Power List will launch, so be sure to check back here to see who ends up #1! Hope you have an amazing week!

 

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The Tourism Power List for September

Welcome to The Tourism Power List for September! This is my list of the Power accounts on Twitter for the tourism industry. The Power List will be updated once a month.

Sponsorship options are now available for The Tourism Power List! If you want to sponsor this month’s list, click here for prices and info on sponsorship levels.

There’s two main reasons why I decided to do The Power List:

1 – I wanted to help give exposure to people who are doing a good job of using Twitter in a corporate environment. It’s damn hard to build a following and even any semblance of traction on social media for an account while also doing your core job functions. I wanted to build out The Power List as a platform to help give more exposure to others, and make it just a little easier for them to build a following and engagement around their content.

2 – I wanted to highlight the best use of Twitter, and use that as a way to show others how to improve their own use of Twitter. The Power List will become a way to showcase the best of the best, and also show all of us how to learn from the best of the best and improve our own efforts.

 

If you want to be eligible for The Power List, do this:

1 – Follow me on Twitter. Make sure you have your position and the technology company you work for listed in your profile.

2 – If you want to nominate someone else to be on the Power List, tweet me their username on Twitter and I will be happy to check them out.

 

Here’s where you can find all the candidates for The Tourism Power List. If you’re on that list, you are eligible for the Power List.

The Power List will rank the Top 10 Power users on Twitter. That number may expand past a Top 10 as the candidate pool becomes larger.  In fact I hope it does.

How is the Power List ranked?  How do I get to be #1?

I’ve been working with corporate teams to help them leverage Twitter as a communications tool for about 15 years now. So a lot of the Power List rankings is simply based on my experience working with people in a corporate setting and understanding what works and what doesn’t.

In short, there are two main consideration buckets I have when I rank the Power List:

1 – Posting frequency. I need to see enough content on your Twitter feed to see that you are making an effort to use Twitter to communicate with others. You don’t have to tweet every day, but if your last tweet is from December of 2022, you won’t be on the Power List.

2 – Original content. What I mean by that is I want to see content that’s written in your own unique voice. I get that working in a corporate environment comes with certain ‘challenges’ in regards to the tone and voice of your content. But that doesn’t mean that you should simply use your Twitter feed to repost your company’s press releases. Go behind the scenes, give us a sense of what your daily work day is like. One of the thoughts I should have when reading your Twitter feed is ‘Wow, that looks like a cool job, I wouldn’t mind working there!’

 

Before I get to the first Power List for the Tourism/Hospitality sector, I wanted to share some general takeaways on what I learned from spending a LOT of time the past few weeks looking at Twitter profiles in the space.

1 – This is the Power List I was most looking forward to. I have such fondness for the tourism space, I love how passionate the people in this space are for the work they do. I also have always loved how travel allows us all to create lifetime memories. Travel and experiences is the ONE thing you actually CAN spend money on, that buys you happiness. As proven by science.

2 – The list of candidates for The Tourism Power List is easily the strongest of any industry I’ve looked at so far. As a result, you’re going to see higher scores for this group, and deservedly so. This group is outstanding.

3 – With a few noticeable exceptions, this group is just as active on Twitter as it is on LinkedIn. I’ve spoken at many tourism and Governor’s conferences over the years, and I did see a few of my tourism contacts were no longer active on Twitter. But many of them still are.

 

The Tourism Power List for September:

1 – Kathryn Shea Duncan, Sr Director of Social Media, Lake Charles CVB, Power List Score – 94. So Kathryn started her current position via promotion last month. To say that she has hit the ground running is an understatement. I think she’s left more tweets in the last week than I have this year. And what’s amazing is, it’s all good content! Kathryn has an insane mix of content that she shares: Podcast episodes, articles, videos, images, her own personal accounts of events. All related to the Lake Charles area of Louisiana. She does an amazing job of leveraging Twitter as a channel to promote the Lake Charles area.  Which is exactly what she should be doing. Just an amazing job, Kathryn. Her score of 94 gives her the highest score of any Power List member, and I’m grading her too low if anything. Kathryn has shared an insane amount of content over the last week or so, I will be curious to see if she can keep up this pace.  If she can continue to share content at her current rate and continue share GOOD content at her current rate, her score will soon top 95, and may even flirt with 100.

2 – Leisha Elliott, Executive Director, Marion Co, WV CVB, Power List Score – 93. Leisha’s account is amazing. I honestly had to go back and forth between ranking Leisha first or second. Her volume of content isn’t as off the charts as Kathryn’s is, but Leisha has been tweeting every day or two consistently for the entire year. And it’s wonderful content, she makes you want to visit Marion County, WV immediately. A job very well, done, Leisha!

3 – Jim Hagen, Sec of Tourism for South Dakota, Power List Score – 91. Jim has another solid Twitter account.  Excellent frequency, excellent diversity of content, all positioned to make you want to visit South Dakota. And Jim, I love the updates on the Crazy Horse Memorial! I would like to see a few more updates with your own personal take or advice on the news and information you are sharing about the Mount Rushmore state. But that’s a minor quibble.

4 – Kyle Edmiston, President/CEO of Lake Charles CVB, Power List Score – 89. Kyle’s account sees a noticeable drop in frequency versus the Top 3 spots.  But Kyle still tweets on a very regular basis. However, Kyle does one thing with his tweets that I really don’t see anyone else on this list doing as well:  He is sharing his own personal opinions on the tourism content he is sharing AND he is sharing content about his team at the Lake Charles CVB, which I love. And he’s Kathryn’s boss, so that speaks to her performance as Director of SM for the Lake Charles CVB as well! Nice job Kyle!

5 – Diana Plazas,CSMO Caribbean & Latin America at Marriott International, Power List Score – 83. The frequency for Diana is lower than the Top 4, but she still consistently posts content on Twitter. It’s a bit different because Diana is posting content associated with Marriott, it’s properties and events and destinations that the hotel partners with. I enjoy Diana’s content, I do think she will need to post a bit more often to stay competitive with this group.  That’s not really a knock on her, it’s more a compliment to how well this group is doing.

6 – Kim Sabow, President and CEO, Arizona Lodging and Tourism Assoc, Power List Score – 81. So I struggled a bit with where to rank Kim’s profile. Her content is focused on what’s happening in the state of Arizona, but mostly at the governmental level. She has some very unique content in that she covers events that she’s participating in as an attendee and speaker, as well as interviews and interactions she and her assoc has with key politicians in her state. Her Twitter feed is a bit heavy on PR content at times, but it’s unique enough to stand out, even from this group.

7 – Adriana Cruz, Executive Director, Texas Economic Development & Tourism, Office of Gov Greg Abbott, Power List Score – 80. Adriana has another profile that I struggled a bit with how to rank it. She has solid frequency and decent content that is almost completely focused on economic development news in Texas, as well as coverage of what Texas Gov Greg Abbott is up to. I would like to see a little more content devoted to actual tourism in Texas.

8 – Becky Nave, Director of Destination Development at Virginia Tourism Corp, Power List Score – 74. A big drop in frequency in the last 3 spots. If Becky could up her content output and make that content be focused on travel in the Bristol, VA area and surrounding, it would greatly help her score.

9 – Robin Bloom, Director of Content, Philadelphia CVB, Power List Score – 73.   Robin has decent content, I would just like to see a lot more.  She has posted a bit more over the last month, so hopefully this is the start of a positive trend.

10 – Edie Emery, Sr Director of Publicity, Nashville CVB, Power List Score – 71. Edie shares good content, just not very often. If she could post at least weekly about events happening in and around Nashville, her score would likely jump 10 points or more.

 

So there’s the first Tourism Power List, and I must say, it’s a damn fine group.  Next week I’ll debut the Restaurant Power List, but so far, my tourism and travel pros are in a class by themselves.

Please follow the people that made this list, you can click on their name and it will take you to their Twitter profile so you can follow them. If you would like to nominate yourself or a peer for inclusion in The Toursm Power List, please follow me on Twitter, and make sure you have your position and the company you work for clearly listed in your Twitter profile. That’s it! All candidates for the Power List are on this list.

Would you like to sponsor The Power List for Retail? Here’s information on available options as well as prices.

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The 6 Keys to Delivering Exceptional Mobile Customer Service Experiences in Tourism

mobile customer service

Today’s travelers increasingly expect on-demand, mobile-first service from tourism brands when planning or during trips.  In fact, 83% of travelers will do research on a mobile device before committing to a trip. The mobile experience and customer service you provide travelers and tourists is vital in securing their business.

However, offering seamless mobile customer support across multiple touchpoints presents challenges for destination marketers and travel providers. The difficulty in providing such a seamless customer service on mobile devices is matched only by the travelers’ expectation that your destination can do just that.

This article explores six proven strategies and best practices tourism executives should adopt to deliver responsive, personalized mobile customer service experiences that meet modern traveler expectations.  As you are reading this article, take notes and think about how your destination or attraction is utilizing each of these steps. If you aren’t utilizing any of these strategies yet, then you have a chance to make a very positive impact on your destination’s customer support, especially from a mobile perspective. If you are already utilizing some or many of these strategies, focus on the areas that aren’t being utilized, as they could be the missing piece that optimizes and improves your entire mobile customer service strategy.

Conduct Journey Mapping from a Mobile Lens

Journey mapping is the process of visualizing how a customer would perform a certain task. For instance, if a potential traveler in say Utah, wanted to book a tour of your attraction in Greenville, South Carolina, what would that process look like? What steps would the traveler have to take in order to book a tour? Now think about the process that this same traveler would have to go through in order to book a tour using only mobile devices:

  • Map key travel journeys from research to booking to the trip itself from a mobile perspective to uncover friction points. For an added perspective, first conduct the journey on a desktop or laptop, then follow the same steps on a mobile device. Note any differences in the experience, such as load times, display of information.
  • Conduct interviews and shadowing research focused on mobile usage and needs throughout the travel journey to gather insights directly from travelers. Have customers follow a set path on a desktop or laptop, then have then execute the same journey on a mobile device. As they complete the process, note any provided feedback on where the journey with the mobile device is better or worse versus the experience on the desktop or laptop.
  • Comprehensively audit mobile metrics – platform usage, traffic sources, booking conversion rates, transactions, service case resolution speed/quality and satisfaction scores. Compare and contrast all metrics to the experience on other channels to note potential bottlenecks and churn points.
  • Analyze mobile service case topics and types to identify knowledge gaps to address in self-help resources. Flag topics that are consistently mentioned by CS agents. These indicate potential problem areas that should be addressed to ensure a better mobile customer service experience for travelers and tourists.

Analyzing the customer journey from a mobile perspective can help you optimize the experience for travelers.

Expand Mobile App Capabilities

A branded mobile app is a wonderful way to deliver customized customer service experiences to travelers. Make sure your mobile app offers the following features:

  • Your mobile app should allow booking, chat support, and self-service options to handle needs during the shopping journey. Traveling can be a spontaneous adventure for many people, make sure your mobile app gives travelers the convenience to book a trip when they are ready, on their schedule.
  • Provides location services, travel guides, and destination recommendations accessible in-trip. Research will be a critical part of any successful trip. Make sure travelers have destination-specific information available at their fingertips at all times.
  • Share itinerary, loyalty program, and payment details for in-app access throughout travels. This provides an added benefit to the traveler by helping them keep organized and focused on trip details. By linking loyalty program information, it also helps the traveler stay up to date on possible rewards that could be claimed during the trip.
  • Send proactive notifications for flight/event updates, special offers etc. based on context. Allow travelers to store and synch flight and hotel information in app, and keep travelers abreast of any changes in itinerary.
  • Offer a mobile concierge or chatbot to handle common requests on-the-go. Leveraging AI, you can offer a chat assistant that can answer common questions about the travel process as well as answer questions related to the locations and destinations that the traveler will be visiting.  Remember, every time you can give a traveler the ability to answer their own support question, that potentially deflects a customer support event (saving you money) and it increases customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Apps that give travelers the information they need at all stages of their journey will lead to higher loyalty levels and greater retention.

Train On-Site Staff to Be Mobile-Ready

Your on-site staff should be trained with using mobile devices to bring added convenience and support to travelers:

  • Provide locations teams with tablets and smartphones to assist guests anywhere on-property with lookups, requests, or issue resolution. This allows your support staff to be more accessible on site, which gives an added level of convenience to travelers.
  • Let travelers summon or locate on-site staff via your mobile app. This gives travelers more control over getting support and assistance with issues and questions.
  • Equip roaming customer service agents to handle needs, answer questions, and queue services digitally. Monitor traffic patterns at your destination to understand where agents should be stationed to maximize effectiveness.
  • Set up self-service kiosks around sites for quick lookups or appointment scheduling without staff. Give travelers the ability to quickly print out their itinerary as well as brief travel guides and coupons from the kiosk. Also give travelers the ability to summon an agent if additional support is needed.

Mobile-empowered on-site staff enable personalized support, which leads to higher levels of satisfaction.

Adopt Emerging Mobile Technologies

Continually assess feedback from travelers to identify emerging tech that can enhance the mobile customer service experience for tourists:

  • Robots and drones can be utilized to deliver small packages to tourists poolside, or hikers on a trail. This can address customer support and possibly even safety issues.
  • Implement virtual/augmented reality to provide immersive property tours and destination previews. AR and VR can be provided both on-site, as well as demos given online or at your travel agency. Providing a more immersive experience for the traveler can increase satisfaction in the trip.
  • Leverage geofencing and GPS for hyper-localized, contextual push notifications. This technology can ensure that travelers have location-specific information that adds an additional layer of convenience.

Cutting-edge mobile tech can delight and satisfy guests and improve satisfaction.

Monitor Mobile Analytics Closely

One you have a robust mobile customer service experience in place, make sure you are tracking the correct analytics associated with your mobile experience:

  • Track satisfaction scores, NPS and sentiment specifically for mobile touchpoints. Compare and contrast scores for the same metrics among desktop users to help identify areas for improvement in both areas.
  • Monitor usage and adoption rates for mobile apps, messaging, and on-site technology. Note any areas that are seeing rapid adoption and growth, and try to identify why. If travelers aren’t using a particular mobile tech at certain parts of the customer journey, drill down and see if there are ways to increase adoption. If not, consider abandoning that touchpoint and investing in more promising areas.
  • Measure mobile booking and transaction conversion rates vs. desktop. This will help you identify customer behavior patterns, so you can further customize the overall support experience to deliver higher levels of support.
  • Analyze mobile traffic sources, on-site usage heatmaps and popular device types. Also focus on traffic patterns and tie that to mobile usage. Once hotspots are identified, make it easier for travelers to engage with your mobile tech at those locations.
  • Identify service gaps between mobile and traditional channels. Additionally, if travelers are positively responding to your mobile tech on-site, see if there are opportunities to provide a similar experience via traditional channels. Seek to understand why the mobile experience is resonating with travelers, and incorporate what’s working on-site into the traditional channels.

Traveler data can provide opportunities to enhance and optimize mobile offerings and experiences.

Continuously Optimize the Mobile Experience

The mobile environment evolves quickly. Continually improve by:

  • A/B testing new mobile app features and self-service functionality. Remember that travelers are increasingly expecting to be able to self-diagnose support issues. Give travelers the ability to solve their own problems, especially when they are on the go and on-site.
  • Study your competitors and other destinations to spot opportunities. See how other locations and destinations are leveraging emerging mobile technologies to enhance the customer support experience.
  • Seeking direct traveler feedback on mobile pain points and desired improvements. Compare and contrast this feedback with the same feedback from travelers who book and research trip on their laptop or desktop. Figure out what travelers prefer about the experience on their desktop, and see how you can incorporate a similar experience into mobile.
  • Journey mapping the mobile process for travelers to identify friction and pain points. Find the bottlenecks for travelers and address them.
  • Piloting enhancements, measuring impact on satisfaction and usage, and iterating. Utilize traveler feedback to incorporate improvements, test, then test some more. Rollout your winners and scrap the losers and try again.

Optimization never ends as mobile technology and traveler expectations continue to evolve.

Achieving Mobile Customer Service Excellence

Providing seamless mobile customer service is challenging yet critical in travel. The strategies explored in this guide equip tourism brands to effectively meet rising expectations.

Emerging mobile technologies can greatly enhance the support experience for travelers, but only if properly utilized. Adopting a proactive versus reactive mindset can set your destination up to be the case study that others in your industry learn from.

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Introducing the Twitter Power Lists!

When I started my first standalone blog in 2006 (I began blogging in 2005 as writer/editor for an advertising recruitment firm in Atlanta), one of the first things I did was create a list of marketing blogs that I read daily. This was in the days before Twitter and Facebook hadn’t really broken past campuses at this point. I created a list of marketing blogs to read because I wanted to keep up to date on the space, but I also wanted to help develop community on my own blog.

At first, I started out with the big names at the time like Seth Godin, Kathy Sierra and Guy Kawasaki. But I quickly discovered dozens of really good, but lesser-known marketing blogs. My list of favorite marketing blogs grew longer and longer, and over time I realized that I was spending more time reading the ‘lesser known’ blogs than I was the ‘popular’ ones.

And this began to irritate me. It began to irritate me because I knew that so many people would just read the ‘popular’ blogs and wouldn’t make an effort to find the really good blogs that weren’t quite as popular, but that were often just as good, sometimes even better!  I began to think about ways that I could help these lesser-known blogs build awareness.

Around this same time, the college football season was about to start. I noticed the polls started releasing there Preseason Top 25 polls. An idea hit me: What if I did my own poll of the Top 25 marketing blogs? That would be a great way to drive exposure to many lesser known marketing blogs, and it would also be a fun way to keep up with the space and build engagement with my readers.

So a few days later, The Viral Garden’s Top 25 Marketing Blogs was born.

The Top 25 Marketing Blogs went on for several years and became quite popular, driving a lot of traffic and awareness to a lot of deserving blogs.

I wanted to try something similar now with Twitter accounts. There are four main industries I write about here: Technology, Retail, Tourism and Restaurant. I also keep up with professionals in these 4 industries on Twitter. If you regularly use Twitter, you know how hard it is to build a following. If you also work in the corporate world, it’s doubly hard because you have even less time to devote to building a brand and following on Twitter.

I wanted to see if I could help with that, and at the same time give others a good list of solid professionals to follow in each of those 4 industries.

So starting next week, I will start the Twitter Power Lists for each of those four industries; Technology, Retail, Tourism and Restaurant.  Each week there will be a different industry, and I will rank the Top 10 Twitter accounts in each space. Technology will be first, and it will debut next Tuesday.

Over time, the methodology for who is or is not included will be altered, and it’s very possible that I will expand the list to a Top 20 or maybe even Top 25. The goal of each list is to drive exposure and followers for the people on the list, and to give people that want to follow those industries a good list of professionals to keep up with.

If You Work in the Technology, Retail, Tourism or Restaurant Industries and Want to Be on the Twitter Power List, Here’s What You Do:

1 – First, follow me on Twitter.

2 – Please clearly list in your Twitter bio the position you hold and the company you work for. That lets me know which list you should be on.

3 – If you don’t have that info in your Twitter bio, after you follow me, please tweet me and let me know your position.

 

That’s it! If you work in one of those 4 industries, you will be added to the appropriate Twitter list for your industry.  Here’s the lists so you can go ahead and start subbing to them now:

Technology

Retail

Tourism

Restaurants

 

So please, follow me on Twitter so I can get you added to the appropriate Twitter Power List.  Even if you don’t make the Power List here, simply being on those lists on Twitter will bring more exposure to your Twitter account, and will help you build your following.

So What’s the Criteria for Being Ranked on the Power List for My Industry?

Good question! So the rankings, at least at first, will most be a judgment call on my part.  As the lists grow, I may move to a more formal ranking system.

For now, here’s some of the areas I will look at:

  • How active are you on Twitter? If your last tweet is from December 2022, you probably won’t make the list.
  • How ‘interesting’ is your content? Mix it up a bit, don’t use your Twitter account to simply reblast press releases
  • When you promote your work, are you giving us unique content we can’t get anywhere else? For instance I just saw a tweet from one of the members of one of the above lists who tweeted out a picture of their work desk. I like seeing content like that, and so do others.
  • The Twitter Power lists are only for professionals working IN these industries. If you work in media or consulting and cover or service these industries, you won’t be on these lists. Only people who are working for companies and organizations in these industries.

Now there is one important caveat to these lists: Insanely popular accounts will NOT be included in the rankings. For instance, Elon Musk will never make the technology list. There’s a couple of reasons why: First, if he was added, he would start at #1 and stay there for as long as I did the list.  Second, the goal of these lists is to drive exposure to accounts that need to build awareness.  Everyone is already following Elon, he doesn’t need any more exposure. Many people would suggest he needs less!

Each industry Power List will be updated once a month.  Any changes in rankings from the previous list will be noted (For example, if an account moves up or down 2 spots on the list, that will be noted).  The main goal is to drive exposure to professionals that make the list.  But along the way, everyone will be able to pick up some tips and strategies for building their own following on Twitter.

So if you want to be considered for the Twitter Power Lists, please follow me on Twitter! Then let me know which industry you work in, and your position.  Good luck!

 

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Your Guide to Leveraging User-Generated Tourism Content to Drive Higher Engagement and Referrals

user-generated tourism content

User-generated content is vital to the tourism industry. In fact, 83% of travelers make booking decisions based in part on reviews from travelers like themselves.

But there’s another reason why user-generated tourism content is so important, and it’s unique to the tourism and travel industries.

Have you ever heard the saying “Money can’t buy you happiness?” Science has proven this statement is correct, with a pretty big caveat: Money CAN buy you happiness IF that money is spent on EXPERIENCES. If money is spent on products, the satisfaction you have with the purchase typically is at its peak at the moment of purchase, and it continues to fall over the lifetime of the product as its usefulness fades.

Yet when money is spent on experiences, such as when traveling, the opposite occurs. Because those experiences become memories and those memories are shared with the people who traveled with you, and with others. This is why user-generated tourism content is so important; it’s a wonderful selling tool for your destination or attraction.

Let’s explore proven ways travel brands can effectively source, showcase, and maximize the impact of user-generated tourism content:

Strategically Sourcing Relevant UGC

The first step is developing ongoing streams of authentically created, relevant user-generated tourism content you can pull from. Some key sourcing tactics include:

  • Actively encourage visitors to share photos and experiences during their trip through prompts, signage, and incentives. This captures UGC directly. Along with this, regularly survey your visitors about their activities at your destination in order to uncover where visitors are creating content organically. For instance, if your visitors are telling you that they frequently stop to take a picture at a particular point, add a prompt or sign to encourage this behavior.
  • Monitor traveler review sites, Instagram hashtags, Facebook groups, etc. to identify photos, videos, testimonials to potentially feature. This allows you find UGC directly, but it can also give you ideas about the type of content that travelers are creating. Also, it can help you identify potential travel ambassadors that your attraction or destination could work with.
  • Run UGC contests and campaigns where travelers submit entries for prizes. This incentivizes volume and quality. The tourism case study More Fun in the Phillipines is a classic example of utilizing UGC from travelers, as well as locals.
  • Contact recent visitors who created stellar content for permission to feature their posts. Seek varied perspectives. Never assume that because a traveler posts content that you can grab it and use it as you wish.  You can’t, but this will likely lead to huge online backlash against your attraction or destination if you use someone’s content without permission. Always contact visitors about any user-generated tourism content, and you may actually begin a working relationship with that traveler!
  • Source user-generated tourism content tied to your unique selling points – ex. family-focused for resorts, honeymooners for tropical locales, adventure for outdoor spots. This helps you stand out from the pack. You can also brand your destination to particular groups. Such as how Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism is promoting Alabama’s white sand beaches to females for a ‘girl’s getaway’. I think this is a great example of tailoring your destination to a specific audience. (Disc – I have spoken at a Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism conference on tourism marketing before).

The wider the content sourcing net, the more diverse and engaging user-generated tourism content you’ll have to leverage across all your channels.

Showcase UGC Prominently Across Touchpoints

Now that you have a library of user-generated tourism content to choose from, amplify it where travelers are engaging and converting:

  • Create website galleries and testimonial sections to build credibility and expectations during research. Let your best salespeople, your happy visitors, sell for you.
  • Feature photos and stories from recent visitors in your email newsletter. This is a great way to effectively promote your destination and create more content as well.
  • Paid social posts should heavily utilize UGC rather than purely polished ads. Real photos from real people are shown to drive higher levels of engagement.
  • Retargeting campaigns reminding potential customers of real traveler perspectives. Consider promoting the testimonials or other UGC in your website galleries as mentioned earlier. This makes a past visitor to your site aware of new content, coming from visitors instead of the destination itself.
  • Local display ads featuring UGC paired with special offers target nearby travelers. This can be particularly effective if paired with UGC or a testimonial from a local traveler who would be known in that area. This can create additional word of mouth for their inclusion in the ad.

The more platforms where you feature user-generated tourism content, the greater the exposure and impact.

Optimize UGC for Maximum Discoverability

Making your user-generated tourism content more discoverable in organic search and on social media enables broader reach and engagement.

  • Add UGC galleries and sections optimized with relevant titles, URLs, metadata, alt text. Pro tip: Publish blog posts that focus on these relevant keywords and phrases, married to the corresponding UGC that has the same focus.
  • Encourage travelers to use your unique hashtags when sharing on Instagram, Facebook, etc. to associate the content with your destination or attraction. Sharing content that includes your hashtags also encourages other travelers and visitors to use your hashtag organically with their content.
  • Syndicate UGC on travel info sites optimizing with keywords travelers are searching for.
  • Ensure experiential UGC is easily shareable to encourage word-of-mouth.
  • Leverage geotags and location categories so UGC appears in relevant results.

Precision optimization makes your user-generated tourism content work harder as travelers often search destinations, attractions, experiences, and more. Taking into account visitor behavior and tailoring your UGC for the traveler’s needs is simply smart strategy.

Motivate Referrals and Loyalty with UGC

The benefits of user-generated tourism content extend beyond the initial prospect. UGC also fuels referrals from happy past visitors and nurtures their loyalty.

Some ways to maximize lifetime value include:

  • Contacting recent visitors to thank them for UGC contributions and encourage sharing with networks. Reward the behavior you want to encourage. Simply saying ‘thank you’ goes a long way.
  • Featuring UGC from loyalty program members to make them feel recognized. Additionally, if a particular ambassador or member of your loyalty program excels in content creation, acknowledge them for their content. But also, point out why their content is exceptional. This makes the member feel appreciated, but it also communicates to the other members how to create better content. When the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association sends out a ‘welcome pack’ for its ambassadors, it includes instructions on how to better create content and post on social media.
  • Sharing visitor content contributions when announcing new offerings, events, etc. as social proof. This can serve to remind your followers and subscribers about your destination or attraction, but it also attaches content from your best salespeople to your new offerings.
  • Reward repeat UGC contributions with loyalty perks, profile badges, and recognition. Also, vet these contributors as candidates for your ongoing brand ambassador or advocacy program.
  • Repurpose visitor content across multiple channels and touchpoints to reinforce memory of positive experiences. Visual content such as photos or videos can perform better on social media sites like Instagram and Twitter, while a long-form story or testimonial is perfect for a blog post or an issue of your email newsletter.

The more you spotlight satisfied travelers in ongoing communications and marketing, the deeper their engagement becomes while spreading positive word-of-mouth among current and potential visitors.

UGC is the Authentic Storytelling Today’s Traveler Craves

At the end of the day, user-generated tourism content is your destination’s best marketing. Leveraging real stories, stunning visuals, and genuine advocacy directly from past visitors forges an emotional bond and credibility that your brand alone cannot manufacture. Smart tourism marketers understand this, and are willing to cede some communication control to their visitors, in order to realize more revenue in return.

With abundant sources and creative presentation formats, user-generated tourism content provides a foundational ingredient to engage and convert audiences across multiple online touchpoints covering the entire travel journey. Are you leveraging UGC to inspire travelers and build visitor loyalty? The rewards make the strategy well worth the effort.