Twitter&For&Tourism& Topic& &Social&Media& Tutorial&44&

Transcription

1 Topic& &Social&Media& Tutorial&44& Twitter&For&Tourism& Twitter'is'a'great'tool'for'businesses'looking'to'attract'new'customers'and'increase'visibility'of' their'branding.'by'creatively'utilising'the'140=character'limit'you'can'direct'traffic'to'your'business' and'join'in'on'the'conversation.' ' Reading'time:' 35'minutes' Prerequisite:' None' & & & &

2 1. What&is&Twitter&and&how&can&it&help&tourism&businesses?& Establishedin2006,Twitterisapopularsocialnetworkingsite(alsoconsideredamicroblogging site)whereregistereduserscanpostshortmessages(knownastweets)aswellasphotos,videos andlinks.theseshortmessagesarepostedonyourtwitterprofileandvisibletoanyone includingsearchengines. JUST% LIKE% FACEBOOK,% TWITTER% OFFERS% A% NEW% AND% EXCITING% OPPORTUNITY% TO% TIME9POOR% TOURISM% BUSINESSES%WHO%WANT%TO%ENGAGE%WITH%THEIR%AUDIENCE%FOR%FREE,%ON%THEIR%OWN%TERMS.% a) What'are'the'benefits'to'my'business?' OneofthemainbenefitsofTwitteristhatitisveryeasytouse.Themainfeatureisashort messageoftencomparedtoansms. Apartfromitssimplicity,Twitteroffersmanyadvantagessuchas: 1. Itallowsyourbusinesstotweet whichcanincludepostingphotosand/orlinks on thesitein&a&matter&of&seconds,&for&free.thisisveryimportantasmorepeopleare nowusingsocialmediatosearchforholidaydestinationsandexperiences 2. Youcanconfigurethesetweetstobeautomaticallypostedonothersocialnetworks suchasfacebookandyourwebsitegiving&your&communication&more&exposure 3. MajorityofthenewsmediaareusingTwittertosearchfornewstoriesand encouragepublicfeedback 4. Twittercanalsobeusedtogather&intelligence&on&specific&topicse.g.tolearnabout internetmarketingfortourism. TWITTER%RANKS%HIGHLY%WITH%SEARCH%ENGINES%ENABLING%SOME%USERS %PROFILES%TO%APPEAR%HIGHER%IN% GOOGLE S%SEARCH%RESULTS.% b) In'a'few'words,'how'does'Twitter'work?' TwitterallowspeopletosetupfreeTwitteraccounts.Youmightliketosetuponeforyourself andoneforyourbusiness.onceyouraccountissetup,youcanusetwitter swebsite,anyone ofthenumerousprogramssuchastweetdeck( smartphone/iphoneapplication. Tutorial44,Page1 Version10LastupdatedMarch2013

3 Twitter'account' Tweet' "short'message"' Posts'on'your' Twitter'pro5ile,'on' your'follower's' timeline'and'visible' to'the'world' Once&you&write&your&message&it&will&be&posted&on&your&Twitter&profileaswellasonthetimeline ofyourfollowers.forthoseofyouwhoarefamiliarwithfacebook,thetwittertimeline (examplebelow)couldbecomparedtoyourfacebooknewsfeed.yourmessagewillalsobe indexedbythetwittersearchenginesandotherenginessuchasgoogle;thusbecomingfindable ontheweb. If&your&message&is&of&interest&to&a&Twitter&user&they&may&decide&to&follow&youandreceiveyour tweetsinthefuture. Twitteralsooffersdirectmessages(privatemessages)andotherfunctionalitiessuchasretweets (repostingyourmessageontheirtimeline similartoan s forward functionality). Tutorial44,Page2 Version10LastupdatedMarch2013

4 c) The'Twitter'jargon' TheTwitterlingoisn tasintuitiveassomeoftheothersocialmediaplatforms.itistherefore & symbol Called the Twitter handle, this symbol identifies a Twitter user. For instance, ATDW s Twitter handle If you wish to address your Tweet to ATDWyouneedtoincludethe@ATDWinyourtweet: we$ loved$ the$ latest$ photos$ posted$ on$ your$ Facebook$ Page$ Can$ we$ join$ the$ party$next$time? $ Tweet isamessagecontaining140charactersorlesspostedontwitter(theabove exampleiscalledatweet) Retweet& Whensomeoneenjoyedyourtweet,theycanforwardittotheirfollowers by using the retweet option. When you manually retweet a message, it should begin withrtfollowedbythemessage. E.g.$ RT$@ATDW,$we$loved$the$latest$photos$posted$on$your$Facebook$Page$Can$we$join$the$ party$next$time? $ Message&(usedtobecalledDirectMessage)]isaprivatemessagetoarecipient.Keep inmind,youcannotsendadirectmessagetoauserwhoisnotfollowingyou.aquick waytosendadirectmessagetooneofyourfollowersistoaddadinfrontoftheir usernameanddropthe@followedbyyourmessage: E.g.$ D$ATDW$sending$you$a$private$message$that$no$one$else$can$see $ #& Calledahashtag,thissymbolisusedintweetstomarkkeywordsortopics.Itwas created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorise messages for later reference: $ AllofthesymbolsabovecanbeusedonTwitter swebsiteorontwittersupportedprograms. Theysoundtrickyatfirstbutafterafewminutestheybecomesecondnaturetoanyuser. 2. How&do&I&set&up&my&account&in&just&ten&minutes?& Beforeyoucantakeadvantageofthemanybenefitsofthiswonderfulcommunicationtoolyou needtosetupatwitteraccount.wehaveoutlinedthekeystepstogetyoustartedbelow. Furtherinformationcanbefoundhere: sign]up]on]twitter& 1. Sign&upforafreeTwitteraccountatitshomepagewww.twitter.com Tutorial44,Page3 Version10LastupdatedMarch2013

5 2. Fill&in&your&profile&details.Note:ifyouaresigningupinyourcompany sname,use yourdomainnameorbusinessnameastheusernameifit spracticaltodoso.your 3. Look&for&potential&followersthroughexisting orothersocialnetworkcontacts. TwitterwillallowyoutofindusersthroughsuchmeansasGmailorLinkedIn.Thisisa greatplacetobegincollectingfollowersandfollowingyourexistingcontacts. 4. UseTwitter sfunctiontolocate&and&follow&likemminded&users.looktofollowfeeds oflike]mindedorganisationsorgroups. a) How'do'I'send'my'first'tweet?' Thisisverysimpleandwillonlytakeyouacoupleofminutes. 1. Visitwww.twitter.comandensureyouareloggedintoyouraccount 2. Onthehomepage,typeyourmessageintotheboxontheleftthatsays Compose newtweet orclickonthebluebuttonwithafeatheronthetoprighttoposta message.youcanevenclickonthelittlecameratoaddapicture: 3. Youcandothesamefromotherprogramsorfromyoursmartphone b) What'else'can'I'see'on'the'home'tab'of'my'Twitter'account?' Onthetopleftofyourhomepage,willseenumbersindifferentcolumns.Theymaylooksimilar tothebelowandprovideyouwithanicesummaryofyourtwitteraccount.itwon ttakeyou longtogrowyournumberoffollowersonceyoustarttweeting Tutorial44,Page4 Version10LastupdatedMarch2013

6 The tweets numberisself]explanatoryandrepresentsthenumberoftweetsthatyou havesent The following numberrepresentsthenumberofpeopleyouarefollowing The followers numberrepresentsthenumberofpeoplefollowingyou c) How'do'I'search'for'leads'on'Twitter?' Asmentionedabove,Twitterandsearchenginesindexeveryone stweetswhichallowsforan easywaytofinduptodateinformationonanytopicyouwish.forinstance,thetwittersearch engineisapowerfultooltosearchforpotentialbusinessleads.byusingtwitter search,youcan either: Follow common industry topics or brands using hashtags(#)(e.g.#news). The below screenshotsprovidesanexampleofhowtosearchforahashtagandtheresults.the hasthtagsinredwithinthepost. Tutorial44,Page5 Version10LastupdatedMarch2013

7 Searchformoredetailedtermsandinterestgroupsthatcouldleadyoutopotential clients. Other third party applications, such as TweetDeck ( use an Tutorial44,Page6 Version10LastupdatedMarch2013

8 enhanced interactive dashboard, making searching for business leads even easier. Following other Twitter accounts in the tourism industry should allow you to see the peoplewhofollowthem.thisisimportantifyou relookingforpotentialcustomersto directtoyourowntwitteraccount. d) How'do'I'tweet'effectively?' Onceyouhavesentafewtweetsyoumaywonderwhatelseyoucouldsharewiththeworld usingtwitter.thetricktoeffectivetweetingis: Toprovideusefulcontent Toengageinconversationwithyourfollowers Providing&useful&content& AneffectiveTwitteractionplanshouldconcentrateonprovidingregularinformativeupdates. RememberthatoneofthekeyideasbehindbusinessuseofTwitteristoinitiateaconversation withpotentialcustomers. Potential$customers$may$use$a$Twitter$search$to$look$for$information$about$activities$in$the$ region.$ This$ may$ include$ details$ on$ weather,$ festivals,$ sporting$ events,$ markets,$ bushwalks$ etc.$as$well$as$a$brief$history$of$the$region.$these$should$therefore$be$covered$in$your$twitter$ feed s$ regular$ updates.$ For$ instance$ you$ could$ tweet$ about$ today s$ surf$ conditions$ just$ ThebestwaytostartwithTwitterupdatesistosetupautomatedremindersabouttweetingin yourcalendar(outlook,google,diaryorwallcalendar).startwithfouraweekandseehow quickandeasyitis. IF%YOU%HAVE%MASTERED%THIS%YOU%CAN%MOVE%ONTO%TOOLS%SUCH%AS% YOU%TO%PRE9WRITE%YOUR%TWEETS%AND%AUTOMATICALLY%PUBLISH%THEM%AT%PREDETERMINED%DATES.%% Engage&in&conversation& Thiscanbealittlebitmoretimeconsuming approximately5minutesperdayonceyoustart tweetingyouwillseethat: Peoplestarttorespond(whichisfantasticasthisiswhyyouaretweetinginthefirst place) Tutorial44,Page7 Version10LastupdatedMarch2013

9 Youmightcomeacrossandfollowsomeveryinterestingpeopleandbusinessesand mightgainknowledgethatwouldn tbeaccessibleotherwise.forinstance,youcould learnabouteco]certificationandnewpracticesoverseas. OnceyoureachthislevelofengagementyouwillreallyappreciatetoolssuchasTweetDeckthat willbeepjustlikeatelephoneonyourcomputerandinformyouwhensomeoneisaskingyoua questionviatwitter(theymightwanttocheckifyoustillhaveseatsavailableontomorrow s tour). 3. TimeMsaving&Twitter&applications&for&business& Youmaywanttotrytheever]growingnumberofTwitterapplications.ThewebsiteTwittereye ( howtousethem.threeapplicationswithrelevancetosmalltourismbusinessownersare Twitpic,TweetDeckandHootsuite. Twitpic( videosfromthesite,yoursmartphone,tabletor .tweetingpicturesregularly couldgreatlybenefityourbusinessasitshouldservetoattractmorecustomerstoyour destination. TweetDeck&( usefulifyourunanumberoftwitterfeedsorwouldliketointegrateotheraccounts suchasfacebook.keepingaccountsupdated,monitoringfeedbackandsearchingfor leadscanbecomecumbersomeinthissituation.bothtweetdeckandhootsuiteare recommendedapplicationsandactassocialmediadashboardsthatallowtheuserto analyse,interactandmonitoracrossanumberofaccounts. 4. Twitter&case&study&Cairns&Holiday&Homes& CompaniesbothlargeandsmallarenowusingTwittertohelpthemadvertisetheirbusinessand controltheirbrandmessage.anexampleofthesmalleroperatorusingthetechnologywellisthe feedrunbythequeenslandholidaycompanycairnsholidayhomes. AlinktotheTwitterfeedisclearlylabelledonthecompany swebsite.theaccountisregularly updatedandcombinesinformationwithspecialsandavailablelodgingforpotentialtouristsinan accessible,conversationalway( Tutorial44,Page8 Version10LastupdatedMarch2013

10 AimedclearlyattravellersconsideringavisittoTropicalNorthQueensland,theTwitteraccount engageswithitspotentialvisitorsinawelcomingandinformativemanner.thetoneandstyleof thefeedisonethatcouldbereplicatedacrossanumberofsimilartourismoperations. 5. How&to&measure&my&Twitter&strategy&effectiveness?& TherearedifferentfreetoolssuchasTwitonony,Twentyfeet,Twittercounter,TwitSprout,and TwtrlandthatexisttomonitoryourTwitteranalytics.Thisarticlereviewsthefiveofthem: Itisrecommendedthatyoualwaysfocusonsimplemeasurestomonitorsuccessonamonthly links): Retweets: E.g. three tweets were retweeted three times each over a essentialtoolfortourismbusinesses Visitor& traffic& to& the& links& you& posted&in&your&tweets ] Twitter platforms such as TweetDeckallowyoutousedifferenttypesofURLshorteningservices(suchasbit.ly) toallowyoutoshortenthosecharactercounthungryurls.ifyouusesuchaservice you can then access data (e.g. number of times the URL was clicked) to understand howpopularyourcontentwas Number&of&followers& Thenumberoffollowersisn talwaysgoodmeasureasanyone can follow you on Twitter and they may never wish to interact with you or your content.however,ifyouhavejuststartedtousetwitteritcouldbeagoodmeasureto useatthebeginning. Tutorial44,Page9 Version10LastupdatedMarch2013

11 6. Tips&and&tricks&& OnceaTwitteraccounthasbeensetup,manyaccountuserslooktothenattractfollowersina costeffectiveway. AneasywaytoachievethisistoputaTwitter&badge&or&link&on&your&website,directing trafficfromyoursitetoyourtwitterfeed.aslongastheviewerissignedintotheir Twitteraccount,thedistancefromthesitetobeingafollowerofyourTwitterfeedisa meretwoclicks. AnothergoodwaytomakevisitorsawareofyourTwitterpageisto&place&a&sign&in&your& business&with&your&twitter&handle.& Toincreasethechancesofyourpostsbeingseenbypeoplewhoarenotfollowingyou, use&the&hashtag&(#)beforeadescriptivereferencename,whichfollowsyourpost. For$example$if$you$are$located$in$the$Blue$Mountains$you$could$use$#$followed$immediately$ by$ the$ region$ and$ tourism$ (eg$ #bluemountains).$ The$ hashtag$ means$ potential$ customers$ searching$under$this$hashtag$are$likely$to$find$your$post.$ Usedeffectively,Twittercouldbeapowerfulmarketingtoolforyourtourismrelatedbusiness. Andtoendonanevenmoreencouragingnote,marketingyourbusinessonTwitterisfree. 7. Key&learning&outcomes& Twitterisagreattooltocommunicatequicklywiththeworldandpotentialcustomers Ittakeslessthan10minutestosetupaTwitteraccount Usinghashtags(#)willhelpfocusyourtweetstoyourselectedaudience.Youcaneven searchusinghashtagstofindconversationstojoin Thereareanumberofmanagementtoolsavailableforbusinesseslookingtomanage multipleaccountsorscheduletweets Twitteraccountsshouldbepromotedbothonlineandinyourphysicalstorefront All#sceencaptures#twitter.com# 8. Related&material& a) Related'tutorials' Socialmediafortourism Managingmultiplesocialmediaaccounts b) Related'websites' Tutorial44,Page10 Version10LastupdatedMarch2013