SAFETY BRIEFING

ENGAGING THE LONG TAIL

Using the Power of User Generated Content & Social Media to Market Travel

Stephen JoyceCEO Sentias Software Corp.

Who is Stephen Joyce?

President & CEO of SentiasPresident of IFITT North AmericaVice-Chair North Vancouver Chamber of CommercePublisher of the Tips from the T-ListAvid Travel Industry Blogger14 Years of Internet Consulting Experience

LONG TAILLONG TAILLONG TAILSOCIAL MEDIA

what is the

LONG TAIL?

selling

less

oflessmore

NICHE

“We sold more books today that didn't sell at all yesterday than we sold today of all the books that did sell yesterday.” Amazon

EmployeeLongtail.typepad.com

HUH ?

I AM THE LONG TAILThe long tail is about catering to individual taste & desire through abundance of choice.

CTC Explorer quotient is one way of catering to travel motivators.

LONG TAIL OF TRAVELExperiences and destinations that cater to a traveler's specific needs or desires.

Adventure

Wine Culinary

Art River

LONG TAIL EXAMPLEEnvironmentally conscious family wants a sightseeing tour at their destination in a green vehicle.

LONG TAIL EXAMPLE

YES, IT CAN WORK...

... the product inventory exists and can be available for search and purchase ONLINE.

IF

NICHE IN CHINA

If you're one in a million, there are still a thousand of you.

LONG TAILLONG TAILLONG TAILSOCIAL MEDIA

is ?social mediaWHAT

“Social computing is not a fad. Nor is it something that will pass you or your company by. Gradually, social computing will impact almost every role, at every kind of company, in all parts of the world.”

Forrester ResearchSocial Computing

of ?social media

ASPECTS

PARTICIPATION

Encourages feedback from everyone!

Audience = Contributor

TRANSPARENCY

Openness, sharing, comments are encouraged.

Fakers will be caught!

CONVERSATION

Social media is a conversation not a monologue.

COMMUNITY

Promote common interests and foster sharing of information and opinions.

CONNECTIONS

Social media is by definition, connected to people, sites, and resources.

LIKEWHAT

?

Find people who offer up their couches to travelers.

Share travel experiences and find people with similar interests at your destination.

Meet other travelers, share tips, create travel blogs.

Open hotel, destination, attraction, & cruise reviews, with photo sharing, and comments.

Hotel reviews from travelers with Meta-search.

SOWHAT

?

... and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media.

113 Million Blogs

... watched everyday on YouTube.

100 Million Videos

... on Facebook

90 Million Users

... on MySpace

185 Million Users

BUTWHY

?

Humansar

eSOCIAL

We live inCOMMUNIT

IES

We shareEXPERIEN

CES

We seekCOMPANIONS

Social networks let us be human

... only more efficiently

Remember overheads?

LONG TAILLONG TAILLONG TAILSOCIAL MEDIA

NOWWHAT

?

JOIN

IN

350+ Social Networks

By participating, you...

establish your

expertise

Darren Cronian, from the U.K., has built a strong reputation as a consumer travel advocate.

By being open, you...

build credibility

Bill Marriott's blog is considered one of the best corporate blogs in the travel industry.

By contributing, you...

demonstrategenerosity

Claude Bernard, from France, is a great resource for interviews and insight in travel marketing.

By being community minded, you...

continue the conversatio

n

Tips from the T-List brings travel bloggers together and promotes discussion and debate.

By sharing, you...feed the

web

The T4 blog is #3 on page 1 of Google for 5.5 Million results.

BUTHOW

?

Share your wordsStart sharing your

experiences and traveler experiences using a blogging platform like blogger.com or wordpress.com.

Share your picturesUse flickr.com to host

photos of your destination or tours. Write short but detailed descriptions. Use relevant keywords.

314,000 Photos tagged with “British Columbia”

Share your videosUse YouTube.com to host

and share your marketing videos, tv spots, interviews, and more. Add descriptions and keywords.

23,000 Videos tagged with Calgary

BECOME THE AUTHORITYTag your text, photos, and videos so that you become the authority for your destination or travel product.

Who owns your destination?

perceptionIS realityONLI

NE

HOW DOES IT APPLYTRAVEL

?TO

DESTINATIONS

Encourage local tour, activity, and event providers to make their products available for search and purchase on-line.

RETAILERS

Encourage your suppliers to make their products available for search and purchase on-line.

SUPPLIERS

Get your products on-line and in a format that is searchable and can be distributed ONLINE.

SUPPLIER GENERATED CONTENT

VS.AGGREGATOR

GENERATED CONTENT

Like user generated content. Suppliers control the content, pricing, & inventory. Content is consistent across multiple distribution channels.

SGC

Like traditional media. Content is controlled by the aggregator. Aggregators tightly control distribution.

AGC

REDUCE : Duplication

RE-USE : Existing Content

RECYCLE : Your assets

2010 OPPORTUNITY2 Billion people will be looking at Vancouver, BC, and Canada. 1.3 Billion will look ONLINE for travel information.

WHATTO DO

?

CONTENT

it is all about

Improving information Relevance (fit) & trust can increase shopper satisfaction & improve loyalty.Effect of Utilitarian & Hedonic Motivations on Consumer Satisfaction with Travel Websites.University of Central Florida, Ohio State UniversityInformation Technology & Tourism, Vol. 10 pp. 75 - 89

ENGAGEyour stakeholders

LEADby example

Banff Lake Louise has a “Share Your Story” section that allows visitors to submit photos and videos.

SHARE

your assets

CTC uses CleanPix.com to host digital images and video that can be shared on-line.

DISCOVER

your audience

READ

what they read

COMMENT

on interesting posts

CONNECT

with your audience

BUILDsomething for

THEM

INVITEthem to help you

INVITE

feedback

RESPOND

to feedback ... always

and always

ALWAYS !

STAY

ENGAGED

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