Turn Tweets Into Travel

Presented by Sherry Heyl

Turning Tweets Into Travel

Connecting Social to the 10 Stages of Travel Planning

About Me:

• Started working in social media in October 2005 (What a Concept! /Concept Hub)

• Ran my first influencer marketing campaign in 2007 • Co-Founder of SoCon the first social media conference in

Metro-Atlanta • Co-Founder of The Change Challenge • Co-Founder of the TAG Enterprise 2.o SIG (Now Social

Business SIG) • Managing Director of Sensei Project • Mom of 2 boys, an aspiring stand-up comedian and a

future rock start.

@SherryHeyl / @SenseiProject

I’m Not Kidding!

Today, when we need an escape, we turn to the mobile apps on our smart phones and the Internet. When we need a

mental break from work, we turn to our social networks. When we need to escape boredom we turn to our news feeds. When we need to avoid an awkward moment we face one of

our many digital screens.

So it should be no surprise that when we need a break, an escape, a getaway we turn to our social networks, news feeds

and various digital screens to plan a vacation.

A recent survey from Leadsift showed that 52% of the participants used social media to plan their vacations. Are you

connecting with them?

Becoming an Influencer - Align your content to vacation stages

1. Dreaming 2. Researching 3. Planning 4. Confirming 5. Comparing 6. Booking 7. Experiencing 8. Sharing 9. Recommending 10.Reflecting


Imagine you're the publisher of a magazine with a million readers that you can reach out and interact with directly whenever you want–that's the power influencers have on social media.

Today I will demonstrate how you can leverage wide-reaching, influential, and interactive users on social platforms to boost your signal and lead to bookings.


The Dreaming Stage is a collecting stage.

- Inspire Bucket List Destinations

- Share the Vision

- Make the Vision Accessible

The Researching Stage happens when the decision has been made to get away.

- Target Deals to Specific Tweets

- Listen and Answer Questions

Listen and EngagePlan your listen and engage strategy for each stage of a person’s vacation.

Prepare to provide customer service online. Amplify (Share) what they are posting.



Influencer marketing continues to gain in popularity because it works.

People have always looked to their peers and role models for recommendations and inspiration.

Find your Influencers

The best marketers can do is to proactively guide the experience an

influencer is having with your brand.


When Would You Work With Influencers?


1. You do not have the internal resources or support to launch and manage your own social media efforts

2. Your current social media efforts needs a boost

3. To create a network of brand ambassadors

4. You are launching a new product or experience that you would like to generate buzz around.


To create a network of brand ambassadors


Results:The local ambassadors who participated did so because they were building their own personal brands and benefited by being hailed as the local experts by their city. The travelers benefited by getting real information by real people as opposed to slick marketing jargon that they typically have to sort through when planning a trip.


You are launching a new product or experience that you would like to generate buzz around


Results:

We selected 8 of the top influencers in the country each with a unique but relevant content niche, such as family travel, Architecture, Overseas Travel and so forth. From the 8 influencers the stories of their experience at the hotel netted over 10 million with $115,000 of media equivalency value.


What to look for when evaluating which influencers to look for:

• Following/Reach • Level of Engagement • Quality and Consistency of Content • Relevancy to Your Brand and Goals


Setting Expectations:

Influencers are making a living Tweeting, Pinning, and Posting Top Pinterest stars are now earning as much as $250,000 per year.

You can create win-win opportunities to work with Influencers in lieu of money.

Influencers are people and they will work with people they have relationships with.

Create an experience to guide the content you want influencers focus on. Openly engage with the influencer online about their experience with your brand.

Choose wisely who you work with.@SherryHeyl / @SenseiProject

Closing the Loop

1. Develop Content/Editorial Calendar 2. Search to see who else is having similar

conversations. Respond/Retweet. 3. Look for people posting questions or sharing their

plans. Help them. 4. Post calls to action. 5. Work with Influencers


Who Are You Going to Engage With and How?

Sherry Heyl [email protected]