Tag Archives: Tourism

Feb20

QR Codes: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Anne Hornyak

QR Codes: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

QR Codes aren’t new but they’re becoming more mainstream now. Many brands and destinations are using them effectively but users’ expectations are starting to change.

What are they?

A QR Code (Quick Response Code) can be scanned by a smart phone and will take the user to a website, a vCard or compose an email. Most of the uses I’ve seen take users to a website. For some basic QR Code tips, check out this #tourismchat highlights post on QR Codes.

How to use a QR Code

Don’t just slap a code on something. Even though QR Codes are becoming more and more mainstream, it’s essential to provide some type of educational steps for those users who have never seen a QR Code before. Even if it’s a one-liner that says “Scan this with your smart phone.” If you have more room, tell users to download a QR Code reader on their smart phone.

How are brands using them? (the Good)

One of my all-time favorite stores, The Home Depot, uses QR Codes on their flowers and plants. Scanning the code takes you to a site that lists more information about the plant, such as the light, water and spacing needed. Check it out yourself! Click on the photo for a larger image. Read the rest of this entry →

Feb20

Best Practices for Facebook from #tourismchat

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Anne Hornyak

Best Practices for Facebook from #tourismchat

#tourismchat is a twitter chat focused on social media in the tourism industry. Our Nov 3 (2011) chat featured Facebook as the topic.

Even though Facebook is constantly changing (and I’m way behind in my blog), I wanted to share these #tourismchat highlights here. I think a lot of the tweets in this chat can help you build a solid strategy or inspire you to try new things on Facebook.

Q1: Is your page geared towards leisure tourism only? Do you have separate niche pages?

jennrush03 We just have the one page for our CVA that’s mainly leisure travel. Our other 2 facebook pages are for events we run.
scullyano We have one FB page for all leisure, meetings, groups, weddings, etc.
thefrontrowe Our page is predominantly leisure tourism, but also aimed at growing local advocacy.
maddenmedia A1: Facebook works best with B2C markets. Might be best to create a custom B2B app/tab dedicated to a specific niche on 1 page.

Q2: How often do you update your Facebook page? What time? Evenings/weekends too?

emilyforsha Plan is to move toward twice daily, morning and evening.
maddenmedia No more than three times a day, but we strive for one to two posts per day on pages we administer.
bobf_vstpgh We generally update no more than 2-3 times per day and try to keep several hours between posts.

Q3: What tabs do you have on your page? Welcome tab, booking engine, etc. Are you tracking links to these tabs? Read the rest of this entry →

Jan5

Savannah – a #winning CVB

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Anne Hornyak

Savannah – a #winning CVB

How do you know when a CVB is doing a FANTASTIC job on twitter?

When they get a review like this from a travel professional:

Amy Brock is the epitome of a Tourism Geek. If you’re in the tourism industry, put her on your watch list!

Dec5

#tourismchat Highlights: Social Media Contests

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

#tourismchat Highlights: Social Media Contests

Our latest #tourismchat (December 1, 2011) focused on social media contests. A lot of the chat participants have managed contests in Facebook but not too many had experience with Twitter or Flickr contests. Below are my highlights from the chat. Check out the entire chat transcript for all the details.

Have you managed any social media contests for your DMO? What were the results?

@pagetx Yes. We’ve done Flickr photo contests for 2 yrs. Increased social fans, engagement, & # of photos in group. Success!
@MontanaTia We did our first giveaway this summer via facebook and increased the # of fans on our page.
@SarahElam Yes, we’ve done 2 very successful ones on FB. One geared towards outdoor fun, one on shopping. Increased fans & exposure!
@stefanieksays Yes, had amazing results w/ Facebook contest especially if supported with ads. See fans sticking around even after it ends.
@emilyforsha Flickr photo contests and some ticket giveaways on Twitter. Great engagement on both. Flickr gets us great content.
@ParadiseMeeting Our social media contests have been free nights at hotels. The response was phenomenal! Everyone wants to visit Florida.
@catherineheeg Facebook contest to gain fans and photos. Now working on a web-based contest to gain exposure to Trvl. agents

What were the goals for your social media contests?

@stefanieksays email address acquisition/phone number acquisition is always a big goal for clients I have worked with.
@catherineheeg goal was to gain more photos to be used in future marketing campaigns. Fans increased as well.
@CygnetUpdates consider results/goals that go beyond raw numbers. Are people continuing to engage AFTER the contest ends?
@SarahElam Increased fan base and general vb exposure…and fan interaction!
@pagetx Our goals were increased awareness of region & getting more photos in our Flickr group. Wanted active shots, not scenery.
@jeremy_harvey Definitely increase fans (& keep them), but also get some good interactions and conversations going!
@ShuttersSecrets We’ve seen the best results from contests where people have to do more than “like” us. Continued engagement is key.
@seanmdixon Recent (and awesome) side effect of last FB campaign: 150+ written FB Recommendations.

Which platforms or networks are best for contests? With which goals? Read the rest of this entry →

Nov30

#tourismchat Highlights: QR Codes

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

#tourismchat Highlights: QR Codes

The October 13 #tourismchat discussed QR Codes and their use in the tourism industry. Take a few minutes to read the entire chat transcript. For a condensed version, here are my highlights:

What’s the most creative use you’ve experienced with QR codes in tourism?

@maddenmedia I’ve seen them used on visitor signs to download maps of the area, especially for hikers.
@JoeGiessler We’ve incorporated our ‘hi’ logo into some QR code designs & used it on banners at trade shws to link to FB/mobi site
@TomMartin on personalized DM: scan>>personalized microsite w/personalized video inviting MP to host meeting in city
@WhosYourAnnie I love the @VisitSanAntonio River Walk QR Code tours: http://t.co/cFcTvlTj
@thompsonpaul using a QR code to visitor content/apps on the door of a Visitor Info Centre for when they’re closed
@WhosYourAnnie here are a few other QR Code/tourism examples via @travel2dot0: http://t.co/SFg5Waiy
@JoeGiessler An Ohio wine fstvl used them at lines so ppl could get info on the winery they were ab to try while waiting

What’s the most creative use of QR codes in non-tourism campaigns?

@xSiteable Love the World Park campaign example. http://t.co/K4Xx3aLt
@TomMartin Best three non-tourism uses I’ve seen http://t.co/Q5bzVgM7
@theresaoverby Great QR on the planting instruction card of perennials at Lowe’s this season. Fun info.
@xSiteable I’m a big fan of how the Lion Nathan Wine Group wines used QR codes: http://t.co/UI7vNJAN Real VALUE for the consumer!
@pagetx I liked REI’s QR use: http://t.co/90oBGm9J Sent you to a live hashtag stream of how people spent their dividend check.

Have you used QR Codes before? Where? Read the rest of this entry →

Sep19

September 1 #tourismchat Highights: Multimedia

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

September 1 #tourismchat Highights: Multimedia

Photos, videos, podcasts — they’re all assets DMOs can use to further promote their destination. The September 1 #tourismchat focused on creating and using these types of assets. Feel free to read the entire chat transcript (from the amazing Chirpstory site) or for a quick summary, here are my highlights:

How do you obtain photo/video assets? (create in-house, hire photog/videographer, etc)

@jeremy_harvey We do both. Hire prod co for big projects; in-house for vodcast-type vids.
@TomMartin combination… create, cajole, hire out and sometimes reward (as in consumer gen content)
@jennrush03 We have our in-house video production manager and interns. Photos it’s either staff or freelance work from local photographers
@theresaoverby I buy a lot of stock photos from local photographer. Video is some agency, some in-house, but not enough assets..
@katiecook A combo of everything you stated. Also ask photographers to use their images for free (gives them exposure)
@pagetx We curate a group on Flickr. Works like a charm for photos. We also hold an annual photo contest.
@wilkinsh We are using all ways to acquire video and photo. Even recruiting college students.
@DanielleRauch photographer & our staff. We ask partners too

What is the ratio of professional vs. amateur content that your CVB owns/creates?

@katiecook 70/30 professional vs amateur.
@TunicaMS We are working on a plan but it looks like 35% pro and 65% am
@MaddenMedia Not a CVB, but I think a good 50% pro to inspire the other 50% to participate
@pagetx Prolly 90-95% amateur on Flickr. We sometimes use our company’s videos, as well as from other professional entities.
@Beaumartian right now it’s about 60 Prof /40 Amateur at the moment.
@wilkinsh 85% amateur, 15% prof. but that scale will soon change.
@jeremy_harvey We’re about 90% pro vs. 10% in house. We do a lot of video.
@jennrush03 Photos about 85% in house (that’d be the amateur side!) Use professionals mainly for annual visitor map, special needs…
@theresaoverby 80% pro, 20% amateur

Are you using audio in any way? (podcasts, itunes, etc) Read the rest of this entry →

Aug31

Postcards

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

Postcards

I like vintage postcards. Not just for their images but for the stories they tell. And I believe that postcard writing is truly and art form. A lost art at that.

Sheri, a twitter friend, tweeted The lost art of postcard writing earlier this month and we began talking about postcards over twitter. She set up a PO Box so her Facebook friends could send postcards to her kids and I thought that was a wonderful idea!

I asked her for her PO Box address so I could also send them one. Well suburbia isn’t the easiest place to pick up a postcard so it took me a few weeks to find postcards. But I finally found some at the Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond, IN. By the way, if you’re looking for The Christmas Story memorabilia, go to their gift shop.

The plan is to regularly mail postcards to Sheri’s kids. Hopefully I’ll be able to travel more so the postcards won’t all be of Indiana or Chicago but I stocked up at the Welcome Center just in case. If you’re interested in sending them a postcard, please message me for their address. Read the rest of this entry →

Aug30

Join the #tourismchat Conversation

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

Join the #tourismchat Conversation

#tourismchat is a biweekly twitter chat focusing on Social Media in the Tourism Industry. It’s held on Thursdays at 2pm CST. If you’re not familiar with it, this is your personal invitation to participate, or at least lurk, in the chat!

How?

If you use TweetDeck or HootSuite, set up a search column for #tourismchat. My preference is TweetDeck as it brings in new tweets automatically in real-time.

If you don’t use TweetDeck or can’t keep up with the constant tweets, try TweetChat. This site automatically adds the #tourismchat hashtag at the end of every tweet, which is a great benefit. Tip: sign in with your twitter account and move the refresh speed down to 5 seconds.

Why?

#tourismchat is FREE.
CVBs and others in the tourism industry share their social media knowledge and experience. For free.
It’s like attending specific social media sessions at tourism conferences but better.
And if you needed another reason: Read the rest of this entry →

Aug22

Google Maps mashups

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

Google Maps mashups

Maps are an integral part of tourism marketing and creating a custom Google Map is one of the easiest ways to highlight specific parts of a destination. Maps can be made for thematic itineraries, hotels or even for things to see or do around a convention center. They can range from being rather simple with a just an address, website and/or description for each venue to something more complex featuring photos, videos and blog posts.

Tourism Queensland ran a Best Job in the World campaign in 2009 and the winner, Ben Southall, has embarked on another Queensland adventure, The Best Expedition in the World, which started in May and will be completed in September. A Google Map was created to show his 1600km kayak journey from the Town of 1770 to Cooktown, retracing the route of Captain James Cook.

The journey is an incredible feat on its own but the Best Expedition in the World Map is a mashup of Flickr photos, YouTube videos, blog posts and breathtaking 360° views. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tag Archives: Tourism

Savannah – a #winning CVB

Postcards