Digital Marketing: Expanding Your Digital Footprint
While working with some travel professionals on the topic of “Expanding Your Digital Footprint” my research revealed a rather surprising weak spot. Most of the travel professionals were eager to know the best practices in social media, search engines, websites, newsletters and blogging. But many also quickly confessed to a deficiency of fundamental knowledge on how to get started. Most often, it is the technology we find daunting. It is not hard to understand why many travel professionals have problems with digital marketing. Our passions run to the travel experience, not technology and marketing. To become really proficient in any branch of digital marketing takes precious time and resources. Yet, beyond the technologies, the fundamental skill sets are largely the same whether networking in your local community or digitally.
So while it is typically the technology forming the greatest barrier to entry, I often see critical mistakes made in execution and practice. Marketing is not a one-way stream of information, but a careful and deliberate conversation with clients. Many travel professionals confuse marketing and advertising, so their efforts at marketing look more like newspaper advertising than conversations with clients. If we know how to network at a Chamber of Commerce meeting, we should know how to network on Facebook. If you know how to tell a good story at a social gathering, writing your next blog entry and responding to comments should come naturally. The veneer of technology sometimes masks the similarities and the need for the fundamentals you already know. |
We are going to dive into several different platforms for digital marketing. Each of our discussions will talk about how to get started, considerations geared to travel professionals and best practices.
I am a strong believer in the potential of digital media as a vehicle for your marketing, but one word of warning: there is the temptation to float between each of these digital marketing venues, jumping first to one then another never mastering any. My recommendation would be to adopt those venues where you feel most comfortable, where you can commit the necessary time and effort.
I am a strong believer in the potential of digital media as a vehicle for your marketing, but one word of warning: there is the temptation to float between each of these digital marketing venues, jumping first to one then another never mastering any. My recommendation would be to adopt those venues where you feel most comfortable, where you can commit the necessary time and effort.