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6 Tips for Tourism Industry New Media Marketing
By Christine Dubyts, President
Dubyts Communications Inc.
Did you know that over 2/3 of travelers use the web exclusively to plan their travel? Yup, it's huge. So it wasn't surprising to me that the biggest question on the minds of a group of folks from the tourism industry was how they could use new and social media tactics in their business.
Not surprisingly they all had websites and had all heard of Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube, I mean, unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years, you're aware. But what they wanted to know how to turn this social phenomenon into a cash flow phenomenon for their operations.
Well, the good news is that although it's in the technology realm, you don't have to be a techie to make it work for you. Here are six tips for Tourism Industry new media marketing.
1. Consider your website as the epicenter of all your marketing
This is the place where everything should come together, whether it’s print, electronic, outdoor or social, text, photos, video or audio, email, Facebook, YouTube, or LinkedIn. But beware it doesn’t turn into a dumping ground. It should be professional and intuitive, and visitors have to be able to figure out, “What’s in it for them,” in 20 seconds or less.
2. Facebook is adding half a million new users every day. I’ll bet at least some of those are your ideal customers. Yes?
Setting up a Facebook fan page is fast, easy and can be used to show and tell every single day. Get feedback and insight on service, events and menu items; promote events; share news; encourage trial by offering specials and discounts; have direct dialogue with your customers; promote contests and giveaways; find employees; monitor your reputation and provide complaint resolutions. The opportunities to use this free communications channel are endless.
3. YouTube is getting over 1 billion views per day (Oct 9/09) – video is extremely effective in communicating and creating a lasting brand impression.
Once again, it’s free to set up your YouTube account and easy to upload your video. Catch your guests with their “big catch,” go into the kitchen and get the chef creating one of his masterpieces, special events, Sunday brunch. Get your video camera out and start using it to create a video library that you can then link back to from your website. Are you starting to see how this can work?
4. Twitter anyone? There are over 60 million users and 19% check their status daily
Using Twitter is easy if you’re already using other forms of social media, all you have to do is connect them together so every time you make a Facebook or LinkedIn update it sends out a tweet. BONUS . . . tweets are also now featured in search engine results for Bing and Google.
5. Over 90% of cell phone users have their phones with the 24/7 – hmmmm
It’s like your conscience only with cool ringtones. Text messaging, cell phone aps, .mobi websites. They’re all starting to take shape here in North America. In Europe they’ve had cell phone channels for years! Keep your eye on this one.
6. But beware! It’s not all fun and games in the new media arena.
You can’t control social media. It’s in the hands of the consumer so go in with eyes wide open and be prepared for negatives. You also have to consider how much time you want to spend here. Give it the appropriate amount of resources, considering all the other marketing you’re undertaking.
New and social media tactics can offer huge benefits to the tourism industry where, and I’ll state it again, over 2/3 of travelers use the web to plan their travel. Don’t overlook this huge opportunity but be sure to monitor your time investment against the expected and actual return.
Tourism Marketing in 2010 and Beyond - Marketing tactics for your industry
Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Location: MTEC Learning Centre: 1534 Gamble Place
Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Cost: As a special offer, be one of the first 15 to register and receive a complimentary seat. Regular price $149.00 per person plus GST.
Customer Service Facts That You as a Business Owner or Manager Should Know
Did you know that only 4% of customers ever complain? That means that a business most likely will never hear from 96% of its customers that are not satisfied with their product or service. In fact, complainers are more likely to continue doing business with you than non-complainers.
The good news is that the customers who do complain to you (54%-70%) will do business with you again if you resolve their complaint. If they feel that you acted quickly and to their satisfaction, then up to 95% of them will do business with you again.
It costs five to six times more to attract new customers than to keep old ones. In addition, customer loyalty and the lifetime value of a customer can be worth up to 10 times as much as the price of a single purchase.
Business that provide superior customer service and achieve customer loyalty can charge more, realize greater profits, increase their market share and have customers willing to pay more for their products simply because of the good service. In fact, you can gain an average of 6% a year in market share simply by providing quality service: satisfying and keeping your customers.
*William B. Martin, PhD., Quality Customer Service
Statistics as per Manitoba Contact Centre Association
MANITOBA BEST Service Excellence
Date: Monday, March 22, 2010
Location: MTEC Learning Centre: 1534 Gamble Place
Time: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Cost: $49.00 per person plus GST. Take advantage of this special offer, and join us for a new MANITOBA BEST experience. Regular price $95.00 per person plus GST.
CTHRC Fresh Water Angling and Hunting Guide Meetings
This month MTEC was the host for 2 meetings to review the National Occupational Standards for Hunting and Fishing Guides. In these meetings, guides from across the province had a chance to get together and review, update and clarify the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary for these occupations. Their input will be included in the national review, which is done on a regular basis for over 50 different tourism occupations. We thank all of those who attended and supplied their valuable input.
The Outdoor Adventure and Ecotourism Conference
The Outdoor Adventure and Ecotourism Conference was a huge success! MTEC was pleased to coordinate this conference on behalf of the Tourism Secretariat. Thank you to all of the presenters and registrants that spent 2 days together learning and sharing experiences, best practices and ideas for partnerships for this exciting sector of the industry.
MTEC will be posting the conference presentations and links to information on our site in the coming weeks. Just click on the Conference logo on the MTEC home page, or visit the site by
clicking here.
At a recent tourism industry conference, the participants explored how effective partnerships could help boost travel to their region.
A long chain of 'travel partners' was involved, including national tourism boards, wholesalers, travel agents, airlines, hotels, taxis and transport companies, restaurants, tourist attractions, shopping malls, medical facilities, media representatives and even banks.
The panel discussion was lively. The airline suggested the media should lower advertising rates. The journalist said national tourism boards should provide more up-to-date information. Restaurants asked travel agents to pre-book special meals. Transport companies wanted to tie-in with tourist attractions to ensure all-day bookings.
And everyone wanted the media to run only glowing reports and attractive photographs to lure the tourists closer.
These industry professionals were so busy pointing to the others in the room, they missed the most important ‘travel partner’ of them all – a truly delighted tourist.
After all, which is more likely to influence your choice of a vacation destination? A colorful magazine advertisement? Or a colorful story from your next-door neighbor about his fantastic holiday in the land of his dreams?
Which do you find more credible? A commercial with actresses promising ‘smiles in the air’, or a candid comment from your colleague about the incredible service she receives aboard her favorite airline?
I wonder why the travel industry doesn’t put more emphasis on cultivating positive word-of-mouth from delighted customers as the most important and effective ‘promotional partners’?
For example, premium travelers often receive a basket of fruit and a signed ‘Welcome’ message from the hotel General Manager upon arrival. That’s so common it’s become expected.
How would the same traveler feel if he received a personal ‘Thank You’ note from the General Manager after returning home? Now that might make a difference!
How many airlines routinely say ‘Thank you for flying with us’ over the public announcement system, but never make personal eye-contact while wishing you a truly good day?
Most taxi drivers remember where you are going, but forget how to say ‘Thank you’ when you get there.
Every restaurant gives you a menu to read and a bill at the end of the meal, but how many give you a small coupon or voucher as you leave to invite you back?
Every tourist attraction and shopping mall has restrooms for your convenience, but how many are kept shining clean?
Key Learning Point
Industry partners should cooperate to build a better future. But remember, the greatest partner for your prosperity, progress and promotion is a truly delighted customer.
Action Steps
The next time you attend an industry conference, notice how much time and attention is paid to companies, politics and well-known industry players. Be sure the majority of your time is invested where it gives you the highest return: in attracting, delighting and keeping your best clients.
Copyright, Ron Kaufman. Used with permission.
Ron Kaufman is the world’s leading educator and motivator for upgrading customer service and uplifting service culture. He is author of the bestselling "UP Your Service!" books and founder of UP Your Service! College. To enjoy more customer service and service culture articles, visit UpYourService.com.
Watch your mail-box!
In mid-February, MTEC will be mailing out employer registrations for the 7th Semi-Annual Hospitality and Tourism Job Fair being held April 9, 2010 at the Clarion Hotel in Winnipeg.
Job-seeker notices will be sent out in early to mid March for the same event.
Information will also be available on the MTEC website soon.
If you have any questions about this event, please contact Luanne Christensen at 957-7437 or
lchristensen@mtec.mb.ca.
Looking for the right people to join your team?
To assist in your search, MTEC invites you to post new job opportunities on Manitoba’s first Hospitality & Tourism Job Board.
To post your job descriptions please go to http://mtec.mb.ca/post_a_job.aspx
Looking for new job opportunities?
Sign up to be on the MTEC job notification list. We will notify you through e-mail once a new job has been posted on the website. Please send contact information, including e-mail to Fiona McIntyre at fmcintyre@mtec.mb.ca
Festival and Event Management Masterclass
The Arts & Cultural Industries Association of Manitoba (ACI Manitoba) will be hosting a Festival and Event Management Masterclass. Click on the link for more information or contact Carol Finlay, Training Coordinator, Arts & Cultural Industries Association of Manitoba (ACI Manitoba) t. 204-927-2787 f. 204-927-2789 toll free 1-866-802-1104.
In last month’s Spotlight On section, if you clicked on the link to read more, you may have noticed that it was incorrect. The full article is still available on the website, if you wish to see it. Our apologies.
Thompson Unlimited provides training for city’s ‘Ambassadors’
by Penny Byer
The best ambassadors for a city are not the mayor, councilors or business owners, but the front desk agents and room attendants in the hotels, and the food servers and line cooks in the restaurants. It is these people who will leave the first and lasting impressions on visitors. And in a city like Thompson, where visitors come from every continent, those impressions are important. That is one of the reasons why Thompson Unlimited initiated the ‘Thompson’s Best – Hospitality’ pilot project.
Thompson Unlimited (TU) is the community economic development corporation tasked with ensuring the city’s economy is diversified and sustainable long after a mining presence has left. To this end, it has worked on expanding Winter Weather Testing, supported tourism initiatives and provided assistance to small and emerging businesses. Underlying its efforts, however, is the city’s need to attract more people to careers in the hospitality industry.
“We not only need to attract more people to build careers in hospitality positions, but we also need to keep and develop the ones we have,” said Roxie Binns, Development Coordinator with TU. “To this end, we formed a partnership with several agencies and businesses and developed a project that could not only introduce people to the field, but also provide additional training for those already in the field.”
The list of partners is impressive: Manitoba Tourism Education Council (MTEC), Manitoba Competitiveness, Training and Trade, Manitoba Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade (Industry Workforce Development), Manitoba Employment and Income Assistance, YWCA (Steps to Success/Entry to Work in the North), and Thompson Unlimited
Components of the 12-week program were open to anyone currently unemployed or underemployed, as well as those already employed. It began with the Entry to Work in the North (EWIN) training offered by the YWCA’s Steps to Success program. EWIN covered topics such as attitude and its effects on job satisfaction, ability to learn, and success; basic employability skills such as numeracy, computer and problem solving; and a primer on the hospitality industry, which included everything from the basics of customer service to handling lost and found concerns.
MTEC then moved the group into more specific hospitality/tourism training, covering such topics as safe food handling, customer service skills and job specific skills for Front Desk Attendants, Food and Beverage Servers and Line Cooks. Managers were also able to participate in the workshops, and also had management-specific workshops made available to them.
Other training topics ranged form CPR to WHMIS to maintaining a professional appearance while at work, motivation, workplace expectation and cultural considerations.
“The commitment from our business sector was very impressive,” said Roxie. “The Burntwood Hotel housed most of the training and job shadowing, along with the Mystery Lake Hotel and Baaco Pizza. They also enabled some of their staff to participate in parts of the training. Without their support and participation, the course could not have taken place so effectively
“We would do it again,” said Keith MacDonald, President of the Thompson Chamber of Commerce and Assistant Director of Operations, Northern Properties of the Burntwood Hotel group. “We, of course, have a vested interest in and want people to see the hospitality industry as a career choice. This training, in particular, is valuable as the training is valid across Canada. I would like to see this program offered again, and I would like to see it expanded to include the retail industry.”
As for the participants, they have offered positive comments on the quality of instruction and instructors and the range and relevancy of training topics, including life skills: You have brilliant instructors. It has helped my self-esteem. I thought I knew everything about my job, but realize there are better ways to handle things. I learned things that had never before occurred to me. I have hope. The job shadowing brought things together.
“Although the participation was lower than we had targeted, the feedback is positive and we have had several people asking about attending future training because of it,” said Cat Cogle of the YWCA’s Steps to Success program. Requests for training have also come from the Northern Spirit Manor and the City of Thompson.
“I think we have planted a lot of seeds with this pilot program,” said Luanne Christensen, Employment Services Coordinator with MTEC. “The willingness of business and organizations to participate is amazing. The job shadowing portion of the program was especially helpful in adding to non-working participants’ confidence level. Will we add to the workforce through programs like this? Yes.”
“As one of the funders, we recognize the need to attract and retain people in the service industry in Thompson,” said Phil Chaddock, Regional Manager of Manitoba Competitive, Training and Trade. “It is particularly gratifying to have so many people partner to fill a need, such as we have in this sector, and to be able to bring together people already employed in the service industry, people on social assistance and others who are unemployed.”
“I’m so excited that others are asking about this training,” concluded Roxie. “The potential to build our workforce and provide training to help them excel is wonderful. And as they excel, we will develop a service industry in Thompson that has a reputation for excellence.”
For more information on the Thompson’s Best – Hospitality project, contact Roxie Binns at binns@thompsonunlimited.ca.
Changing Reality for Retirees
The mass exodus of Canadian baby boomers may not be as dramatic as originally expected – 31 per cent of people between the ages of 53 and 62 say they are more than 5 years away from retirement and only 23 per cent hope to stop working completely once they retire, according to a survey of 1,524 workers. Among retired Canadians, 16 per cent continue to work, either because they need money for personal projects (46 per cent) or the economy has decimated their retirement income (29 per cent).
Source: Rethink Retirement 2009, Desjardins Financial Security
Are you a Business Owner, Supervisor or Manager in the Hospitality or Tourism Industry?
As we are well aware, Safety is growing concern in our Province and our Government has set out specific legal requirements for Employers, Supervisors and Workers under General Duties in the Manitoba Provincial Workplace Safety & Health Act W-210.
Did you know?
Manitoba W210 Act States:
4(1) every employer shall ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of all his workers and comply with the Act and Regulations.
4(2) b it is the duty of the Employer to provide and maintain a workplace, necessary equipment, systems and tools that are safe and without risks to health.
B) Provide to all his workers such information, instruction, training, supervision and facilities to ensure the safety, health and welfare at work of all his/her workers.
(h) Ensure that all of the employer's workers are supervised by a person who is competent, because of knowledge, training or experience, to ensure that work is performed in a safe manner
4.1 Supervisors are to ensure that a worker under his or her supervision works in the manner and in accordance with the procedures and measures required by the Act and Regulations.
These are just a few of many requirements a Provincial Safety and Health Officer would expect you to have in place and understand upon an inspection of your workplace. Don't risk potential fines or improvement orders.
SAFE Hospitality is now offering a complimentary session geared specifically to assist supervisors, managers and owners in knowing how to perform their legal duties and obligations in accordance to the Act. These sessions include a free copy of the W210 Act and Regulation.
Our next sessions will be held
March 9th and March 23rd.
"Chaos in the world brings uneasiness, but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth."