1. Why social media is here to stay Isle of Wight February 24, 2015 Steve Keenan, Travel Perspective

2. Why social media is here to stay  It’s the new customer service  I don’t have time for social media!  Agreed! But consider this…  Where do I start?  A brief introduction to Twitter, Instagram, Facebook  A briefer look at video  Getting started

3. The rise of social media “natives” www.travelperspective.co.uk Growing numbers of people use social media

4. Guests use social for research/reviews  Facebook says people are 80% more likely to book a trip from a friend liking a page than from responding to a traditional ad  42% of milestones posted on Facebook are about travel  60% of people factor in online opinions into their travel decisions www.travelperspective.co.uk

5. It’s the new customer service  TWO-THIRDS of people have used social media for customer service reasons, such as complaints and observations (there’s a giraffe in my cereal)  THREE QUARTERS of guests expect to have the opportunity to leave a review of their stay (there was this giraffe…) www.travelperspective.co.uk

6. Many of you will say…

7. Agreed! But consider this  1. Social media creates leads for your business

8. Agreed! But consider this  1. Social media creates leads for your business  2. It creates new relationships with peers and suppliers

9. Agreed! But consider this  1. Social media creates leads for your business  2. It creates new relationships with peers and suppliers  3. It personalises you and helps build a fan base

10. Sign me up. Where do I start?  Twitter: For news, occasional offers, links, retweets of interesting snippets. Chat, basically – and customer service

11. Twitter

12. Where do I start?  Twitter: For news, occasional offers, links, retweets of interesting snippets. Chat, basically – and customer service  Instagram: Photos of your place and surroundings. Reposting of guest photos. And short 15-second videos

13. Instagram: guest photos

14. Instagram: Little Moon Cottage

15. Instagram: Hillside Hotel, Ventnor

16. … and for sharing

17. Facebook for sociability

18. Where do I start?  Twitter: For news (and links to website), occasional offers, links, retweets of interesting snippets. Chat, basically – and customer service  Instagram: Photos of your place and surroundings. Reposting of guest photos. And short 15-second videos  Facebook: Conversations, video, occasional offers, personal, history. Can spend your precious advertising money on very specific markets. It’s where guests most likely to leave comments and reviews

19. Share your stories Find Visit Isle of Wight on Facebook and Twitter and let them know what’s going on. Use the hashtag #isleofwight and #VisitWight on all of your content, including Instagram

20. I’m exhausted. What else?

21. Getting started  Take a day or two to build your social channels. Be consistent with the name and image  Add prominent links to your website

22. Getting started  Sketch out an annual content calendar: how do you want to promote yourself?  Add spontaneous posts when relevant: stay fresh and reactive. Like The Archers…  Personalise your posts. It’s social media: you and your business are the story  Start building a photo library covering year-round activity. Create stockshots for use when nothing else is happening  Set aside time, in the morning and evening, to post and browse. Keep it to 30 minutes in total. And 30 mins on Sunday, when most people research travel When to post: Twitter and Instagram: once or twice a day Facebook: two or three times a week Use Hootsuite/Tweetdeck to schedule Twitter postings

23. Nine reasons to use social media  1 Increased traffic to your website  2 Improved sales in the long run  3 New partnerships gained  4 Reduced marketing expenses  5 Personalises you: ability to build a loyal fan base  6 Learn how to deal with customer complaints/service  7 Stay abreast of new media: drones, augmented reality  8 Late sales channel  9 Stay in touch with your guests – and guests’ kids www.travelperspective.co.uk

24. And stick with it: it’s here to stay

25. Thank you  Steve Keenan  www.travelperspective.co.uk  @stevenkeenan  steve.keenan@travelperspective.co.uk