How Social Media Works in Destination Marketing

Does your CVB or tourism office use social media in its destination marketing plan? If not, what are you waiting for?

According to a recent study, 81 percent of all marketers surveyed said their social media efforts have generated exposure to their business, and 61 percent of marketers saw an increase in web traffic. If your destination is not keeping up with trends on social media, your CVB or travel agency is losing money. Here are some ways to promote your travel agency through social media.

1. Search for groups and individual interests on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to find out what people are saying about your destination.

2. Post your blog articles on Digg, Delicious, Reddit, and other social bookmarking sites to generate a wider audience.

3. Constantly update your travel blog with new information, paying attention to Google keywords to improve your search engine results rankings.

4. Make friends with tourists (past and future) to maintain relationships and keep them coming back.

5. Use photo sharing sites to link photos taken by tourists to create a community among people interested in your destination.

6. Travel deals and packages on Twitter, as well as updates on area construction, new businesses, events, and festivals.

7. Offer contests and promotions through social media to help increase your following.

8. Create custom URLs for Facebook and Twitter to provide another contact option for tourists. (for example, facebook.com/yourcvbhere)

9. Create an online network or community among all the businesses in your area to provide more information to your future tourists, as well as generate more traffic back to their profiles.

10. Post videos on a YouTube account of different activities to participate in your destination.

Having an active presence on many social media platforms will not only generate more exposure for your CVB or tourism agency, it will also redirect people to your website.