When it's all about location, Destination Marketers need to pay attention to Twitter. In the very near future, the micro-blogging juggernaut will be debuting location based code in every Tweet.
While the new service will be defaulted to "off" for personal security reasons, imagine the opportunity to target messaging to Tweeps in your destination, offering deals and packages to a finite target audience.
Still think Twitter is stoopid? Think again.
It's a fairly common trait of humans to want to be biggest, best, fastest...first. It's that whole Hierarchy of Needs thing, I guess.
But, when your claim is so out in left field that you're in a completely other ballpark?
In a recent news release, the Maastricht Convention Bureau announced they are now utilizing Twitter and Facebook. They also claim that, "worldwide this is the first site of
a convention bureau effectively making use of web 2.0 and social media marketing
techniques."
Errr...not quite.
In my friend Martin Stoll's latest ranking of DMOs utilizing Twitter, he's tracking over 350 DMOs maintaining accounts. DMAI recently announced that roughly 150 of their DMO members have Facebook accounts. I'm fairly certain at least a few maintain both...and have for months.
Or maybe I'm reading the quote wrong. Maybe the MCB is claiming that they are the first DMO in the world to do it right.
Don't know if they're playing on attending the DMAI Annual Convention...but, if they do, I'm thinking there''ll be a throwdown.
Thanks to my friend Sharon Linton of the Meydenbauer Center for the catch.
When I picked up on this music video rant about United Airlines Tuesday morning from Chris Elliott on Twitter, it had been viewed on YouTube 320 times. Last night it was at 218,000.
The backstory: Last spring, the Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and Dave Carroll's Taylor $3500 guitar was severely damaged. United didn't deny the experience occurred but, for nine months, the airline refused to accept responsibility and finally said they would do nothing to compensate him for his loss. So he promised the last person to finally say "no" that he would write and produce three songs about his experience and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world.
This is the first song. Word on the street is that United is, all of a sudden, interested in talking with Dave.
But, for over 200,000 of their potential customers...it's too late. United Breaks Guitars.
UPDATE (9 July): 10 hours after this post, the video was at 470,000 views :)
UPDATE (10 July): 24 hours later, the video is approaching 1.4 million views. And Dave Carroll speaks out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay7hFIYQFnw What a class act.
UPDATE (17 July): 10 days after being at 320 views, the video has surpassed 3 MILLION views.
It could be if an Illinois judge has his way, according to an article in the Guardian (and thanks to our buddy Meilee Anderson from Seattle Southside for the catch).
Influential Chicago Appeals Judge Richard Posner is concerned that newspapers are a dying breed. So are we. We think they are because they haven't embraced the internet correctly and report nothing but terrifying economic news, in the attempt to snare readers. Except, when they scare the shit out of their readers, their readers stop buying products. When readers stop buying, businesses don't have revenue with which to buy newspaper advertising.
Is it any wonder that newspapers have been complicit in their own demise?
But Posner thinks that it is the bloggers and twitterers linking to newspapers' online content are the culprits. But don't they deliver even more eyes to the online editions of these newspapers through their links? Eyes that wouldn't have, any other way, been there? Shouldn't bloggers and twitterers be thanked (even compensated) for their referrals?
Instead Posner suggests that copywrite laws be expanded to prohibit linking without permission (permission that would ostensibly carry a modest cost). In her e to me, Meilee brought up a very salient point. What happens to DMOs that rely on the ability to link to our partners to promote our destinations? While I doubt that permission wouldn't be granted by most...the time and paperwork that would be required would be astounding.
As is the case in so many areas these days, the attempt to save something seems to screw up the world for everyone else. Here's hoping the web stays free.
There really isn't one. While video may have killed the radio star, Twitter and Facebook have not killed e-mail as an effective communication tool.
Great post from Jason Baer in which he reveals the highly unscientific (but insanely interesting) finds of a recent Twitter-based survey: “Which do you check first in the morning: Twitter, email, voicemail?”
76% check e-mail first. A stat even more interesting because the question was only posed to Twitter afficionadoes.
And more interesting still...less than 5% checked Voicemail first.
While it's not as immediate, e still rocks...and it's not a question of one or the other. It's how to manage them all.
Our friend Martin Stoll has released his May analysis of Destination Marketing Organizations that maintain (in varying states of effectiveness) Twitter accounts. Over 300 North American DMOs are using the service with over 70 boasting over 1000 followers.
Martin is quick to note something that we've feared from the start...that those without a clear strategy and an understanding of what social media means to the target consumer may well be screwing it up for all of us.
Just as spammers screwed up e-mail. As business is screwing up MySpace and Facebook. And will probably do the same to Twitter.
Unless we all get much smarter about how we are using them all.
Seen on a Twitter Profile the other day: "Proof of a new way you can make $10,000 a month and get thousands of followers GUARANTEED!
Dude, given that you only have 463 followers...I'm, err, supposed to believe you?
New research reveals that 88% of marketers say they are using some sort of Social Media...but 72% say they've only been doing it for a few months (and, I'd guess, doing it poorly).
Number One vehicle: Twitter (and now, I don't have to guess...most are doing it poorly).
As to the perceived benefits of Social Media, 81% said it generated "exposure" for their business. 61% responded that they saw increased traffic and opt-in. Only 35%, however, said it helped close business for them.
Still, that's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
As if taking a cue from Wisconsin's new tagline ("Live Like You Mean It"), Ben McConnell from the Church of the Customer blog encourages us all to "Apologize Like You Mean It."
In a post over the weekend, he features a video apology from the owner and manager of a Domino's Pizza store in Chicago. Unscripted, passionate and fun.
And sure to go viral.
One of the bloggers I follow is a guy named Jason Baer (Convince&Convert). His post from yesterday so resonated with me...and elicited a laugh. Because I approach questions in exactly the same way. Google and Wikipedia. And my family always laughs as well, as they watch me reach for my iPhone or laptop when a question with no immediate answer is posed.
You too?
If you're a Destination Marketer, change the title of the post to "The Future of Destination Marketing." Best lines in the post: It strikes me as both exhilarating and terrifying that my children...will live in an age when everything is knowable. No conjecture. No mysteries...Doesn’t the balance of power shift from those that know stuff through study or experience, to those that don’t need to know, but know where to look?
And when we all know where to look, will DMOs be the source of the knowledge the consumer craves?
We'll need to be.
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