conversations with the traveller, ask customers to share images with you on social media, ask them to get in touch with you for new deals, create mobile applications for tourists, and write content for the traveller’ s friend”.
Ms Power also put emphasis on quick response to complaints.“ There is lot of power in what people say.
There are surveys that show more than half of travellers revise their original plans if there is negative social media feedback about their chosen destinations.” Mr. Chad Wiebesick, Director of Social Media and Interactive Marketing for the tourism agency of Michigan state in the US, who spoke
www. metromartdaily. com about opportunities in tourism marketing using social media commended Kerala Tourism’ s use of Facebook to engage with customers, both existing and potential.
“ Kerala Tourism is doing a phenomenal job by making its fans heroes on Facebook. By posting good, user generated content, particularly photographs it is able to constantly generate likes, shares and interest from people,” he said.
Mr Wiebesick pointed out that smartphones have for the first time overtaken desktops and laptops as the most popular device for using social media.“ Companies can drive traffic to their website from
multiple platforms if they have a responsive web design – a template that looks the same whether it is on the desktop, or a tablet or a mobile phone.”
He said firms should measure social media impact not simply by the total number of followers, but by the number that are actually talking about them and the demographics of the followers.
Blogs were also cited as one of the best tools for increasing visibility online.“ Google SEO loves blogs because they have fresh content and lots of it,” said Mr Wiebesick said.
“ A blog is the only social media channel you own. Facebook and Twitter
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