Day 2 Recap: EyeForTravel Social Media Strategies 2010

Finished another full day of ideas at EyeForTravel’s Social Media Strategies 2010….

Susan Black opened with some interesting numbers on why people follow you in social media: 32% for offers & discounts, 19% for new products and services, 19% to be entertained. We need to remember that social media does not replace our other marketing & advertising responsibilities. We need to use multiple channels to reach everyone.

Brian Boland from Facebook thinks the reason behind social media’s explosive growth is that people naturally want to connect and share. Social media is not just another distribution channel. You need to think how you can become part of the social graph. Try to build your presence as an authentic personality online.

Michael Perhaes from MGM Grand said, “ “Twitter is not a direct marketing platform for us.” Instead he feels the platform is a big opportunity for hospitality companies to serve guests in real time. They use multiple accounts for multiple topics and voices. He recommends creating personas around your various accounts.

Mark Guerette from Alaska Airlines reminded us there are 3 stages a person goes through in travel: planning, the trip itself, and reminiscing. As marketers we may be too focused on the “planning” stage – and need to think about reaching people at other times. I also loved how Alaska Airlines has multiple customer advisory boards – bringing frequent fliers in to talk with their various departments on how to improve the experience.

Yen Lee from Uptake brought solid research data (as always). I enjoyed hearing his thoughts on how social media will develop over the next few years. He explained that a Social Graph is people you connected with, while an Affinity Graph connects people with similar interests. What’s next for travel & search? Technology that recognizes emotion and the meaning of online content.

Claire Elias from STA Travel closed us off with a very important topic: how to get our employees involved in our social media outreach. Empowering them to become online ambassadors can be a very powerful concept. They can take your brand message, localize it, and put their personality behind it. To do this successfully, you need to train and guide them in how to participate, but avoid just overwhelming them with a big list of rules. Instead, make it fun!

All in all I found attending this event a very rewarding experience. Thanks to Gina Baillie at EyeforTravel for putting everything together, and Susan Black for moderating the discussions. Great job!