Courtesy of Coos Bay-North Bend VCB/David Miller

Located on Oregon’s coast, Coos Bay is known for its great fishing, crabbing, and clamming.  These are extremely popular activities with visitors, as well as being major contributors to the local economy.

Every so often, DMOs have to go through the process of updating their marketing materials – including websites.  Coos Bay is wrapping up its redesign as we speak.  Wanting to do justice to the local fishing opportunities in the redesign, Katherine Hoppe (Director of Promotions and Conventions) employed a simple, yet effective technique.  She asked some questions.

Kat met with an official from the Fish and Wildlife department to get his input on organizing the fishing content on her website.  Specifically, he showed Kat how to categorize the content in a way that makes sense to fishermen – not website designers.  Simple?  Yes.  Smart?  Absolutely.   A DMO’s mission is to make its destination’s content easy to find and make it useful to visitors.  So in this case, simple is best.

Are there activities in your destination that are popular with specific niche user groups?  If they are important market segments (and if you want more of them), why not get some input from them on how best to organize and display the information they need?  Seems to me like it would be time well spent.

Our topic was “Sharing Your Destination with the World: Lessons Learned Using Flickr.”  Katie and I both have Flickr groups for our destinations, and use them extensively as a source for user-generated content.

Check out the Colorado River Trail Flickr group and the Visit Austin Texas Flickr group to see the amazing material we have to work with.

During the session, Katie and I shared our goals in using Flickr, showed some examples of how we integrate Flickr photos into our other social media channels, compared and contrasted our Flickr Photo Contests, and shared some helpful tips on how using Flickr can be a DMOs best friend.  I’ve embedded our presentation from Slideshare below – hope you enjoy it!

What could be nicer?  This year I experienced #SoMeT as both an attendee and a presenter.  I got to share the stage with my friend Katie Cook with the Austin, TX Convention and Visitors Bureau for the first time, and I couldn’t have been more excited.

Dave Serino and the #SoMeT team have been great to work with.  But one of the coolest things about this conference is how they treated their presenters.  Here’s a shot of a welcome message that was waiting for me in my hotel room:

Scanning the QR Code took me to a video from Dave welcoming me to the conference and thanking me for being a presenter.  But it wasn’t a generic message that he sent to everyone.  Dave took the time to shoot customized videos for each of the #SoMeT presenters.  They rocked.  Each had personal touches and mentioned specific things that Dave either knew about me or knew I appreciated.  Like running.  And wine.  Take a look:

As conference hosts and organizers, how hard is it really to do something like this?  It takes a little bit of your time, but the payback is reaped in the good will you’ll receive from your presenters.  So take note and watch this conference now and in the coming years.  It’s not just the content that’s cutting edge, it’s the way the #SoMeT can make technology personal.

Thanks, Dave!

I had an errand to run during lunch, so I decided to swing by one of my favorite local burger joints – Mighty Fine Burgers in the Austin, TX area – to grab a cheeseburger to go.  Being the social media addict that I am, I checked in at Mighty Fine on Foursquare and tweeted it.

Then the magic happened.  In the time it took me to get my cheeseburger and drive back to the office (about 30 minutes), another burger restaurant saw my tweet and responded to it.

What were the odds Red Robin Gourmet Burgers was already following me and just happened to notice this?  I’d venture to say slim to none.  What is much more likely is that Red Robin was listening.

I do workshops and seminars on social media marketing for small businesses.  The workshops cover a lot of ground, but one key piece of knowledge I try to impart to them is the importance of listening.  It’s easy to do with saved searches on Twitter, and can reveal loads of great information about what your customers like and dislike about your business or products.  And, it can also reveal who your next potential customer might be.  Case in point – the Red Robin response to my check in.

Maybe they set up a saved search for “cheeseburger” and “Austin”.  But I’ll bet they created a saved search for a competitor, a.k.a. Mighty Fine Burgers.

So.  Stinkin’.  Smart.

And so easy to do.  You see?  They didn’t use the newest or shiniest toy.  Red Robin used Twitter for simple market research.

Did it work?  You bet.  I followed them back immediately, and will be giving them a try the next time I crave a cheeseburger.  And just to sweeten the pot, Red Robin Austin DMed me a coupon – nice touch!

I will always be a proud Mighty Fine Burgers customer.  They’re a great local success story, and the food there is hard to beat.  But variety is the spice of life, right?

What cool examples like this do you have?

Mighty Fine Burgers
http://mightyfineburgers.com
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/MightyFineBurgersFriesAndShakes
Twitter:   http://twitter.com/#!/mightyfinetx

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers
http://www.redrobin.com/
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/andersonarborredrobin
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/AustinRedRobin

I’m an RSS subscriber to the Outspoken Media blog, as well as the Small Business Trends blog which she also writes for.  Basically, I hope to write like her when I grow up (never mind that I’m older than her).  She has a “no BS” style and a sense of humor that makes me laugh out loud in my cube farm at work.  She’s engaging and makes me want to keep reading.

I’ve chatted with her casually on Twitter a few times, regularly retweet her, and she kindly let me re-post one of her articles in a newsletter I write for work.  But in all the time I’ve been reading her blog, I’ve never left a comment.  Until a few weeks ago.

One day I finally felt like I could contribute to the conversation and not look like a dork.  I don’t remember now the sage comment I left, but I do remember thanking her for inspiring me to get off my ass and buy the domain for this blog.  Lisa responded and I was on Cloud 9.  But that wasn’t even the best part.  The best part was what happened after I hit “submit”.

What popped up on my screen was a “thank you” message.  It was so simple and yet so well done that I felt like I needed to share it.

This stuck with me for four reasons:

1. She gets it.  Lisa makes it clear she understands that leaving comments on someone’s blog post can be difficult for some of us, and leaves us feeling encouraged to do it again.
2. She says thank you.  And means it.
3. Lisa welcomes us into her community as an active participant.
4. She makes it easy to get more information by posting links to Outspoken Media’s various social sites.

Simple.  Honest.  Effective.  Thanks, Lisa, for being so awesome.

Update – October 13, 2011
My friend Betsy Decillis also has a cool “thanks for commenting” feature on her blog.  What I absolutely LOVE about the thank you from Betsy is that it really shows her personality (as does Lisa’s).  Which, if you’ve read any of Betsy’s tweets, will make total sense to you.  Betsy is dead funny and will say pretty much anything.  Her “thank you” response reflects the joie de vivre that Betsy puts out there every day.  Enjoy!

But they weren’t the only ones who provided excellent customer service and hospitality.  There’s a local Twitter account called TwitBiz San Marcos (@TwitBizSM) that helps shine a light on some of the great local businesses and restaurants located in San Marcos.  They do a hell of a job.

Not only do they effectively promote these great local businesses, they are also doing it in very smart ways.  TwitBiz San Marcos watches hashtags.  I don’t know if they do this for every conference that comes to town, but they sure did it for ours.  They picked up on the #TACVB hashtag and began tweeting out teasers about great places we could go for dinner, drinks, and entertainment.  They also interacted with TACVB attendees.  Here’s an example of how they tempted us:

Their efforts did not go unnoticed.  Here’s what Stephanie Molina (@Beaumartian) from the Beaumont Texas CVB had to say:

I chimed in too, by thanking TwitBiz San Marcos and letting the San Marcos CVB know about this awesome local partner’s efforts.

Could your local businesses do this?  Of course they could.  But do they?  It wouldn’t be difficult to get a list of upcoming conferences and ask for their conference hashtags.  With just a few minutes of leg work, any local business could tap into conference attendees who are looking to have a good time and spend some money in town.  Smart.  Just plain smart.

I put out a request for examples on Twitter and within the day I had several leads to research.  Becky McCray sent a few ideas to me, but one in particular stood out. 

United Linen Rocks Social Media

Becky told me about this company in Bartlesville, OK called United Linen & Uniform Service.  In particular, she told me to ping their Marketing Director – Scott Townsend on Twitter.  I gave Scott a shout, told him about my goals for the presentation, and he did not disappoint.  United Linen is a highly social company, due in large part to Scott’s efforts.  They maintain a United Linen Twitter account, a YouTube channel,  a blog, a Flickr account, and a Facebook page.  The company uses these channels to communicate with its customers and share highly useful information.

I especially love their YouTube channel because they devote lots of bandwidth to showing their customers how to use their products.  Check out this video on how to fold napkins:

How To Say Thank You

Needless to say, I’m a fan of United Linen and Scott.  I thanked Scott for his help and incorporated his information into my presentation.  After delivering the presentation, I uploaded it to Slideshare and went on about my business.  That was a year ago.  Yesterday I was looking for a specific slide for a new presentation I was working on, and thought it might be in that old social media marketing for small business presentation.  Not having looked at it in a year, I was surprised to see a comment underneath the presentation.  And blown away by what it said.  Take a look:

A thoughtful and personalized thank you for including information about his company, and compliments to me on my presentation.  Folks, it just doesn’t get any better than that.

I quickly wrote a response to his thank you video and ate a little crow while I was at it.

As embarrassed as I am for totally missing his comment … for a whole YEAR … I felt the need to share with you the awesomeness that is Scott Townsend.  Follow him.  Follow United Linen.  He’s good people.

Many groups are holding local rallies.  Some are doing outreach to the media.  And others are stepping up their advocacy efforts to elected officials.  Some DMOs are including social media as a major component of their National Travel and Tourism Week activities.

Last year, I featured the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Visit Indiana, and Visit Jacksonville, Florida.  Swing by the U.S. Travel Association for all the information and resources you need to launch an effective campaign in your destination.  And if you tweet, be sure to add #TravelTuesday and #travelrally to your tweets on Tuesday, May 10 to help spread the word.

Are y’all ready for round 2?

Discover Ohio

Discover Ohio is the DMO for the State of Ohio, and provides information to the traveling public on what to see and do in the Buckeye State.

The Ohio Tourism Division folks have partnered with Groupon to offer tourism-related deals from May 9-15 in all 7 Groupon markets in the state.  Deals include discounts at attractions, restaurants, lodging, and events.  In addition to calling attention to the Ohio tourism industry, this program is designed to attract visitors to the state during the spring and summer – peak vacation season.  Discover Ohio is promoting their Groupon specials via Twitter, Facebook, and on their Discovering Ohio blog.

Get more information about this promotion on the Discover Ohio website.

Experience Grand Rapids

Known for its early adoption and cutting-edge use of social media, Experience Grand Rapids promotes the city to visitors as a very hip and cool place to be.  Their social media marketing is looked to by many in the industry as an example of what DMOs should be doing.  Always willing to try something new, Experience Grand Rapids decided to mark National Travel and Tourism Week this year with a virtual rally.  On Twitter.

The rally will be held on May 10, from 12:30pm to 2:00pm.  All you have to do is follow @ExperienceGR and the hashtag #GRTourism on Twitter.  Staff will be asking questions, posting facts, and engaging with followers about Grand Rapids’ tourism industry.  If you don’t happen to have a Twitter account, don’t worry.  You can still follow along in the very cool Tourism Rally Chat Lounge.  While you’re checking out Experience Grand Rapids, I’d like to take one more opportunity to brag on them.  Have you seen the Social Lounge on their website?  Why don’t we all have one of these?  Genius!

Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau

Quick!  What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you hear the word, “Fargo”?  The movie right?  Yeah?  Yeah.  <my weak attempt at a North Dakota accent in print>  What else?  C’mon, you know it’s the wood chipper scene from the movie.

Many destinations will shy away from this type of imagery and misconception, but not the folks at the Fargo-Moorhead CVB.  They’ve embraced it!  They decided to take something that could be seen as a detractor, re-package it, poke fun at themselves a little, and score a HUGE return in the media and with the public.  I give you The Woodchipper in Fargo - a replica of the one used in the film.  Yes, that’s a foot sticking out of it.  But did you see the QR code?

So what does a wood chipper have to do with National Travel and Tourism Week?  The Fargo-Moorhead folks are using it as a springboard to launch an exhibit featuring the wood chipper and some other cool “Fargo” movie memorabilia.  Not only will the replica wood chipper be on hand for those “must have” photo opps, the real wood chipper will also be on display!  The CVB is encouraging all who visit to share their wood chipper photos on Facebook for all to see.  And yes, the Woodchipper in Fargo has its own Facebook page.

Visit Buffalo Niagara 

Known around the world for the spectacular Niagra Falls, the Buffalo Niagra Convention and Visitors Bureau promotes this and many other fantastic attractions to travelers.

The staff at Visit Buffalo Niagara have come up with a clever contest aimed at locals that kicks off during National Tourism Week – Buffalo’s Ultimate Tourist in Your Own Backyard.  At the core of this contest is leveraging the viral nature of social media and its ability to spread word of mouth marketing like wildfire.  Just convince the CVB why you should be the Ultimate Tourist in 200 words or less, and you’ll be off on a whirlwind tour of all the cool things to see and do in the Buffalo Niagara area. 

Prizes include tickets for two to 20 area attractions, gift cards to five local restaurants, overnight stays at two local hotels, two round-trip tickets from Jet Blue, and a Canon Powershot digital camera.  In return, the CVB is asking the winner to write two blog posts per week between May 23 and July 31.  The winner will describe their experiences while visiting the area and snap some photos with that new camera, and the CVB will use this first person content on their blog, Facebook, and Twitter channels.  The winner will also be asked to use his or her own social media channels to promote their Buffalo Niagara experiences as well.

Other Promotions?

What other cool National Travel and Tourism Week promotions have you heard about?  What is your DMO doing?

Updated May 0, 2011 at 3:22pm CST.

If you’re cool with that, then let’s proceed.  I think you’ll enjoy this.

There are rules and regulations everywhere.  As civilized human beings, we are expected to behave in certain ways in public settings.  We should be at work on time, don’t cut in line, turn off your phone at the movies, etc. (don’t be that guy).

Business have their own set of rules too.  You break it, you buy it.  You’ve seen the signs.  Ensuring that people follow the rules is a way of providing good customer service to the rest of us.  It ensures we have an enjoyable experience while we’re in the establishment.  But what if – in telling us their rules – businesses could convey them in a clever or funny way?  You can let someone know what you expect them to do (or not do) without being a jerk about it.

So with that in mind, I’ve collected some photos over the last year or so that I think convey their message with a positive spin.

For those who aren’t familiar, Schlotzsky’s is a sandwich chain.  A really good sandwich chain.  Their slogan is “Funny Name.  Serious Sandwich.”  The photo above shows their take on an old classic.  I love it when people (and in this case, restaurants) can poke fun at themselves.

Now isn’t this a nicer way to tell people not to smoke?  Kudos to Chipotle for using humor … and a little innuendo to make a point.

Most hotels aren’t known for originality in their “Do Not Disturb” signs.  But the Embassy Suites brand isn’t “most hotels”.  These were taken at the 2010 Social Media Tourism Symposium (#SoMeT) at the Embassy Suites in Loudoun County, VA – our home away from home for the conference. Props to Andy Hayes for the one on the bottom.  The signs themselves are great.  The really cool part is that these signs are the result of Embassy Suites’ 2007 “Do Not Disturb Hangar Contest”.  You can see the winners here.  They’re clever AND they made the customer a part of the process.  A big win for engagement and customer loyalty.  Oh, and if you noticed a wine bottle in the background of the first Embassy Suites photo?  I have no idea how that got there.  Swear.

If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s a grumpy Gibbon or a testy Tiger!  Am I right?  Signs like these were posted all over Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, TX when we visited last week for a family Spring Break getaway.

With a little thought, creativity, and humor, we could communicate those dreaded rules and regulations – and maybe, just maybe – bring a smile to someone’s face in the process.

Where have you seen clever or humorous customer service signs like these?

Shanna and I first got acquainted on Twitter, where I became an instant fan of her work with the CVB in Abilene.  After building our online relationship for a while, we finally got to meet at a Texas Travel Industry Association function.  Shanna impressed me so much that I asked her to speak at a seminar series my organization hosted called “Social Media for Economic Development and Community Marketing”.  As I expected, she did a fantastic job getting our attendees to realize that social media marketing was not out of reach.

I think her story will really resonate with a lot you out there.  ACVB is a small- to mid-sized bureau that does all their social media marketing in-house.  Yes, it’s possible and yes, it can be done.  Shanna is living proof.

So here’s my one-on-one interview with Shanna Smith Snyder.

Q1:  Tell us about your role with the Abilene CVB.  Are you the “Lone Ranger” when it comes to social media there?

A1: My official title at the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau is “Director of Communication.” We do not have a Communication or Marketing “Department” – so the “Lone Ranger,” in that respect, may be accurate. I am responsible for all of our social media sites (creation, updates, management, campaigns, analytics and any new endeavors); video production; assisting with public relations efforts: writing and sending press releases; working with travel writers and press trips; working with the media; e-mail marketing; writing a weekly tourism article for the Abilene Reporter-News and bigcountryhomepage.com; the weekly news segment, the “Abilene Buzz” on the NBC affiliate – KRBC; assisting with marketing campaigns; assisting with the website; and special projects as needed or assigned.  <Whew!>

Q2:  Was it difficult getting the Abilene social media program off the ground?  What did you do to alleviate any fears or hesitation from management?

A2: I originally started as the “Heritage Tourism and Special Projects Coordinator” nearly three years ago at the Abilene CVB and social media was not a part of our marketing program at that time. Can you believe it? The ACVB without social media sites?! At that point in time, the staff, board and community leaders were all a little bit nervous about how new social media was and where it was all going. I recall they were concerned with the future of social media, would it be relevant to our overall mission and how would I respond to any negativity on our social media platforms. My boss allowed me to start small with a Facebook page and see where the strategy would grow from there (July 2009). In the first week, we had approximately 50 fans and now we are well over 8,000 “likes.” Locals and visitors alike were responding well to our new Facebook page and I was getting antsy and wanting to try something new, so I approached my boss about joining the conversation on Twitter. She gave in and my alter ego (*grin*) @AbileneCVB was born. After that, YouTube, Flickr, Delicious, Foursquare, the Abilene InSite and more came to life!

Here’s several things I did to alleviate fears and hesitation from management:

1. I aimed to master one platform at a time and gather a solid audience on each. Social media was all so new, it had to “prove” itself.
2. I initially wrote a Social Media Timeline, sketched a One-Year Plan and now a Two-Year Plan as a strategy to include in our overall marketing plan.
3. I wrote the official Social Media Policy and Blogger Policy for the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau. I use our Blogger Policy for staff and guest/community bloggers as well.

The Abilene CVB was the first Chamber affiliate to join a social networking site and adopt a social media policy.

Q3:  You’ve gotten a lot of recognition for your social media marketing initiatives.  What are a few of your favorites and why?

A3: Thank you! I feel very fortunate that they have been so well received. It is both humbling and exciting.

Project365 is one of my favorites because it didn’t cost the ACVB any money; it only “cost” me time. That is one of the things I love most about social media; is that for a smaller bureau, like the Abilene CVB, social media has leveled the playing field, it is no longer ‘pay to play.’ Project365 was also neat in the fact that it became community collaboration by the end of the year. Photographers, locals and visitors – everyone wanted to showcase their work!

I also loved the “Travel Matters” campaign. I enjoyed shooting and editing the photos and videos. Arranging those shoots allowed me the opportunity to meet a lot of people in our city and region who work in our industry or whose jobs are directly impacted by the tourism industry. The entire campaign was a great reminder for our residents, business owners, elected officials, etc. of the effect that the travel and tourism industry has on our community and region.

Q4:  These are some very clever and creative ideas.  What were your goals with these initiatives, and how did you measure your success?

A4: Thank you. I hoped that we would receive the following benefits through the initial initiatives: increased SEO/rankings; increased brand awareness, image and recognition for Abilene as a destination; and direct and real-time communication with our target audience. Both then and now, I use the ACVB’s social media platforms as a way to influence potential visitors before they come to town, as an informational service once they arrive and as a way to reach out to local residents. As far as measuring success, I constantly take a look at the traffic on our social media platforms, interaction with the different types of content on the pages, overall PR and buzz from the campaigns and initiatives amongst the media and industry and potential to gather leads or book business on social media.

Q5:  What conferences or trainings have been the most useful to you in your social media efforts?  What upcoming conferences are on your radar?

A5: I attended DMAI’s DMMI in late 2009 and it was very helpful. I also enjoy seeing all of my Texas tourism friends at TACVB and TTIA events. This year, I am really looking forward to attending #SoMeT.

Q6:  Do you have any social media promotions you’re working on now?

A6: Always! The ACVB is in the middle of our first-ever video contest. It’s called “Your24” and there are four categories – students, locals, visitors and businesses/professionals. Your24 is all about a segment of hours or even the entire twenty-four that make up (or made up) your day in Abilene.  Last year, I shared the CVB’s Abilene adventures through Project365 and now it’s time for locals and visitors alike to share their Abilene adventures with us and be rewarded for it! The winner in each category will be rewarded $500. There will also be a “social vote” on our Facebook page, YouTube channel and blog. All category winners, plus the social vote winner will be notified by April 30. The prize for the social winner is $100. All winners will be honored at the Abilene/U.S. Travel Rally on May 10 during National Travel and Tourism Week. For additional details, visit www.abilenevisitors.com/your24.

Q7:  I covered your National Tourism Week promotions in 2010.  What are you planning for this year?

A7: Yes and thank you for doing so! We will be hosting another Travel Rally during that week and I will be shooting another series of videos and photos. This year, the ACVB decided to revive our “HOT” Host ceremony – so those videos and photos will definitely have a different twist to them this year. Be sure to keep an eye out! J

Q8:  What is your favorite social media tool for business and personal use?  Why?

A8: I like HootSuite for both business and personal use. The desktop version and the app are both very user-friendly. It allows me to save time because I can schedule posts, shrink links, get stats and upload photos all in one place.

Q9:  And finally, tell us something about yourself that doesn’t involve social media.

A9: When I’m not tweeting, writing, shooting video or doing something ACVB-related; I teach yoga at several fitness centers in town throughout the week. I also compete with Team Abilene all over the state, a competitive karate team at Abilene Mixed Martial Arts. I also enjoy doing “extreme runs” around Texas when I can (think Warrior Dash). Anything athletic – I’m there! Lastly, I enjoy participating in community theatre when I can and I serve on various boards and committees in Abilene.

If you’d like a closer look at what Shanna and Abilene are doing in social media, here’s where to find them:

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/AbileneTX
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/AbileneCVB
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/AbileneCVB
• Flickr: www.flickr.com/AbileneCVB
• Delicious: http://delicious.com/AbileneCVB
• Foursquare: www.foursquare.com/AbileneCVB
• Blog: http://blog.abilenevisitors.com

Well?  Was I right or was I right?  Shanna and ACVB have been recognized for their work in social media lately, and deservedly so.  The Austin American-Statesman hosts the annual Texas Social Media Awards each year in March.  Of the hundreds of people and organizations that were nominated this year, Abilene landed in the top 25!  Considering some of the social media “heavy hitters” that were in the running, I’d say their spot in the Top 25 speaks volumes about the quality of their work.  My congratulations to ACVB and Shanna for this honor.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Shanna, it’s that she loves what she does.  She tirelessly promotes the community she loves, and because of that, Shanna will continue to cook up some clever and effective ways of doing so.  I, for one, am on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what she comes up with next.