Best practices in state tourism web sites and social media

BEST PRACTICES IN

STATE TOURISMWEB SITES ANDSOCIAL MEDIA

RANDY OESTWILLIAMS RANDALL MARKETING

(Designer, developer, user experience expert,content strategist)

THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING IS

PEOPLENot users, visitors, etc.

IN TOURISM THERE ARE GENERALLYTWO TYPES OF PEOPLE

LOOKERS & BOOKERS

BEGIN WITH RESEARCHReview Analytics (if you have 'em)Conduct SurveysDo Interviews

REVIEW ANALYTICSWhat are people interested in? Where are they coming from?

CONDUCT SURVEYSThere is an art to writing good questions.Use clear language that avoids jargon.Avoid leading questions and don't make assumptions.

DO INTERVIEWSFor more extensive information, conduct interviews.Can be done in person, over the internet. There isfrequently a shared screen involved.Usually involve a reward, typically a gift card.

SURVEYSVS

INTERVIEWS

NOW THAT YOU'VE GATHERED YOUR INFORMATION...

DEVISE A PLAN

PROVIDE FEATURES THAT PEOPLE WANTThings To DoLodgingFood and DrinkEvents CalendarDiscounts

GETTING EXTRA VALUEOUT OF YOUR CONTENT

TRIP IDEASMerges together various sections (things to do, lodging, events, etc.).

AND IT TELLS A STORY

HOW TO GET YOURMESSAGE TO PEOPLE?

RESPONSIVE WEB SITE VS

SEPARATE MOBILE WEB SITE VS

A NATIVE MOBILE APP

RESPONSIVE WEB SITEPRO: One site that adapts to everyone's device

CON: Content is less targeted to context

EXAMPLE

SUPER46.COM

SEPARATE MOBILE WEB SITEPRO: Focused content on context

CON: Two Web sites to keep updated

EXAMPLE

VISITINDIANA.COM

NATIVE MOBILE APPPRO: A place in the user's app list.

CON: Needs a compelling reason to exist.

YOU'VE LAUNCHED YOURWEB SITE

NOW THE REAL WORKBEGINS

KEEP YOUR CONTENT FRESHSearch Engine Rankings favor Web sites that are active.

MONITOR YOUR ANALYTICSIt can provide valuable insight.

And sometimes surprise you...

HOW A MINOR FEATURE BECAME

A MAJOR SUCCESS

BEST OF INDIANA

ANALYTICAL TOOLS ARE ROBUSTTrack engagment, goals, and conversions.

TEST YOUR STRATEGIESTest, test test test more and test.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO

GET PEOPLE TO SIGN UPFOR YOUR EMAIL LIST?

BLOGS & SOCIAL MEDIA

ARTICLES THAT TELL A STORYWrite a compelling headlineHave a voiceDivide into digestable chunks

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS,

SO BE VISUAL

HAVE A DISTINCT CALL TO ACTIONGet a visitor's guide, sign up for our email list, etc.

SPEAKING OF CALLS TO ACTION...Book A Hotel Room, Reserve a Table, etc...Email signup on every pagePush to explore more contentSharing widgets

BE WISE ABOUT SHARING WIDGETS.

IT IS EASY TO OVERDO IT.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS ENGAGING WITH PEOPLENot followers, subscribers, etc.

CREATE CONTENT THAT ENGAGESBe interesting and relevant.

POST FREQUENTLY, BUT NOT TOO FREQUENTLY

Finding the sweet spot is an art, not a science

MORNINGS ARE BETTER THAN EVENINGS.

KEEP IT CONCISE80-140 characters max

Don't forget the visuals!

Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC1:48 AM - 04 Feb 13

Oreo Cookie @Oreo

FollowFollow

16,056 RETWEETS 6,219 FAVORITES

“

Power out? No problem.

— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) ”

twitter.com/Oreo/status/29…February 4, 2013

MORE THAN 14,000 RETWEETSMORE THAN 20,000 LIKES ON FACEBOOK

TAKE AWAY POINTSResearchPlanCreate and EngageMeasure and TestRepeat

THANK YOU