Social Media: a great working example I have seen..

Recently I was a speaker at the 2009 Adventure and Nature-Based Tourism Forum where one of my fellow panellists was Phoebe Dubar, Program Manager of Marketing and Tourism Development at Federation Square. 

Phoebe provided an insightful presentation on Marketing on a 'Shoe String budget' and highlighted some valuable statistics on Social Media as well as some activities that Fed Square is currently working on. With Phoebe's approval (thanks Phoebe) I would like to share some of these with you.

If you are not familiar with central Melbourne, here is some background:

Federation Square is Melbourne's 'new' meeting place.  Since this cultural and entertainment landmark opened to the public, Melbournians and visitors alike have been gathering here. Locals have embraced Fed Square as a true reflection of their city embracing the rich cultural experiences, the array of places to wine and dine, the unique shopping opportunities and the wealth of information available to both tourists and locals alike.  Fed Square is a melting pot of opportunity where people of all walks of life come to mingle and experience a taste of Melbourne culture.  No longer is it 'meet you under the 'clocks' (Flinders Street Station), but 'Meet you at Fed Square!'

Some common Social Network Tools that Phoebe addressed included: 

• Photo and video sharing site
• Amateur photographers share pictures and comment on other photographers' work
• Holiday planning tool - search for photos of destinations
• It's easy!
• Make sure you fill in the tags to include your location, business type, Australia, to maximise search

2. Twitter

• Check out Fed Square - http://twitter.com/Fed_Square
• Do a search on your business name and see what Twitter-ers are saying about YOU!

  3. Facebook

• More than 200 million active users
• Half log on at least once a day
• Average user has 120 friends
• More than 5 billion minutes are spent on Facebook every day (worldwide)
• More than 8 million users become fans of pages every day
• More than 900 million photos uploaded each month
• More than 1 billion pieces of content are shared each week

WOW! - How can you afford to NOT be involved in some element of Social Networking.

Some Poignant points Phoebe highlighted (keep in mind a Tourism flavour)

1. Your website is YOUR #1 tool for reaching customers!
2. Find a good URL eg. www.companyname.com
3. Design should be clean, simple and full of images (tourism-based websites) 
4. Engage a pro to design (but only if you can afford it) or,  
5. Align yourself with someone who is tech savvy and can assist with Search Engine Opitmisation
6. Photos - professional or amateur, either way, they must be good! Make them the focus of the site (again, industry specific such as Tourism).
7. Copy - keep it brief, stick to the basics, don't make it too wordy, bring out your unique selling proposition
8. Stay away from music, animations, etc. they can end up looking tacky  
9. Add 'find me on Facebook' or links to Trip Advisor profiles

So, the lesson here is 'KISS' - Keep It Simple Stupid.  Use the wealth of free and easy to use social applications to advance your brand and business profile. Small, measurable and strategic steps are the key to making Social Networking work for your business.  By keeping your goals insightful and tracking your activity, you will start to see positive results.  Finally, make sure your use of emerging mediums ties in with your core website and strategy.

Good luck...