This document discusses location-based marketing strategies for tourism businesses. It outlines several location-based social networks like Foursquare, Facebook Places, and Google Places that allow users to check-in to locations and share their locations with friends. It recommends that tourism businesses claim their business pages on these networks, add badges and widgets to their websites, respond to reviews, offer promotions and discounts, and encourage customers to check-in and review the business in order to get found via search and measure marketing effectiveness.
Notes: These are location based social networks and they are making the phone book and the travel guide obsolete. What I’m saying is, they are talking about you. Are you listening? And engaging with them?
I’d like to share with you today, the advice I share with my clients. What to do and how to take advantage of this potential traffic. We’ll take a look at some of these sites and what they look like.
So lets take a look at how this works:
this is the foundation. It places you on google maps, and helps immensely in google searches. When we do a search for NYC bed and breakfasts, this is what we get.
We click into google places, it shows all the results on the map, with a synopsis on the left.
This is what a listing looks like. If we scroll down you’ll see the reviews in detail. Related links, a photo gallery. You can see at the top right where you can go to claim your business page. Customize your listing – display specials, menu items, photos, coupons. Track how people are finding you. See where they are looking from. If you aren’t in there, you won’t even come up on the map.
This is what a listing looks like. If we scroll down you’ll see the reviews in detail. Related links, a photo gallery. You can see at the top right where you can go to claim your business page. Customize your listing – display specials, menu items, photos, coupons. Track how people are finding you. See where they are looking from. If you aren’t in there, you won’t even come up on the map.
Yelp is personally my ffavorite - it helps you find businesses near where you are standing in any particular category.
* Post special offers or announcements * Respond to customers who have reviewed your business - privately or publicly * Track the number of people viewing your business page on Yelp * Add photos and update your business hours * Personalize the business with your bio and the story of how you got started * Describe your services, price list or menu highlights Again, the ability to update details, photos, provide specials, respond to reviews. To claim your business :Go to your listing and click on Unlock this business page. . If you’re not in there, it will give you the option to add a new business and claim it.
– What can you do to leverage this?
pretty much the first one used mostly to find hotels and research vacation destinations, get opinions from friends– pic of home page Input your data, upload photos, offer discount Earn badges for great reviews and display on your website and in your business. Tools available to encourage your guests to post reviews by downloading flyers, ordering business cards, adding a review widget to your website. Respond to reviews CVB’s can go in and enter over data on the area, and upload photos, and install widgets on your website
I can see property details and photos What is nearby in terms of restaurants and attractions (so you all want to be in here as well) To claim your business : Scroll down to bottom and click Owners – enter your business in and it will walk you through claiming your business if it is already listed, or entering it in if it is not. It will provide you with badges to post on your FB and web pages. If you’re not in there, it will give you the option to add a new business and claim it.
is the latest and greatest to come on the scene and is at about 3 million users. It is mainly used as a smartphone application and people check in and earn points and badges. Only your friends can see where you are. This is the first screen under places to check in. I took this screenshot when I was in Chicago. You can see where the most people are right now, and what is nearby and who is offering a special.
I scrolled down and found my location which is here. The most loyal visitor to a location earns the mayorship. I can click on tips to get advice from others (not just friends) or details to learn more about the location. You can see there is a special nearby. I can click on that, see what the special is and decide to go there. And I can hit the check in button and let my friends know where I am.
I clicked on the special offer and discover that if I go to David Burke’s Primhouse, I can get a complimentary chef’s choice of appetizer with a breakfast lunch or dinner jus tby showing this to my server.
To claim your business, set up an account and go claim your page. Upload your information and offer a special if you want to. In your account, you’ll be able to: monitor check ins and see who your loyal customers are. Offer deals to mayor, people who have checked in x number of times.
More than 500 million users on facebook, but places is only available for iphone users at the moment. As my friend says, she uses yelp or foursquare for loyalty points and deals, and facebook places to be obnoxious.
With FB places you have the ability to upload data and photos, and deals, etc. Of course, the ideas and functionality of FB are endless.
Gowalla is another site similar to foursquare, with the added feature that you can check in and upload a photo. You earn stamps and pins, and can provide highlights. This is my friend Justin’s page. Just like the other sites, business owners can go in and set up their page with hours, info, photos and specials, and respond to reviews.
this is a restaurant review locator and I’m not going to go in great detail because I don’t think we have a lot of restaurants here. Ability to edit your info, upload menus, photos, tags
Gowalla is another site similar to foursquare, with the added feature that you can check in and upload a photo. You earn stamps and pins, and can provide highlights. This is my friend Justin’s page. Just like the other sites, business owners can go in and set up their page with hours, info, photos and specials, and respond to reviews.