Here is a presentation I gave on 1/17/2012 to the St. Louis Business Travel Association. The primary goal was to give a broad introduction to mainstream social media networks that can be used by businesses and business professionals. I took the time to carve out statistics and uses that would relate to their needs in the travel industry.

1. SOCIAL MEDIA
IN TRAVEL
Utilizing social media to be more effective
and to provide greater value in your work place.

2. BEFORE WE BEGIN.
EXPERIENTIAL | DIGITAL | DESIGN

3. WHO’S THIS GUY?
Josh Kocurek
Associate Brand Manager
at Switch (@liberate)
Board Member of Social Media
Club St. Louis (@SMCSTL)
linkedin.com/in/joshkocurek
twitter.com/joshkocurek

4. WHAT’S ALL THIS CRAP?
Live Tweeting Hashtag: Want to share
what you’re learning with the Twitterverse?
Use this.
140 Character Knowledge: Tweet-worthy
nuggets of gold.
Sharing Time: Be prepared to participate.

5. FOR THE NOOBS.
“Resistance to social media is pointless. Your
customers are there. Your competitors are there. You
need to be there.”
Facebook: 800+ million active users. (predicted 1 billion by
Aug. 2012)
Twitter: 100+ million active users.
LinkedIn: 50+ million active users.

6. GOT IT. NOW MAKE ME AWESOME.
NOT SO FAST! Let’s make a few things clear.

7. MYTH. BUSTED.
easy
SOCIAL MEDIA
free
quick
the answer to everything
IS NOT a waste of time
exclusive to Gen-Y
for everyone

8. WHY DOES THIS MATTER TO ME?
40% INCREASE in social media usage for travel
recommendations and services
in the past 12 months.
Social sites are almost always geared toward, or naturally
gravitate toward, recommendations and referrals.

9. HOW DOES IT ENHANCE MY TRAVEL PROGRAM?
Increase traveler satisfaction through real-time
communication and knowledge sharing.
Helps travel managers understand what is most important
to travelers (anticipate their needs).
Increase your overall visibility and voice.

10. THE HOLY TRINITY

11. NO EXCUSES.
When it comes to using Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn
for social media marketing.
PRESENCE IS MINIMAL.
PARTICIPATION IS OPTIMAL.

12. TWITTER
“Its like a sort of internet Ren Fair. Its like
Dungeons & Dragons but for cool people
who have got friends.”
- Craig Ferguson (on Twitter)

13. BUILD IT. BUILD IT RIGHT.
Username: Your username should make sense.
Profile pic: Use a professional-ish picture of your face! (No
egg face)
Bio: 160 Characters total. 80 about you. 80 about work.
Link: Don’t leave this blank!

14. SEARCH. NOT JUST FOR GOOGLE.
Find relevant and real-time thoughts, people,
pics and videos on a certain topic.

15. SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR YOU.
Airlines
@SouthwestAir (Southwest), @Delta (Delta), @JetBlue (JetBlue)
Hotels
@HyattConcierge (Hyatt), @RSHotel (Roger Smith),
@StarwoodBuzz (Starwood)
Hotels
@TripIt (TripIt), @TripAdvisor (TripAdvisor)

16. CHAT ROOMS ARE SO 1997.
Participating in Twitter chats, using a common hashtag,
increase your reach and relevance in a particular topic.
#TToT
Travel Talk on Twitter (Tuesdays)
#MKTGCHAT
Marketing Chat (Mondays)

17. THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB.
Management
Hootsuite | TweetDeck | Twitter Client
Following
Formulists
Metrics
Google Analytics | Bit.ly

18. FACEBOOK
The only REAL reason anyone remembers
birthdays anymore.

19. THE INTERNET’S KITCHEN SINK.
Fan Pages
Brand presence and voice. Customer interaction.
Groups
Specialized think tanks. Niche link and knowledge sharing.
Events
Gain attention and attendance.
Promotions
Sales, services and opportunities to interact with fans.
Media
Photos and videos galore.

20. YOUR COMPANY HAS ONE OF THESE, RIGHT?

21. HOW TO SUCK AT FACEBOOK.
One-Sided Convo
AKA SPAM. AKA only sharing your content. Not asking questions.
Not Completing Your Profile
Sound familiar? How are people supposed to find you?
Not Utilizing Your Employees
Multiple voices will spread the word faster.
Falling Off The Internet
Once you commit, you’re in. No one likes a barren wasteland.

22. RESPECT THE SIDEBAR REAL ESTATE.
Subscriptions
A new way to follow professionals without
having to worry about rejection.
Sponsored Stories / Ads
Cheap. Effective. Relevant.

23. TABS? THERE’S A PLUGIN FOR THAT.
Custom Tab / Landing Page
Static FBML | Welcome
Store
Payvment
Social Networks
involver (Twitter, Blog, YouTube)

24. LINKEDIN
It’s like Facebook, but fancier.

25. LET’S GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY.
LINKEDIN IS NOT (AND
SHOULD NOT BE
CONSIDERED) A COPY OF
YOUR RESUME.

26. YOUR PROFILE IS EVERYTHING.
Vanity URL: Let’s go
for consistency..
Profile pic: Use a
professional-ish picture
of your face!
Headline: Sum yourself
up.
Links: This is a hub.
Give options to branch
out.
Summary: Be detailed.
This is for search.

27. TAKE IT FOR A SPIN.
Connecting
Cold connecting is fine. Personalize your outreach. Be yourself.
Groups
Similar to Facebook groups. Find topics/niches that relate to you
and share your expertise.
Recommendations
Reciprocate. Don’t be afraid to ask. Shoot for quality over
quantity.

28. OTHER FUN STUFF
Photos. Reviews. Pins. And more.

29. INSTAGRAM. NOT JUST FOR HIPSTERS.
Largest Mobile Social Network
2 million new users in November 2011.
Photo travel guide
Geotag your pictures. Use hashtags (ala
Twitter).
Link Your Accounts
Tweet and FB your pics for maximum
effectiveness.

30. YELP. BECAUSE FINDING GOOD CURRY IS TOUGH.
Most credible source
Yelp is the most often used social network for local business and restaurant reviews.
Customer Engagement
Businesses cherish their ratings and participate in the conversation to keep customers
happy.

31. TRIPADVISOR. A NO BRAINER.
Ultimate Resource
for Travel
Extremely active community.
Reviews to Live By
A venue’s review could make
or break a sale.

32. TRIPIT. STALKING MADE EASY.
Consolidating Your
Travels
Everything in one place.
Share With Your
Friends
A network in it’s own, but also
expandable to FB and Twitter.

33. PINTEREST. THE FUTURE OF CURATION.
Show Personality
Not everything has to be business focused.
Pin More Than Just Pics
You can share some of your favorite articles and tips for
traveling.

34. MOBILE. GET THOSE APPS.
It’s True
There really is an app for
everything.
82% of Travelers Are
Mobile
Shouldn’t you be?

35. TIME FOR
QUESTIONS
I can’t promise answers...
Don’t make me beg.

36. OKAY, WE CAN BE FRIENDS NOW.
Josh Kocurek
joshk@theswitch.us
twitter.com/joshkocurek
linkedin.com/in/joshkocurek
liberateyourbrand.com (Switch)
joshkocurek.com (Personal)