How NOT to use Twitter for a tourism business

This is just my opinion, but I wouldn't choose to use Twitter to promote my tourism business the way @Gabriola007, Gabriola Gables Waterfront Estate in British Columbia is doing it.

Twitter screenshotsThere are no rules for using Twitter, so I'm not saying that they are doing it "wrong" because they aren't following my advice. They are welcome to try any tactic they choose.

Every single tweet is about the estate. They have followed 657 people, trying to get their attention. They have not actually conversed with any of them. It's broadcast only. It reads like a brochure, and I'm not interested.

Here's an example that I think is a much better use of Twitter for promoting a tourism business, @Mark_Hayward, owner of Palmetto Guest House in Culebra, Puerto Rico.

Twitter screenshots He doesn't even link directly to his guest house promotional site. Instead, Mark talks with people. He shares his many interests, including his Train for Humanity project, small business articles he finds, and family. He talks about his guest house, teases us with the wonderful weather, shares photos, and is a real human being. I want to go visit him.

You choose. Sound like a brochure, or be a real person.

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Posted by Becky McCray on Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Categories: , , ,

15 comments:

  1. D. Scott CookseyDec 9, 2008 04:59 PM
    I can appreciate that post. I've recently started doing some e-marketing for a client, and Twitter is part of the mix. We have some ideas of how to use it longer term, but the heads up about interacting with readers is KEY!
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  2. Thanks, Scott. And good for you.
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  3. Hi Becky! Thanks for the link...when I first saw the title I must admit that I panicked a little. :)

    Also, you've reminded me that I must at least put our URL in my Twitter profile.

    THANK YOU for your support of small businesses everywhere!!
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  4. Mark, I am going to come visit you. I am.
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  5. You make an excellent point. At first when I saw the title and the retweet by Mark Hayward, I thought you were against using Twitter or social media for tourism businesses. Boy was I glad I was wrong!

    I've done online marketing for two CVBs and in my last stint, I started using some social media to promote the destination. I would never dream of using sites like Twitter for simply promoting my destination. It's too "marketing" speak. I'd rather have a balance of telling of hotel specials, new attractions going on in the city, latest news, and just responding to people's questions (e.g. how to get around the city, best places to eat, average temp, etc.).

    Don't think you can succeed without having a fine balance.
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  6. Ken, great points. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
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  7. You are so right, as usual! One thing I really hate on twitter are monologues. I don't think they realize that no one is listening.

    Mark is great, thanks for featuring him. Lovely example!
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  9. I live on Gabriola, and I'm really sick of Gabriola b&b owners and Gabroila realtors who use this kind of tactic. Their goal is apparently to get free advertising at any cost, even if that means pumping out junky blog posts or doing this kind of twitter nonsense you describe. I think it is reprehensible.

    I used to be able to go to Google to search for the name of some town or island, and I would get to real information put out by real people who live in that location. Now I have to look harder for that, because the adverblogs put out by realtors and tourism-related businesses are cluttering up the search results. Does it get my attention? Oh yes. I keep a list of local businesses that do this, and I avoid them. When people come to attend workshops we put on here, we send them to the b&b that advertises ethically. And when we sell our house, we will not use the services of the realtors who annoy us with their vapid adverblog.

    Before choosing to act in a certain way, I think we should ask ourselves "what would the world be like if everybody did this?" What would the world be like if there were adverblogs everywhere? It would be harder to find real blog content. It would demean the medium by cluttering it with crap. What would the world be like if all Twitter users followed the example of Gabriola Gables? Twitter would become less useful, less pleasant, and maybe even a waste of time for other Twitter users.

    I think this tendency to use blogs and social networking tools for relentless promotion of one's business is unethical. It is often the digital equivalent of spraying your advertisement on somebody else's wall.
    ReplyDelete
  10. You've know, I hesitated to use their actual name and identity, out of courtesy. No matter what, I intend to treat small business owners with respect.

    I'd like to see more small businesses try out interactive tools, and to be truly interactive when they do.
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  11. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
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  12. The comment from Gabriola was removed because it contained only a link to themselves and this comment:
    "Social Networking is a part of SMO."

    I did not consider that appropriate.
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  13. I have removed a second comment from Gabriola because, once again, it was only a link to their own site. It did not add to the discussion, so I have removed it entirely. One more, and I will close comments.
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  14. So pleased I found this helpful blog post. I'm a tourism consultant and just opened an apartment on the coast in Wales but I'm new to Twitter. Really useful comments above especially from Ken Yeung, thank you so much. 2 question though:

    1) is it ethical to search and 'intercept' people looking for holidays in my part of the world and then @ them with details of my place?

    2) should I have 2 twitter accounts, one for my consutlancy stuff, the other for the accoommodation?

    As I say, I'm learning, want to get it right so any advice gratefully received. Great community this!

    Andrew Lloyd Hughes
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  15. Andrew, you have asked terrific questions. Different people have found success with different tactics on Twitter, so I'm going to post your comment as a new post. That may spark some new discussion and get people to share their experience.
    ReplyDelete

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