It has been a while since I have written my last English post (of substance). Does that mean, that I am tired of the Web 2.0? No! Yes! As in I will not write about whatshisname starting a blog or launching a whatchamacallit this year. Frankly, that is a waste of my time and yours. Many things have been said already. So please do not expect me to post as often as I used to.
In 2008 I am looking forward to tourism companies putting my advice and the knowledge you and I have gathered about this so called Web 2.0 to work. Here are five reflexions on 2007 myths about tourism and the web 2.0.
Every tourism company should offer at least one blog.
No way. I remember talking to a manager of a very large Austrian tourism business last year. He complained that their CEO did not have what it took for a corporate blog. My take: While a blogging CEO does have some signaling effect within the company and the industry, CEO-blogs are not mandatory. On the contrary. Companies should first think hard, before embarking on a corporate blog. I do believe in blogs, but there has to be a payoff. That said I fully encourage small companies like family hotels and museums to blog. If they have something to convey and are determined to take their time integrating this medium with their communication goals.
Nobody knows what Web 2.0 means anyway.
Recent studies in Austria prove that the term Web 2.0 is still widely unknown in my country. However, the different platforms are very popular and widely adopted. I remember asking my young students (22 – 29) last fall what they thought about Web 2.0. Only one in 30 even had heard of the term. But many of them knew MySpace, most knew YouTube, blogs and so on. Meaning that people are using what the Web 2.0 has to offer, while companies are still struggling to come up with a pragmatic integration of the different services and platforms.
Online-reviews of strangers have little or no credibility.
Think again. Austrian studies have shown that 80 % will rather believe an unpolished online-review written by a total stranger than elaborate claims agencies came up with.
Every national destination should start their own social network.
Not at all. There are quite some examples of national tourism networks that do not work. This does not mean, that Web 2.0 was a no-good-hype in the first place. The challenge is to integrate these new "points of communication" (borrowing the term from "point of sale") into your strategy. I am pretty sure, Canada has been the smartest so far.
Virtual worlds like Second Life are dead.
This one is just as untrue as claiming they were the future before. I guess it will take more time. Maybe it will be the digital natives that will fully embrace virtual worlds in a corporate environment.
What is your opinion? Feel free to comment or mail me.
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I recently gave a presentation on this very subject, again. Difference? This time I think the tourism industry was really straining to pay attention.
You are right that “blog” is overrated, but social media is definitely not. What I think is that DMO’s need to accept the fact that their brands will be socialized whether they participate or not. Recognizing that the conversation has a place in brand marketing is not a new concept, we just now have the tools to do this more efficiently.
The same tools that have allowed regular consumers to be publishers and influencers will be the same tools we as destination marketers can use to harness the power of our brand fanatics.
I’ve found that trying to explain Web 2.0 is far more difficult than showing people what you can actually do with it. Too me, it is simply the result of taking data and adding the human touch.
Second Life? If I end up working in there, please kill me.
Hi, I am not suggesting that Social Media is overrated, but enough talking has been done. In 2008 deploying everything that has been said is key.
Great post Karin, as always. I agree with your comments and the suggestion that it is time for action rather than talk. Reminds me of the IBM commercial now running on U.S. TV on the very subject. One has a young geek giving a demo of his new avatar, who has his own island to a CEO type. He poses the question: “does that avatar generate money?”. To which the geeks responds: “You mean real money or artificial money?” Answer by the CEO:”The purpose of innovation is to make real money!”.
What DMO leaders need to understand, is that web 2.0 is about real money and that decisions have to be made rather than more evaluations and questions about if this is for real. It is, get on with it!
Agree with “time for action rather than talk”
Hope potential customers find courage and budget to launch travel 2.0 projects !!!
Not so easy to explain that Travel 2.0 is to make real money !!!
regards
Claude
Not so easy to connect Social Media Marketing with ROI – or CPI. Sure, it can support those activities through successful branding, but tying this type of marketing to direct sales will kill its whole purpose. (Plus, it makes selling the idea to the bosses very hard.)
We truly are in the business of selling experiences – not generating inquiries and distributing brochures. DMO’s have never had such access to consumers in their selection and planning phases. Add the fact that only about 1 in 10 are actually generating quality content and DMO’s with any credibility can find huge opportunity.
When it comes to doing, I’d be satisfied if only my destination was doing it. Why help the competition? Heh, heh.
Well put, Tour Pro. I do not think, that dollar signs in your eyes will ever lead to any good Social Media project. You are quite right, on the contrary. But, and this is what I want to stress: whatever image effects or communication starters result from Social Media project, they will have to have some kind of “constructive” effect to the project initiator. I will specify later.