In my last article Web 2.0 in Tourism Marketing – be brave, leave a gap I suggested thinking hard and then making baby steps when it comes to deploying Social Media in your marketing strategy. There is no need to wait until the next relaunch in the making (since God knows when) is finally online. You do not have to convince your boss to start experimenting. And there is certainly no need to wait for larger budgets, nor for new web developers. Hell, you do not even need the classical Web 2.0 tools to get your "authentic fluids" flowing and start connecting with your customers the new way!

You do not believe me? Well, let me prove it to you. Just check out the Italian language version of the website by the Vienna Tourist Office. Visitors are now greeted by the marketing manager in charge of the Italian market, my former colleague Angelika Mauracher, herself.

She shares her favourite tips and makes suggestions based on her experience as a Viennese.

I absolutely love that approach. It proves that not high-tech is key, but human-touch. Just as John Naisbitt proclaimed in his book High Tech, High Touch almost ten years ago.

To kick-start your process find the answers to these basic questions:

• What are your existing "human" – as in authentic know-how – resources?
• How can you use your current technical resources to make use of them?
• Are you comfortable with featuring your name & picture online?

Then go ahead and start experimenting. Believe me, if the Vienna Tourist Office can do it, you can do it!

Also read:
Destination Marketing: It’s about service, stupid
Destination Marketing: It’s about service, stupid II
Tourism & Web 2.0: Improve your Web 1.0 first
Bonjour 2-0-2-work – Tourism, Web 2.0 & 5 Myths unveiled
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