We’ve created a short how-to guide on using Google+ pages for destination marketing. We hope that convention and visitors bureaus, cities, and others in the tourism industry will find it useful.

You can download the guide here:  Google+ for tourism, CVBs, and cities 

Best,

Jacinta Langford Hoyt
LangfordMedia

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Google+ for Tourism, CVBs, and Cities

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Big East: Goodbye Reese’s, Hello Twitter?

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It’s hard keeping up with all the Facebook Page updates lately! The latest one I came across involved being able to rename the app on your page sidebar. Click “Edit Page”>Apps>”edit settings” in the app of your choosing.

Happy editing!

*As noted by @bailann below, you cannot edit “basic pages” like Notes, Photos, etc.

This content from: Freelance Social Media

Rename app tabs in Facebook Page

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I’m sure over the last few weeks you’ve noticed Facebook has been rolling out a new look for profiles. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when it comes to the new profile:

Photos at the top. The photos at the top display the last five recent photos you’ve been tagged in. In case you’re not happy with what is displayed, you can simply hover over the photo you’d like to remove at the top and click on the little ‘x’.

Featured Friends. You can now highlight your closest friends by clicking on “Featured Friends” when editing your profile. Once you’ve added which friends to feature, they will show up on the left sidebar of your profile page.

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Customizing the new Facebook profile

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We talk a lot about the need for a business to have a social media presence.  A situation may arise at any moment in which a business can bring a new customer in the door.  That very situation occurred on Twitter just last week.

Fox College Sports sideline reporter Samantha Steele rolled into Lawrence, Kansas last Thursday for the University of Kansas Jayhawks football game* taking place on the following Saturday night.  She arrived to town seeking a couple of things.

Let us disregard the fact that she was in New York prior to coming to Lawrence because, apparently, Lawrence is the place to be to get your hair done.

Samantha received multiple responses from Lawrence twitterers about where she could get her hair done.  Rejuvene Salon & Spa was one of the suggestions for her and because Rejuvene actively uses Twitter, they were able to respond in a timely manner.  A time was set up and Rejuvene had a new client (and possibly earned future customers).  Yes, it was that easy.

Your business needs a strong social media presence because someone may be discussing your business.  It’s important that you are able to respond to those comments.  In this case, someone was looking for a service.  A business was suggested by someone else to provide this service.  That business was there to answer that call.

Through Twitter, Samantha Steele found a haircut and Rejuvene found a new customer.  If only, for my sanity, the Kansas Jayhawks football team can find an offense by 11:00 am on Saturday.

*I’m trying hard to erase the memory of the game because Kansas lost while only scoring three points.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Three points.

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Twitter and the Curious Case of Samantha Steele’s Hair

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I’ve struggled lately coming up with blog posts.  I feel like we’ve read it all before. There are so many social media blogs out there, I think it’s hard to differentiate one from the other. How many blogs just seem to regurgitate the same things about social media? Do I really need to write one more? There has to be some ways around this problem.

I understand that there is a need for us to talk about the common issues (Twitter etiquette, Foursquare marketing, Facebook pages) on here because people need to know LangfordMedia addresses these needs in the social media marketplace. However, I think social media blogs can be redundant. I don’t want this one to be just another redundancy.*

I don’t want to simply rehash a post from Mashable and call it good. I’ve tried to create a mix of talking about the major social media platforms and connecting it to something about me or my community.  Such as, finding a local business that is using social media to evolve its business strategy.  Perhaps a local bar is offering a Foursquare special.  I think every post needs something to make it feel real and unique.

A social media blog is going to speak about Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare a lot, obviously, but there needs to be a connection to something that makes the post yours.  A blog needs its own identity.  I’m not necessarily saying that I’ve accomplished this goal with everything that I have written because I know that I haven’t.  I will continue to strive to because we don’t want to be camouflaged in the vast land of social media.

Any thoughts on how to differentiate your blog from all the others?

*Redundancies always make me think of the British version of The Office: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vigyy3hpXPk

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Social Media Blog Regurgitation

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Let’s say you’re attending a social function at which you meet a lot of new people. Do you greet each person the same way? Do you actually say, “Hi, pleasure to meet you. Please be sure to check out my site” and then spout off the web address? I don’t think so. Instead of greeting someone with “hello, nice to meet you”, do you decide to share some “cute” saying that is supposed to make me think about the meaning of knowing you? I certainly hope not. Neither of these greetings will make someone want to talk to you for very long. Now let’s apply this to Twitter. It’s better known as the automated direct message.

I decide to follow you. Obviously, I have decided to follow you for a reason. Maybe you were recommended by a fellow twitterer or you just tweet about a topic of interest to me. Moments after I click the button to follow, I receive an email. I’m notified of a direct message sent from you.

So, the first response I get from you is a direct message? Why? We haven’t had any communication yet? What could you possibly need to say to me in private? Oh, you wanted to send me a link to your blog or company website. Maybe you were trying to sell something or maybe you wanted to share what you think is an intelligent quote with me. Stop.

This should not be our first communication. You should not send me a preconceived message that you send to every other twitter follower that you have. You definitely shouldn’t send me a link pushing a product or site. One of the things Twitter is supposed to be about is sharing information; not shoving it at me without me asking.

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The Auto DM

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My post last week talked about Topeka Subways new Foursquare campaign.  If you aren’t familiar with how to use Foursquare to market your business, we posted a quick tutorial here. I sent an email to them inquiring about the new special and their reasoning for choosing this route.  This is what Joe Russell, Chief Operations Officer of Eastern Kansas Subways, had to say:

“We started getting interested in Social Media about a year ago when we started noticing that it was getting harder to advertise in traditional ways. With most people not listening to traditional radio and fast forwarding through the commercials on T.V. it is getting harder to engage with your customers through traditional means. We hired a company at that start of the year called Brain Bucket out of Kansas City and they have helped us develop our web site www.topekasubways.com and we have started up a facebook page and a twitter account. In most of these we were behind the times as most companies had already developed these areas. However we were introduced to foursquare last month and it seemed very new and exciting. We decided to get involved and see if we can be part of something as it was just developing.”

Mr. Russell feels that they were “behind the times” in the marketing world and needed to advance beyond the “traditional means”.  In order to catch up they worked up a website, even though Subway has a national chain site, to display their locally owned stores.  They added a Facebook page and fired up a Twitter account which appears to be very active, which is great because a twitter account is pointless unless it interacts and becomes part of the discussion with its community.  On top of all this, they leaped into the mobile social media aspect with the Foursquare specials.

Mr. Russell hit on a point that businesses need to realize if they haven’t yet.  The point being the need to move beyond the traditional mediums of marketing.  Social media is out there to be used.  Businesses should be embracing it because it is a tool to engage and communicate with customers and potential customers.  Social media is a creative outlet that needs to be tapped.

I came across this article, by Hank Wasiak, discussing this same idea and it mentions how “people” is the new marketing strategy.  A people marketing strategy “involves listening to and engaging with everyone who can touch or influence current and potential customers at all stages of brand interaction.”  The social media realm is vast so there are lots of discussions happening. If your business is not partaking in the discussions, most likely your competition is seizing the opportunity to do so. Social media allows a business to listen and communicate with people.

Moving beyond traditional ways of marketing is a necessary step for every business.  I think Topeka Subways is a prime example of moving beyond those traditional ways and trying to interact with the community.  We’ll try to keep tabs on how well this goes.

____________________________________________

Be sure to follow Justin on Twitter @JustMLang

This content from: Freelance Social Media

Marketing Beyond Traditional Means

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I go to Subway quite a bit for lunch.  There are two locations near where I work in Topeka, Kansas.  One, a small Subway without a full menu, is located right across the street so I frequent that one.  I go there far too often.  So much so that I don’t want to use Foursquare to check-in there because I think it’d be embarrassing for people to see how much I go there.  I went so much in a short period of time that the workers once had my sandwich (I order the same one a lot) made for me before I walked in the door.

A few days ago I was there and I decided to check-in and, lo-and-behold, I see the “Special Here” icon on the venue.  They’re offering three free cookies with your first check-in.  Each Topeka (it doesn’t seem to be nationwide but I’m checking on that) Subway location is offering this deal.  Not only have they added a Foursquare special but Topeka Subway is also a user adding tips to their venues.  According to their twitter account, they’ll be offering Foursquare Mayor specials in the future.  Which means that my massive check-in embarrassment could turn into footlong riches.

What the Topeka Subway franchises are doing is a great example of taking control of their brand and offering up specials to their customers through social media.  They’ve taken control of their Foursquare venues and are communicating with customers via twitter.  By the way, you should get three white chip macadamia nut cookies for your Foursquare special.  They’re great.

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Topeka Subways Rock Foursquare with Fresh Ideas

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This post is short and sweet!  These are the 3 plugins you’ll want to help spread your site’s content:

1. WP Greet Box
2. ShareThis
3. Topsy Retweet Button

All 3 can be added from the admin area by using plugin search.

Photo by Ryancr

This content from: Freelance Social Media

Top 3 Content Sharing Plugins for WordPress

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