Leveraging Social Media in the Government Travel SectorGovernment Travel Sector

Susan Black Susan Black, Presentation to:Society of Government Travel Professionals

Susan Black Associates, Inc.Sept. 10, 2009

SOCIAL MEDIASOCIAL MEDIAis an “umbrella term” for…is an “umbrella term” for…

Social Networking Social News

Social Bookmarking

Photo by waynejackson

• It’s A New Way Of Marketing

– Honesty

– Transparencyp y

– Responsiveness

C ti– Conversation

WHATWHATi l?is your goal?

R E A C HR E A C H$$ REVENUE $$$$ REVENUE $$

EngagementEngagement

A b d /E li t

Ownership

Ambassador/Evangelist

Word of Mouth

Repeat Customers

Satisfaction in Engagement

“It h“It has never been about me.

It has always been about you.”y

People like doing business with people they knowpeople they know …

and love doing business with… and love doing business with people they trust.

Edelman Trust Barometer 2009

Government should be TRANSPARENTPARTICIPATORYPARTICIPATORYCOLLABORATIVE

man

Flic

kr: S

teve

Fur

m

www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment

Fllickr: kamshots|K

a

Each personal interaction between a company and a customer or

amyar A

dl

between you and a member of your community presents an opportunity to gain an advocate for your brand – Seth Simonds

Don’t see the purpose

YouTube is a time Accessing tothe purpose

of social mediaWe need to

review all

a time waster

Accessing to more sites

creates security issuesreview all

contentWe can’t

agree to the terms of service

Don’t like d ti tadvertisements

Flickr: jeannatheoddd|J Bizz. . . obstacles . . .

www.usa.gov/webcontent/technology/other_tech.shtml

• Banking

• PharmaceuticalsPharmaceuticals

• Health Care

• Insurance

P bli l T d d C i• Publicly Traded Companies

• Truth In Lending

• Truth In Savings & Overdraft Protection

• Full Disclosures

• All Communications Pre-Approved

• Cannot Promote Ancillary Benefits– Consumer comments on corporate website

still responsibility of company– Off-site discussions involving company

officials can be construed as corporate i ti llcommunications as well

• Government Mandated Review & Approval

• Privacy Laws• Privacy Laws

M di l Ad i Gi E Li bilit• Medical Advice Given Exposes Liability

• Individual State Regulations (U.S.)

• No Advice Unless Licensed In Specific State• No Advice Unless Licensed In Specific State

C t Will A k F Ad i• Customers Will Ask For Advice

• Regulation Fair Disclosure

• Blogger Relations Challenge• Blogger Relations Challenge

O Di i O O t it F• Open Discussions Open Opportunity For Leaks

R l A Th F A R• Rules Are There For A Reason

• Not The Rules, But The Policing

• We Cannot Circumvent Them

• User-Generated Content

Must Comply With Policy– Must Comply With Policy

– On Our Website, Our ResponsibilityOn Our Website, Our Responsibility

• Immediacy Of Conversation• Immediacy Of Conversation

Government TravelGovernment Travel

• Security issues – who can access socialSecurity issues who can access social media sites at work

• Military security once again• Military – security, once again

• Data collection from social media sites

284 million bloggers

83% of active online users have read a blog83% of active online users have read a blog

300 Million Facebook Members

67% have joined a social network

55 Million Monthly Twitter Visits

83% have watched video clips

43% subscribe to an RSS feed

Source: Universal McCann Comparative Study on Social Media Trends April 2009

36 Million Linked In Members

COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA

Space defined by Media Owner

Organization in control

Space defined by Consumer

Consumer in controlOrganization in control

One way / Delivering a message

Consumer in control

Two way / Conversational

Repeating the message

Organization-focused

Adapting the message/ beta

Consumer-focused / Adding valueg

Entertaining

/ g

Influencing, involving

Organization created content User created content / Co-creation

SO HOW CAN I BUILD A TRAVEL COMMUNITY ONTRAVEL COMMUNITY ON 

MY SITE ?MY SITE ?

WRONGWRONG QUESTION

“Communities already exist. Instead, think about how you can help that community do what it wants to do.”

Mark Zuckerberg

BuildingBuilding relationship online:online:How do you cut through thethrough the clutter?

BLOGSBLOGScan help...

• Give you something to SHARE• Show people you’re ready to ENGAGE• Show people you re ready to ENGAGE• Introduce your organization’s PEOPLE• Find ways to CONNECTFind ways to CONNECT

www.usa.gov/Topics/Reference_Shelf/News/blog.shtml

Can you blog to U.S. Government employees?

BUT . . .

Plan your strategy to

• Who is the AUDIENCE?• Who is the VOICE?• Who is the VOICE?• Who can WRITE?• Enough CONTENT?g• Who will REVIEW?• Who will MAINTAIN?• User COMMENTS?

Plan your strategy to

ALTERNATE MODEL:

Leverage Existing BLOGGERS

blog.usa.gov

Can you Tweet to U.S. Government employees?Can you Tweet to U.S. Government employees?

AND . . .

In 140 characters,you canyou can

LET TRAVELERS

KNOW• Promos and Last-Minute Specials

KNOW:• Promos and Last-Minute Specials• Direct links to government travel on your site• Best Government Travel Rates

N d P li h (i l di li k )• News and Policy changes (including links)

WHYWHYdo it though?

• To BUILD CREDIBILITY by being a resource• To CONNECT to like minded people• To CONNECT to like-minded people• To REACH INFLUENTIALS • To SPREAD your message• To LEARN by listening•To ENGAGE in a dialogue

Following

F llFollowers

Friends

Your initial target audience may not beYour initial target audience may not be your only, nor your best target audience

Plan your Twitter strategyPlan your Twitter strategy

• PERSONAL or CORPORATE?• Tweet CONTENT?• Tweet CONTENT?• WHO will tweet?• HOW to tweet?• Who to FOLLOW?

Can U.S. Government employees use

TWITTERTWITTER? ? ?

SOCIALCan U.S. Government

SOCIALNETWORK?NETWORK?

AND . . .

Facebook: Profile, Groups, Pages

And What About Facebook Groups?And What About Facebook Groups?

Groups or Pages?Groups or Pages?

Image from *Jason Falls

Can U.S. Government employees use

SOCIALNETWORKS?NETWORKS?

AND . . .

SOCIALPlan your strategy to

SOCIALNETWORK

• Who is the AUDIENCE?• Networking PURPOSE?• Networking PURPOSE?• Which SOCIAL NETWORK?• User PARTICIPATION?• User INTERACTION?

Can U S Government

YOUTUBECan U.S. Government

YOUTUBEFLICKRFLICKR

PODCAST?

MEDIA = Multimedia for All

my.barackobama.com/page/s/pressconference

www.youtube.com/user/househubwww.youtube.com/user/senatehub

YOUTUBEYOUTUBEFLICKRFLICKR

PODCAST OBSTACLES:PODCAST OBSTACLES:• Time waster• Security issuesSecurity issues• Bandwidth• Advertising• Terms of service

YOUTUBEPlan your strategy:

YOUTUBEFLICKR

PODCAST • Who is the AUDIENCE?PODCAST • Who is the AUDIENCE?• Who will CONTRIBUTE?• What CONTENT?What CONTENT?• What EQUIPMENT?• What SKILLS?• Who will MAINTAIN?

How To SucceedHow To SucceedHow To SucceedHow To Succeed

Get Buy-in From Above

Work Closely With Legal/Compliance Teamy g p

Educate, Educate, Educate

Approach Content & Moderation As A Team

Develop Agreed Upon Response Timelines With DefinitiveDevelop Agreed Upon Response Timelines With Definitive Outcomes

Don’t Forget!Don’t Forget!Don t Forget!Don t Forget!

Government Travel Presents Opportunities To Innovate

Your Legal/Compliance Teams Are On Your Side

B ti S t C B Ni bl With CBureaucratic Systems Can Be Nimble With Consensus

You Can Market Using Social Media Within The RulesYou Can Market Using Social Media Within The Rules

Let’s ConnectLet’s ConnectLet s ConnectLet s Connect

@ bl k ltisusan@sblackconsulting.com

Twitter: @SusanTravels@

+1.201-476-1414 (Direct)+1 201-286-2767 (Mobile)

Susan Black

+1.201-286-2767 (Mobile)

www.linkedin.com/in/susanblackassociatesSusan Black

PrincipalSusan Black Associates