Social Media
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Leveraging Social Media in the Government Travel Sector Government Travel Sector Susan Black Susan Black, Presentation to: Society of Government Travel Professionals Susan Black Associates, Inc. Sept. 10, 2009
Transcript of Social Media
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
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m
www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment
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Each personal interaction between a company and a customer or
amyar A
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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 [email protected]
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
