Remarkable Tourism Makes the World A Better Place Jan 29, 2010
As you may or may not know, this month we’ve been talking about how remarkable is the new tourism marketing. Lame products and services aren’t good enough any more. The businesses in tourism that will do well in the future are transforming themselves to be amazing and remarkable. I’d like to highlight a small tourism group that is doing far more than their fare share of being remarkable. It’s the team behind the Authentic Seacoast Brand in Nova Scotia.
I actually know their VP of Marketing & Communications, Doug, via their very active and community-orientated Twitter account. They give, give, give and give some more – promoting fellow travel journalists, connecting people of various interests, and doing their part to promote a healthy and happening travel community.
I love their work, but it was this message on their Facebook Fan Page that really blew me away:
In case you can’t read that clearly, let me re-emphasise a few points:
- “We actually check everyone’s website we follow to get to know you.” In other words, they’re connecting with their friends and customers because they care, not because you’ll buy something.
- “It’s hard to be friends if you don’t know anything about the people you follow.” In other words, why bother with social media if you aren’t interested in me, the customer.
- “Great relationships make for great hospitality…online or in person.” For those of you who have purchased multiple DIY guides, you’ll notice that I say something similar in almost every intro: Some things have changed, but others remain the same.
More from the Authentic Seacoast
After reading all this, I immediately wrote Doug and email to speak to him further about this issue. I asked him two questions:
Could you explain the online marketing strategy of Authentic Sea Coast?
Our online marketing strategy is quite simple: be a good person, keep it real and add some humour. We’re in the hospitality business and good hospitality is all about making a real connection with people. Helping them feel comfortable. So our approach is quite experimental. We focus on developing relationships with people who share the interests we highlight in our Twitter bio: travel, food, wine and of course, Nova Scotia!
Our primary focus is to communicate with people through Twitter and Facebook, but we also spread out our messages through a full range of social sites like Flickr, Digg, Delicious, Mixx, Twine, StumbleUpon, Squidoo, FriendFeed, Google Profiles and many, many more.
How many people are involved in your online marketing? Any idea of the time spent per week?
I’m the primary person involved in our online marketing, but I’m sharing the stories of our key personnel like our General Manager and Wine Director Audrey Firth, Chef Shaun, our golf superintendent and others. It’s a real team effort. In terms of how much time spent per week, probably too much, but we really enjoy our conversations with people. Seriously, we probably spend several hours throughout a day, connecting with people and feeding our social sites.
For all the small businesses, CVBs and DMOs who feel they don’t have the time to develop great relationships we’d say this — you can’t afford not to. Your relationships are your brand, so great relationships make great brands. These organizations need to see social media as a part of their hospitality program and an opportunity to share the unique stories and personalities they have in their areas. Always remember, great hospitality makes the world a better place.
Now It’s Your Turn
Authentic Seacoast has laid down the remarkable tourism gauntlet: Great Relationships make for great hospitality…we’d like all our hospitality and tourism friends to make that committment.
So, will you make the committment to build great relationships in 2010?
I hope so.
To Learn More
If you need help with all this online, remarkable stuff: ask for it. There isn’t any excuses for not trying to succeed. Have a look at our DIY guides or get in touch with our free small business assessment.
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Thanks for this post Andy. I, too, got acquainted with Doug and his team via their active Twitter stream (@authenticseacoast) and like you say, they just give and give and give. They embody what is best about Twitter in the travel sector: sharing what you know, connecting networks, adding value–and only THEN promoting a product/service!
cheers!
Julie
On behalf of everyone on our team, thank you so very much for your kind words. We love your three steps … sharing, connecting and adding value. Great advice for people, no matter what sector theyre in.
Doug at the http://twitter.com/AuthenticCoast
Ive known Doug for over a year through connecting with Authentic Seacoast. What I love about what Doug does is how he brings everything together so well. He does such a good job of communicating about Nova Scotia, while also make a sincere connection with everyone. Whats great, is that theres not an agenda behind it, which is rarely the case with social media, especially on Twitter. How many times have we gotten DMs from another Internet Marketing promising they can show us how to make $20,000 a month with their book!
Informative post, Andy. I, too, met Doug on Twitter.
He is one of the rare tourism destinations that understands on-line social media and how to make a connection with travel bloggers.
I havent had the pleasure of meeting Doug IRL (in real life) but I look forward to visiting Nova Scotia on assignment soon.
I recently wrote a post on How to work with Travel Bloggers that might interest some of your Travel Online Partners.
@Nancydbrown
Andy, thanks so much for putting the spotlight on Doug and his enormously successful approach to social media for the hospitality industry. He truly understands the social part of the equation
Doug has set an enviably high standard for other destination marketing folks. Witty, wise, generous, and warmly hospitable, hes nearly always available online, from early morning to his signature musical sign-off. He misses almost nothing, and remembers everything, in his Twitter stream and from the updates of his Facebook friends and fans.
How nice to view an actual mugshot of the very real person behind Authentic Seacoast!
We’re touched by the kind comments, Spencer and Nancy. It’s a pleasure to have friends like you in our Twitter village and to learn from each other on how to create a positive environment for travellers on social media. We look forward to welcoming you to our seacoast village to share the same hospitality in person.
Glad you liked the mug shot, Lanora. Thank you for your kind words and observations. As I said to Andy, my role is to communicate the great stories of our wonderful team at the Authentic Seacoast and the beautiful region in Nova Scotia our properties call home. We believe a brand is defined by its relationships and it is wonderful friends like you who make the Authentic Seacoast come to life. Thanks!
I met Doug virtually through Twitter last summer, and as a result made a trip to DesBarres Manor and met the rest of the Authentic Seacoast team in person. Audrey Firth is a delight and Shaun Zwarun is a very approachable chef with imagination and zest for his work. Its a really beautiful part of Nova Scotia I would never have known about without Doug’s delightful tidbits of info and music clips. Gotta love the guy.
Im another who met Doug via Twitter; his support of the province and understanding of connecting/relationships/networks of social media certainly is an example for all tourism operators. I know in the spring well be up there for a visit!
Dear Doug and the Authentic Coast gang,
Kudos for understanding service excellence and for allowing the dedicated work hours to get you to where you are today with social media. I think many in Canadas tourism sector think that there are quick fixes that can be obtained with the stroke of a pen across a dotted line. Real dedication takes hard work and man hours.
When I first started doing PR, I was with Ontario Tourism. A PR powerhouse was my mentor. She was a one woman ship out of NYC who taught me the 4 objectives of good PR: create awareness, establish credibility, provide excellent service, and obtain results. Authentic Coast, Id say you embody the above.
Thanks Veronica, Giles and Judy for the kind words and feedback. It was delight to have you and your husband as our guests last year Veronica and we look forward to an opportunity to welcome you again. Giles, we’re looking forward to sharing some warm Maritime hospitality with you this year. And Judy, thanks for sharing what dedication means. It is a spirit we share with you. You are all great Canadians with a warmth in your writing that we enjoy. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts here.
Like most of the other commenters, I met Doug on twitter. From the very beginning of our twitter conversations, it was obvious that he understood the importance of social media and knew how to use it effectively. Although I haven’t traveled to Nova Scotia yet, it’s now on my travel radar – all because of Doug and Authentic Seacoast.
I second what Donna Hull says, though I’ve been mostly absent on Twitter of late. Lots to do and not enough time to do it. But Authentic Seacoast is definitely on my radar, and I’ve pitched it at least twice already. Just waiting for the yes, or I’ll put it on my new travel blog, which is a partnership between two other Arizona guidebook authors: http://www.arizonatravelandadventure.com. We can get around.