I was having the most wonderful conversation the other day with Melanie Seasons, a digital PR pro at agency onlinefire, and thought I must share some tidbits from the discussion. Melanie’s background is in public relations and communication theory, so after graduating and traveling for awhile, she ended up in London and taking the online world by storm.

Here are some of the questions I asked her about how social media is impacting the travel industry and what small businesses can do in response to this rapid pace of change.

What does the term “social media” mean to you?

Social Media, to me, is the sharing and gathering of information from a community of people online.

It seems like anything related to the internet is changing at light speed – an always changing beast. Where do you think it’s all headed?

If I knew, I’d be a very rich woman. I don’t like to predict ‘the next big thing’; to do so is to try and read the minds of millions of people at the same time. For example, if you would have told me two and half years ago that Twitter would be where it’s at now, I would have never believed you. The only thing I can say is that things will change, and we’re about due for it. I do think there will eventually be a ‘new’ Twitter – or at least new developments. I think blogging will continue, but may not attract many as many new readers.

How do you think social media and other online technologies have affected the travel and tourism industry specifically?

Mainly through the readily available consumer reviews online. The first thing that people do when planning a holiday is go onto Trip Advisor to check unbiased reviews on hotels and restaurants. I often go to Flickr to see if there are any pictures of the hotel I’m looking at staying in.

If a small business is having a hard time coming to grips with online media, what would be your top three tips for making progress in incorporating new technology?

1. Don’t panic. It’s honestly not as complicated as it looks. Social Media is about having sensible conversations with your consumers.

2. Research. Unlike 5 years ago, there are tons and tons of resources online that will help you to understand blogging, social networks and Twitter. Read up. You’ll find that most of the ‘How to interact’-type articles are common sense

3. Don’t be afraid of bad reviews. You can’t please everybody. If you have someone saying bad things about you online, figure out how you’re going to address it, and engage the person in an open and honest manner. Using social media in a PR context is about reputation building online. How do you *want* your consumers to feel about you? If it seems you’re not on the same page, do what you can to address their concerns and change their minds.

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Great thoughts, Melanie. For me the most important takeaway lessons are:

Research. What’s already out there online about you? What else should be out there about you? For example, did you pay a photographer for a new set of images for your hostel refurbishments? Then get those photos out there!

Don’t be Afraid of the Bad Stuff. As Melanie says, you can’t please everybody. All you can do is decide what you’re going to do about it. Hint: Panic or sending hate mail isn’t a good response.

You can find Melanie on Twitter and on her blog, Fake Plastic Noodles.

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Are you finding social media and online promotion a chore? Can’t get your head around the fact that everyone is a reviewer? Well have a look at our community building one-on-one package, where we can drill down into the issues together and decide how you’ll triumph in the online world.