How to Celebrate National Tourism Week
Want to know how to celebrate National Tourism Week? Sure we can make one Facebook post, or a Tweet with #NationalTourismWeek, but let’s take it even further. If you are one of those tourism marketers who always “wishes” they shared Instagram Stories, or made more videos – this is your week! Let’s celebrate our industry by trying something new, or fixing something we’ve been meaning to fix. Let’s get started!
1. Make an Instagram Story
Instagram Stories are officially a “thing” and if they are not a part of your regular content distribution, you are falling behind! Many tourism marketers don’t know WHAT to share on Instagram Stories, so check out our recent collaboration with Crowdriff – How to Use UGC to Jazz Up Your Instagram Stories. Set aside a half hour this week, and make a killer IG Story!
2. Go out and capture a 10 second video
If the weather is nice in Michigan, we can safely assume it’s decent just about everywhere else in the country. Get outside! During business hours! Take one hour (or less) to walk around the area, and grab a quick video to share on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! For more video tips for tourism marketers, read this blog.
3. Optimize 5 Pinterest boards
Stop thinking of Pinterest as a social channel, and start thinking about it as a search channel! Many tourism marketers set up their Pinterest pages long ago before knowing the importance of optimization. Start simple with 5 of your most important boards and follow this advice:
- Title includes your destination’s name (city AND state)
- Title is useful and not cute (Where to Eat as opposed to Tasty Treats)
- Board description is packed with tons of keywords related to the theme of the board, and your destination
- Board has been assigned a category
For more insights on Pinterest, check out our interview with Logan Nelson from the Pinterest team.
4. Enhance 3 partner listings
We get it. You have hundreds of listings. It feels impossible to create exciting landing pages for each of your partners, and there may be a little truth to that. We recommend identifying and enhancing three of your most important partner listings. Here are some things you can do to make them more exciting:
- Embed a UGC gallery of related photos
- Link to related blogs that feature the partner
- Make sure the description and information is accurate and engaging
Pretty simple, eh? Next week, tackle three more!
5. Schedule a tweet for every day this week
Some tourism marketers claim to hate Twitter. If you are one of these people, ask yourself if you are truly making the most of the channel. One of the ways to succeed with Twitter is consistency. Scheduling tweets is much easier than coming up with new content every day. Get in the zone, and schedule one (or three or seven) tweet(s) for each day of this week, including the weekend! For even more ideas, read our blog about Twitter.
6. Change your cover photos
The seasons have (finally) changed, and your cover photo could use a little sprucing up! Use Canva to make a cool collage with different photos of your destination. Also use this opportunity to draw some attention to your hashtag.
While you are at it, take a look at the cover photos, profile pictures, and bios for all your social channels. Are they exciting? Do they promote your hashtag? Make it happen!
7. Come up with 10 blog ideas
Don’t think. Just do.
Yea, yea we definitely want useful blog content that is optimized and engaging, but right now you just need to create! Save judgement for later and quickly come up with 10 blog ideas. If one idea becomes a blog, it was time well spent! Here’s some inspiration on ways to generate blog ideas.
Ready? Set. GO!
8. Look at your website on a mobile device
Don’t avoid it. It has to happen.
…And don’t just look at your homepage! Click around. Make a list of broken links and malfunctioning elements.
Take a look at some blogs and partner pages too.
Good luck!
9. Log into your Google Analytics
10. Plan to host a partner workshop
What better way to give back to your partners than hosting a free marketing workshop? TwoSix Digital’s Dave Serino and Brian Matson are out on the road celebrating National Tourism Week with some partner workshops! Bring us to your destination to share marketing solutions with your local businesses. Stronger partners generate more visitors! Learn more about partner workshops here.
Let us know if you accomplish some or all of these ways to celebrate National Tourism Week! Tag us on Twitter and use this year’s official hashtags – #nttw18 and #TravelNow.
