p38-39 Know feature feb 20 17/2/09 12:16 Page 39
ttglive.com
online networking knowledge
shouldn’t let technology put you off either regularly update people with what
Web words you should know
because it’s so straightforward. You just they want to know about – but
need the internet and a brain.” the more you put in, the more Social networking site
you get out.” These build online communities for people
Facebook who share the same interests and/or are
Steve Dunne, council member of the Char- The future keen to explore the same interests as others.
tered Institute of Marketing Travel Industry Dunne believes such online tools are They enable users to communicate and
Group, suggests agents take an interest in vital. “It’s the way of the future,” he says. share information.
“friends’’ profiles on Facebook – research- “Cost-wise it’s cheap and it’s a way for Eg. facebook.com, myspace.com
ing what they are doing, what they are inter- brands to talk to people through their own
ested in and targeting them specifically. people. Twitter
He also emphasises the importance of No-one wants to be Facebook “friends” A type of social networking and micro blog-
thinking carefully about what detail you with companies such as Tui, for example. ging site allowing users to send and receive
might post about yourself and your com- People rely on each other now for advice and updates (called “tweets”) in text-based posts
pany, and what information you will use to tips. They don’t believe brands anymore of 140 characters. Updates appear on the
update your site and how frequently. because frequently they don’t deliver. user’s landing page and are delivered to
“Technically you can do all of this in an “However, agents must be careful about other users or “followers” who have signed
afternoon because the entry barrier is low. diving in because they could burn their up to receive them.
But if you consider the number of people fingers,” he warns. “It would be like going Follow ttglive.com at twitter.com/ttglive
you have access to on Facebook these days, to a wedding and trying to sell your car
it’s as big as having a national TV campaign. outside to the guests. Yahoo! Answers
And you wouldn’t plan that in an afternoon!” “MySpace is called that for a reason. Push- A community-driven knowledge market
he says. ing a product on people which allows users to ask questions to be
One agent who dedicates considerable could be dangerous; some answered, and answer questions asked by
time and resources to his Facebook presence people might not like it. others.
is Graeme Watson, Explorer Travel home- The secret in social media answers.yahoo.com
worker. As a result he estimates it generates is to be sociable,” he
as much as 30-40% of his business. advises. Blog
His strategy is to invite as many people as This also means dedi- A website, usually maintained by an individual,
possible to be a “friend”. He also updates his cating time to online with regular entries of commentary or
pages every fortnight with operator news efforts to avoid becoming descriptions of events. They often focus
and regularly changes his status with new a “digital ghost town”. on a particular subject, combining text
deals. Not committing sufficient with images.
By searching through friends’ profiles to time, says Dunne, is one Eg. Travel Rants: travel-rants.com or
determine their interests, he can then send of the worst things you journeysthroughtravel.com by TTG’s Matt
them targeted emails using their addresses can do. “If there’s no Parsons. Create your own at wordpress.com
located on their profile walls. Clients are also activity it looks like
asked to post comments about the trips he you’re not taking notice Forums
has organised for them and upload photos. and you’re not a serious An online message board and discussion site.
Like Harrold, Watson also provides travel agent,” he adds. Interest groups often form around debated
advice on his public “wall” on elements such So the weapons are out subjects.
as visa requirements. there at your disposal. Let Steve Dunne (top) and Graeme Eg. TTG’s yourspace-ttglive.com/forums
He says: “You need to keep it fresh, and battle commence! Watson both praise Facebook
20.02.2009 39
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