Social Media, do you 'get' it?

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a training session being offered through Tots to Travel with leading Social Media expert Karen Skidmore, hope some of you were able to catch it.  It was a good one with great advice for those starting out and those who are already using it, but not really sure how to do it effectively.

If you think Social Media is just for the kids to Tweet and watch silly videos on You Tube, you are very wrong.  It is not the latest thing, it is THE thing which will only keep growing!

A few months ago I posted a video regarding the power of social media, but Im sure the numbers are now out of date.  But just gives an idea of the power that these platforms can have for a business and can give access to your target market.

Some interesting things that came from this webinar were:

• 1 Billion people use social networks, most using a variety but the main ones remain Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Linked In.

• The average Facebook session lasts 37 minutes

• 400 million use Facebook daily

• The largest growth of users of Social Media are Women aged 30 to 45!

Cant you afford to miss out!  If you need advice or help, I can help, just ask.

Holiday property owners - free training alert!

No More Empty Weeks: Discover how to harness the power of Social Media to fill your holiday home ... without wasting your time with stuff that doesn't work

The problem with using the likes of Facebook and Twitter in the same breath as marketing is that many of you probably switch off instantly.

Facebook is what the kids use, all day and all night it seems.  Merrily sharing photos of what they did last night and flirting with people they haven't even met (scary stuff for parents to get their head round .. and being one myself, I know this all too well!)

Twitter seems to be what celebs and famous footballers use to get themselves in trouble.  Newspapers are continually using tweets and making them into headlines, only to be caught up in some silly legal case.

So why on earth would you want to even consider using sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote your holiday home?

Surely social media is a waste of time?  And you just don't have time to spend tweeting, poking and sharing funny videos of cats!

This is why I am really excited to have persuaded Karen Skidmore to share some Social Media secrets with us all.

Karen Skidmore is a leading web tech marketing specialist based in the UK and I have spent time learning from her on how Social Media can make a difference to our own marketing here at Tots to Travel.

Karen is hosting a live session on Thursday 24th November where she will be teaching you how to use Social Media to help fill those dreaded empty weeks.

Click here to check out the details.

Even if you have been dabbling with various Social Media tools for the past few months (or even years), then I know you will learn stacks that will make a difference to your online marketing.

Marketing on the web allows you to reach out to new customers right around the globe.  And having spent time with Karen, I know that using the right Social Media tools in the right way, can make a big difference to your online marketing success.

If you can't make it live, then make sure you register so you can receive the recording and watch back at a time to suit you.

Here's the link and make sure you register - see you there!

Social Media and Holiday recommendations

Hi All,

Once again I am banging on about the social media revolution and how it can affect your business.  Hays Travel recently conducted a survey of holidaymakers looking into how they choose their destination and information sources used.  Over half the respondents said they had used social media platforms to gain information about their destination and accommodation.  Many people also went further looking at local activities and attractions, restaurants, nightlife, beaches and children's activities. 

The two most used sources for this information were review websites, (eg.tripadvisor) and social media platforms of Twitter and Facebook, for the majority.  The use of these two sources far outweighs the use of the traditional Travel Agent.  People are looking predominantly personal reviews and recommendations, something that Travel Agents can not always give.

Yet another reason to get on-board with social media.  If you need any help, Im happy to advise.

For the full article, please visit
http://blog.sunshine.co.uk/britons-social-media-holiday-recommendations/

Are you using social media? If not, you should be, see this for why.

Do you use social media, eg facebook, twitter etc, WHO DOESNT?  See this video, for why you should, especially for business, it is the way forward.  Amazing

http://youtu.be/omSKo1OW6CU

If you need help, just ask.