What’s the best destination for social media savvy attendees or events that understand the importance of social? Selecting a destination that understands the importance of social can add a lot of value to your event and be a lure for attendees. Not all destinations are equal. To score highly as a social media destination of choice you need a good internet infrastructure, good signal strength, minimal government blockages and bans, and a certain know how. If you want to select a destination that is tops in social media, read on.
What Makes A Destination Tops on Social Media?
There are several things that go into selecting a destination that has great social media. These include:
- Reliable WiFi and internet infrastructure
- Minimal government bans and blockages
- Attractions and locations people want to share
- A commitment to sharing other content outside of their own
- Understanding how to “ride” a tren
Selecting a destination that “gets” social media is advantageous for several reasons because you have an easy resource to get attendees excited about the host city, they may share your event information on social media (exposure is always a good thing, right?), and if your destination is popular on social media you’re likely to get additional exposure as people share your attendees’ posts.
If you’re looking for a destination that does a great job selling itself and the events held there, look no further than this list of destinations. Many of these have hit it big with viral campaigns but they also do a great job of day-to-day postings.
Visit St. Pete Clearwater (Pinellas County Tourism Bureau)
Sometimes handling social media well isn’t about your posts as much as it is about creating buzz that causes others to post. That was the brilliance behind the campaign Visit St. Pete Clearwater launched in New York City during a very snowy winter of 2015. Their winterblows.com campaign used snowmen holding signs on the sidewalks of the Big Apple. Those signs conveyed messages enticing New Yorkers to leave the snow for the sun.
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA)
While most destinations do a decent job posting their own pictures to social media, advanced levels of social media sophistication separate the beginners from the masters. LVCVA showed their mastery of the platforms in 2012 when they took a very timely, albeit slightly naughty, campaign to the social stratosphere.
Apparently, in today’s social world not everyone agrees with the LVCVA’s previous slogan, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” When visitors took pictures of Prince Harry’s bare backside and began circulating them on the Interwebs, the convention authority created its own set of memes, such as “Keep Calm and Carry on Harry.” They also chided these amateur Paparazzi for not adhering to the Vegas code.
Walt Disney World Resorts
From number of fans and followers to their expertise in telling a story, Walt Disney World Resorts does social media like it was created by them. At the time of this writing, their Facebook page had 15,832,116 likes. As you would expect, Disney is an extremely visual brand and that translates directly into their social media and social storytelling. They use video and image posts to captivate their audience and their goal is to create community and build on that 70% return rate.
My Switzerland
Pictures and memes are great social media fodder for destinations but video is a top draw too. My Switzerland created a video entitled, “Holidays without Internet” that went viral. It was aimed at internet junkies who needed a break from their screens and what better place to do it than in Switzerland? The genius of the video was how if the viewer chose to connect through Facebook’s connect feature, using their API, the video hosts interacted with the “internet junkie” and could tell just how much time the person spent on Facebook each day as well as make comments on their shares.
Tourism Australia
Tourism Australia takes social media seriously. Their main focus is stimulating conversations about Australia through their key social media platforms. They look to post user-generated content and encourage fans to share their own stories and experiences. This makes for much more engaging interactions, not salesy ones.
Visit Dallas
Like many destinations, Dallas understands the importance of a great hashtag. Dallas features user-generated content on its website by appealing to locals and visitors alike to use their hashtag #DallasBig. It also has created fun boards on Pinterest that target almost every kind of traveler and interest including boards for Dallas food, Dallas for Art Lovers, and Dallas at the Holidays.
Explore Georgia
Explore Georgia offers an incredibly informative website with travel suggestions for all types of trips to the Peach State but one of the things that sets it apart from other destination websites is its group of “Georgia Explorers.” This five-person panel blogs about special interests such as tips for family, culinary, and smart travel. Each of these ladies has her own social media profiles and writes about Georgia from her specialty. Content like this helps your attendees turn their event attendance into a mini vacation.
VisitScotland
VisitScotland also uses locals to tell a story with a series of mesmerizing videos. The site employs several versions of itself targeted at what the visitor wants most. For instance, there’s a glossy magazine-style website that serves the tourist industry, while separate sites cater to meeting planners and businesses. There’s also an online community that allows people to get a real feel for the country and its denizens. It’s the perfect place to ask questions of locals and understand their rich culture. There’s even a section in the community dedicated to unusual places to sleep.
In Conclusion
Selecting a destination that is social media savvy benefits your event and attendees. The destination can help you sell the area and the host city by getting potential attendees excited about their visit. If you watch the destination’s techniques, you may even pick up some ideas for your social media marketing. Plus, social media experts at destinations serve as a resource for you on how to create amazing attendee experiences and can give advice about locations and venues that are also adept at social media. Social destinations can be a secret weapon in creating an event to be remembered.