Our previous #tourismchat was on March 8 and focused on Twitter. If you have time, read through the entire chat transcript. Here are my highlights:
What are your favorite twitter tools?
- jesslaw Hands down, Hootsuite. Love the ability to schedule tweets and monitor multiple accounts and keywords.
- Joe_ExpCols I’m a Sprout Social guy.
- midwestguest I really rely on the list function at Twitter itself as a tool…rather than Hootsuite, Tweetdeck or the like.
How many tweets do you send a day? Evening or weekends too?
- DanielleRauch I send about 5-6 per week day, depending on what’s needed. Not as much on weekends
-
HeidiTown I find that you’ll hit an entirely new demographic if you send or live tweet at night.
- jesslaw We aim for 18-20 tweets a day, but usually exceed that. Def. on weekends! That’s when tourists are visiting.
What do you think are the most important metrics for Twitter?
- catherineheeg metrics for me revolve around engagement and conversations.
- theresaoverby I measure clicks, RTs and replies. Actual conversation with visitors makes my day, thought.
- TomMartin tend to pay attention to click thrus on links, engagement, unsolicited testimonials.
What are your best practices for building a Twitter following?
- midwestguest Doing RTs of interesting stories in my region, seeking out those in the region I cover to follow them.
- WhosYourAnnie Provide good, easily retweetable content. Connect with/thank followers, especially influencers. Search & follow key users.
- katiecook Useful, timely info and holding regular conversations with the community.
Do you use public/private Twitter Lists?
- Joe_ExpCols public (restaurants, attractions, hotels, etc) lists, & private (travel writers, meeting planners, etc.) lists.
Have you managed a successful contest on Twitter?
- theresaoverby We do more giveaways than contests on twitter. 140 chs is tough to explain rules that typically apply to contests.
- TomMartin have had folks tweet pics of them using brand, tell funniest joke, etc. Then select winner… DM for addy to fulfill
How do you handle negative customer service issues that appears first on Twitter?
- spowellhenning Acknowledge their issue and then go ‘offline’ with them – DM, email, phone call. If you can resolve easily on twitter, do.
Is your twitter page customized with branding elements?
- Joe_ExpCols I don’t think branding on twitter.com is too hard. For a couple minutes in photoshop, you might as well.
- elampe Scenic photo of the destination for the background w/ URL branding. Pretty basic. Ties into primary site nicely.
How much time do you spend monitoring twitter conversations? What tools do you use?
- spowellhenning We set up keyword and phrase searches using a @Hootsuite stream.
- dholston Spend maybe an hour/day searching through select keyword searches and hashtags. Hootsuite is the main tool. Radian6 also.
Be sure to join us tomorrow, March 22, from 2-3pm CST for a #tourismchat about Facebook. See what other CVBs are doing with Timeline and share your Facebook tips!