September 2011 – How to multiply your efforts

Sheila, Cody Heitschmidt and Becky at 140 Characters Conference SmallTown 2011, Hutchinson, Kansas

Do you ever wish that there were two or three of you to get everything done?

Mercy, we do, too (and really, who doesn’t?)

We think that “work smarter, not harder” is one of those annoying clichés that sounds good until you realize that you’re already a smart person who is working hard, and there is no more blood in the turnip.

There is, however, one way to ensure that at least what you are doing online can spread further – learn to think like an online publisher.

Every single piece of content that you create can go to more than one place, and it will reach different audiences when you do so, especially when you stagger the publication timing.

The photo that you see is of the two of us plus friend and supporter Cody Heitschmidt at the 140 Characters Conference SmallTown tech event in Hutchinson, Kansas on September 20.  As people, the three of us can accomplish so much more when each of us multiplies the others’ efforts. Meantime, all of the blog posts, photos, video, Foursquare/Gowalla checkins, tweets, etc. that were created before, during and after the conference are often doing double and triple communications duties.

Let’s talk about how….

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Make Once, Use More Than Once

Whenever you create something, start thinking about where else you can use it. Remember, you’re an online publisher with multiple platforms at your disposal, and they have worldwide, 24-hour-a-day reach. You’re a media titan!

Let’s take photos, for example.

If you take a really good photo, always ask these questions:

1 )  Can this, along with a few descriptive sentences, become a stand-alone blog post?

2 )  Can this, along with a few descriptive sentences and tagging of both the people and the organizations represented in it, become a Facebook Page status update?

Note:  if you can’t tag a photo on Facebook that is sent from your phone (the various apps and Facebook mobile site are not always very user-friendly or capable) then post the information untagged and go back in later on a computer and simply Edit the photo to add tags as desired.

3 )  Can this be shared on Twitter using photo-sharing services like TwitPic or YFrog?

4 )  Can this go up on a Flickr photo-sharing page? Can it also be added to any Flickr Group Pools that you’ve joined (like, oh, the Tourism Currents Flickr Group Pool where we share cool destination/attraction pics?)

5 )  Can this go into a rotating gallery of photos on a website?

6 )  Can this, if taken with a phone, be added to checkin services, i.e., attached to a Spot in one of Gowalla’s Guides (Update: Gowalla was bought by Facebook and is now defunct) or to a Place on Foursquare?

7 ) Can this be added to a custom Google Map of your area, as we discussed in our Idea Fair free webinar?

See?

Think like the publisher you are.

This is an excerpt of 7 of 9 photo suggestions from our latest Two Pages of Terrific – “Create Once, Use Many Times – How to Think Like an Online Publisher.”  It’s one of several quick, snappy educational solutions that we offer for download. If you like it, there’s more where that came from in our Tourism Currents online Store!

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 Blog Mentions

It’s great to see more and more tourism and hospitality organizations starting a blog, which is a superb way to keep rolling out fresh multimedia content. If the blog is part of your domain name, it also brings huge SEO (Search Engine Optimization) benefits.

Most importantly, if it is on your domain, YOU own and fully control it, not Facebook or Google.

Drop by, wave hello and leave a comment with these folks:

**  8 Great Towns (Hamilton County, Indiana)

**  Walla Walla, Washington

**  Roger Smith Life from the Roger Smith Hotel, New York City

**  The Fox Cities blog (18 Fox River communities in Wisconsin)

**  In the Rio Grande Valley of Texas (a big birding destination, among other things) the McAllen TX blog

**  State of Kansas tourism

Hey, we know we’ve missed some up-and-comers, so please speak your mind and tell us your favorites down in the comments.

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Great Educational Content Plus Thousands of Bloggers:

That’s BlogWorld & New Media Expo, Los Angeles CA Nov 3-5

We are getting REALLY excited about our Tourism track offerings at BlogWorld West in LA in November.

Want some details on our speakers and sessions? Here you go….

**  Social Photography: A Picture is Worth 140 Characters

Whether it’s food, architecture, people or attractions that best represent your destination, a photo is the most simple and effective way of promoting it via social media. Learn best practices in social photo sharing (including Foodspotting and photowalks) then try it yourself in an interactive forum.

Speakers:  Caroline Bean, National Media Relations / Social Media at Greater Philadelphia (PA) Tourism Marketing Corporation, and Bill Karz, Director, Online Marketing at LA INC / Los Angeles (CA) Convention & Visitors Bureau

 

**  Budget? What Budget? One-Person Social Media Marketing with Zero Money

Are you a single-person marketing department who is operating on a shoestring, yet you still want your destination, attraction, lodging or restaurant to be discovered and visited by travelers? Here’s how to do it with the same 24 hour day that the “big boys” have.

Speakers:  Doug Anweiler, Vice President at Authentic Seacoast Resorts, Nova Scotia, Canada, and Leslie McLellan, Director of Marketing and Tourism for Lake Arrowhead, CA

 

**  You May Not Win an Oscar, But Your Videos Won’t Stink, Either

Ready to start, or up your game, in online video? Learn what sort of basic equipment you’ll need, how to handle lighting and audio, how to “think like a videographer” with storyboarding and visual storytelling tips, and finally how video can rock your SEO (Search Engine Optimization.) Some hands-on time will be included for you to practice.

Speaker:  Brian Matson, Marketing Director at Fargo (ND) – Moorhead (MN) Convention & Visitors Bureau

 

**  Fitting It All In: How to Integrate Social Media Campaigns with Your Overall Marketing Strategy

Short-term social media campaigns are a lot of wheel-spinning unless they are designed to meld with and support an overall strategy and larger goals. Don’t get caught up in the unfocused pursuit of Facebook Page Likes and Twitter followers; let’s discuss how tactics/short campaigns can support your entire marketing effort, digital and non-digital.

Speaker:  Shanna Smith Snyder, Director of Communication at Abilene (TX) Convention & Visitors Bureau

Doesn’t all of that sound amazing? We think so, too!

Get more info and register on our BlogWorld Tourism track info page, and see you in the City of Angels November 3-5.

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