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Tourism Best Practices – 7 DMO’s Programs to Boost Tourism

  • 2 min read

Tourism professionals at Convention and Visitors Bureaus – CVBs (or Destination Marketing Organizations – DMOs) are implementing some innovative programs to increase visitation in their destinations. We call them Tourism Best Practices. Giant “M” to greet RAGBRAI riders in Muscatine CVB works with popular bike tour and local mechanics to develop art piece welcoming visitors. World’s Longest Yard Sale starts Thursday CVBs still in the event management business… Writer Visiting Helena for Book on Missouri River CVBs still in the FAM business… BCS Convention and Visitors Bureau – Be a Tourist in Your Own Backyard An “oldie but a goodie”…… 

Social Media – Laws, Trends, Metrics and How Teens Feel about Ads

  • 2 min read

You’ve started your social media accounts. You’re posting. You’re tweeting. You’re pinning. Starting to get proficient at Facebook. Even used a #hashtag in a tweet. You’re getting proficient. Want to get better. This week, we have the 8 laws, 7 trends and 7 metrics of social media. Plus insights of how teens really feel about ads. 8 Laws of Social Media Marketing That Will Help Your Customers The Top 7 Social Media Marketing Trends Dominating 2016 7 Social Media Metrics that Really Matter—and How to Track Them How Teens Actually Feel About Social Media Ads Two how-tos / best practices… 

Email Marketing – Be Messy and 9 Other Tips To Get Better Results

  • 2 min read

  Email marketing is consistently ranked as the best channel in terms of return on investment. 68% of companies rate the channel as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. (1) For every $1 spent, email marketing generates $38 in ROI. (2) Email is 40 times more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter. (3) So now that you’re convinced (or perhaps you were already,) let’s optimize your performance: Email Marketing to Millennials: 3 Ways to Reach the Largest Consumer Generation Read (the above article) for tips to help reach the largest group of consumers and turn them into your brand’s biggest fans.… 

Customer Service Lessons from the Big 12

  • 3 min read

I believe my son is an average 6-year-old. He likes Star Wars, Transformers, Wii and sports. When we moved to Norman, Okla., he saw the OU football poster and wanted one. So up one went on his wall! Then he wondered if he could get posters from the teams OU was playing. And thus, a quest began! Because the DMOs in the cities of the Big 12 have a strong relationship I was able to drop the other eleven a line and make the request. As some went unfulfilled, I started contacting the universities’ athletic departments myself. The result is… 

Customer Service – 11 Hours with A Customer; 5 other Good Reads

  • 2 min read

In CTA trainings, Stephen has a simple exercise which demonstrates that if we take simply a minute or two to engage with the customer, we can learn about them and how to serve them best. Imagine spending nearly 11 hours with a customer!? That’s what one Zappos customer service rep did: A Zappos Employee Had the Company’s Longest Customer-Service Call at 10 Hours, 43 Minutes Other good reads this week on customer service: Why Honest Customer Service Policies Are Good for Business L.L. Bean offers a ‘lifetime’ guarantee on its products. Isn’t that pricey for the company? Not if you keep… 

Stop It! Why You Should Disconnect Your Social Media Accounts

  • 6 min read

You should disconnect your social media networks. Social media outlets are completely different and require entirely different management. User behavior, consumption of information, structure of posts/tweets, and the ways fans and followers engage vary dramatically across the platforms. Here’s seven additional reasons you should disconnect your social media accounts.

Tourism Best Practices – CVBs Maximize Pokemon

  • 2 min read

For years, CVBs have been developing and promoting “be a tourist in your own city” encouraging families to venture out and discover local attractions they haven’t visited or re-visit a destination they haven’t been too in years. Leave it to a video game to truly drive families to be a tourist in their own city. PokemonGo is sending droves of game players to new parts of their community or attractions they haven’t visited in a while. How are CVBs maximizing Pokemon fever? CVBs Publish PokemonGo Guides to Draw Visitors While Pokémon Go continues to gain popularity, the game also presents… 

Social Media – Snapchat, Facebook Changes and Mistakes to Avoid

  • 2 min read

You’ve started your social media accounts. You’re posting. You’re tweeting. You’re pinning. Starting to get proficient at Facebook. Even used a #hashtag in a tweet. But now comes Snapchat. First we always coach, own one social media channel before starting your marketing on another channel. But if you’re ready to dive into Snapchat, here’s some help: Now Is The Perfect Time for Your Brand to Join Snapchat If you’ve previously thought Snapchat to be a social network used only by teens, it’s time to change that mindset. How Facebook’s Newest Update May Hurt Your Brand Since the beginning of the… 

Customer Service – The Future of CX; What Gen Z Wants and Your Signature Service

  • 2 min read

Customer service is at an all-time low and customer satisfaction in dealing with a product or service issue is just as low, about 40 percent. Two of three consumers are likely to experience rage during an interaction with a customer service rep. In addition, 63 percent of consumers are likely to experience no satisfaction whatsoever in dealing with a product or service complaint. For retailers the outcome is not good as it is putting about $202 billion in revenue at stake and can slash consumer repeat business and loyalty to shreds. Only three good reads on improving customer service but three very…