There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about” , Oscar Wilde thought. He saw that clearly and successful Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs), organisations that promote tourist destinations, now know it too. Word-of-mouth advertising is the strongest promotional tool for city marketers, but how do you ensure that? In this article we provide practical tips on how DMOs can stimulate word-of-mouth advertising, using four cases.
Cities are increasingly seen and promoted as brands. At the same time, consumers have more power to create content themselves via social media and thus strongly influence a brand. As a result, DMOs partly lose control over what is told about a destination. How can they deal with this? Not by carrying out more promotional campaigns, in which only the DMO sends. But by facilitating others in the promotion of a destination. Focus on communication about the destination by and between consumers.
Sending by another
Experience shows that two-way traffic between consumers usually does not take place. So it remains mainly transmitting, but then by someone else who often comes across as more credible. Don't forget that as a DMO you must be clear about what the unique selling points of the destination are for the visitors. Where can he or she gain memorable experiences, to share on social media?
We looked at a Canadian and three Scandinavian DMOs and see that they approach this in different ways. Below we give four different approaches how DMOs deal with this, including some pros and cons.
1. Use of own employees
Wonderful Copenhagen uses its own staff to stimulate word-of-mouth advertising. Every month, a different staff member gives five tips ( Editor's choice ) on what a visitor can do in the city. The how do i list a canadian phone number? staff plays on the season and on special moments of the year. You get to know the writer better through a short portrait: name, age, place of residence in the city, hobbies, favorite restaurant and events in the city.
The employees also post their own photos. On their way home from work, for example, they capture a misty November day or the first snow of the year. This results in images of unknown places in the city, which show the visitor a different, everyday Copenhagen.
tourism marketing wonderful copenhagen
Advantages
More 'control' possible because the DMO can brief/direct its own employees.
It provides 'real' tips and images from city residents.
In addition to highlights and the usual sights, everyday details are also discussed.
Disadvantage.