40 In focus
SOCIAL MEDIA & DESTINATION MARKETING – SUCCESS HAND IN HAND Through social media we address the specific person rather than a group
Anja Renko is Head of Marketing for Social Media at the Agency for Digital Marketing Sonce.net. Her knowledge of psychology and experience in the marketing world provide an excellent basis for research and use of creative marketing approaches in a fast paced digital environment.
Today we just can’t imagine how ten years ago we lived a perfectly normal life without a cell phone. And without constant (online) contact to all our friends and acquaintances. Not so long ago we received web content in a totally different way. We looked up and received information, but rarely created it. The world of information was generated by “others”; an average user of the web was only on the receiving end. Today the situation is completely different. These changes have come to define our way of life and the only thing we can do is to accept them and use them to our advantage.
share information with spreads not only to our friends and acquaintances, but also to friends of friends and acquaintances of acquaintances. Of course, we don’t share everything with others – we only share information which stirs up certain emotions. As a brand we can use all of this to our advantage.
Most conversations moved from closed environments to the web, where they are visible (or can be) to (almost) all.
The users no longer listen to the brand; they want to communicate with it as ‘friends’.
If the visitors to our destination find it thrilling and want to share their experience, we get brand ambassadors, promote us in the best The arrival of social media who way possible. doesn’t signify crucial changes in the means or Social media positively impacts the content of communication; communication between the brand and its users, since the former monologue is turning it merely establishes new into a constant dialogue between user and channels for it. brand.
Research demonstrates that people increasingly use the internet as a source of information on specific destinations. Fact is we also trust the assessments and references of other people, rather than advertisements. For example, for a person looking up information on a certain destination, social media is definitely the best source. Photos, videos and first hand advice from other users, available through different social media channels, provide quick, and more importantly, upto-date information on any location around the world – in a genuine and emotionally intensive way. This is also true if we consider the story from another perspective – as the creator of information. We also want to share our experience of a destination. From the narrow circle of our friends, the spectre of people we
Social media represents an ideal platform to bring this idea to life, as Iceland recently discovered. The promotion campaign “Iceland wants to be your friend”, which speaks directly to the users, impressed both critics and the public alike. With a fun approach based on social media communication they personified the brand, in this case the country, gave it a sense of humour and set a path they are consistently following. The users established a friendly relationship with the persona – which was the aim of the campaign. A direct chat with the users also provides access to priceless feedback, which gives us the insight into the consumer and a chance to improve our product. Maybe a user comment will serve as an inspiration for a locally