Mistakes Destinations Make on Social Media That Hurt Revenue
It is likely that your destination has a social media account (or two), but, are you sure that it is being used to its fullest potential? Although social media is excellent for creating awareness and building brand image, it can also positively impact revenue if used correctly. Below are some of the common mistakes we encounter when working with destinations that hinder them from turning their social media posts into revenue generators. So if you are looking to get more out of your social media accounts, keep on reading.
Social Media Mistakes that Hurt Revenue:
- Not Promoting Revenue Generating Attractions
- Having an Un-User Friendly Website
- Forgetting About the Visitor Audience
- Ignoring Paid Social
- Not Knowing When to Pause Marketing
- Under Utilizing Social Media Channels
#1 Not Promoting Revenue Generating Attractions
The most detrimental mistake destinations make on social media that hurts revenue is only promoting the free activities in town. Sure, the hiking, beaches, and biking make for a pretty instagram feed, but to create real business impact you also need to focus on revenue generating attractions. Use your social media accounts to regularly highlight the local shops, restaurants, and hotels to give visitors a full picture of what it is like to visit your destination.
#2 Having an Un-User Friendly Website
Having a poorly structured website makes it difficult for users to find the information they need, thus reducing the likelihood of converting them to a visitor. It also causes you to miss an opportunity on social media, now that you are able to create links/call to actions directly from your stories to your website. DMOs will want to ensure that their websites are easy to use so they can link additional event, business, or destination information directly through their story.
#3 Forgetting About the Visitor Audience
Another trap that DMOs fall into is forgetting that they are creating content for their visitor audience, rather than one made up of locals. This is especially important when promoting events, for example visitors will be much more interested in a food festival vs. a Tuesday night poetry reading, so always keep this in mind when promoting on socials.
(Photo by Kate Trysh on Unsplash)
#4 Ignoring Paid Social
Using paid social media is an often overlooked method when promoting a destination. Setting your filter to target audiences within an hour or two radius puts your town in front of additional people who may not normally see it. Be sure not to forget the power of geotags & hashtags, paid social is not a replacement for these tools. An additional benefit of paid social is that it allows you to gather more learnings on your audience. Use the learnings from paid campaigns and boosted posts to adjust your strategy and improve where needed.
#5 Not Knowing When to Pause Marketing
In some instances an event, business, or area in town may be so popular already that it does not need to be promoted on social media. In this case, it is important to know when to pull back on promotion to avoid overcrowding. Having too many people in one location can cause safety hazards and reduce the overall visitor experience at your destination. In addition to this, you do not want to deter locals from participating in your events or visiting certain establishments as you need their continued support. To help combat both of these issues, DMOs should be mindful if any times of year or events already attract a healthy crowd and pause their marketing efforts.
#6 Under Utilizing Social Media Channels
Many times destinations are only active on one type of social media channel which can hinder them from reaching the right audience. Assess which social media channels are used by your target audience and make sure you have a consistent presence there. With the popularity of social channels changing regularly it is important to continually analyze which channels are best for your destination’s audience.
If your destination needs some additional help generating revenue through social media, we would love to chat! Contact Us Below!