Sustainable Tourism Post Covid-19

Reading through this Guardian article on Barcelona without the tourists, it’s crazy to think of the new reality we all find ourselves in, post the outbreak of Covid-19.

This is especially true for the tourism industry, in Spain, here in the UK and Ireland, and just about everywhere else around the world.

Hit Pause

I’ve been lucky enough to work in, and then with, the tourism industry and various tourism businesses and projects, since 2014 up until now. It’s an exciting industry, and an enjoyable one for a marketeer.

Every year felt the same. The drive for growth is/was insatiable, and it was a common catchphrase at annual Tourism Ireland conferences that the dial reverts to zero every year on January 1st, with the aim being more visitors and tourists than ever before.

Now everyone, from top to bottom has had to hit pause.

Cities like Barcelona, with 2 million residents, have witnessed approximately 30 million annual visitors disappear in a flash.

Belfast, Dublin, Galway, the Causeway Coast, and the Wild Atlantic Way have all seen exactly the same, and just as the new season was due to start.

Tourism Post Covid-19

For the most part, nobody has questioned the various lockdowns. Everybody has understood what is required.

Despite that, from a tourism perspective, it has been devastating and the ramifications will most likely ripple for many years to come. It’s hard to envisage pre-Coronavirus travelling on the same scale, at least in the short to mid-term.

However, that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.

Both Barcelona and Amsterdam, two major European tourism hubs, are said to be reevaluating their cities, with a greater focus on the wellbeing and experiences of local people and local tourists, after all of this has begun to pass.

One local Amsterdam resident took his children to the historic Wallen district (also known as the red light district), now minus stag parties and hyped-up tourists, and called it a “memory of a lifetime”.

The same could happen here.

Local tourists could experience the Ring of Kerry in all its glory, without massive unsustainable numbers of visitors around every corner. The same can be said of Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, Dublin’s Temple Bar district and more.

Obviously every visitor is welcomed, and they are the lifeblood of the tourism industry, of jobs, and livelihoods. This isn’t about them, it’s about making it more sustainable in future when they’re welcomed back.

Post Covid-19 Tourism in Ireland

Locally, we don’t have to look too far to see the negative impact of tourism.

Countless reports charting the destruction of the world famous Dark Hedges (featured in HBO’s Game of Thrones) have appeared throughout the last half-decade, with tourism speeding up a natural process beyond repair. That’s just one attraction in one corner of the island.

Things won’t be the same for a long time, at the very least, but hopefully this forced pause will allow us to rejig the local tourism industry with a greater emphasis on sustainable experiences and memories, both for local visitors, and those who will eventually be welcomed back to our shores.

In amongst the relentless wave of bad news, it’s positive to see that the “memory of a lifetime” can still happen in 2020, and beyond.

Using the Zeitgeist on Social Media

The 2018 World Cup. Love Island. Wimbledon. Queer Eye.

If you haven’t heard of any of these events or programs over the last month then where the hell have you been?!

Only joking…slightly!

There’s nothing wrong with having zero personal interest in some, or all, of the above but there is something to be said in following the current cultural zeitgeist if you manage social media channels for your business, or someone else’s.

Mainstream Audiences

I completely understand if you have zero interest in all of the above from a personal perspective but if you’re marketing to a mainstream B2C audience between the ages of 18 – 50 you can guarantee a lot of them do.

A quick walk down any street, head-pop into any workplace or brief glance at social media would reveal as much.

The UK and Ireland was awash with Love Island drama, last minute World Cup goals, the will-he-won’t-he play Andy Murray saga, and the joy of a rebooted series on Netflix.

Obviously much more was happening but that’s beside the point. From a social media marketing point of view this was all great content fodder brimming with potential. There were countless angles on which to grab attention and create humour, debate, emotion, news etc.

Multiple brands and businesses, local and national, jumped on board with plenty of success and the last 4-6 weeks is a mini case study in the power of the zeitgeist, especially when it comes to social media.

Industry Specific

All of that might seem fun but completely distant, almost untouchable, for B2B or niche industry marketers out there, however the lesson is still applicable.

In every industry there are news stories, waves, trends and points of discussion that represent the mini zeitgeist of that market.

Just this week the ridiculously successful children’s SLIME market (seriously, slime?!) was rocked with news of potentially dangerous chemicals.

Maybe this represents the perfect opportunity for someone producing hand-crafted, 100% organic, locally sourced slime…

If that isn’t yet a thing then get in touch (if you can make slime) and we’ll make a fortune together!

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Moving swiftly on…

This isn’t a catchall silver bullet, simply another tactic or mindset that can be incorporated into an overarching social media strategy to great effect.

The power of the zeitgeist isn’t new in marketing or social media but this summer has been another reminder that “trending” is important for a reason.  

Changing Times in Ireland's Town Centres

Earlier this week I stumbled across this photo article on The Guardian detailing the demise and disappearance of classic, quirky old Irish shop and storefronts in our town and village centres and it got me thinking.

The world is constantly changing, seemingly faster than ever before, and with the likes of voice-activated shopping, AI and the Internet of Things all in the ascendency it doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon.

For many, that’s a bad thing but I believe we should look towards, and search for, the positives out there.

Cause of Changes

Before we get to that, it’s worth considering the cause of the changes our centres have been experiencing over the last two decades.

Although I’ve worked on a number of Ballymena BID projects in the past (and as a result heard all kinds of reasoning for problems in our town centres) I would never claim to be an expert in this field.

However, I think the problems can be roughly divided into three: out-of-town centres, national chains and “the internet”.

You could also throw rising rates and rents, as well as a squeezing of disposable incomes, into the mix but the three major issues listed above have pulled shoppers away from town centre streets and in to massive outlets or back into their living rooms behind screens.

Major national chains closing branches and shops post-recession is the icing on the cake…

The Not to Distant Future

Pretty bleak, right? Yes and no.

There’s no doubt that our town centres are currently struggling through a transition phrase right now.

Centres throughout Ireland, Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK are littered with closed, vacant and abandoned lots but that doesn’t always have to be the case, and most likely won’t.

In the face of unlimited options more and more consumers have chosen local or different (just see your closest specialty coffee shop as an example) and I can see this trend continuing in the years to come.

In the face of 360 degrees competition, high rates and rent (which will hopefully drop when councils and landlords realise an empty lot in a dying town is worthless) and the omnipresence of the Internet – I believe we’ll see a leaner, stripped down, more adaptable retailer emerge.

Local crafters, artists, Internet-first retailers, service providers and even YouTubers or creators could fill those empty spaces and breathe life back into our town centres.

So it isn’t all lost, yet.

A Few Favourites

Finally, it wouldn’t be right to highlight the article above without picking out a few Counter Digital favourites (obviously all images credited to and owned by Trevor Finnegan) so without further ado:

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The Death of Facebook…Again?

If you’ve followed the rise of Facebook over the last decade you’ll probably have heard about “the death of Facebook” on more than one occasion.

As the world’s biggest social media platform Facebook is an easy target for everyone from advertisers to governments to regular users in the general public. As a result, we’ve seen this type of headline time and time again.

Is this really the end for Facebook? What does the future hold for the channel synonymous with social media?

Pivot, Pivot…PIVOT!*

You don’t need an MBA or years of experience in the business world to recognise that Mark Zuckerberg has been a pretty impressive founder and CEO up to this point.

With this in mind, and a history of acquisitions including Instagram and aggressively attacking competitors like Snapchat, it’s fair to assume that Facebook will pivot and react, as and when younger audience attention shifts.

However, even with this in mind it’s unlikely Facebook will ever again become the “go-to” place for younger audiences. This is primarily because it now has such a large adult and senior audience that the numbers will almost certainly always skew upwards.

Also, when you combine the fact that Zuckerberg is unlikely to turn his back on the highly lucrative mature audiences anytime soon with the age-old understanding that kids, teens and younger groups always want their “own” space, on and offline, it’s safe to say Facebook will most likely never return to its younger, cooler image of approximately 2008-2012.

*Who got the Friends reference?

Segmented Digital Messaging

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Marketers and advertisers are no strangers to segmented audiences and messaging and this may develop further in the coming years, more so than even at present.

To a certain extent businesses, marketers and advertisers already understand that different social media channels mean different audiences (think Snapchat for under 25s etc.).

As a result, and if younger users continually drop-off, or never join, Facebook the social media channel could simply become a platform to reach audiences in the over thirties market.

This would essentially represent a 180 degrees flip, as for years the channel was seen as a platform to reach teenagers, university students and those in their early twenties, but wouldn’t kill the channel by a long shot.

In the near future you could see marketers use Snapchat and Instagram to reach anyone under thirty, Facebook for over thirties and one or two other experimental channels for teenagers or seniors.

Part of the Mainstream

With all of the above in mind one of the most likely developments (it’s happening already) is that Facebook simply becomes part of the mainstream media machine we’ve all known, in some shape or form, throughout our lives.

For many the Brexit and US Presidential political results of 2016 represented a watershed moment as Facebook had reached the mainstream as a key media channel. It could even be this increased awareness, of the channel and its powers over society, that is leading to younger audiences moving away.

Whatever the reasons, becoming part of the mainstream media offering in no way means Facebook is nearing grim death. It might simply no-longer be where the cool kids hang out…although some would say that happened years ago!

What to Do?

As always it’s best to let these things play out and simply maintain an awareness of any major changes.

If you’re in the business of marketing or selling to anyone over the age of 25 then this is probably a non-issue. If you target teenage or young adult markets it’s time to get experimental…if you haven’t already.

Any other questions on social media for business, or digital marketing in general, contact me here.

Getting Awareness Through Engagement on Social Media

“Engagement” and “Awareness” might sound like digital marketing buzzwords (they are…but hear me out…) but they are absolutely crucial in today’s social media marketing world.

In many cases the two elements go hand in hand in a social media context as more engagement generally leads to more awareness via the “word of mouth” friendly algorithms of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter etc.

The result of this means that we need to constantly keep both elements at the forefront of our minds throughout the content creation process.

Why Awareness is Crucial

Awareness, attention, exposure… Each word carries its own slight variation in meaning but at the core, they all mean the same thing in a marketing and business context…

You need EYES and EARS on your business before you can ever generate qualified leads or sales.

You might have the best product, service or message in the world but if nobody is listening then nobody will care. You have to grab that attention first, way before a potential sale can ever be considered, by you or the customer.

How do we grab attention and get eyes on our business in a social media world?

Engagement.

Why Engagement is Key

Obviously there are more ways to grab attention than just engagement but it can be a seriously powerful element within your social media marketing plans as it creates that “word of mouth” reach that otherwise could only be achieved via paid for advertising.

Of course, you could always combine the two for double the fun…

 What is engagement on social media? For me it’s all about comments.

I know that you can include likes and shares in the engagement bubble (and they’re worthwhile in their own way) but comments generate a different level of traction, which in turn gains the customer eyes and ears we all seek out.

If you look at Facebook in a 2017 world, the content that achieves the widest organic reach generally encourages comments. These comments could be loosely split into three categories – answers, debate and the tagging of other Facebook friends. 

Asking for It!

So, how do we get this engagement and the resulting awareness?

One of the easiest and most effective ways of creating more engagement is by simply asking for it!

Think about it (or even better, check your newsfeed and see), how many times have you seen a piece of content that says “tag a friend”, asks a question or some other variation of the two?

The businesses, brands and personalities behind these pieces of content know that engagement is crucial to spreading reach and awareness far beyond their budget capabilities and they know that asking for it works!

Creating

If you’re still with me (and believe in everything that has been said above…) then it’s time to start the creation process.

Think about the things (topics, issues, debates, jokes etc.) that really get your customers talking and go from there!

If you have any questions, contact me here!

Learning from Deliveroo’s Belfast Content Marketing

It doesn’t happen as often as it should but, every now and then, I’ll scroll through my Facebook newsfeed and stumble across some social media marketing that actually makes me stop, read, listen or watch…

Happily, that happened recently when I was targeted with a Deliveroo Facebook ad.

The fast-food delivery tech giant (bit of a weird phrase that…) aren’t strangers to moving with marketing trends and recently launched a #BestofBelfast campaign that thankfully let content marketing do the talking and selling.

What is Content Marketing?

Before we look at the Deliveroo ad let's just confirm what content marketing actually is.

According to Google, content marketing is “a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services” so that’s that then.

For me, I see content marketing as one of the more interesting sides to marketing in general.

Instead of a simple “here we are, this is what we do and this is how much it costs” message you focus on providing value as a hook to draw the customer in.

This value could be to inform, educate, humour, provide a cause for thought or countless other variations and it is paired with creative text, images or video to cut through the noise of everything else out there in the ether.

Deliveroo and John Long’s Fish & Chips

In the case of Deliveroo, they caught my eye by telling me a short story (in a video under 1 minute) about John Long’s Fish & Chips, a staple of the Belfast food scene for decades that I’d never even heard of!

Now I’m interested.

Not once did the video say “buy now” or talk about an “evening special”. Instead, the video told me that John Long keeps things traditional, that he hasn’t changed his batter recipe in over 100 years and that his patrons love it. That’s what hooked me in.

Obviously it helped that the video looked and sounded great as well and you can easily see a difference between the John Long's content ad above and the more regular "order from us" ad seen below.

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Lessons to Learn

So, with all that in mind what can we learn and how can we apply it to our own businesses?

The formula is simple…

Decide what type of value you want to bring to the table. Think about what is going to truly interest your target customer and then combine that with eye-catching creative that makes them stop and listen to you and you alone.

See? Simple.

It’s the application and creation that’s the hard part.

For more on content marketing contact me here.

What Next After Facebook Stories?

In a move that surprised absolutely nobody, Facebook has finally completely rolled out their new Facebook Stories feature…at least here in the UK and Ireland.

At present the Facebook Stories feature, which is almost identical to Instagram Stories, which in turn is a carbon-copy rip-off of Snapchat Stories, is only available to personal account holders.

This means that, for now, the Stories feature is inaccessible and unavailable to Facebook business and brand pages. That could of course change in the coming months.

This entire episode, Facebook’s aggressive replication of the feature invented by Snapchat, leads me to consider one key question – why?

No-one can truly say or know why, unless they’re coming from Facebook HQ, but I think that it points us towards two trends that will continue to grow and develop…

Micro Content

Social media is filled with micro content in varying forms nowadays. A quick scroll through your Facebook newsfeed will most likely reveal countless 10, 20 and 30 second videos.

The same can be said of Instagram and Twitter, the birthplace of micro content as we know it today, where one piece of text, image or video is all people want.

Of course there are exceptions to the rule and certain channels and mediums (such as podcasting, long-form journalism and YouTube shows) thrive with longer forms of content but as a whole the trends seem to suggest that we love bite-sized chunks.

Snapchat discovered this and Facebook, via Instagram, has simply replicated the process indicating that they think this form of messaging and entertainment is here to stay or get bigger!

Storytelling

This leads us to my next point, storytelling.

Storytelling in marketing isn’t a new concept (far from it!) but in years gone by, even in the digital age, it was done at a much slower rate over the course of weeks and months.

That all changed with the introduction of tools like Twitter where people and businesses could provide quick updates and messages literally all day and night if they wished.

Snapchat Stories, and the new Instagram and Facebook replications, took this one massive step further by giving brands and businesses the ability to story tell quickly, easily and most importantly, visually.

Now consumers and fans can dip in and out of the “stories” of their favourite personalities, brands and businesses at will, whenever they want to. All of this is again made easier for consumers to do because everything is now micro (point one!) so they don’t feel like they have to commit so much time and attention to the content if they don’t want to.

This new level of access has also lead to countless new creative storytelling avenues whilst also opening up more casual and comfortable ways to communicate and engage and the entire episode hints at storytelling becoming even more powerful and important as we move even further into social and digital marketing!

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If any of this has got the dusty old cogs in your brain turning about your own business or project you can get in touch with me here!

Don’t Build an App for Your Business! (Unless It’s Absolutely Necessary…)

Small businesses do not need their own smartphone or tablet apps.

This might seem strange, coming from a “digital marketing” person, but since the launch of the first iPhone in 2007, and the subsequent smartphone takeover of our culture, there has been a growing “app trend” amongst small businesses and it’s wasting their time and money.  

The worst thing about this trend is that the small businesses involved aren’t actually to blame. It’s the app building companies and developers who swoop in, promise the world and then make a swift exit upon completion and sign-off.

Whether they do this innocently and naively (unaware of the current digital marketplace) or do so knowing full well that the new app will provide little benefit isn’t for me to say. Both options reflect badly.  

The primary reason that it reflects badly is because the “build your own app” deal rarely represents the best use of time, money and other resources needed for the business involved.

Why is this?

The Crowded Marketplace

You’ve most likely already experienced it in some shape or form.

You visit a small local business (an SME in professional terms) and are either asked to download their new app or notice it via in-store or online marketing messages.

These apps usually encourage you to download with the promise of exclusive offers, more content or some other feature.

Unfortunately, very few of us ever actually care enough to download the app in question.

We might love the local business, they could be our favourite barber, café or restaurant, but our smartphones are already crammed with much bigger, more unique apps vying for our attention and phone memory/storage.

The app stores are packed with thousands of apps fighting for our downloads and gaining a critical mass of downloads (to make the project worthwhile) can be almost impossible. Especially if you’re not offering something unique or valuable.

If customers can book their stay using AirBnB, order takeaway via Just Eat, or learn more about your business on Facebook or even on your official website, then that’s most likely where they’re going to go right now. This means you’re always going to be fighting an uphill battle unless your app offers something truly unique via functionality.

Follow the Attention

So, what next?

Well, if that’s the negative the positive is that as business owners and managers you have countless options out there waiting to be properly exploited.

Whether you’re looking to attract customers online or offline the key is to follow the attention.

In a digital marketing context this means using the biggest channels currently available to us. Right now that generally means some combination of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, LinkedIN and Google Search but if you want to research this yourself do three things today:

Audit what digital apps/websites you personally use on a daily basis

Ask friends, family and colleagues what they use on a daily basis 

Check out Apple/Android’s Top Free Apps lists for a UK or global picture

After you’ve done this you can then make an informed decision on what channels to use for your business and move forward.

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Apps are brilliant. From Headspace to YouTube and Spotify to Soundcloud we can do and enjoy so many things using our smartphones and tablets but unfortunately, small businesses will rarely be able to crack this market.

If you properly research what you, your friends and family use on a daily basis you’ll quickly notice that the majority of people only use 5-10 apps ever and muscling in on that market is a huge task.

Focus your efforts on moving with public attention and go from there.

If you’ve made the first leap but aren’t sure how to use social media channels and Google Search for your business get in touch here!