Numerous presenters at the Social Media Club of Hawaii shared their ideas on "what if" we connected the community, the businesses, and the tourism agencies suing social media to support and grow our visitors. I was the moderator and seeded the discussion with a few ideas of my own. Get links to the broadcast, the tweetstream, and the presenters here on my blog: http://www.barefeetstudios.com/2012/10/26/social-media-and-tourism-lets-talk-together/

1. Social Media and Tourism
22 October 2012 • Maui • #SMCHI
“We are all connected in this world” photo by @chriskompst

2. Meet the Social Imagineers
Moderator:
Roxanne Darling, @roxannedarling
Host:
Social Media Club, Hawaii Chapter
SMCHI.org
Presenters:

3. Just Wondering What If...
Hawaiian Airlines in-flight napkins
had their Twitter and/or Facebook
name imprinted and flight
attendants periodically announced
social media activities & contests?
#HawaiiSocial

4. Just Wondering What If...
Maui had a social media team that
rotated monitoring FourSquare
checkins at OGG & shared a local
tip or coupon from local
businesses and nonprofits to new
arrivals? #MauiCheckin

5. Just Wondering What If...
Hotels emailed a free eBook at
time of reservation, produced by
Maui bloggers, on the best photo
locations on Maui, with iPhone
shooting tips provided by some
of our well-known photo artists?
#MauiPhoto

6. Just Wondering What If...
We had a “QR code bulletin
board” in addition to the tourist
magazine stands to point
visitors to green and social
tourism activities via instant PDF
download on their smartphones
while waiting for luggage?
#MauiQR

7. Tara Coomans
@taracoomans
Hawaii: A New Generation of Storytellers
#HawaiiFamilies

8. Hawaii: A New Generation of Storytellers
The goal of this campaign is
to inspire a new generation of
kids (and their parents) to see
Hawaii as a great family
destination.
It would ideally be managed
by HVCB with actions and
assets integrated into existing
off-island marketing efforts.

9. Hawaii: A New Generation of Storytellers
• Local experts would create two-minute
video stories featuring Hawaii kids sharing
their favorite activities, local culture, food,
and history.
• Each island would be represented.
• These videos and possibly one of the story
tellers could accompany HVCB on their
road trips, talking to kids in each location.

10. Hawaii: A New Generation of Storytellers
• Kids around the USA would then be invited
to imagine their trips to Hawaii, and create
drawings, photo essays, and even videos.
• HVCB can use these in their own
marketing efforts on blogs, Facebook,
Twitter, and Pinterest.
• HVCB would host a contest from the
artwork submitted for a family to win a trip
to Hawaii - one family per island.

11. Hawaii: A New Generation of Storytellers
• While here in Hawaii, each winner would
create a digital postcard for each day
during their stay that HVCB would share.
• Here is a sample Pinterest Board:
http://www.pinterest.com/taracoomans/hawaii-a-new-generation-of-storytellers

12. Liza Pierce
@amauiblog
Maui Locals as Social Media Catalysts
#MauiCatalyst
cat·a·lyst/ˈkatl-ist/
Noun:
1. A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction
without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change.
2. A person or thing that precipitates an event.

13. Maui Locals as Social Media Catalysts
There are many ways we can apply this. Let’s
consider Kihei Town Party.
• Select a team of 5 social media influencers
from Maui.
• Rotate the lead catalyst each month; the
other 4 serve as support.
• Main catalyst will be present at the event to:
• Live Tweet, Instagram, Facebook
• Blog about the event in depth before/after

14. Maui Locals as Social Media Catalysts
• Support catalysts can work on-site or
remotely and will:
• RT and share content
• Help track hashtag & connect discussions
• Suggested stipend of $100 is paid to each
lead team member; supporters receive
$50, per event.
• Very inexpensive compared to traditional
media buys.

15. German Tourists @HawaiiTwentyTen

16. Maui Locals as Social Media Catalysts
Benefits:
• SEO: generate links back to host website
• Social media buzz guaranteed
• Historical documentation of each event
• Will drive future attendance
• Will help build fans for host website,
Facebook page, and/or email list

17. Maui Locals as Social Media Catalysts
This concept also can be used for a launch:
• Create the Social Media Catalyst team.
• Build buzz 5 weeks in advance; one lead
catalyst per week.
• Invite all team members for the launch and
provide each with a complimentary meal or
overnight stay, to give them further
experience to tweet and blog about.

18. Chris Norberg
@maui
Maui Scavenger Hunt!
A fun, inexpensive consolidated promotion
for local businesses using social media
#MauiScavenger

19. Maui Scavenger Hunt!
• 10-20 non-competing businesses can join
a quarterly campaign, targeting tourists &
locals, for a low-cost participation fee.
• Invite visitors to use the check-in feature
and the hashtag at participating outlets.
• Visitors would seek out the special offers
and some would go for the full win:
collecting all offers for grand prize eligibility!

20. Maui Scavenger Hunt!
• Participating businesses will see increased
traffic and agree to help promote the
contest the month prior and during.
• The participation fee will be used to secure
a Grand Prize such as a trip to Hawaii (or
Vegas!); One runner up prize to be offered
by each participating business.
• Hawaii Web Group will coordinate. Demo
site available: mauiscavengerhunt.com

22. Maui Scavenger Hunt!

23. Laura Kinoshita
@lkinoshita
Effective Conversations in Tourism
#TourismConvos

24. Effective Conversations
What would happen if we showed our customers
we’re interested in them as human beings, not
just transactions?
What if we thought about their lifelong impact on
our business? What if we helped make their lives
better in some small way?
Might that help us stand out from the noise of
what everyone else is doing?
Life is social. Business is social.

25. Effective Conversations
• What if we could
view reactions to
“anything” on
Twitter?
• What if we could
respond to tweets
talking about your
products &
services nearby?

26. Effective Conversations
• What if we could
understand tweets
in Japanese, or
Spanish?
• And tweet back
in their native
language?

27. Effective Conversations
• What would happen
if we walked up to a
table that’s been
tweeting about our
food, and gave
them a discount for
an upcoming visit?

28. Effective Conversations
• What if we could
embed a map on
our website, blog
or Facebook
Page that showed
all the local
activity on Twitter
relevant to our
business?

29. Effective Conversations
• Social engagement affects every department
within a business. Bring social streams into the
running of your business.
• How do we transform our communities into
customers? Examine all their social profiles &
engage accordingly.
• How do we encourage our loyal customers to be
our best referral sources? Customers don’t want
to be captured! They want to be heard and
addressed.

30. Pomai Weigert
@princesspomai
Building a Strong Social Media Workforce
Creating Grassroots Marketing Campaigns
through Schools in Hawaii
#SMworkforce

31. Build a Social Media Workforce
• Students create curriculum templates to
integrate social media into lesson plans.
• Use social media to share what they
learned with schoolmates & community.
• Position Hawaii’s students as progressive,
competitive job applicants and community
contributors before they graduate
• Ready them for job markets that use social
media for marketing & business activity

32. Build a Social Media Workforce
• Students would use social networks in
classes, clubs, during & after school
• Examples would include Instagram
contests for art projects, Facebook
updates for class & club activities, learning
social media etiquette to address bullying
• Replace or support school newspaper with
student-managed blogs
• Invite Social Media Pros as guest speakers

33. Build a Social Media Workforce
• Each school would have a Twitter handle
and each class would have a hashtag,
such as @mauihigh and #AOHT (Academy
of Hospitality & Tourism)
• Use Facebook groups for topic-related
activities or private groups for each class
• Use hashtags for field trips and share
photos with parents and the community
• Use Pinterest boards to show schools

34. Build a Social Media Workforce
Example: Stanford University on Pinterest

35. Shane Robinson
@shane
MauiArt.tv: Telling the Stories of
Maui County’s Diverse Art Community
#mauiARTtv

36. MauiArt.tv
Inspired by the immensely popular videos from
Etsy.com, these Maui art videos would tell
personal stories of the rich and diverse
creative talent in Maui County. Maui art is a key
part of our community yet it is under utilized in
tourism marketing. Episodes would also
feature the galleries, the Maui Open Studios
event, and the artist-in-residence programs at
the Four Seasons Wailea and Lānaʻi, Grand
Wailea, and Wailea Marriott hotels.

38. MauiArt.tv
• The videos would be housed on MauiArt.tv
(already secured) and cross-posted to
YouTube and Vimeo.
• They would be freely available for sharing
on other blogs and websites, used by art
collectors, bloggers, & artists themselves.
• Presented in HD quality with Maui County
voices, music, and scenery to create a
rich, engaging experience with local flavor.

39. MauiArt.tv
• Videos could be licensed to Hawaiian
Airlines, etc. for in-flight entertainment.
• Videos could be licensed for in-room viewing
in local hotels or played in the airport.
• Videos can be co-branded with sponsors for
special applications or events.
• MVB can use the videos at trade shows.
• Other businesses could sponsor one or
more episodes.

41. MauiArt.tv
At the end of 12 months:
• 10-18 videos featuring Maui Artists
• Active YouTube channel
• Thriving interactive website & email list
• Rich distribution across several social
networks, blogs, & other venues
• Increase in tourism for art collectors and art
appreciators which would support local
artists and galleries

42. Social Media and Tourism
What are your ideas? #SMCHI
“We are all connected in this world” photo by @chriskompst