Blog homeThere has been some discussion recently about travel companies getting into social media…. and why so few have made it a success.
In particular
- Hotel-blogs points out that the Thomson Holidays blog hasn’t been updated since last November (6 months ago)
- Travolution Purple Pod podcast - discussing missed opportunities in social media
Frankly, this social media thing is really tough operationally. I know how much of a struggle it is to source interesting topics that you lot may be interested in reading…. and getting the will to write this blog is a difficult at times.
What worries me more is watching the website statistics and seeing visitors come on a daily basis to see if I have any more “interesting musings”…. but I see them go away disappointed when its just “yesterdays news” still the top article. I think that is where the expression “rod for own back” comes into play.
It isn’t just this blog that I struggle with - but my small tour operator forum - Small Fish Big Ocean - where I am also struggling to produce the content that I originally set out to undertake… (But at least I have employed someone to manage the forum so it keeps on ticking over nicely)
It is not a lack of ideas…. but most of my ideas would take at least an hour to write up in order to give them justice…. and frankly that time just doesn’t exist in my diary! I used to write this blog at the end of the day…. but now I am still working on “business stuff” - hence content production gets squeezed.
I was discussing this via IM just now and what came up was that actually this problem makes bloggers very “baitable”….
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It does make bloggers baitable in the same way that, for example, a travel editor with a space to fill and a deadline to meet is also baitable. I have been in that position, half past three on a Friday afternoon, an advert has been dropped, I have a space to fill and Paul Dacre breathing down my neck
If you gave me any sort of reasonable-sounding waffle about your new family friendly resort in France, I would have bitten off your hand.
Anyway, Alex, I agree, creating real and lasting benefit from social media is hard work. For companies like Thomson Holidays, it should be seen as a proper job, filled by somebody who knows how to make connections, dig up good stories, create engaging content - wait a minute that also sounds like a journalist - and is given the resources to do it.
I have been a bit sidetracked by other things recently but you just reminded me to push thetravelblog idea again.