Internet Marketing

Twitter, the social networking and micro-blogging service, seems to be sweeping the nation. Twitter allows users to send and view others updates (called tweets) which are 140 characters in length. Like Facebook, Twitter originally started for others to be updated on the happenings of their friend's daily lives. The main difference between Twitter and Facebook is that Twitter encourages a dialogue, allowing opportunities to be built with people which would not have otherwise occurred. It has quickly shifted directions as now many celebrities have adopted Twitter, as well as businesses. Twitter is quickly becoming a communication medium of choice between companies in a variety of industries and their customers.

Twitter allows people to connect with your business on an up-to-date basis. The social media site can be used to increase your brand visibility and converse with your customers as up to the minute deals and information is posted. You can even make online Twitter coupons at twtqpon.

JetBlue, Crystal Cruises, Carnival, British Airways, and Virgin America are great examples of businesses that are using Twitter to keep customers in the know. Their Twitter posts feature sales and deals, travel tips, and current flight delays and cancellations, although Virgin America seems to be setting the bar in the Travel industry sector.

Want more travel industry Twitters? Click here for "50 great travel tweeters." (telegraph.co.uk)

The future of travel and destination marketing is online. Discussion boards, customer review sites, blogs, and social network sites dominate the internet today. They also play an integral part in the planning of travel.

"This year, 40% of all leisure and 35% of business travel bookings will be done online. By 2010 over 50% of leisure bookings are expected to be online. The percentage of meeting planners researching and booking online is also growing at a rapid pace. An estimated 89% of planners are researching event locations on the web, and by 2008, 41% of all groups and meetings travel revenues will come from the Internet." (HotelMarketing.com)

Facebook, a social media site originally for students attending Ivy League schools, has quickly evolved over the years and taken over the internet. Today, Facebook is used by all ages to get in touch with old friends and even make some new ones. From a marketing perspective, Facebook offers a way for businesses to reach more customers through groups, fan pages, notes, applications, and more. Facebook business pages are a form of social media marketing that allows a business to "create more targeted messages to individual niche groups and to leverage personal recommendations from your customers in order to create word of mouth marketing." (Creative Fusion Media)

Building a Facebook business page will attract customers of all ages and demographics. A Facebook business page offers a number of features to bring customers to your business. You can even build multiple pages to appeal to different groups of people, such as teens.

With a Facebook business page you can:

• Supply basic business information such as a website, company overview and physical address. You are also able to place a logo of your business on the page.
  
• Easily upload photos and videos. Your clients and fans can add photos as well.
  
• Engage clients in conversation using the discussion board or the "wall"
  
• Add notes (similar to a blog post) and post upcoming events or promotions that you may be hosting
  
• Have users become a fan of your company