Advantages
Creating a community of British Columbia fans.
High credibility.
Large group of 'potential advocates' (visitors).
Disadvantages
Little to no control over content.
Relatively few followers per visitor (compared to major influencers).
What do we learn from these examples?
In these examples, there are four groups of 'transmitters': the DMO employees and the influencers ('professional transmitters') and the residents and visitors (the 'amateur transmitters'). These examples show that one DMO relinquishes control more than another DMO.
By letting go of control, there is a good chance that the diversity of a destination will be well represented. There is also a greater chance of innovative and creative content. Having the content compiled by others (visitors and locals) is a method that fits better and belongs to this time of millennials and growing generation Z. However, there must be some expertise, experience and affinity with this way of working at the DMO before they start working with it.
A facilitating and coaching role
When the DMO chooses to let visitors hotmail email database speak, it is important that the DMO facilitates and coaches the visitors in sharing their experiences. This simultaneously gives the DMO the opportunity to connect with the visitors during all phases of the visitor journey cycle.
Give influencers a lot of freedom
When working with influencers, it is important to give them a lot of freedom and to let them decide for themselves what they write, tweet, Instagram or snap about. By giving them freedom, the content usually becomes better, more enthusiastic and more credible. The more a DMO prescribes, the greater the risk of failure. It is also interesting to look at the influencer's network and connections. And possibly even offer accommodation so that the influencer can also receive friends, such as in the blogger houses of Helsinki and The Hague. Assuming that the friends are also active on social media, this offers the chance of a greater reach (multiplier effect).
There is a lot going on in the social media space in the world of destination marketing. DMOs can learn from each other’s experiences. Not by copying activities exactly, but by looking at what works and what doesn’t. In the same way, you should also assess your own activities in this area. What is going well and what could be improved? And what should you just stop doing because it’s not working.