Locavore Tweetup
Attended my first Tweetup this week hosted and organized by the Round Barn Farm in Waitsfield. Despite the relentlessly soggy weather, there was a good turnout for the event. In addition to the fantastic venue @roundbarnfarm provided a great spread of local eats and a cash bar. There were a couple of short seminars on better tweeting and how it can work for marketing socially responsible business and causes – not to mention regular joe businesses like my own freelance gig. Most of the attendees were foodies, writers, small growers and inn keepers. All local, all intertwined in the interest of maintaining a better environment for doing business the environmental, sustainable and socially responsible way in their own backyards.
I don’t fall into any of the categories above, but since I’m new-ish to Vermont, and follow several (now many more) of the Tweetupers, I thought it would be a great way to meet some new people. Boy did I ever. @innkeepers are living a past dream of mine – the 40 Putney Rd Inn in Brattleboro. @follownathan stopped by the Tweetup on his way from Maine to the west coast ON HIS BIKE – rain and all. Surprisingly @feedmenow (food writer for Seven Days) has to pay for all her tastings.
The Burlington Free Press had a tweep present and she wrote a nice article about the event and cause.
Next Tweetup is coming up and @deepdishcreates can’t wait to put more faces to VT tweets!
Everybody loves a parade
This past Memorial Day here in Vermont marked the occasion for parades, celebrations and commemorations. Apparently there were big turnouts at parades in Vergennes, Essex and Underhill. I had friends visiting from Boston and we stayed at my rental on the Maquam Shore west of St. Albans. To our delight, on the way out of town Monday morning, we noticed folks lining up along the main drag in downtown St. Albans Read more
National Travel & Tourism Week
NATIONAL TRAVEL & TOURISM WEEK
This week marks the 26th Annual National Travel & Tourism Week. According to the U.S. Travel Association, the collective goal of promoting National Travel &Tourism Week is to “enhance the country’s economy, security and perception, and recognize the cultural and social benefits created by travel and tourism.” No doubt the country’s current economic environment has/will have an impact on the travel industry as a whole, from airfares to Bed & Breakfast bookings and restaurant reservations, to profound decreases in hospitality employee rolls and local/state tax revenues.
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Do’s and Don’ts for Good Tweeting
I am by no means a Twitter expert (is anyone?) but rather an enthusiast. And though my Twitter life span has been brief, I can’t help but take notice of the thrills and chills of tweet etiquette, or should I say tweetiquette? Here’s my round up of do’s and don’ts for good tweeting. Not by way of my own followers of course! No, not you…
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BE Your Local Tourism Authority
Have one last room to fill at your b&b? Want to cash in on a local festival that will draw visitors, day trippers, or vacationers to your area? Don’t just rely on the local tourism authority’s marketing efforts, BE the local tourism authority. Get your inn, restaurant, art gallery, or attraction on Twitter.
Use Twitter to post useful links, tidbits, and specials, and offer yourself up as a local authority – answering questions and providing tips and recommendations via your tweets can drive traffic to your website and build familiarity with regular and potential followers. With regular posts and useful information, you can connect with followers while they plan their visit, with the goal of inviting them through your front door. TravelPortland (Portland, Oregon) is a good example of putting the Twitter to use for tourism.
Contact Deep Dish Creative today to ask about an attractive, branded background for your Twitter page!
On a grand scale, visit (and get your destination listed) www.twisitorcenter.com, a great hub for tourism-building Twitter feeds (@twisitorcenter). Start Tweeting today!
Take a look at how other destination Twitter pages are shaping up >>
A great visual walk through the Twitter process and how you can make it work for your business:
