South Australian Tourism Industry Conference 2013
Peter and Naomi attended the South Australian Tourism Industry Council conference on 29th May. It was a fantastic day spent with passionate operators from around the state.
Do you have any feedback on the conference if you attended, or questions if you didn't? Please leave your comments below!
We took home a number of key messages for South Australian tourism:
Brand South Australia
We were treated to an entertaining presentation on the new South Australian Brand by the SATC Director of Marketing & Communications, David O'Loughlin.
If you haven't seen the new South Australian logo, or you'd like to know more about the new brand strategy visit the Brand South Australia website.
In a nutshell, the creators of the brand want it to be used widely in any way, shape or form you like. Unlike previous brands, where usage was strictly monitored and controlled, this brand is there for the taking and the making.
Two of our clients, Adventure Bay Charters and Calypso Star Charters, have been amongst the first in our local Eyre Peninsula region to embrace the brand in their marketing.
WOOF Media's team is well-versed in the new brand, so if you would like to incorporate the brand into your marketing and benefit from the South Australian based campaign, please give us a call.
Experience marketing
Show, don't tell. Often quoted words that, sadly, are not heeded enough by businesses.
The days of using "shouting ads" to tell people to buy your products, tours and accommodation are over. The modern consumer wants to invest in a memorable experience with your company. A positive, unforgettable experience they can share with their friends on social media and around the BBQ.
Does your marketing set the expectation of the experience that your visitors will have? Or, does it just list a bunch of features and a to do list that doesn't encourage any level of emotional investment in your product and experience?
Design that aligns with your core messages, professional photography, videos that tell your story - these are just a few of the strategies we already use to help our clients embrace experience marketing in their business.
Food and wine focus for South Australian tourism
Food and wine is the "new" unique selling proposition for South Australia. Tapping into the culinary tourism trends sweeping the world, SATC have identified the Barossa Valley as the hook to get people interested in our outstanding food and wine products and services.
It is anticipated that with this 'hero product', visitors will flow through the State, seeking similar and different experiences and being pleasantly surprised at how well we do food and wine. If you haven't seen the latest advert promoting this angle in the Barossa, look no further, watch the video below.
Mobile technology for tourism businesses
This workshop was delivered by Simon Waller from Mobial. Simon is a mobile technology expert based in Melbourne. He is all about improving personal and business efficiency using digital tools, and who doesn't need that!
Simon's top business apps include:
- iThoughtsHD - mind mapping software;
- Evernote - the best note storage and syncing app;
- Google Drive - the best professional cloud storage app;
- Wunderlist - the best free task management app.
If you would like to know more, visit his site at www.mobial.com.au.
The Importance of China to South Australian tourism
A super-helpful workshop by Jing Cao from Chinese Language and Cultural Advice on how to interact with Chinese visitors to Australia.
Fast Facts:
- Forget Facebook and Twitter. It's all about Weibo, with 309 million users.
- There are over 1 billion mobile phone users in China, so if you want to communicate with them over the web, make sure your website is mobile friendly!
- Social media is less about interacting with others in China and more about keeping a personal online diary including taking pictures of food you are about to eat. (Some things are the same the world over!)
- Tourism operators in Australia should have WIFI freely available for Chinese guests. Chinese love shopping online, but prefer to book holidays through an agent.
- Don't let them get bored either. Lazing around on a beach will bore them, whilst shopping, karaoke, group activities, eating and drinking will tick their boxes. And luxury is preferred. 🙂
Mobile Friendly Websites for Tourism Businesses
Our very own Peter Freeman to presented his workshop Your Website Should Work on My Screen. Anywhere. Anytime.
An enthusiastic group of 35-40 people came along to hear what Peter had to say about mobile web trends and practical steps that tourism businesses could take to improve their conversion rates for the ever-increasing number of mobile visitors.
A big thank you to recent clients Jurlique Farm Tour and Port Lincoln Foreshore Apartments, our clients that Peter used to show real world examples of designing for mobile devices.
