Not sure why but I have for a long time talked about things in threes. Three most important things. Three things we need to do this week. Three reasons why. Yes, the things we work on can get complicated – but only if you let them. My talking in threes seems to help. It helps me focus. I also hope it helps me get my message across to others.
On Friday we took one of the digital marketing teams we work with to meet the digital marketing team in a similar but different organisation. Each person had the opportunity to discuss what they do with their equivalent. It was one of those things that is easy not to get around to but worth every bit of effort when you do. I was thinking about what we got out of it and what we learnt – as individuals and a team. A lot more than three things (I hope) but perhaps the most important included;
- An antidote to “we’ve always done it like that”.
- Renewed enthusiasm for what we do.
- That different organisations often face very similar challenges.
That’s probably how I will describe the outcome of our day when I discuss it tomorrow. As for whether three is in fact a magic number I am not sure but you can certainly read what Wikipedia has to say about the number three. Some cultures actually think three is a pretty unlucky number …
Tags: digital marketing, nice stuff, people management, teams
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ENTER is the International eTourism Conference, promoted by the International Federation of IT in Travel and Tourism. This year it is being held in Lugano, Switzerland in February with keynote speakers from, amongst others, Google, Expedia and Switzerland Tourism.
We have been invited to speak as part of a session looking at Online Branding for Destinations chaired by Robert Govers, author of Place Branding. The session also includes speakers from tripadvisor, Tourism Montreal and Tourism Queensland.
Our section will cover building stakeholder communities online and will discuss some of the things covered in our recently written book chapter ‘The Digital Challenge’ to be published later this year in the 3rd edition of Destination Branding – creating the unique destination proposition. Including;
- Digital channels have grown up – it represents a fundamental and revolutionary change.
- Customers are getting increasingly turned off by one way dialogue. Customers are truly empowered and taking control of their relationship with brands – they are shaping brands.
- Tools, technologies and channels – what’s available and how they are currently being used in the area of travel and tourism.
- The four key challenges facing destination branding within the context of digital – Content, Socialisation, Integration and Measurement.
- What does this mean for destination, travel and tourism brands?
- What does this mean for the Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO) website?
You can find out more from the ENTER 2010 conference website.
We can’t wait. Maybe see you there?!
Tags: conference, digital marketing, tourism marketing
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Over Christmas, during a 24 hour pyjamathon, I flicked back through some old issues of Wired Magazine. An article by Kevin Kelly in the June 09 issue jumped out at me. I must have missed it the first time; the title of the article was The New Socialism. He talks about how we’re getting more and more connected through things like virtual co-ops, sharing scripts, open source APIs, Wikis as well as social networking and how this is creating a cultural revolution and a new type of socialism. This short quote sums up the shift that Kelly describes;
“Instead of faceless politburo* we have faceless meritocracies where the only thing that matters is getting things done”
It got me thinking about the quiet army of people we know, who in the last two years, have made the brave leap out of established corporate jobs into the brave new world of digitally connected wiki working. One person we know works from his poorly insulated garage, one from a very compact, very well organised desk space in the corner of his living room and another from a small room above a shop. Jon has recently converted his attic into an airy and stylish office space, complete with sea view, and last year my third bedroom had a utilitarian make over so when we’re not working in a traditional office we too have somewhere else to pursue our passion.
Alongside our more conventional partners what our growing network of individuals has in common is that they are self motivated to work autonomously and flexibly whilst also relying on each other’s specific skills and know-how to provide the best in communications planning, web development and digital marketing to their clients.
Here’s another wordier quote from the article;
“Digital Socialism is without state. Old school socialism was an era of enforced border, centralised communication and top heavy industrial processes. The new socialism runs over borderless internet. It is designed to heighten individual autonomy and thwart centralisation. It is decentralisation to the extreme”
With the help of things like Skype calls, instant chat, Google Docs, Dropbox and the project management tools we have developed between us we all feel better connected, better supported and consequently more responsible to each other. It’s an exciting time to be running your own business. We feel lean and nimble and more than ever we’re enjoying getting things done.
*I checked a thesaurus for the true meaning of politburo – supreme policy-making authority
Tags: digital marketing, digital socialism, organisational change, partners, wiki working
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At this time of year everyone is talking about trends, doing some crystal ball gazing and planning ahead with a fresh pair of eyes. Me too. Here are ten digital and marketing trends we think you should watch out for and consider – derived from those people and organisations we follow and look up to.
- The revolution is in full swing and there is an entire generation eager to change the world we live in | Welcome to the decade of frustration and change by Seth Godin
- More and more people are going to be sharing everything they do | 10 crucial consumer trends for 2010 by trendwatching
- Maybe not real time search but really real time information is where we are heading | Online and tech trends I am watching in 2010 by Wilhelmus
- Mobile is going to happen ‘proper’ this year | All about mobile by Gerd Leonhard
- Online video and viral video provides a valuable and measurable tool for driving brand engagement | Where digital marketing is heading in 2010 by Advertising Age
- New technology and devices will redefine the way we interact with content | Apple tablet – the speculation keeps growing by Guardian
- Media spend will continue to move online but success in the earned media space will still need to be earned rather than paid for | 7 predictions for 2010 from Geoff Ramsey by eMarketer
- If social media really is important to your business then building a good in-house social media team is a must | Five social media tips for 2010 by Econsultancy
- Conversion rate optimisation is going to be king in 2010 | 8 predictions for SEO by SEOmoz
- You need to figure out how it all applies to your business – where to invest, where to test and what deserves a rest | 10 online marketing trends for 2010 by Entrepreneur
Sounds exciting to me. Let’s go!
Tags: digital marketing, trends
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