Partnership’s social media training for tourism businesses
CO WICKLOW Partnership is urging owners and managers of tourism businesses to use social media to attract new visitors.
Recent research the partnership reveals that many businesses still rely on traditional marketing methods like brochures rather than reaching out to potential customers through social media.
Co Wicklow Partnership will be running a training programme on the use of social media as a tool to attract further business.
Siobhán Mehigan, Rural Development Officer with Co Wicklow Partnership, said: ‘Despite 55 per cent per cent of people liking social media pages related to trips they are planning, tourism businesses continue to rely heavily on traditional methods like brochures.
‘We did research with tourism businesses and found that even those that had social media accounts felt that they weren’t getting the reach they desired because they lacked confidence and the skills to create good content.
‘Last spring, we offered free basic social media training programme to small and medium-sized tourism businesses based in Wicklow. Based on the success of the training, this autumn, we’re offering intermediate social media training for Wicklow tourism businesses that are active on social media already but are keen to enhance their impact’.
Training will be delivered by industry specialists over four Wednesday morning sessions on September 19, October 3, October 17 and November 7.
Topics include developing a social media strategy with a focus on using tourism platforms, managing crisis scenarios on your social media channels, creating content and online video, understanding social media advertising, analytics and email marketing.
Amanda Bourke, owner of The Barley Loft, a cosy, converted barn in Ashford, attended the first social media training course last spring and found it very worthwhile.
‘We welcomed our first guests, an American honeymoon couple, last September but January and February were very quiet. It was all so new to us so I contacted Wicklow Tourism about drumming up more business and they told me about the social media training for tourism businesses,’ said Ms Bourke.
‘I signed up straight away. It was a very informative and friendly group from a widerange of businesses. I felt that it was a fantastic opportunity to network and it gave me a bit more confidence about using social media to promote our holiday barn. Since then, we’ve been awarded superhost status with AirBnB which has definitely helped with the numbers of our bookings’.