Yesterday, an email promotion for the next BIA/Kelsey conference on local media asked: “How Much Will Social Media Eat into Advertising Budgets in 2010?” While not a comprehensive study that answers that question, here’s one story that puts it in perspective.
A friend of mine, Brian Forth, recently made a reservation at the Hotel Murano in Tacoma, Wash. The hotel was just voted No. 6 on the Condé Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Choice list, a distinction that puzzled many locals (and everyone in nearby, and more cosmopolitan, Seattle). But maybe the award was earned through the amazing customer service – and social media connections – from the hotel staff.
After making the reservation, Brian tweeted about how he was looking forward to having a staycation with his wife in honor of his birthday. When the couple entered the hotel, they were greeted by name and given an automatic upgrade at no charge. When they entered the room, they found a welcome package including gourmet cupcakes. Naturally, Brian tweeted some more about all the nice surprises.
Upon check-in, he inquired about whether the hotel shuttle would ferry he and his wife to a local steakhouse for dinner. Later, he posted the same question on Twitter. About 3 minutes afterward, the phone rang in his room and the concierge informed him that the shuttle would be available whenever it was needed.
So Brian tweeted again. And the culmination of those tweets, from a respected local business owner, had arguably more marketing power than any local advertisement the hotel could have purchased with the money they spent making Brian and his wife happy. Think about it: the cupcakes cost $5, the rest of it was just awareness and hustle.
So while Twitter and Facebook alone won’t replace local media for marketing a local business, they are new tools that can be used to build word-of-mouth more effectively than any other method. Of course, local media brands have the same tools at their disposal. They can be used to build their own brands or those of their sponsors. It’s definitely an opportunity worth pursuing.
