Talk about a blog post I never thought I would need to write! I have given up ‘batching my content’ and writing 5- 6 posts in advance to save time and effort. Our world is changing so rapidly that no topic or trend has stayed the same week to week.
I just listened to a podcast this morning that was recorded in late March. Half of the insights discussed aren’t even possible anymore. We all wish for things to be different but for now we have to stay calm and remain beacons of positivity for our staff.
Here’s where Linkedin will come in handy
Last week some of you joined me on a free 5-day challenge to Learn Linkedin with my friend and Linkedin expert Louise Brogan. We learned about the platform, why you should develop a strategy, who to target and how to connect.
Every day we also hosted a quick FB live and one day I mentioned that Linked in was a good ‘Plan B’ for contacting and connecting with others when people are not able to access their work emails anymore. Before you reach out, is your profile all set?
3 Elements your Linkedin Profile needs
Louise taught us that your photo and headline are two areas to get right. Your photo should be a business headshot, not one of you in sunglasses on the beach, or your pet. This is a business to business platform and people need to see your face. Secondly, your headline needs to be a concise statement of your unique skills, superpowers, and who you do it for. There is a character limit and the first line of your headline will show up when you comment on others’ content, so spend some time with this. ( Or you can hire Louise to do a profile review – she’s tough and spot on with her suggestions!).
The third area is the background photo for your profile. Since we are in the tourism industry, we should all have a picture of our attraction, destination, hotel, or clients. For my university professors, how about a student group or a field trip photo? You can change this image as often as you want, but make sure it helps others understand what you do, who you do if for and where you are. I made mine in Canva ( did you read this post about using Canva?)
Now is the time to connect
Start reaching out and connecting with your clients, peers and industry friends on Linkedin. One tip- always add a personalized note with your connection request. It makes it more likely that people will connect, and that extra step means a lot. Connect with me- Sally Davis Berry!
If you are still working and can access your work email, great! But Linkedin messaging is a great way to stay in touch if you can’t get to your work email, or your peers can’t access theirs.
And for those who are out of work, consider joining the group I mentioned last week. USHTTA already has several hundred members and more tourism organizations are joining every day. There is more information below.
Did you see the Doubletree Cookie recipe shared online?
I am a loyal Hilton member so I know how yummy those cookies are when you check-in. Did you see that they posted the recipe online last week? Here is the link.
I haven’t tried them yet but our friend Jeannette from B&H Photo in NYC did and check out how delicious they look!
How can I help you this month?
Have you checked out Tourism Pro Academy? There are free resources, online courses and more. Take some time to learn something new during our National “Pause”. I am adding new courses this month so check it out! Click here to access the site for free.
DMO’s – Are you looking for ways to provide some value to your members during this time? I am developing a series of 3 webinars called Take Action- Plan for Tomorrow that your organization can offer now. Reply to this email and we can set up a time to answer your questions about the Online Tourism Training Program.
New! Profile Sheet 911. We know that your profile sheet is your sales ambassador in the Group Tour market. Is yours doing it all it should? Is it effective in answering tour operator questions and making your business sound appealing? Get ready now for when group tours start picking back up. Get ready now for the upcoming trade show season! Sign up for the new Profile sheet 911 program. For only $69 you will get a customized review that is also recorded. Click here for more details. This will be fun!
My friend Jonathan Elkboubi has teamed up with some other Tourism Pros and created HTTA and asked me to share:
If you have recently joined the ranks of the unemployed and furloughed of the US Hospitality, Travel, Tourism and Activities Industries, we invite you to register now at www.HTTA.us. HTTA is a benevolent, confidential and secured database meant to allow you to remain connected to the Trade Associations and DMOs you were involved with, which are unaware of your current work status. We will be adding new functionalities to benefit you once recovery starts, such as industry job boards, a continuing education resource center, and a recovery information repository.
Check out Jonathan’s 2016 Tourism Pro Talk Interview here
Can I ask a favor?
I would love it if you would share this post with at least 2 people who would benefit from the information. And then they can sign up here to receive posts delivered straight to their inbox. Thank you! 😁