Chasing the “Cs” and Sun in Fijian Tourism – An Effective Social Media Marketing toolkit...

(Blog 1/Week 3)

With social media becoming the leading tourism marketing tool as it has gained enormous success and become an indispensable tool. The focus on  digital marketing of tourism in the Pacific has never been more important. Fiji being the leading brand in tourism and the jewel of the Pacific Island, it is important to understand Fijian culture, its people and products before engaging in the next social media marketing. 

So, what is chasing the “C”s in an integrated marketing communication all about?

Word Cloud from Module 3 Reading and Learning Resources

The following few sections will look into the “Cs” of effective social media marketing through the lens of integrated marketing communication. The blog also gives Real life campaigns and examples enriched with vibrant cultures, landscape and heritage of Fiji and New Zealand:

Coherence – creating narrative- Pacific island is all about its beautiful heritage which creates amazing narratives. As social media managers, we need to create compelling narratives. These narratives are the core essence of the land, culture and its People. For example New Zealand’s “100% Pure New Zealand” Campaign used country’s natural landscape as a narrative to tell it’s story through a just under 2 minutes promotional video that attracted over 2.6 Million views on YouTube

100% Pure New Zealand - Campaign by Tourism NZ

Consistency across channels – while maintaining the consistency in the frequency of posting, it is also very important that content is consistent across multiple channels (Schiff's, 2014). For example, Facebook, Insta, Blog, irrespective of the channels, the underlying theme is consistent, although crafted to best suit the audience. For instance, Tourism Fiji- over the years have had consistency in their messaging – which is “Happiness”, and they have crafted numerous contents across different channels promoting “Happiness” in Fiji.

Happiness Campaign by Tourism Fiji

Continuity – very important that your communication is consistent, I know it appears as a repetition, but this is critical. Your audience follows your social media account except your regular updates. If you post blogs every second Tuesday, ensure you continue the frequency. This helps you leverage on the real time engagement with your audience and only fosters a strong online community.

Different Social Media Channel Icons

Communication – ensure that the communication is clear and crisp. And use of media and images are complementary, that creates a synergetic impact to your content. The art and soul of tourism marketing is at the mercy of visual appeal. Creative visual storytelling evokes emotions and projects destination’s allure

Content Quality– finally the most important aspect of social media marketing is the quality content. Having high quality, engaging, appealing content (Taylor, 2009) will ensure audience retention.  

I have put some additional reading to help build a strong understanding on social media marketing. Jennifer Lonoff Schiff (2014) article provides practical strategies for developing a successful integrated marketing campaign in a multichannel, digital world. It also covers the “C”s in much more detail in 7 steps. Another very handy resource is the Two Hearts in Three-Quarter Time: How to Waltz the Social Media/Viral Marketing Dance (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2011). Kaplan and Haenlein's article explores the intricate relationship between social media and viral marketing.

In summary, the “C” s is interrelated and somewhat interdependent in ensuring a very integrated marketing communication for social media. So, when you’re ready to create the next best content, ask yourself, how many of the magic “C” s have you engaged in creating highly credible content. 

References:

Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2011). Two hearts in three-quarter time: How to waltz the social media/viral marketing dance. Business Horizons, 52(3), 253–263. 

Schiff, J. L. (2014, February 24). 7 ways to create a successful integrated marketing campaign. CIO Australia. https://www.cio.com/article/2377257/online-marketing-7-ways-to-create-a-successful-integrated-marketing-campaign.html

Taylor, C. (2009). The six principles of digital advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 28(3), 411–418.