Managed Content is dead, long live UGC

I’ve been commenting a lot recently about the impact that user generated content is having on travel and tourism online. Now it would seem that others are also recognizing that ugc is quickly becoming the content of choice for most savvy travelers. In a recent post, Jens Thraenhart, commented that DMOs and other tourism agencies also had to start looking at ugc seriously if they want to continue effectively marketing to a growing online audience.

In my previous post titled “Keeping Travel Agents Relevant“, I discuss how travel agents can increase their value to clients by providing more user content to blogs, forums, and social networking sites. The same could be said for DMOs and other tourism organizations. Instead of focusing on professionally written and highly scripted marketing messages, focus instead on more casual (but still professional) messages about a variety of aspects of the destination. Inviting member organizations to contribute, for example, or soliciting stories from recent visitors including video and photos will have more effect on your marketing efforts then a tightly scripted marketing message. Why? Because prospective visitors want experiences they can relate to, that apply to them, and that are personalized.

So ditch the generic pre-written travel guides and write about what you love.

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