In Web 20 Content is king, so make it a primary and long-term investment. Content means information – whatever format it is held in (for example, text, audio, images, video, and Flash animations). It is what the medium ‘contains’ rather than the format in which it is held- and is what will stimulate and satisfy the needs of end-customers. .

Social networks are a new and powerful arena for tourism marketers. Identify your market segments to decide the priority audiences and topics, and be clear about which publishing channels you will use, and what formats these channels need. Don’t do it all yourself, work with partners to achieve quality content. Images and video are becoming paramount, both to motivate and inform.

An open data platform to take in and feed out content, and a  good content management system with well-trained users, are essential investments. Content is stored separately from the various ways in which it is delivered –your websites and other people’s, via print, contact centres, mobile phones, radio and TV. Some of the information may be collected with a specific medium or target market in mind, but the guiding principle is that wherever possible it should be capable of being formatted for any need.

In daily practice there is a distinction between data and editorial content:

• Product data (including geocodes), stored in structured databases, with someone originating or procuring the data, and monitoring the quality of it.
• Editorial content created in, or imported into, a content management system (CMS), with a web editor and other staff responsible for this.

The division is practical, but it can lead to duplication unless the two work closely together, within the same overall marketing team.

The customer’s first and favoured source of information seems likely to become user-generated content (UGC). Some 70% of Internet content is forecast to be created by individuals as opposed to publishers and brands within three years. UGC is set to rapidly shift from a budding consumer trend to a serious business over the next five years. Despite the ongoing challenges facing UGC sites to find a business model that works, and despite continued hesitancy among some major brands to even go near the explosive space, eMarketer predicts that category leaders such as YouTube, MySpace, Facebook and Photobucket will lead the charge in terms of legitimizing the medium over the next five years.

The nearly tenfold increase in UGC advertising spending in the US reflects optimism in the ability of companies like YouTube, MySpace and Facebook to continue to build and retain vast audiences. Plus, users have shown no indication that creating their own Web content for others to consume is a passing fad, found eMarketer. By 2011, the researcher estimates there will be 95 million Web users creating content online, up from 64 million in 2006.

Video is vital. Consumers have already adopted do-it-yourself video, and the sharing of it on sites like YouTube, in massive numbers. Video is likely to be the key tool for creating awareness and projecting brand values. Done well, it is powerful, emotive, personal and persuasive. The combination of UGC video and professionally-produced video will be the mainstay of online travel communication between tourism businesses and their customers, and between visitors.

Establishing identity and trust with the customer are vital in online marketing. These are qualities that are hard to establish and easy to lose. Your content therefore needs to be:
• Accurate
• Timely
• Attractive and motivational

Be transparent about who produced the content, whether your own or that of third parties. This applies to everything from weather forecasts and hotel reviews to blogs containing personal opinions. Advertorials and sponsored content should be identified as [Sponsored Article] or [Advertisement]. It should always be clear who is talking. Do not hesitate to use the logo of a partner where it is justified.
For internal quality control, set standards and then audit them at regular intervals – frequently if for volatile types of content, and annually for the rest.

Note: The information on this page is drawn from resources produced and used by E-Tourism Africa trainers Peter Varlow (TEAM Tourism) and Damian Cook. Please do not reproduce or publish this material without permission. This information is an overview of content from our Training Seminars. If you'd like learn more about this topic, attend one of our events and join the E-Tourism Seminars.