I recently wrote on Facebook: “I feel happy. Finally, a lot of work again!” Why this? Well. Having work in times like these can by no means be taken for granted. For me, it is a true reason to celebrate to be able to start the new year 2021 full of verve and creativity. Especially as an independent entrepreneur in the field of languages, PR and tourism, and – even more so – as a professional travel blogger.
During my workshops, I coach participants on matters like these: Who and what exactly are professional travel bloggers?
(How) Can you be a professional travel blogger in times like these? How can you work together? And what can we all do, even in times of global lockdowns, to prepare ourselves for when travel will be possible again?
The feedback from my workshop participants, all of whom have been awarded the Austrian Eco-label for their sustainable management practices, has been overwhelmingly positive. After only a few hours, the first set of workshops were all but fully sold out. The feeling is this: Everyone badly itches to do something. And as for social media … you can never get enough information or training there anyway. Even I as a so-called expert in the field of digital content creation and social media keep gaining new insights and knowledge about the different approaches and knowledge levels of each workshop participant in the field of social media marketing. Everyone hails from a different background, after all. Participants are spread across the hotel industry, gastronomy, event companies (licensed a “green meetings”), nature parks, non-profit institutions and many more.
It is a great pleasure to work with people who are already committed to living such efficient environmental management techniques, and who are also proud to talk about the merits the Austrian eco-label has earned them in their respective sectors. A great common denominator to develop new marketing ideas from, and use some proven “tools of the trade” for the dissemination of “green content” via social media.
Workshops take place across four different dates, including tailor-made content sessions for each particular working group.
We start with topics such as: Where do I stand with my company / my own brand in the area of social media and its marketing opportunities? What has worked well so far, what hasn’t? What would I like to improve? Which channels do I already use and to what level of success? I also provide my workshop participants with regular small tasks, such as giving feedback to each other on their respective social media presence. Together, I believe, new impulses can thus come up quicker, and I am happy to see companies networking with each other that might otherwise never have thought of doing so – especially across different sectors of the economy.
Another focus is on developing one’s visual language via social media, including both photography and videography for the (social) web: How to make engaging video content, where and how to use it, getting to know and understanding the use of live broadcasting formats, etc. In addition, there are many more important things we discuss, such as effective time management, editorial plans, networking and dissemination activities that make sense, save time and strengthen each participant’s respective presence on social media.
Finally, it is of course also about communicating important topics such as sustainability, “green living”, zero waste etc. I care to provide participants with lots of national and international best practice examples, as well as discussing those from their own track records with the group.
A good example are the many content creator campaigns featuring the Austrian eco label over recent years, which have made the environmental commitment of many tourism businesses visible in ways unheard of before. This has mostly been achieved thanks to the great storytelling techniques and creative use of social media by bloggers and social media experts – techniques companies would often have failed to even think of or come up with themselves. Check out my account of one such experience, when I stayed at the Austrian Naturhotel Bauernhofer in the sustainable Teichalm destination in Styria.
The “digital workspace”: Participants from all over Austria work together via Zoom, happy to join the discussion.
Can I be coached in a similar way?
I am happy to offer any such workshops for you and your company at any time. Thanks to platforms such as Zoom, MS Teams, etc., this is possible at any time and from any location. Feel free to write me an email or leave me a comment here on the blog. I look forward to hearing from you and your company and developing new ideas together on how you, too, can improve your social media marketing techniques!