Social Media Workshop - See Monterey's Wayfinding Destination Education Series

Social Media Workshop

April 9, 2024

See Monterey Social Media Team

Lindsey Stevens Vice President Marketing Communications

Leslie Chavez Marketing Director

See Monterey Social Media Team

Marliese Myers

Content + Creative Manager

Marketing Coordinator

Marci Yeater

Lou Hammond Group See Monterey Team

Grace Ubben Senior Brand Manager

Brittany Chapman President, Florida

Molly Miller Social Media Manager

Workshop Goals

To educate, unite and align Monterey County’s marketing communication efforts with local businesses.

What we'll cover:

• Developing a brand identity

• Planning & strategizing a social media plan

• Creating content with mindful and effective messaging that drives visitation locally and regionally

• Measuring success

• Getting involved with See Monterey

Before We Begin...

The

of Social Media

The average amount of minutes a person spends on social media every day

73%

Of consumers prefer to watch shortform video to learn about a product or service

Visit CA 2023

Brand Identity Naturally Connected

Brand Identity

"Find Your Way Here" Campaign

See Monterey’s Find Your Way Here campaign is an open invitation to not only travel to Monterey County but to seek connectivity within.

• Differentiates Monterey County through natural beauty and a variety of experiences

• It speaks to the many paths, literal and figurative, people find themselves on while exploring the destination

Find Your Way Here Campaign Toolkit

Because we value

Brand Identity Brand Voice Chart

Our voice is

This means our communication is This means we are not

Originality Confident Bold, Creative, Visionary Rude, Blunt, Arrogant

Sustainability Knowledgeable Informed, Transparent, Openminded Pretentious, Complicated, Passive aggressive Adventure Curious Playful, Clever, Ambitious Expected, Immature, Careless

Connectivity Approachable Inviting, Friendly, Inspiring Generic, Cheesy, Too formal

Determine What To Prioritize Digital Landscape

You don't have to do it all, but decide what you have time to manage, where you have the largest following and what you can do well.

Channel Direction

Facebook

Target Audience: Women 35-44 & 65+

• Brand awareness

• Engagement

• Marketing

Instagram

Target Audience: Women 35-44

• Promotion

• Engagement

X Target Audience: Adults 35-44

• Engagement

• Marketing

Pinterest

Target Audience: Travel Planners

• Promotion

• Engagement

LinkedIn

Target Audience: Staff & Partners

• Industry insights

• Job postings

• Brand awareness

Planning & Strategizing Content

Align your social approach with business needs and goals, but make sure it's still relevant to your audience

FY 23-24 See Monterey Content Calendar

Plan ahead and commit to a Content Calendar but be sure to save space for tests and trends along the way!

Creating Content

Develop & Maintain a Social Tone & Voice

We want to ensure our audience sees us as a page that respects them, genuinely cares about their thoughts, and values their time.

Confident

Knowledgeable

Approachable

Creating Content

Best Practices To Stand Out On Social

Feature User-Generated Content

Sharing and engaging with user-generated content featuring Monterey County is the most powerful way of generating positive social proof.

Infuse Personality

People prefer to follow and engage with brands that seem authentic. When we humanize our content, we build emotional connections with our followers.

Use Specific Calls to Action

Direct followers to leave a comment, save a post to reference later, or visit our landing page.

Creating Content

Best Practices To Stand Out On Social

Go for Engagement

Create engaging in-feed social content. Shortform video is the most engaging content format, followed by images and live videos.

Add Value To Your Audience

Content is valuable if it adds something positive to a person’s life, whether it’s putting a smile on their face, teaching them something, or making them feel inspired.

Prioritize Saves & Shares over Likes

Prioritize shares and saves over likes. Creating shareable content will result in likes and comments. Unlike comments, likes, followers, or views, shares represent actual value.

Creating Content

Communication Is Key

Engage & Respond

• Reply to messages & comments promptly

• Conversations build trust, so actively participate in discussions

Content with Impact

• Infuse responsible travel messaging, set clear expectations, support local businesses, and link to credible sources

Manage the Narrative

• Be clear, direct & transparent

• Address concerns privately, learn from feedback, and moderate your space

• Don't feed the trolls

Creating Content LinkedIn

Do's

• Post once a day (or re-share relevant content)

• Always think about inspiring, entertaining and informing your audience

• Share relevant articles, ideas and stats

• When acknowledging a post – comment with 5+ words

• When sharing a post always add your own content

• Be active in LinkedIn and FB Groups

• Post videos

Creating Content

Use Hashtags & Emojis

Hashtag Power

• Hashtags categorize your content, helping users with matching interests find your posts

• Consistently include your brand hashtag in captions to build recognition

• Use a mix of popular, moderate & niche hashtags (9-15 total)

Emoji Power

• Add a dash of fun and personality

• Pick emojis that clearly connect to your content and boost your message

• Ensure emojis enhance, not distract, from your message

Creating Content

Anatomy of a Social Post

1. Large, vertical eye-catching image or video that is high quality and evokes emotion

2. Start with a hook + stand-out caption

3. A strong call-to-action, show don’t tell

4. Short + sweet

5. The right hashtags

6. The right tagging

7. Timing is everything

8. Trending sound

9. Always be testing

10. Get familiar with photo + video editing tools

Image Examples

Do choose images that inspire Don’t choose images with low quality

Use Our Image Library Creating Content

We encourage you to visit our digital media library to view and download images of Monterey County for use on social media:

URL: www.seemonterey.com/medialibrary

Password: Seemonterey2023

Please credit SeeMonterey.com unless otherwise noted.

Working with Influencers

• An influencer is an individual or group with a significant following on social media platform(s) in a particular industry

• The influencer affects opinions, behaviors and purchasing decisions of their audience

• Despite being compensated, influencers are often seen as credible, knowledgeable and trustworthy resources

• Make sure your PR contacts are updated in the Extranet to receive influencer leads from our PR team

• Capitalize on the content the influencer is taking of your brand and business

Working with Local Influencers

• Identify local content creators to act as extensions of your team

• Discover new openings and happenings around Monterey County – be places we can’t

• Capture raw and edited high-quality photos

• Distribution on our owned channels and theirs

• Ongoing relationship

Who are your favorite local influencers?

Yadira Naranjo, @somosfoodie.mx

Ashley Sargent, @themontereybucketlist

• February: Clam Chowder, Black-owned Business Feature

• March: Women-Owned Business Feature & Cocktail Highlights

• April: Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival, Farmer's Markets

Get Involved with See Monterey

Keep Us Informed

Tell us what your business is up to!

Share any deals or discounts that you are offering for locals, upcoming events, new menu items, etc. to promote.

Members can update their own listing, event and special offer content via the Extranet.

Share Content with Us

Share recently updated photos and videos with us!

Tag Us

Use the hashtag #SeeMonterey or tag us for amplification.

More Ways to Get Involved

See Monterey X Partner Collaboration Program

Objective: To showcase the diverse and unique experiences that Monterey County has to offer by collaborating with the destination’s local businesses, attractions, hotels, and restaurants and valued members.

Goals:

• Enrich content

• Extend reach to a wider audience

• Community engagement

Let us know if you're interested in collaborating with us, email marketing@seemonterey.com

Key Takeaways Always Ask Yourself…

• Does the content align with my overall business and marketing goals?

• Does the content align with my brand identity and content pillars?

• Does the content apply to my audience?

• Does the content have a hook and is it engaging?

• What techniques work best for my brand?

• Stay positive and keep learning!