How to Identify the Bloggers Who Matter the Most

Sheila ScarboroughTourism Currents

The best blogger may not be a blogger

Take a 360 view

Know your market & ideal visitor/guest

Niche rules

DIY or pay

Social signals feed SEO

Google isn't the only way to search

The bloggers who "matter most" are the ones who fit YOUR market

No Magic Beans

#DoTheWork

Review yourmarketing plan

How does online coverage support your plan?

Who is your market

Where are they online

How can you get in front of them where they are

What are your goals?

What will you measure to see if you're meeting your goals?

Your perfect blogger connects with your perfect visitor

Niche is your friend

Equestrian destination? Nancy D. Brown / Writing Horseback

North Texas Small Town?
Tui Snider / Mental Mosaic

Los Angeles area? LACOT (Los Angeles Consortium of Online Travel)

Next meetup is Oct 16.

Middle of the U.S.?Adam Sommer / Visit Flyover Country

Ukulele Scene?
Pam Mandel / Nerd's Eye View

But wait....

The "blogger who matters most" may not have a blog

Want visual impact?

and....

FlickrVideo

Want immediate or short-term impact?

TwitterFacebook

Want medium & long-term plus SEO impact?

Blog postsPodcastsGoogle+Photos & video

134,750 downloads of 30 min podcast in Sept 2013

What does all this mean for your SEO?

Social Media Matters for SEO

Links count & bloggers know how to link

Social signals affect search ranking

Photos & video do well in search results

Google-obsessed? There is another Skywalker....

Ex: Instagram & Twitter hashtags

Social networking as word of mouth

Photo Credits
My own photos throughout, except....

Butterfly & bugs collection- Christian Guthier on Flickr CC

Magic beans - rich13 on Flickr CC

Gumby storm trooper - JD Hancock on Flickr CC

Nancy D. Brown courtesy Writing Horseback Facebook Page

Tui Snider courtesy her Facebook profile

Jennifer Miner & Melanie Waldman courtesy LACOT

Cape Girardeau photo courtesy Visit Flyover Country on Facebook

These slides & more on my SlideShare channel

www.slideshare.net/SheilaS

Thanks very much

Sheila Scarborough@SheilaS

Tourism Currents @TourismCurrents www.tourismcurrents.com

Bonus round:

Finding bloggers

Go Where They Are Online

#TBEX

#TTOT

Other Twitter chats relevant to your market

Passports with Purpose bloggers

Facebook Groups

LinkedIn (esp for B2B)

Instagram hashtags

Go Where They Are Offline

TBEX conferences

ITB Berlin, IPW, World Travel Market

New Media Expo (formerly BlogWorld)

Travel Media Showcase

Travel Massives

Social Media Clubs, Social Media Breakfasts

Niche conferences: Beer, Pets, Food, Crafts

Pay to Play

PTBA (Prof. Travel Bloggers Association)

Paid database info includes blogger stats

Navigate Media

iAmbassador

Observe these brand bloggers:

G Adventures "Wanderers in Residence"

Expedia Viewfinder bloggers

Housetrip Diplomats

@SheilaS@TourismCurrents