If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting New Orleans, you know there is a certain atmosphere associated with it. The food tastes better, the nightlife is brighter, the people are nicer, and the sights leave nothing to be desired. Every year, millions of tourists descend upon the Crescent City, and it’s safe to say most leave satisfied. How does their marketing help achieve this?
One major key to their success is interwoven and varied social platforms. Want to know the best places to eat in New Orleans? There’s an Instagram account for that. Want to know the best attractions and deals in New Orleans? There’s a Facebook account for that. How about where to go when you’re looking for a little New Orleans culture? There’s a Twitter account just for that. New Orleans doesn’t just have a New Orleans page; they mix it up and bring smaller pieces of what makes the city so special to the forefront. It’s an interesting approach to social media for destinations that is not widely used.
In addition to city organizations, every restaurant, bar, and attraction in New Orleans has its own Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and in some cases, Snapchat account, and they all interact with one another. The cross-posting, reposting, and mentioning of accounts across platforms eventually weaves a tapestry that would make any person want to drop everything and book a flight down there.
The harmonious co-existence of these accounts, as opposed to a “who-reigns-supreme” social approach gives travelers a good feel for what makes this place so unique before they even set foot in NOLA. Before even arriving, people know exactly what they want to do, eat, drink, and see, thus cutting down on planning, and allowing for more time to just enjoy their vacation. And they get a feel for the soul of the city.
It’s clear that travel and leisure marketing has shifted in a certain direction. Destinations are no longer just places; they are now experiences. But few have mastered it quite like New Orleans has. The undercurrent of camaraderie is something that is unique to the city. And it certainly shows in their social media efforts.
The more destinations take a page from the New Orleans playbook, the more they will get noticed by American travelers, especially younger travelers. It’s not that you should copy New Orleans directly. What’s right for one city is not right for another. The key is to use social in creative ways that truly capture what sets your destination apart from others. The only question is: can you do it as good as New Orleans does?