What are people talking about NOW

It seems nearly impossible, but the travel product development and marketing & sales cycles are getting shorter and shorter due to the way we use technology

I use Twitter Search on a daily basis to monitor conversations about:

• recession travel trends
• people talking about regional travel destinations
• green travel
• . . . and much more

There are a number of tools for continually monitoring the conversations that are occuring in near real time on Twitter. My favourite is Seesmic Desktop, which allows the sorting of searches into columns that automatically update themselves whenever individuals twitter about the keyword phrase that interests me.

On my handheld device I use Summizer for iPhone to do much the same thing when away from my computer. I can choose the keyword phrases to monitor and jump in and see who’s talking and respond from almost anywhere.

Using the information in these columns as leads, I can jump right in NOW and:

• build relationships by offering assistance to people
• monitor who else is talking about things of interest to me and follow them, building my twitter contact list
• stay on top of current trends and adapt my offer accordingly
• distill news to share with fans and friends

Last Minute Traveler wants help NOW

For travel industry professionals, perhaps the most important use of Twitter is connecting with the last minute traveler.

I know what you might be thinking.  “Who has time for this? I will not be spending my time monitoring conversations.”

You might also not be interested in last minute business.  Keep in mind that the airlines earn a large portion of their income by charging a premium for last minute planners.

The last minute traveler using keyword phrases on Twitter:

• can benefit from our assistance NOW
• wants to establish relationships with people in the medium of communication they choose to use (ie. Twitter)
• is interested in travel planning using this new medium

As the product development and marketing & sales cycle get shorter and shorter, what tools are you using to make more sales to the last minute traveler?

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