Effective use of social networks is probably the best tool for raising awareness of any tourist destination. It is an effective tool, but one that requires time, meticulous planning, a good strategy, and innovation.

Social networks are reshaping the world we live in. They enable better communication with friends and family, give the term “word of mouth” an entirely new meaning, and advise us on which products are worth buying and which brands to avoid – all just one mouse click away. Social networks are becoming embedded in our daily routine and are influencing our lives.

How is it done?

In the global era we live in, and as a result of extensive technological development, mainly on the internet, marketing campaigns can be leveraged more efficiently and at lower cost. The ability of social networks to unite a large number of people around a single idea is exceptional and groundbreaking. Interactive communication that uses traditional media such as television and print alongside the internet and social networks is now considered a key component in achieving the desired results of any campaign.

There are several key principles for the success of a marketing campaign and for making it go viral:

Credibility – The organization must show its customers that the “promise” at the heart of the campaign can indeed be fulfilled, and that it is as attractive as it sounds.

Low financial investment – One of the main advantages of sophisticated public relations and social media management is that there is no need to pay more in order to achieve more. The real magic is having something of great value that will keep people talking about it. In other words, you need a good story to drive a successful tourism campaign at a reasonable cost (relative to the fields of tourism and public relations).

Focus on content, not traffic – The combination of the number of publications about the campaign and the quality of the content they carry is what will lead the campaign to great success among its target audiences.

Encourage the target audience to share the information on their own – The organization should create a campaign in which users are naturally involved in spreading the content (for example, uploading personal videos to a dedicated website and sharing them). This will extend the campaign’s viral reach and encourage organic promotion.

Give your promotional efforts a long shelf life – The organization should create a situation in which the campaign sparks public and media discussion beyond the time originally allotted to it – this is the real secret to long-term success. The more the campaign leaves its audience wanting more, the more it will be ingrained in their minds, contribute to the brand’s positive image, and even evoke positive associations whenever the brand’s name comes up in the future.

Social media influencers – they are the ones who shape the mood, the people we all want to imitate and follow. Let them experience the tourism offering and write about it through their own eyes. Approach influencers who suit your target audiences. Define with them precisely the scope and nature of the publication… Let the public see you – through them.

City branding is a long and professional process. It is a unique specialization that combines significant processes in the city, marketing activity, media and advertising activity, perseverance, a great deal of investment, and above all a clear strategy and a definition of goals and target audiences. It is a courageous process on the part of authorities that choose to highlight certain qualities, even at the expense of others. It is important to note that this is not simply a matter of holding various cultural events around the city, but a comprehensive move to which the entire authority is committed.

Today, most local authorities provide services of a similar nature at varying levels of quality.

Differentiating the city makes it possible to:

• Attract higher-quality populations to the city.
• Obtain government budgets to promote various projects.
• Strengthen residents’ local patriotism.
• Strengthen domestic and inbound tourism.
• Make strategic decisions based on a comprehensive, long-term view that allows the city to be clearly positioned.

Local authorities are branded by:

• Building strong anchors and significant activities that support the brand
• Emphasizing environmental development
• Creating a sense of pride and belonging – involving residents
• Changing a negative stigma – if one exists
• Building a stable and positive image
• Highlighting advantages
• Exposing achievements at the local and national level
• Highlighting the main areas in which the authority wishes to brand itself

Urban branding is expressed on 5 main levels:

• Visual elements – Logo, slogan, letterhead, municipal signage, website, management of social media pages, etc.
• The physical sphere – The authority’s building, signage within the authority, outline plans, zoning plans, dedicated projects.
• The social sphere – Emphases in school curricula, holding relevant events, festivals, and conferences, cultural and art institutions, collaborations with the third sector.
• Relations with business entities – Promoting and highlighting collaboration with business entities that represent the city’s values and strengthen the brand.
• Marketing and public relations – Exposure in leading media, with significant attention to social networks. Approaching donors abroad, promoting unique projects that support and advance the brand’s value.

Five criteria for evaluating the success of the branding process:

• Ambitious and realistic – Quality branding presents a picture that reflects the city’s vision as translated into prominent physical and social projects, and sharpens values that already exist to some extent in the authority
• Creative and innovative – At the heart of the branding is an original and realistic view of the brand’s values and its marketing process
• Relevant over time – The branding will remain relevant and effective in the next decade as well
• Translated into measurable projects – The branding process is based on at least 5 significant projects that support it
• Well communicated internally and externally – The branding is well communicated at all levels of the organization as part of marketing it to the outside environment

And important tips!!

Not every authority or regional council needs to brand itself with one particular emphasis, such as “city of sports”, “city of health”, and so on. This is not suitable or right for every city.

Proper branding is branding that takes into account the entire population of the city. Beware of a move that focuses on only one main population group.

Don’t forget who elects you!! The city’s image is indeed extremely important and meaningful for its development and for its residents. Nevertheless – put the residents first and foremost.

A branding move is one of the most significant moves for an authority. Do not do it without professional and strategic advisors, and certainly not without involving the residents.

Following the expertise we have accumulated in donor recruitment and in establishing and maintaining Friends associations for dozens of research, academic, medical, and third-sector organizations, we at Filizer Communications have formulated a number of rules for producing a profitable fundraising event for nonprofits:

Timing: The decision to hold an event should take into account major upcoming events such as holidays, changes of government, and special days on which the likelihood of attendance decreases. The event should be planned at least 3 months in advance. Preferably not on a Thursday – a day on which most artists and performance halls are fully booked.

Location: A central location will result in higher attendance. However, if the organization is located in the periphery and deals with issues related to that area, it would be more appropriate to hold the event close to where it operates.

Artists: The more well-known artists you manage to recruit for the event, the more attractive it will be. Many artists incorporate elements of giving back to the community into their work and will be happy to take part in events with added value.

It is advisable to use a public relations firm to recruit artists. Many artists are identified with helping victims of terror, cancer patients, or refugees. A public relations firm will know how to map the artists you should approach – according to the nature of the organization.

Media – Try to build an event that is, from the outset, held in partnership with a major media outlet.

Production: Producing the evening is a significant stage of the event. It is advisable to hire a dedicated company for this purpose – at a minimum price as part of its contribution to the event. Do not take this item lightly.

Important: Try to arrange ticket sales through a professional body that the audience approaches independently. Also try to use mailings and outreach by the venue hosting the event – to its subscribers’ club, for example.

Refreshments: There is no obligation to offer refreshments to participants. You can, of course, offer soft drinks to the participating artists and to the production staff who volunteered for the event. However, it is worth trying to recruit food companies to provide light, minimal refreshments before or after the event, in order to allow “photo time” and social interaction among the guests for photography and public relations purposes.

Pricing: It is advisable to sell the expensive tickets earlier and only afterwards sell the cheaper ones. It is recommended to offer several price levels – according to seating and date of purchase.

Panic: There is no need to be alarmed if there is still a long time until the event and tickets are not selling fast. The Israeli audience buys at the last minute, and the bulk of purchases begins only two weeks before the event.

Group purchases: Offer workers’ committees, high-tech companies, and other commercial companies the option of buying tickets for the event in bulk. Many companies have a joint fund of management and employees for buying event tickets, making donations, etc.

Advertising: In many leading media outlets, there are vacant slots that are given to nonprofits as a donation or at especially low prices – take advantage of this! Approach the editorial offices and tell them about the event. In addition, advertising through social networks is usually efficient and fast, and significant exposure can be achieved. Ask the organization’s members and friends to share the event on social networks.

The spirit of the organization: Set up a small stand with hosts at the entrance to the event and recruit new supporters for the organization. Distributing brochures about the organization’s activities can also lead to fundraising afterwards. Try to create interest among readers and emphasize human stories in which the organization is involved.

Public relations: If you do not have a regular public relations firm, try to send information about the event and the organization yourself to the editorial offices of newspapers, websites, television, and radio. After the event, send photos and publicize its success on social networks.

The speakers: During the event, arrange the speakers at the beginning of the event – no more than two or three. Remember, the audience comes to enjoy an event, not to listen to speeches.

The persona: It is a good idea for the beneficiary of the donation to come on stage and say a few short, moving words. You can screen a very short video about the organization and its activities – but only a moving and personal one.

Advance preparation for a crisis situation and an effective crisis procedure will enable the company to respond quickly and correctly, act well, and prevent a possible collapse and destruction of its image.

Proper preparation for crisis situations in many organizations will also greatly help prevent the next crisis. At the preparation stage, it is necessary to examine weak points in the organization, prepare all staff teams for possible scenarios, analyze previous crises and learn from them, and refresh safety and security procedures, fault reporting, and more.

When a significant media crisis of public interest breaks out, and during its course, many companies – even today – conduct themselves incorrectly. These companies do not rush to update the public in time and do not reveal the whole truth about the cause of the crisis (in the hope that it may all pass without being discovered). Some fight the media, ignore initial media inquiries, and hide behind vague legal arguments. They also show no transparency, prefer the advice of legal advisors over that of communications advisors, and in general show no leadership or responsibility.

The result: ignoring the most important factor – severe damage to the company’s image in the eyes of consumers and massive, sometimes irreversible, damage to their trust.

It is important to understand that a considerable part of crisis management is conducted vis-à-vis the media. The real crisis and its nature are, in effect, determined in the media. Therefore, it is important to bear in mind that the best strategic weapon is in the company’s hands: proper conduct will prevent the uncontrolled “echo effect” and “domino effect”.

Three main stages can be identified in crisis management:

The first hours

Continued handling of the crisis

Rehabilitating the company’s image (in this article, I will address the first two stages)

Each stage has different characteristics and critical response times, and each of these stages must be treated seriously, according to a procedure prepared in advance.

Here are some iron rules for a company in crisis:

Always be prepared: Advance readiness for the outbreak of a crisis is of great importance

Prepare in advance – To prevent panic and poor functioning, you must prepare in advance to deal with a crisis.

Decide in advance on a company spokesperson who will face the media in a crisis: the CEO or a relevant officeholder with strong communication skills who will provide a consistent response – a figure identified with the brand.

Act fast – An initial and immediate response is of decisive importance. In any case, do not “disappear”, and avoid a “no comment” response. In professional jargon, the hour after the outbreak of a crisis is called “the golden hour”: in this critical hour, proper conduct can win you everything, while improper conduct will cause the company extensive damage.

Take responsibility!!! – After the crisis breaks out, you must take responsibility and offer a sincere apology. Even if you think you are not to blame, and even if you “didn’t know” – you are the manager of the company, and therefore you are the responsible party. When the crisis breaks out, go to the media in an orderly manner, after proper preparation by your communications advisors.

Show empathy for your customers – If you do not want your customers to “abandon ship” following the crisis, you must show them that you understand them and that there is someone standing behind the product/service.

Offer compensation as needed – Mistakes happen, and the public is willing to accept mistakes if it feels that the apology is sincere and that an effort has been made to repair the damage caused.

Appoint people in the company to maintain direct contact with employees and all significant external suppliers.

Appoint a neutral external body to examine the affair – Even in our personal lives, we cannot judge our own steps at every moment, especially since ours is not an objective opinion. Therefore, in a crisis, appointing a neutral external body can provide us with different perspectives that we may not have noticed or may have unconsciously ignored. This can be done through surveys, social media monitoring, analysis of responses and talkbacks, and more.

Formulate a plan to improve the company’s image after the crisis – Once the damage has been done, it is time to pick up the pieces. The first step to take is to raise the company’s standing in the eyes of its customers – and the sooner the better.

All steps must be taken under the close guidance of a communications advisor who is well versed in the various issues that may arise from a possible crisis and knows the media landscape inside out.