Theory: (Digital) Social Skills

3.2. Communication Strategies

Communicating with other actors allows us to get to know other perspectives and share experiences and interests, which is a basic pillar in building personal/professional relationships.

But also, communication skills play a very important role in communicating an offer or idea, which is key for small business in a highly competitive sector such as tourism.

For example, reflect on the following situations:

a)    You are planning to start your own tour guide agency together with some fellow students, but you need funding and contacts to start your venture.

• How do you think you could start establishing professional relationships with relevant actors in your area?
• What kind of pitch would you need to design in order to solicit investment in your idea? How could you achieve the expected impact? What elements of communication will be key to achieve it?

b)    You are going to launch a good package of tourist experiences to the market, and you want to make a digital marketing campaign in social media to communicate it.

• What kind of message will be most suitable for your target audience?
• What characteristics will the message have to be shared in the digital sphere?
• Will SEO be a factor to take into account in your communication? If so, how?

This is where persuasive communication strategies come into play, i.e. strategies aimed at achieving specific objectives.

Persuasive communication strategies are employed with the intention of achieving a desired result. Therefore, the first step to strategic communication is to identify what your objective is and then apply the right tools and approach to achieve it.

We suggest you watch the following video to understand in a simple way what strategic communication is and how you can apply it as an element of persuasion.

Some of the online applications of this type of communication can be found in the following circumstances.

                                       i.    Digital Marketing

To learn more about the implications and benefits of Digital Marketing in your professional activity, we strongly recommend you to take a look at Module 5. Digital Marketing of the DIGITOUR online training programme.

Likewise, to learn more about how to manage the digital presence of tourism companies and professionals in social networks, we recommend you to learn with the Module 6. Online Presence & Social Media.

                                     ii.    Negotiation

Following the Business Dictionary’s definition of “negotiation”, this is understood as “bargaining (give and take) process between two or more parties (each with its own aims, needs and viewpoints) seeking to discover a common ground and reach an agreement to settle a matter of mutual concern or resolve a conflict.” And we do negotiate all the time– it is the method we use to settle differences in our personal and professional lives!

Therefore, negotiating is a key process for any entrepreneur or professional. It can be key when setting the price of your offer, closing contracts with suppliers or establishing collaboration agreements with other relevant actors and stakeholders in your ecosystem to co-design or co-create innovations.

Moreover, negotiation processes are common in our daily lives, so knowing the basic principles that govern these interactions (as well as always keeping in mind what our vision, mission, values and objectives are) is a key skill.

To learn more about communication in a negotiation process:

●     We recommend you take a look at the playlist below to learn more about the basic principles of negotiation and how to manage them:

●     The following playlist will allow you to observe different negotiation strategies in practical contexts:

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                                   iii.    Sales

Did you know that 87% of tourists around the world do use the internet to plan and organise their trips?

It is for this reason, among others, that having a good online sales strategy (digital marketing and online sales channels suitable for your offer) is of fundamental relevance for the operation of your tourism business or professional activity.

Key elements that you need to take into account in your online communication and relationship with customers are:

●     Pay attention to keywords to optimise your organic SEO positioning in online search engines. To keep up to date with the most relevant keywords and use them in your online communication, you can use search engines such as: Popular Travel Keywords | WordStream

●     Whenever possible, support the communication of your product/service offer or experience with audiovisual materials. In general, it has been shown that inspirational videos or images tend to generate higher engagement with potential customers and increase the likelihood of sharing your post (so you can potentially reach more people).

●     Be aware of your target's attention spam! Your social media communication should be clear, concise and engaging so that it is quickly digested and attracts attention. Including questions, CTAs or gamification elements can be interesting to reinforce your message.

●     When communicating by email or video call (e.g. in the case of tour operators), always respect the rules of netiquette - more on this below - and, when in doubt, use a formal register.

●     The communication of your tourism offer should be coherent and consistent across all online access platforms you have (website, social media, blog, third-party advertisements, etc.).

●     For sales to be successful, remember that it will be key to provide adequate customer service. To do this, having simple and easy-to-access contact channels is essential. Customers should be able to contact you through different channels, and expect to receive a response in a short period of time and that you resolve their doubts or needs efficiently.

●     Also, social media and online communication tools provide a great opportunity to engage with your audience in meaningful ways. Whether it is by politely replying to their comments and questions in your cooperative posts, to have conversations with them to learn more about their expectations. Use your profiles wisely and create a community for your offer!

                                   iv.    Networking

Effective communication is a key tool for professional networking, and networking is a key activity for any entrepreneur or small business that wants to grow its business and collaborate with relevant stakeholders in its ecosystem.

Digital communication is the vehicle by which in most cases the foundations of a future professional relationship are established nowadays, so applying a communication strategy effectively aligned with your objectives will be of great relevance.

You can learn more about networking and collaboration with others in Module 11 of the DIGITOUR training programme.