Tourisme Montreal is hiring five ambassadors to promote tourism in Montreal by writing blog posts, posting videos and connecting with people on social media sites.
Together with agency of record Sid Lee, Tourisme Montréal will be hiring five “brand ambassadors” who will blog, post videos online and use social networks to promote the city as a must-see destination.
From March to December 2009, they will be the “Montreal connectors” on topics like food, arts and culture, nightlife, shopping and the gay scene.
Each ambassador will have a dedicated page on Tourisme Montréal’s website to blog and videocast. They will also use social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Yahoo Answers and other blogs to connect with possible tourists. They will report on what’s hot in the city each week.
“Our connectors will also have a dedicated cellphone which people can call anytime,” said Emmanuelle Legault, director of communications at Tourisme Montréal. “They will answer people’s questions and, if they can’t pick up, they will always have a message to let people know what’s happening in the city.”
The key thing to remember for any organization looking at going down this route is to be authentic. This means:
- Get real people with real experiences with the product/service. In this case, the ambassadors should each have a unique and real perspective of the city.
- Tell it like it is - Don’t make things sound better than they are. Most people appreciate honesty above all else. Like any city, there are places in Montreal where you wouldn’t want tourists to go.
- Don’t try and sell. This sounds counter to the purpose of the campaign; but in actuality, it will aid in convincing people to visit. Social media is all about getting recommendations from those who you trust. People can see right through a hard sell. The goal of this campaign is to build connections with like-minded travellers and the ambassadors - then engaging in a real conversation.
