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Elite Travel Industry Conference Invites Ethology To Share Social Media Tips -- Image via CrunchBase

DENVER – April 05, 2011 — Travel and resort marketers are scrambling these days to get their arms around social media and develop a plan to harness this communication phenomenon. But to leverage the power of social media is a far more complex task than putting up a Facebook fan page. At two Mountain Travel Symposium (MTS) workshops, digital marketing firm ethology will examine how to create relevant content and positive customer engagement to use social media to a hospitality marketer’s best advantage.

The workshops are part of a two-day educational and training Forum during the MTS week-long event, April 3-9, 2011. This year’s Forum, held April 6-7, addresses the theme: Adaptation in Mountain Travel. One of the Forum celebrity speakers is Aron Ralston, whose fight for survival was recreated in the Academy Award-nominated film “127 Hours.” Ralston will speak Thursday, April 7 at 8:30am.

Social Media Workshops

At the Forum, Kent Schnepp, ethology Vice President of Sales, will moderate a workshop titled “Proving the Value of Social Media,” April 6 from 4 to 5 PM. The workshop will evaluate the ROI of social media in the travel business and discuss its value in building brand loyalty for resorts and tourism-dependent businesses.

Mike Corak, ethology Vice President of Strategy, will conduct a workshop titled “Marketing Online: Tools and Strategies to Grow Top-Line Revenue.” It will be held Thursday, April 7^th from 10:15 to 11:15 AM.

“At the heart of successful social media is a feeling of hospitality, yet the hospitality industry is finding it difficult to develop and execute social media programs,” said Corak. “Some of the challenges are lack of an integrated plan and lack of continuity between all channels – social, mobile, email and others.”

In his workshop, Corak will detail social media best practices for the hospitality industry. Among subjects he will cover are:

• Listening to your customers to find out what type of content they are really interested in.
• Starting relevant social conversations since social media is more than just participating in conversations.
• Organizing your company to execute social media programs successfully.
• Managing your reputation online and offline.
• Promoting across media to encourage interaction.

“Social media can be a dynamic force in engaging with your customer. In the hospitality business particularly, where customer reviews are plentiful, social media is critical to managing your reputation, and when necessary, mitigating negative comments,” said Corak. “We will give the audience at Mountain Travel Symposium practical knowledge they can put to work immediately to build a better social media profile.”

About Mike Corak

Mike Corak, Vice President of Strategy, ethology, has developed winning digital marketing strategies for some of the nation’s most famous brands, including Intercontinental Hotels, Coca Cola, ConAgra Foods, ConocoPhillips, FedEx, Fujitsu, Nike, Office Depot, and Walt Disney. He previously led the strategic planning practice and account management efforts at Off Madison Ave in Phoenix, AZ.

About Ethology

Ethology is a leader in digital marketing, helping major brands engage with their customers whenever and wherever they are digitally: on the Web, on social networks, and on their mobile devices. Unlike other digital marketing agencies, the company’s proprietary ethosystem™ leverages these digital hubs to gather new intelligence to build more effective marketing programs that build brand equity and drive business. Whether repositioning or launching a brand, or launching a new product, ethology’s system of behavioral insights improves marketing effectiveness. Ethology has offices in Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles and is a portfolio company of Tallwave. Visit ethology at www.ethology.com.

About Mountain Travel Symposium

The Mountain Travel Symposium is the largest gathering of mountain travel professionals in North America and marks the beginning of the sales cycle for the next ski season. Attendees come from around the world to conduct business during the Trade and Group Exchanges held before and after the educational Forum.

The MTS Forum also includes small group workshops and presentations in several travel-related tracks that focus on how travel professionals can better adapt to the changes occurring in today’s economic environment. Registration for the two-day Forum is $595 and includes entrance to all three general sessions and a dozen individual workshops on issues ranging from resort branding to the newest developments in travel technology. The New Media Showcase is also included as well as lift tickets at Beaver Creek during MTS week and admission to all MTS social events throughout the week.