TIPS FROM SIMPLY ZESTY SOCIAL MEDIA

Last week I joined a group of fellow hospitality and tourism lecturers from across the country in Galway to learn about developments in social media.
Despite my best efforts, it can be hard to keep up with what's happening online. Sometimes the only option is to purchase reports from companies like PhoCusWright or attend events such as the Travel Distribution Summit. The only problem with both options is that they are very expensive and beyond current budgets.
So I was glad to get a update from Niall Harbison, someone who knows this business inside out. Niall is the co-founder of Simply Zesty, an online PR and social media agency whose clients include Vodafone, Sony, Nokia and Dublin Tourism.
One of the things that Niall spoke about was the power of the 'group deal', a concept which is taking off in the online world. Essentially, a group deal is a type of pre-paid coupon, offering services or products at a steep discount. The idea is that a company sets the price, the conditions of the deal, and agrees a threshold the distribution company has to meet before it can actually sell the deal. Just one hugely discounted deal is offered every day.  Groupon is the big player in the States and Boardsdeals has started doing something similiar here. Recently, Shelbourne Park greyhound stadium sold 1,039 deals (a night at the dogs for two for €13) and the Village Café Rathmines sold 502 deals (a three course dinner for two plus wine for €35). Hotels, bars and spas are also getting in on the act with similiar offers. While it's great to be able to generate this volume of business, the challenge is to ensure that customers who buy these 'deals' are not treated less favourably than might otherwise be the case.
By the way, if you're interested in the ' Five fundamental trends that will shape social media in 2011' take a look at Niall's post here. Thanks to Paul Murphy in Fáilte Ireland for organising the event.