The city of Pontiac, Illinois, is doing a great job attracting tourists from the baby-boom generation because of its Route 66 and other museums.
But, according to the Pontiac Daily Leader, the city now is investigating how to draw tourists from the millennial era — those born from 1981 to 1997. And it enlisted the help of Illinois State University public-relations students for that effort.
Pontiac found social media needed to be more of a priority:
The biggest flaw in tourism today, as it relates to Millennials, is a lack of social media presence. Findings showed that simply posting a flyer, or hosting an out-of-date website isn’t enough anymore. Today’s audiences want photos, reviews, videos and social application presence.
“I always said I’d never get a Snapchat account but now I’m looking into it,” Vincent said. “I’ve already begun to embrace Twitter.” […]
In a constantly fluctuating, Internet-based, social networking landscape, where change is embraced and continuity can lead to elimination, it becomes glaringly obvious when a business or social attraction is unable or uninterested in keeping up with the times. It is for this reason that Vincent and others believe it is increasingly important to expand the online presence.
“When you want to check something out online, the first place you go is Facebook,” Vincent said. “You have to have presence because that’s how Millennials communicate. Social networking extends into everything and when they travel, Millennials are interested in how the convenience of social media fits into the itinerary.”
There are places on Route 66 that became popular without a substantial social-media presence — the Gay Parita Sinclair station near Halltown, Missouri, comes to mind — but that’s clearly an exception. Route 66 businesses and tourism directors should ignore social media at their own risk.
These tips from HootSuite, which knows a few things about social media, should be helpful for businesses.
(Image of social-media apps on a smartphone by Jason Howie via Flickr)