Online Marketing

SUMMARY: Since the inception of Royal Mysore walks the foremost challenge was to reach out to audience across different regions through Web based technology for individuals or groups who were looking at having an offbeat experience in Mysore. Walking Tour as a concept appeals to wider range of audience from first time visitors, business travelers to city residents. The Internet also acts as a great marketing tool that overcomes the limitations of traditional media, like high cost and effectively reaching out to target audience and also helps in connecting with the audience where information on the service and its continuous improvisation can be constantly provided.

COMPANY NAME: ROYAL MYSORE WALKS

CONTACT NAME – VINAY PARAMESWARAPPA

INDUSTRY: TOURISM

MARKETING SERVICE PROVIDER: IN-HOUSE

MARKETING CATEGORY: SOCIAL MEDIA

BACKGROUND/CHALLENGE/OBJECTIVE: In the start-up phase, it was important to choose an effective and inexpensive marketing platform for Royal Mysore Walks. This being the motive, the Internet and social networking sites seemed to be the best choice. Royal Mysore Walks specializes in content. Collection of interesting content and delivering it in an interesting and effective manner was the core competence. The challenge was to be creative and unique in web presence so as to stand out and build a wide network and generate visibility. Currently Royal Mysore Walks has its presence in Social Networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, on the Blogosphere and also on Wikipedia and WikiTravel.

Given that the attention span of the individual is short, the challenge was to get noticed with interesting/informative content that would lead them to the website where one could make a choice if he or she wanted to try the service.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

Tourists/Visitors to Mysore (Including Business Executives)

People looking for an offbeat experience.

Residents keen on knowing more about their city.

Through Internet Marketing Royal Mysore Walks was looking at addressing the need an offbeat experience in the city through Walking Tours with a mix of information and entertainment

MARKETING INITIATIVE:

Twitter: With a 140 char limit, Twitter best acts like an advertisement on the online space. Short, crisp and to the point. Its been more than a year since Royal Mysore Walks has been actively marketed on twitter. The search option allows one to constantly look out for the occurrence of a keyword, say ‘Mysore’. In cases where where people mention about their interests in exploring the place, we make a suggestion to experience Royal Mysore Walks. We also build rapport by interacting with those seeking information about the city.

Facebook: Royal Mysore Walks presence on Facebook was used to connect with people who liked the idea. This platform was also used to share upcoming events, posting pictures and media coverage of Royal Mysore Walks. We also actively seek new ideas to enrich RMW experience. Facebook has been a great way to engage with your audience,   acting like a interactive bulletin.

Blogs: Presence in the Blogosphere has helped Royal Mysore Walks to continuous connect with its audiences and also generate interest in the new services that we have added. It has encouraged customers who have enjoyed the RMW to blog about their experience. Here’s one by India’s popular humour bloggers, Narendra Shenoy and another by an Australian couple (traveling from Sydney to London) who put this encouraging write up on their website after the RMW tour.

Flickr: A good picture speaks a 1000 words! Its true much more when you’re in the business of travel and hospitality. High quality photographs play an extremely important role in getting the message across. People travel so that they can see more. Finding good photographers can be hard. One can make use of Flickr to find people who have contributed photographs of your city and you could also use their works or their services for your business. Through Flickr, Royal Mysore Walks was able to reach out to a person who pursued photography as a hobby but also won several acclaimed awards for his work behind the lens. Being a freelance website designer was of help too. He is currently working on restructuring the Royal Mysore Walks website (visit www.royalmysorewalks.com to see how it is shaping up). In addition, the photographer is also an avid wildlife photographer and is keen on leading groups on Nature/Jungle/Photo Walks. Its all about exploring possibilities and realizing them too!

Others: Marketing what we do generates customer interest, helps build our brand and makes our hiring easy too, thanks to our exploring social media. Royal Mysore Walks was featured in Yourstory.in. Yourstory.in is the fastest growing online platform committed to providing visibility and meaningful networking opportunities to first generation young Indian entrepreneurs and start-ups. One such reader who discovered Royal Mysore Walks through Yourstory.in is currently working with us to promote RMW across various channels. External references such as this one also adds to your credibility.

The key to such platforms is interaction - one needs to actively participate in the ongoing conversations to make the best of social media.

IMPACT: Sustained marketing efforts have increased the awareness and the visibility of Royal Mysore Walks. With every campaign, the traffic to our website increased between  25-50%. The use of Google Analytics and tools like the Alexa has helped us track and analyze our website traffic and work towards a search engine optimized website.

With the Facebook fan page crossing the 650 mark, our plan is to expand presence of Royal Mysore Walks across newer applications like Foursquare reaching out to a wider audience and adding power to the voice of our audience.

RESOURCE ESTIMATE:

Social Networking website : Twitter

Blogging Platform: Wordpress

Photo sharing website: Flickr

APPROXIMATE COST:

NIL

Vinay Parameswarappa is the founder of Royal Mysore Walks that offers offbeat tours in and around Mysore. He consults on setting up Walking Tours across historical locations in India. He can be reached at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or +91 96320 44188.