The research problem was to find ways to develop online marketing in social media in a cost efficient and innovative way to increase the exposure of DORTMUNDtourismus e.V. to increase. The research found that social media marketing is a field that offers many opportunities for marketers.
T OPIC OF THE THESIS PROJECT
During the training, I have already noticed a strong development of my personal skills in the online environment and professional development. I hope that the thesis will further help me to work efficiently and flexibly as required by the online environment.
M ETHODOLOGY
Next I will go into more detail on the topics of online marketing and social media marketing. Secondly, based on the information I have collected, theoretical knowledge and my experiences, I will develop and consider ideas that I find suitable for the development of the online marketing of DORTMUNDtourismus e.V. on social media.
C OMPANY PROFILE
The company receives most of its resources from the city of Dortmund and the incorporated society it stands for. The 104 members of the incorporated association are from the hotel industry (57), different companies (30), various associations (10) and also private people (7).
S ERVICE SPECTRUM AND TOURISTIC FEATURES OF D ORTMUND
Finally, the industrial heritage that is still visible in the city is an essential feature of Dortmund tourism. Tourism in Dortmund is mainly based on day visitors and business trips to the city.
W EBSITE OF DORTMUND TOURISMUS E .V
The feature enables internet users to register on the website and can therefore contribute to the content of the web page. Users can upload photos of Dortmund, comment on the information on the website and products of DORTMUNDtourismus e.V.
G ENERAL IDEA OF MARKETING
Another definition states that the goal of marketing is to reach as many representative units of the group as possible (Kaspar 2009, 14). The idea is to reach as many targets as possible who might receive the message.
P ROGRESS OF MARKETING
The purpose of DORTMUNDtourismus e.V. is to market Dortmund as an attractive tourist destination and authenticity and identification with the destination is a core criterion for the company. It can be argued that this is not the case for DORTMUNDtourismus e.V., but the idea of DORTMUNDtourismus e.V.
S EGMENTATION AND DIRECT MARKETING
It can be argued that this is not the case for DORTMUNDtourismus e.V., but the idea of DORTMUNDtourismus e.V. is to help people find information about Dortmund and answer their questions. Secondly, this small audience ensures that DORTMUNDtourismus e.V. a more personal and direct communication approach than is the case with larger companies.
C HANNELS
In the offline environment it certainly is, but in the online environment research can be done relatively easily. Especially in the online environment the transfer is simple and time and cost efficient.
SME S AND CHANGES IN M ARKETING
As a result, the Internet is a platform for a multitude of advertisements and marketing messages that flash across users' screens. This financial support pays a large part of the costs of work and other activities.
W HAT IS IMPORTANT IN MARKETING ?
In the case of DORTMUNDtourismus e.V. the entire company submits to quality standards described by the German Tourism Association, Deutscher Tourismusverband. Still, in the market, it is important for a company to analyze what is the characteristic that differentiates it or creates advantage over competitors.
C OMMUNICATION IN MARKETING
Information is combined with a message that addresses the target also on the emotional level and therefore combines the effects of the first two levels, information and an emotional response to the message. Direct communication does not only mean that a company directly contacts a consumer or user on the Internet, but it also means that the addressee has the opportunity to respond to the message and exchange information and opinions with a company.
O PPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
However, just as information spreads quickly, the time it gets attention online also decreases. On a positive note, unlike the earlier times when the internet was accessible to the general public, trust in it was very low.
A DVANTAGES
Increasing the fame of a website is the single main goal of marketing on the internet and in an online environment. A marketing message on the internet must always contain a link to a page where more information can be found on the subject of the message.
B ASICS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING RESULTING FROM M ARKETING
Thus, online social media emerged and created a new way of social life on the Internet. To form a picture of the development of social media it can be seen that, for example in relation to the tourism industry, about 11% of the search results of travel-related information searches are links to social media.
D EFINITIONS
The definition also includes the idea that social media gives users, organizations and companies the opportunity to get in touch and share information and opinions. Social media does not only allow companies and users or consumers to come into contact.
T HE USERS IN ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media also offers unlimited opportunities for consumers, who may have purchased or are interested in the same product, to connect with each other and exchange opinions. Their platforms usually inform other users interested in this topic, creating a strong multiplier effect.
F EATURES OF SOCIAL MEDIA
It was recently noticed that users are protecting themselves from irrelevant information because of the amount of information that. is distributed through social media. Many organizations that join social media do not make optimal use of the resources on the platforms.
U SER - GENERATED CONTENT
First, the collection of user-generated content allows users to be involved in the communication and community of a company, and it also gives them a chance to speak their mind and discuss it with other users. It is often a company that runs a community, therefore you can say that users who are part of the community are interested and have a lot of knowledge within the company's field.
M ARKETING PRINCIPLES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
In general, it can be said that about 1-3% of social media users actually contribute content to communities. A brief look at the different ways to post on social media will clarify what posting is.
Given that the majority of DORTMUNDtourismus e.V.'s clientele is probably 50 years or older, this shows a certain dilemma in case of targeting the clientele. The children of the seniors who use the products of DORTMUNDtourismus e.V. however, currently belong to the largest user groups.
Y OU T UBE
Especially the age group of 45 to 54 years is relatively large with about 25% of the users. DORTMUNDtourismus himself subscribed to the channel of BV Borussia Dortmund "BVB", the channel of "DOredaktion" which posts videos about Dortmund, and to the channel "ruhr2010khs" which posts videos about the.
F LICKR
Most of the videos have less than a hundred views, with the exception of two videos about the partial opening of "Dortmund's U" and the celebration of football fans during a match of BV Borussia Dortmund (DORTMUNDtourismus e.V., 2010d). The statistics regarding the photos, the number of times they have been viewed, is low, only a few sets have more than ten views (DORTMUNDtourismus e.V. 2010c).
C OMMUNICATION
Through the communication and exchange of opinions and information on social media, users can get a positive image of the company and trust its judgment and activities. On social media, users are critical and overly aggressive marketing efforts can quickly lead to a negative impression.
B ENCHMARKING AND OTHER F ACEBOOK PAGES
In social media, benchmarking can even be extended to an international scale, observing and analyzing the marketing resources of companies around the world. There are many individuals on social media who do not run a business, but who do have social media presentations that are relatively popular.
S UGGESTIONS RELATED TO THE F ACEBOOK QUIZ
Prizes for the quiz have so far been sponsored by other companies who in turn are promoted on Dortmund's Facebook page. So far the quiz only helps to generate traffic on the Facebook page of DORTMUNDtourismus e.V.
C ROSS - MEDIA MARKETING
Printed information about the Facebook page on the material can already lead them to become part of the Facebook community of DORTMUNDtourismus e.V. These and other visitors ask for printed plans of the city center so that the information on Facebook and the website can be of high value.
U SER REPORTERS
Other users can identify with the experiences of the users who tested the products and form an image of the products that DORTMUNDtourismus e.V. However, the reporter does not change, and in the long run users may get tired of the same reporter.
U SER GENERATED CONTENT
If the media originator, in this case DORTMUNDtourismus e.V., can be recognized from the media, this is a great way to expand the reach and support Dortmund's brand recognition as a destination. During my training period for DORTMUNDtourismus e.V. together with another intern, I planned a photo contest with the aim of enabling users to collaborate with the company, to contribute to the awareness of DORTMUNDtourismus e.V.
F ACEBOOK USER TOUR
If the tour is not a success, it can become a product that is available twice a year and is adapted each year according to the wishes of the users. Pictures and videos from the trip are posted on the various social media channels so that users can reminisce and learn about the trip.
I NTERNAL INFORMATION FORUM
To emphasize the social media engagement and the source of the tour, the tour could simply be called the "Facebook user tour". After the tour, an after-party could be held in a popular bar in Dortmund, where all participants in the development of the tour are invited to celebrate it together.
T AG EDITING BASED ON KEYWORD AND POPULARITY ANALYSIS
At this point I can already say that the choice of tags of the YouTube channel of DORTMUNDtourismus e.V. is bad as the videos have few tags and some of them are probably not searched by users like. In addition, the tag analysis could influence the search engine optimization of the official website of DORTMUNDtourismus e.V., but that is a topic that will not be covered in this graduation project.
C HARITY
In the process of the thesis project, it became clear that online social media marketing is a very complex but rich field. The interaction and interdependence of some factors make online social media marketing a delicate operation.
