Claim your Google My Business Listing
Google My Business is the digital representation of your physical business so it is essential that your business information is 100% correct e.g. opening hours, location. Make sure to claim your listing if you haven’t already done so or create a listing if one does not already exist. This is also critical for reviews to build trust and credibility.
Hashtags and Photography
When using your social media platforms don't forget to use relevant hashtags and high quality imagery, linking to the core tourism brands.
Get listed on discovernorthernireland.com
Local tourism and hospitality providers can promote their offering for free through Tourism NI’s consumer website www.discovernorthernireland.com (subject to eligibility*)
You will firstly need to sign up to the Tourism NI Business Hub and an easy how to guide is available to assist. (Check out Tourism NI's useful webinar Navigating TourismNI.com which highlights all the benefits to business registration or their webinar Discovering the potential of your Discover NI listing) .
You will also find information here on how to create and update your tourism product on discovernorthernireland.com. This website also feeds www.ireland.com and allows for higher rankings for your business in google searches.
* Please note: Business listings are subject to the criteria outlined in the Tourism NI Contributor Agreement.
See events support section for further details on publicising events.
Get listed on Council's Shaped by Sea and Stone website
If you are listed on discovernorthernireland.com, you should automatically have a listing within the Council’s Shaped by Sea and Stone website. If you are considered ineligible by Tourism NI, please contact us directly to discuss potential inclusion (subject to criteria and excluding accommodation providers who must legally be certified by Tourism NI).
Digital and Social Media Promotion
Via Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
Through our Shaped by Sea and Stone social and digital platforms, inspirational and informative content is showcased to attract visitors to the area i.e.
We are happy to receive relevant and engaging content from our local tourism industry to share with our followers and encourage all our partners to tag @shapedbyseaandstone.
Via Tourism NI
Tourism NI are always on the lookout for quality content to be used on their social and digital media channels, in press releases or in pitch features for media in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Please email your story, images and video to digital@tourismni.com following the tips outlined here.
You can also check out Tourism NI's useful webinar Get Involved - Sharing YOUR Stories and Content with Tourism NI.
Via Tourism Ireland
Send your content for social to the following email address: ticontent@maxmedia.ie. MaxMedia are Tourism Ireland’s media agency, and they create social posts and editorial content for Tourism Ireland platforms. More information available here.
Claim your TripAdvisor Listing
As per Google My Business, TripAdvisor is used to review hotels, restaurants and tourism activities, so that visitors can discover new places, offering positive assurance before booking. Make sure to claim or make your business listing here and take the opportunity to respond to customer feedback. Tripadvisor ratings are also displayed on business listings published on the Discover Northern Ireland website - check out an example here.
Grow your sales with the Tourism Exchange
One of the best tools for your business is to be bookable online.
Consider TXGB - a B2B platform that connects tourism suppliers with a diverse network of local and global distributors helping businesses to become bookable online, access new routes to market and reduce their commission costs.
Businesses can register with TXGB for free. You will not incur any costs until a booking is generated. A booking fee of 2.5% + VAT is then payable to TXGB for bookings through the platform plus standard payment processing fees, which are managed through Stripe. Businesses will also pay the commission associated with their chosen sales channels. However, Tourism Northern Ireland does not charge any commission (0%) for bookings through the Discover Northern Ireland website. You can check out some useful case studies on businesses using the system here. Or check out this useful webinar on Growing Your Business via Online Sales Channels.
For more information watch this online video or go to txgb.co.uk
E: hello@txgb.co.uk
T: 0330 223 5050
Using Social Media Platforms
Check out this useful guidance from Tourism NI in relation to how to use particular platforms:
Seach Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Google Analytics
If you have a website this allows your site listing to be seen by users. The search results are displayed in a sequence according to relevance of match between the keyword phrase typed into the search engine and the web pages, according to the ranking process used by the search engine. Don't forget to optimise it as much as you can. Useful webinars and information can be found here. Also information on monitoring your website performance through Google Analytics is available online.
Useful Resources
Check out the Visit Britain Digital Marketing Toolkit.
