Natchitoches Tourism Using Social Media
By: Julia Barry
The Natchitoches Visitor Information Center on Jefferson Street in the downtown Historic District is the best place to find out about all of the events and sights this historic city has to offer. However, you don’t have to visit to their office to find out about sites in Natchitoches.
Their office also utilizes YouTube, Facebook,Twitter, Pinterest and their website Natchitoches.com to reach out to people who would like to visit the town. The publicity put out by the bureau is handled by Farrah Reyna, the communication director of the Natchitoches Visitor Information Center. Reyna’s responsibilities are, “to promote tourism sites, attractions and historical landmarks throughout Natchitoches Parish,” she said.
“We utilize photography and videography to promote Natchitoches Tourism on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Natchitoches.com," Reyna said when asked about using social media at her job. However, she believes, "Traditional media and social media are equally effective. In order to reach a large audience, it is important to utilize both entities."
An important step in utilizing social media is to, "always determine who your target audience or demographic is before branching out to traditional media and social media. This determines your true marketing plan," Reyna said.
In addition to online media, Reyna also uses television, radio, magazines and newspapers to keep the public updated on what is happening in Natchitoches. With all of the demands of traditional media combined with the demands of online media, Reyna has said that that social media is, "a full time task; one must learn to use time wisely." Part of using your time wisely in social media is not only time management, but also understanding the people that you are distributing media to. Once you have picked a target audience, it is then important to understand the habits of the people that are in your audience.
The best times to post things for the Natchitoches Tourism Center, according to Reyna, are 7:30 a.m. - 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Reyna said. Reyna posts on social media at least once a day. It is also important to know which types of media get the most attention from your audience.
Knowing which type of media is more likely to get a response and views on your website is valuable knowledge. Which type of media works best for each your website and audience can bring a lot of business and community acknowledgement to your business or organization.
"Social media allows me to promote unique aspects about attractions in Natchitoches. Areas, events and historic information not promoted through traditional media, can be promoted by using social media." Reyna said. The internet allows for a different kind of event coverage that can be instant and allows more information to be passed along. Print media can be limited for a business by length and budget, however, when posting online, a writer can go more in-depth into an event for readers who would like to know more about the story.
Reyna recently used social media to promote the Natchitoches Jazz and R&B Festival which occurred on April 4 - 5. She also promotes many of the places and events occurring in the Natchitoches community, including the many festivals in the Natchitoches area and attractions in the area like the alligator farm and the many plantation houses in town.
Reyna's office also offers traditional means to find out more about Natchitoches. The front portion of the Natchitoches Visitor Information Center has a space for guests to the Natchitoches area that includes two walls full of pamphlets about things to do in Louisiana and Natchitoches.
Reyna acquired some of her skills when she studied mass media at Northwestern State University according to linkedin.com. She graduated with a Bachelors Degree of Liberal Arts in Broadcast Journalism.