Social Media Monitoring Project - Part I

CAYMANKIND

February and March are considered peak season for many tropical destinations where the “snowbirds” head south near the equator to escape the doldrums of winter. The Cayman Islands, referred to as “Cayman” by the locals, is one of those places where you can dip your toes in the warm turquoise waters, while soaking up the sun. They are located in the western Caribbean, south of Cuba, and are made up of three islands; Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. Cayman is a British territory with tourism and banking as part of the main industries that support their “tax free” country. They are recognized as one of the top diving destinations in the world — it’s the birthplace of recreational diving. With a total population of about 60,000 residents, with the majority of them residing on Grand Cayman (50,000), it’s a dream lover’s paradise. The islands cater to tourists offering adventurous water sports, exquisite dining with a variety of cuisines to suit any appetite, golfing, nature, shopping, nightlife, and wellness.

EMBRACING THE GROUNDSWELL
The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism has embraced the groundswell of social media reaching out to followers using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest. Below is a current summary of their followers per social media channel.

Cayman Tourism uses their channels by promoting hotels, restaurants, events, things to do, and deals to encourage their followers to engage, book a trip and share with their friends and followers. The majority of the comments received are people tagging their friends with comments such as “Let’s go away again” or “Where is this?” Cayman Tourism has dedicated resources to listen, talk, energize, and support the Groundswell. They respond to questions asked, encourage followers to share their photos and memories, energize them by using the powerful “word of mouth” modality, and support them by providing suggestions and tools needed for a tailored Cayman vacation.



Each channel has some crossover in terms of content shared especially among Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Their YouTube videos are highly produced, commercial style spots that serve as advertising campaigns for the islands. The majority of the videos run about 30 seconds to a minute long. However, there are a few longer, feature videos that run approximately five minutes and have very low viewership compared to the shorter spots. This proves that people’s attention spans are getting shorter and shorter and they want to have an impression made within the first few seconds. The number of views range based on topic — 500+ views, 4,000 views, and up to 214,000 views — the highest views may be a result of an integrated media campaign vs. grass roots marketing.

The Cayman Tourism Pinterest account comprises of 19 boards with a range of topics: weddings, beaches, Pirate Week, places to stay, sister islands, wildlife, events, food, your next vacation, and more. It’s a great resource that serves as an alternative online vacation planner.

TRANSLATING THE DATA
According to Google Trends, the user rate has been pretty steady over the past 12 months with a spike of activity in September. The peak could be attributed to Hurricane Irma as she devastated many islands in the Caribbean and South Florida during that timeframe. Interest is the Cayman Islands is global with high concentrations in U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, India, South America, and South Africa. Social Mention’s real-time analysis proves that the brand has an online strength of 27% with a 33% reach and a mention every two minutes. This could increase as it becomes more of a sought-after destination for recreational travel. There is a lot of competition in the Caribbean for vacationers to choose from. The Cayman Islands are expensive, yet safe however they offer little to no all-inclusive options for the thrifty traveler like nearby Jamaica, Aruba, and the Dominican Republic. 

WHO ARE THEY TALKING TO?
Caymankind is an approach to life and the experience of Caymanian culture. Cayman Tourism authentically tells this story through photos and videos. Based on the discovery, Cayman Tourism’s target audience is varied from amateur and experienced scuba divers to honeymooners and families. The images and videos posted target all ages and interests of their audience-base. They achieve this by varying topics each day as to not exclude anyone. Conversationalists and joiners appear to make up the majority of the social technographics profile for Cayman Tourism. However, joiners and spectators are most likely part of their profile as well.

Rich media showcases Cayman’s abyss and targets divers to visit and explore their underwater landscape while family photos of children holding the baby turtles the turtle farm draws you in. If there is a teenager or young adult visiting Cayman, then Stingray City is the place for an adrenaline rush. Couples, parents, and seniors can relax on one of the many beautiful beaches to reconnect with each other and disconnect from life. At the end of the day it will be a difficult decision where to dine — there are too many restaurants to choose from, so they will have to return one day to sample them all!

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Cayman Tourism is doing many things right based on what we’ve learned from the Groundswell. In Part II of the project, it will be interesting to see how they compare to competitors such as Bermuda or Turks and Caicos, which are also British Territories in the Caribbean.