🧭 DIY Guide: Partner Engagement & Onboarding with Tourismo

🧩 Why Engage with Partners?

Engaging your partners—local businesses, event organizers, and tourism operators—is critical to unlocking the full potential of Tourismo. Here's why:

1. Improve the Quality and Volume of Content

• Encourage businesses to enrich their listings with better descriptions, imagery, and event info.

• Ensure listings are up-to-date and seasonally relevant.

• Highlight lesser-known experiences and community gems.

2. Empower Direct Marketing

• Partners can send push notifications and segmented email campaigns to target audiences directly (app only).

• Creates ownership and enthusiasm—businesses see the platform as theirs, not just yours.

3. Show the Impact of Your Work

• Provide partners with performance analytics (views, check-ins, engagement).

• Justify your DMO’s value with concrete metrics.

• Celebrate success stories, from small wins to viral community moments.

4. Build Stronger Relationships

• Increased collaboration leads to deeper, ongoing engagement.

• Elevate your position as a digital partner and innovation leader in your region.

• Reduce pressure on your team by empowering partners to self-manage content.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Implementation Plan

🗓️ 1. Kickoff Planning Meeting

Hold a short internal strategy session. Align on:

• Campaign goals (e.g., content quality, number of new onboarded partners)

• Target audience (business type, region, current engagement level)

• Timeline and budget (if printing materials or incentivizing participation)

📥 2. Prepare Your Partner List

Export or build a list that includes:

• Name of business or organization

• Primary contact name and role

• Email address

• Tourismo status (onboarded / invited / never contacted)

Format: CSV or spreadsheet for easy import or mail merge.

📧 3. Create Outreach Emails

You’ll need:

• Initial Invitation Email: Introduce the campaign, highlight benefits, and provide a signup/onboarding link.

• Followup #1 (3–5 days later): Remind them and include a testimonial or success story.

• Followup #2 (1 week later): Personal note from your team, offer help or a 1-on-1 session.

💡 Use a friendly tone. Make it personal. Avoid sounding like a government notice.

🎓 4. Offer a Training Webinar or Demo

Schedule a 30-minute live session with Q&A. Include:

• Tour of Tourismo's partner dashboard

• How to edit listings and events

• How to send push/email campaigns

• Where to find analytics

• Partner success stories from your community

Record it and make it available for future onboarding.

🧾 5. Create Custom Training Materials

Provide:

• A one-pager PDF or webpage outlining key benefits and links

• A short video tour (can be done with Loom, Zoom recording, etc.)

• FAQ or checklist: "How to get started with Tourismo"

💡 Visual aids make onboarding easier—screenshots and short screencasts go a long way.

📊 6. Set Up Automated Followups

If using email platforms like Mailchimp, Hubspot, or ConvertKit, segment your lists:

• Activated Partners: Send encouragement, success metrics, new features.

• Unactivated Partners: Send reminders, help offers, highlight peers who’ve seen value.

🧑‍💻 7. Monitor Engagement & Report Back

• Use Tourismo’s partner analytics to track activation and engagement.

• Report out to your board or funders to show momentum.

• Share “wins” publicly: e.g. “25 new businesses onboarded in our first month!”

🚀 Tips for Success

• Leverage community champions: Involve a few key businesses early, then ask them to advocate.

• Add incentives: Feature active partners in your newsletter or social posts.

• Keep it simple: Reduce friction. Offer a clear path from invitation to success.

• Make it ongoing: Re-run onboarding every 3–6 months for new businesses or as features evolve.

🏁 Ready to Start?

You don’t need a big budget—just a good list, a simple message, and a bit of local love. And if you ever need a hand, the paid campaign package is ready to jumpstart the process with extra support.

Let me know if you'd like:

• Sample email templates

• A Google Sheets CRM tracker

• Editable onboarding checklist PDF

Happy collaborating!

You said:

topics to cover in the guide book: -reasons to engage with partners (share impact through analytics, better content, access useful resources, strengthen relationship) -engagement guidelines (not too much information, make it useful and personalized, incentivize the ask for content through showing value with analytics) -a step by step outreach plan (build & import your list, create custom training material, customize your initial email and followup emails, setup your schdeuled outreach, promote & host a webinar, proide 1 on 1 support as people get logged in / onboarded) -tips for success (create quality materials specific to your project, incentivize through reward, don't be afraid to onboard, start community mailing list if you don't have one, and showcase great collaborators and their increased stats)

ChatGPT said:

Great—based on your topics and campaign goals, here’s a full draft of the Tourismo DIY Campaign Package Guidebook: Partner Engagement & Onboarding. This version is designed for internal use or sharing with stakeholders who want to run the campaign themselves without purchasing the paid package.

📘 Tourismo Guidebook: Partner Engagement & Onboarding

Unlock the collaborative power of Tourismo for your community

✨ Why Engage With Partners?

Strong partnerships are the backbone of a vibrant destination. Tourismo’s tools become far more powerful when your local businesses, artists, and operators are actively participating. Here's why it matters:

1. Share Impact Through Analytics

Partners often don't realize how much visibility they’re getting. Providing automated reports—page views, check-ins, email opens—shows them how your efforts are driving results and keeps them engaged.

2. Better Content, More Often

When partners contribute events, update listings, and add photos or specials, the whole ecosystem improves. Richer content = better search results, more bookings, and happier visitors.

3. Access Useful Resources

Your partners gain free tools: email marketing, push notifications, analytics dashboards, shared content libraries, and AI-powered recommendations.

4. Strengthen Relationships

By engaging your community in Tourismo, you position your organization as a collaborative leader—not just a promoter, but a partner in growth.

🤝 Engagement Guidelines

Getting partners to participate requires trust and clarity. Follow these principles to drive action:

✅ Don’t Overwhelm

Keep communication concise. Too much information or jargon can paralyze someone into inaction. Focus on what matters most to them right now.

✅ Make It Useful & Personalized

Tailor emails to business type or region. Highlight their wins, not just the platform’s features. Ex: “Your event was seen 1,200 times last month!”

✅ Show Value with Data

Use analytics as an incentive, not just a report. For example:
“Update your listing and reach 3x more visitors—just like [successful partner] did last month.”

✅ Incentivize the Ask

Participation grows when partners see the reward. That could be visibility, inclusion in a feature, or simply knowing how their content is performing.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Outreach Plan

Here’s how to run your own onboarding campaign in 7 steps:

1. Build & Import Your Partner List

Gather names, emails, business names, categories, and whether they’re active on Tourismo. Import into your email platform or CRM. Use tags or segments by region or sector.

2. Create Custom Training Materials

Develop a simple resource pack:

• PDF one-pager or linkable microsite

• 2–3 minute screencast showing how to log in, edit listings, and view analytics

• Optional: Checklist or FAQ page

3. Customize Your Initial Email & Followups

Send a warm, personal invite to participate:

• Share the “why” (impact, visibility, community)

• Link to training material and login portal

• Set expectations (e.g. “15 min to get set up”)
  Follow up twice over 2 weeks—one reminder and one friendly nudge or offer for 1-on-1 help.

4. Set Up Your Scheduled Outreach

Use tools like Mailchimp, HubSpot, or ConvertKit to:

• Schedule emails

• Track opens/clicks

• Segment unengaged partners for targeted followups

5. Promote & Host a Webinar

Host a 30–45 minute training session with live Q&A. Keep it simple, live-demo the basics, and leave plenty of time for questions. Record it for those who can’t attend.

6. Provide 1-on-1 Support

As partners try to log in or ask questions, be available. Offering personal help builds trust and shows you’re invested in their success.

7. Celebrate Success

Once a few partners are active, highlight them:

• Social media shoutouts

• Newsletter mentions

• “Top 5 most improved listings” email

This drives FOMO and encourages others to follow suit.

💡 Tips for Success

• Tailor Materials to Your Project
  Use language and examples specific to your campaign or region. A listing for a winery in the BC Ale Trail is different than one for an art gallery on the Welcome Trail.

• Reward Participation
  Incentivize listing updates or event submissions with small prizes, exclusive features, or email badges.

• Don’t Be Afraid to Onboard
  Some partners will say “I’m not techy.” A 15-minute walkthrough can change everything. Build confidence.

• Start a Community Mailing List
  If you don’t already have one, this is a great time to begin. Keep partners informed of new features, successes, and opportunities.

• Showcase Great Collaborators
  Feature partners who update their listings or run great events—especially when their stats improve. Make them role models.

Want more support?
The Tourismo Partner Engagement Package includes outreach, custom training, email followups, and analytics setup—starting at $2,500.