Digital and Social Media Marketing by Jessica van Dop DeJesus, founder of The Dining Traveler

Who is Jessica van Dop DeJesus?

• Founder, The Dining Traveler Media Group, LLC
• Retired Lieutenant Colonel, USMCR, 24 years of serivce
• Education: BA, State University of New York; Albany '00, Communications and Information Systems Officers Course, Marine Corps University '02; MBA, Boston University, '07; Digital Marketing Certificate, Cornell University, '21
• Author, The Dining Traveler Guide to Puerto Rico, Fodor's Guides
• Award-winning travel and food writer and digital content creator. Bylines for Washington Post, Travel and Leisure, AFAR, Philadelphia Inquirer
• Brand campaigns for companies such as Nespresso, Marriott, Hood, PenFed Credit Union
• Training Facilitator, Syracuse University, Bunker Labs, Hello Alice Business Incubator

Agenda

• Digital Marketing: Why does it matter?
• Methods
• Resources for Digital Marketing
• Social Media
• AI For Marketing
• Resources for Social Media and Branding

Digital Marketing: Why does it Matter?

Digital marketing is the use of the Internet, mobile devices, social media, search engines, and other channels to reach consumers

• Think about how you source the items you purchase!
• How can you reach customers online? Where are your potential customers?
• If someone is looking for your product, can they easily find you online?
• Are you targeting the right customers? Have your narrowed down your segment?
• Are you collecting the emails of your customers and/or potential customers?
• Social Media: Do you have an active social media presence?

Resources

What to Consider in Your Digital Marketing Plan:

• Website: is your website well-designed? Is it mobile-ready? Over 70% of Americans look at items to purchase on their smartphone. Nearly 80% (77%) of all internet users in the European Union bought goods or services online in 2024.
• SEO: Search Engine Optimization. Does your site have the right keywords to rank on search engines?
• Social Media: Do you have your social media channels integrated into your page?
• Google: Do customers know where to find you? Is your listing correct on Google? For brick and mortar: are your operating hours properly listed?
• Follow Up: Do a monthly inventory of your Google and Social Media analytics to see where your potential customers are coming from.
• Is your site registered with Google Analytics? Do you have a Meta Business Suite?
• Link Building: Get the link to your business out in the world. Share links to your business on your email signature, social media, press, and ask vendors and partners to add your link to their site.

Branding

• Think of the words biggest brand logos: Google, Apple, Nike, McDonald's. What do they have in common? Simple logos, clear fonts, and defined brand colors
• Cohesiveness: Is your brand cohesive? Do you use the same fonts and colors across your communication channels?
• Brand voice: Do you have a brand voice? Have you created a set of core values for your brand?
• Media Kit: Do you have a deck about your business and metrics? Create a media kit with PowerPoint, Google Pages, or Adobe Express. I prepare my media kits and pitch decks with Adobe Express.

Branding Resources

Social Media Marketing

Have you set up your social media channels yet? Points of Consideration:

• Have you set up your channels yet? Are your handles consistent?
• Is your content cohesive? Are you taking good-quality photos and video?
• Are your Facebook and Instagram channels tied to Meta Business to track analytics?
• TikTok is the fastest-growing social network. Are you on it?
• LinkedIn: Great platform to access decision-makers and journalists.
• E-commerce: Do you have products on platforms like Shopify? Connect your account to Facebook and Instagram to set up your shop via the networks.
• Brick and Mortar: You can connect your Instagram account to booking platforms.
• Scheduling: Schedule your posts in advance. Meta Creator Studio allows you to schedule your posts on both Facebook and Instagram, schedule videos on YouTube, and offers other social media management services (more about them on resources)

TikTok Business Workshop Owner Recap

• TikTok favors unedited, unpolished content: this is a positive thing. Create short videos in 7-15 second clips
• Showing & Telling: show potential customers how to use your product/service. Tell potential customers about your product.
• Use hashtags: use 6-9 hashtags that are directly associated with your product. Don't use a "trending" hashtag that has nothing to do with your product, as it can be flagged by TikTok.
• Post frequently: Like most social media platforms, post often and be consistent. Also, it's ok to recycle content.
• Use TikTok Shop to drive sales. Did you know you can link your products to your posts? It also means that you have to set up your account as a business account.
• Small business twist into trends: CapCut is an excellent app with these trends
• Analytics: TikTok for Business has a full analytics suite

Resources

Analytics

How do you know your platforms are working for you?

• Every social platform offers analytics on where your audience is coming from.
• For e-commerce, where are you getting your conversions?
• Every social media platform has a native analytics tool, providing FREE insight to your channels
• A/B Testing: Facebook allows you to do A/B testing for their ads. It gives you an opportunity to know which audience and content works better for your brand.

Creating Content that Resonates

• Social media sometimes means battling the algorithms, creating a post with zero engagement, and creating a lackluster post that will go viral. Who knows! The key is consistency!
• Consistency will allow you to see which posts are grabbing your customer's attention. For example, perhaps your customers like more video content over static posts. Create short easy videos highlighting your products.
• Don't sell all of the time! It's important to create Call to Actions (CTAs) but don't forget to also create posts about your business in general. Do you work with other vendors? How about sharing posts about their products and story?
• Quality Content: Create clear images that show the best your business has to offer. You can take social media-ready photos and videos with a mobile phone. I also suggest hiring a photographer once a year to take high-resolution images you can have at the ready for press

Build a Community

• Engage with your audience: take 15-20 minutes a day to engage with your followers. Respond to comments on your page. Engagement is an important key to social media algorithms.
• Quality versus Quantity: Do not get fake likes or followers! Instagram knows when you do and you will get penalized for it! Likes don't pay the bills, engaged followers do.
• Encourage your community to engage with your posts by adding a question to your post.
• Grow your followers organically by hosting giveaways, using influencer marketing, and seeking press coverage.
• Build your online community offline: attend networking events and conferences and follow the people you meet on social. Have you encountered a compelling speaker or presenter? Post a quote of theirs on social and tag them.
• Collaboration: Instagram and Facebook lives are a great way to get your community engaged and cross-promote brands. Invite a vendor or a collaborator to do a Q&A or discussion on social.
• Set boundaries: don't feed the trolls! If someone writes unconstructive criticism or harmful language, block them.

Resources

AI For Social Media

Content & Copywriting The Draft: Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Co-Pilot are excellent for generating initial drafts of social media copy, blog outlines, or email subject lines. The Human Touch: Always edit and review the copy to infuse your unique brand voice, emotion, and expertise. AI drafts; you do the final polish. Visual Content & Design The Time Saver: Use AI features in design software to quickly create high-quality visuals. Tools like Canva's Magic Studio or Adobe Firefly can generate on-brand, unique stock images or quickly resize assets across all platforms with text prompts alone. Strategy & Planning Brainstorming: Use AI for brainstorming content ideas. The more specific your prompts, the better the messaging! Content Calendars: AI can help you develop a structured content calendar by suggesting themes, post types, and relevant holidays or trends for the month. Analytics & Optimization Tools like ChatGPT or Gemini are great for analyzing data you feed them (e.g., "Review this list of my 50 best posts and tell me what they have in common.").

How to Feel More Comfortable with Social Media

"I'm worried about looking cheesy or unprofessional." Focus on the Business Goal. Ask yourself: "Do I want to feel safe, or do I want to get paid?" Authenticity and vulnerability are what drive engagement and, ultimately, sales. Let go of perfectionism. "What if the post is terrible?" The Delete Button is Your Safety Net. You have total control. If you post something and decide 20 minutes later that it doesn't align with your brand or you simply don't like it, you can always delete it. No harm done. "I don't want to deal with negative comments or 'trolls'." Your Channels are Your Home. You wouldn't let a stranger spray paint graffiti on your physical shop, right? You are the moderator. Feel empowered to block anyone who is abusive, disrespectful, or unconstructive. Protect your mental space and your community. "I feel awkward on camera or unsure of my content skills." Practice Makes Progress, Not Perfection. You will only get better by constantly creating. Your content today doesn't have to be as polished as it will be next year. Remember: Social media evolves, and so do you. Be consistent, and watch your confidence grow.

Questions?

jessica@diningtraveler.com