Getting Social with Westin’s Anna DeLeo

With Labor Day right around the corner we’re celebrating the end of summer with Travel & Hospitality Week—five days devoted to all things social within the industry. We’ll provide a snapshot of how travel and hospitality brands have been using social media so far this year and dive into how the industry is approaching real-time marketing, customer service, brand building and crisis management and more. And don’t miss today’s webinar, The 3 Most Important Things Hotels & Airlines Need to do on Social Media.

Don’t miss the rest of today’s content! Download our Travel & Hospitality Cheat Sheet for Customer Service. Plus, find out which hotel won in our Social Media Face Off: Hospitality Edition.

Here at uberVU we’re constantly following brands in social to see what they’re up to. We’ve been so impressed with some of these accounts that we wanted to go behind the logo and talk to the community and social media managers who run them on a day-to-day basis. In this blog series, you’ll learn a little more about these social superstars and hear their expert insights into social.

This week’s interview is with Anna DeLeo, Marketing Manager at Boston’s Westin Copley Place (and the hotel’s dining options, Turner Fisheries and Bar 10). Anna manages all things social and community for the hotel, running its Facebook and Twitter streams (and the pages for the 2 restaurants, too!), managing the hotel’s blog, doing community outreach, and more!

Where did you grow up?

Near the ocean on the south coast of Massachusetts

Where did you go to college?

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I’m an animal lover, so I wanted to be a vet. But I probably would have taken in all the stray animals that no one claimed, so that career path was short-lived.

How did you get into social media?

I was taking a graduate class in 2006 and one of my classmates mentioned she couldn’t find me on Facebook and I had no idea what she was talking about. I signed up that evening and the rest is history.

Where do you go to stay up to date on social?

I find Twitter to be a great source for information and updates about social, as long as you’re following the right people and using lists to segment. Attending events is also a great way to keep a finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the Boston social scene.

Of all the daily tasks that you perform, which one takes up the majority of your time?

Communicating. That sounds strange, but I try to always ensure that the message I’m conveying is clear. There are so many moving parts at a large hotel like Westin Copley with so many people involved, that whether I’m kicking off a project, posting on one of our digital channels or strategizing, I spend time crafting messaging that is clear and impactful.

What’s your troll-tackling strategy?

Block them! Getting into heated conversations on social rarely works in anyone’s favor, and these trolls are looking for trouble anyway, so it’s not worth taking them on.

If you could only judge the health of your social community on one metric, what would it be and why?

Engagement. If our community is engaging with thoughtful content and providing feedback (positive and negative) as well as their own stories, we’re on the right path.

What is the biggest improvement social media makes in our lives?

It allows us the opportunity to connect with people we may never have otherwise known. Working in the space, I’m continually amazed at the people I meet and the ideas and thoughts they share.

What is potentially the most harmful effect of social media in our lives?

Not living in the moment. It’s easy to want to record everything and blast it out, but that can take you away from the very people and experiences that make up your life – it’s a delicate balance.

Which social network do you spend the most time using outside of work?

Facebook

If you could be any kind of animal, what animal would you be?

My mother always reminded me when growing up to “be a swan” while in tough situations – poised, feathers unruffled, even when I was paddling like crazy under the surface.

Where/when would you go in a time machine?

I’d go forward 50 years. We’re living in a time of monumental change and disruption; I think we’re setting the foundation for a new era of communication and would love to see the result and how things evolve 50 years from now.

What’s your favorite breakfast cereal?

I don’t eat cereal, or breakfast for that matter. But a tall 5 shot red eye from Starbucks is pretty much a constant in my morning routine. (uberVU Editor’s note: Yowza! Social media never sleeps!)

What’s your favorite humorous/parody Twitter account to follow?

Tweets from the Modern Seinfeld account pretty much always makes me laugh out loud.

via Business 2 Community http://www.business2community.com/expert-interviews/getting-social-westins-anna-deleo-0600483?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=getting-social-westins-anna-deleo