HIRE ME TO SPEAK
HIRE ME TO SPEAK

In a world of commercialism Free Sofia Tour goes social

I write about strategies to turn fans into customers and customers into fans. I also share ways to use real-time strategies to spread ideas, influence minds, and build business.

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Free Sofia TourFor the past several days, I have been in Sofia, Bulgaria where I delivered a full day New Marketing Masterclass.

I always want to poke around when I'm in a city for the first time. So when the good people at Free Sofia Tour tweeted me, I knew I had to be on their tour.

I love how Free Sofia Tour embraces social media while the other tour operators use traditional marketing. I see the other guys' brochures in the hotel lobby. They have ads at the airport and in the tourist magazines. Free Sofia Tour uses social media including Facebook, Twitter, and good old-fashioned word of mouth. I first heard of Free Sofia Tour from Ovanes Ovanessian at Web and Events, who organized my Masterclass.

Free Sofia Tour InaFree Sofia Tour relies on volunteer guides like Ina Paunova who showed me, Samuel Bredl, and one other person around Sofia. Talk about social media—both Sam and Ina were booked for my Masterclass.

They rely on donations from their guests to support the organization.

Getting social

I just love how this organization works. If you're social, it’s easy to find them. They make you feel welcome, and follow up after the tour.

It’s not just me. Free Sofia Tour is ranked the number one activity to do in Sofia on Trip Advisor with 188 "excellent" ratings out of 200.

In a world of commercialism (think the Big Bus Tours that operate in many cities), sometimes the personal approach works best.

Do check out the excellent Free Sofia Tour web site as well as their @FreeSofiaTour Twitter and Facebook. And if you ever find yourself in Sofia, you know who you should have show you around.

Photo of Ina Paunova by David Meerman Scott