Triptrotting has turned its completed Facebook contest into a TV channel or two or three.
The startup social travel site [TLabs Showcase here] has launched Triptrotting TV on its website with channels dedicated to Ultimate Adventures, Mongol Rally and a soon-to-be introduced third channel enabling users to submit videos of their own Triptrotting (a.k.a. travel) experiences.
While some companies view their Facebook contests as the end of the social media trail, Triptrotting is featuring contest winner Yolanda Clatworthy's month-long global adventures in a series of Ultimate Adventures videos.
It's a way to further engage people who may have been captivated by the original contest and to attract new users.
Clatworthy won a $10,000 international trip, including, air, hotel and tours, and Triptrotting is highlighting her travels through its new Ultimate Adventures channel.
Clatworthy is an international relations student at McGill University in Canada and has been studying abroad at the University of Melbourne. After a New Zealand backpacking trip, Clatworthy is currently en route to Los Angeles as part of her Triptrotting video escapades, and after that Berlin is on the itinerary.
Clatworthy submitted the following video to win the Triptrotting Facebook contest:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxR-ck7yRN0
There were more than 6,000 photos and videos submitted for the Facebook contest, which coincided with Triptrotting's launch in early May.
And pairing a Facebook contest with a company launch may be a compelling way to introduce a startup if both the social media contest and the company really have something to offer.
Here is a video about Clatworthy that is being used to introduce Triptrotting TV and its Ultimate Adventures channel:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsEx1sO6au4
"The Facebook contest was just the beginning of what we wanted to do," says Triptrotting cofounder Shana Zheng. "We wanted to show the whole experience of what it's like being a Triptrotter. It's not just about 'liking' a page. If you can find the right audience, then they are here for the whole experience."
Two of the prime sponsors for the Ultimate Triptrotter contest were Airberlin.com and StudentUniverse.com, which also are backing the Ultimate Adventures channel.
In addition to Triptrotting.com, plans call to distribute the content through YouTube, iTunes, and Vimeo etc., Zheng says.
Zheng says the idea for a third video channel dedicated to user submissions evolved after the company realized that Facebook wouldn't be an adequate forum for all of the video submissions that users wanted to post.
"We just wanted a really great place to showcase them," Zheng says.
Triptrotting's aim is to connect travelers and locals online and to turn the connection into memorable, offline travel experiences in keeping with the site's tagline, "Not just another clueless tourist."
Cofounder Aigerim Duiseneyeva says the idea for Triptrotting TV stemmed from user feedback.
"We hope Triptrotting TV will become a platform where our users will share their travel experiences and show off what local life is like in their hometowns," Duiseneyeva says.
Whether Triptrotting can really accomplish those goals may not be a total stretch as the following photo, submitted for the Facebook contest, evidently shows.