Social Media Marketing for Hotels

The phenomenom of social media is continuing to grow with firms being guided and encouraged to embrace it further by actively marketing via social media tools.

I had the benefit of participating in a webinar last week called “Capitalising on the Conversation” by Social Media Magic. It sought to show how to position your firm for business success in social media by using best practices and top tools to generate revenue, increase traffic to websites, build new partnerships and bring in new qualified leads.

There is a paradigm shift taking place in marketing where the old approach of telling and selling is dead according to Jim Stenegal, Chief Global Marketing Officer at Procter and Gamble. Further, Mitch Matthews, former Head of Marketing, Microsoft said "The old model was informing, persuading and reminding... the new model is demonstrating, involving and empowering."

The now well known Web 2.0 media of blogs, microblogging, video sharing, message boards and podcasts are increasingly mainstream and are the fastest growing categories on the web where according to Social Media Magic co founder John Souza, 73% of online users read a blog, 45% have started their own blog, 39% subscribe to an RSS feed and 33% visit social media sites to engage in product research before making a purchase decision. Interestingly, 92% said customer reviews were very or extremely helpful when making a decision (JC Williams Group Consultancy, April 2006) and were 3 times more likely to trust peer opinions over advertising for purchasing decisions (Jupiter Research). In fact, one online word of mouth conversation is said to have the impact of 200 TV ads (Buzz Agent), but more information on this in a subsequent post.

The webinar suggested that by utilising tools like Twitter, LinkedIn and emerging niches like FastPitch!, Biznik, Plaxo, Merchant Circle and QAlias, marketing through setting up a business page on Facebook or establishing a specific group on LinkedIn and inviting others to join your groups can help businesses to generate exposure, increase traffic and bring in qualified leads in addition to increase search engine rankings, reduce overall marketing expenses and help to close business.

According to a social media marketing industry report produced in March 2009 by Michael Stelzner 88% of businesses indicated they were employing social media for marketing purposes. How are hoteliers using these tools? A number of major brands such as Intercontinental, Starwood Properties and Marriott are actively blogging but what are other smaller independent properties doing considering the constraints not necessarily of finances since these tools are inexpensive if not free, but may take up considerable time, a resource which may be as valuable and as limited as cash.

In the next post I’ll look at case studies on how small hotels are using social media and how independent properties can capitalise on these new marketing without committing too many precious hours.

The Case for Universal Search for Business

An article I found on cio.com outlines the importance that Google places on organising and accessing information in the world. In achieving this mission, Google has recognised that an estimated 40% of world information is found within organisations. Although this information is recognised as being important to achieving the strategic goals of an organisation by management, the information, although organised in databases, has not been easy to access by personnel who could best utilise the information. According to a report quoted in the article “the Butler Group estimated that, 10-12% of labor costs are wasted because employees can’t find or access the information they need to do their jobs.”

In order to implement and actively engage knowledge management in the organisation a system is required to capture, retain, harmonise, store, protect and retrieve knowledge for further use, both explicit or formal knowledge and tacit knowledge which includes hunches and personal experiences of employees.

Google has developed a concept of universal search for the enterprise whereby users are able to search all the content sources in their organization, including content on the corporate network (file shares, content management systems, corporate intranets, databases, customer relation management systems, and other enterprise applications); the desktop (documents, presentations, spreadsheets, meeting notes, emails, IM chats and reports); and the World Wide Web (news, research, images, blogs, products and print content). In addition, they can “compare and rank the information in real time, and view a single, integrated, secure set of search results that gives them precisely what they’re looking for.”

The benefits accorded to the implementation of this corporate search solution include significant increases in productivity, reduction in duplicated work, more informed decision making in a shorter time period, reduced training time and costs, consolidated IT solutions with an ensued reduction in IT costs.

The Google Universal Search tool for enterprises is a good example of the use of information and communications technologies to improve the strategic positioning of the firm by harnessing the knowledge existing both within and outside the organisation. Further, the Orbicom Report on Monitoring the Digital Divide and beyond suggests:

“the managing of the knowledge of the firm is not just about inputs, the transformation process, and outputs; it is also about how the firm navigates towards its goals in an ever-changing economic and social environment. At this more strategic level the firm must go beyond just reacting to market signals and develop a memory, a foresight capacity, and a strategic vision to enable it to deal with change. At an even higher level, the management must be prepared to abandon the existing vision and make a radical change if the firm is to survive and prosper in a world of turmoil. This hierarchy of management practices, from the basic and tactical through the complex and strategic to the radical and transforming, does not just apply to firms but to any organization, including governments.” (Sciadas, 2003, 103)

The use of tools such as the Google universal search for enterprise tool provides all firms with a method to bridge the gap between the desire to utilize knowledge within the firm to develop a competitive advantage and strategic transformation, and its practical implementation.

The Travel Industry and the Internet – A Two Day Crash Course Courtesy of "The Chicks"

Ever wanted to learn about how Web 2.0 is affecting travel distribution, marketing and promotion? Then you should have been at the Online Revealed Conference Tourism Internet Marketing Strategy Conference in Puerto Rico mid September.

Citing itself as a source for solutions to the declining airlift, global recession and nervous consumers, the conference provided strategies and tips on how to maximise return on investment, target your specific travel niche and exploit the increasingly frugal consumers’ love of special deals and offers. According to a number of sources, with over 42% of online travel consumers researching and purchasing travel online today, for travel marketers the Internet is definitely the place to be.

The Conference series which was the concept of “A Couple of Chicks e-Marketing Agency”, a dynamic Canadian company seeking to make Internet marketing strategies more accessible to the travel industry, provides a forum with a unique approach to the ever-changing online marketplace and what it means to hospitality suppliers, vendors, hotel groups, individual hotels, tourism operators, travel intermediaries, agencies and other Travel Professionals.

Patricia Brusha and Alicia Whalen were the best hostesses ever and made the topics a cool, clear obvious path to success rather than geeky and intellectual.

Whereas most forums leave you feeling more confused and overwhelmed with all the jargon and technical techniques reserved for smart Harvard grads, “the chicks” seemed intent on “dumbing” down the topic and making it a really simple subject (RSS?). Even the obviously very experienced and successful presenters seemed to have been well schooled by “the chicks” to avoid “infomercials” and to speak in ordinary understandable language.

The small intimate group of participants left the conference on the final day as team members and colleagues, not as strangers, intent on conquering the Internet to ensure the Caribbean travel industry gains its rightful share of global business.

With attendees from a number of Caribbean countries including Tourist Boards and hoteliers from St. Thomas, St. Croix, Jamaica, Antigua and Montserrat, in addition to participants from the US mainland including Minnesota, Florida and further afield, the seminars, workshops and one on one sessions, provided expertise from some of the most respected advocates in the travel business, focussing on using the Internet to more effectively market the Caribbean.

The best part of the Conference was the unusual accessibility of the presenters through both structured one on one ten minute sessions allowing all attendees to sign up to speak to presenters on more specific issues related to their business, as well as the luncheons which were not structured formal stuffy affairs, but quick buffets allowing people to mingle with those experts and colleagues that could help them tweak their marketing strategies. The entire Conference had a special informal and casual feel - had to ditch the suit on day 2 - which made for a more productive, educational experience, no hard pitches, just a willingness for complete sharing of information.

I have already received feedback and follow up from two presenters- thanks Richard Kunz and Edward Perry. Hoping to add you to my mentor list!

Top notch presentations were given by Hari Nair, Vice President of Market Management at Expedia; Richard Kunz, Principal Consultant - Tourism and Hospitality for T4G Ltd; Marvin Dejean, Senior Vice President of Media Strategies and James Shan, Strategic Global Markets Advisor of Poweri Technologies; Edward Perry, Director of E-commerce for WorldHotels; Mandy Gresh of Travelzoo; Cal Simmons Founder of Five Star Alliance; Mark Carlinski, VP Sales and Business Development of VFM Interactive; Carson Pierce, President of Idea Market; Melinda Van Patter, Client Relations Manager at Marketwire; Brian Silengo of TIG; and Patricia Bruscha and Alicia Whalen of A Couple of Chicks e-Marketing.

My greatest takeaways: · How hotels can maximise their business from online sources resulting in major increases in online bookings. By recognising the reduction in airline capacity and the increased airfares to the region, hoteliers can seek to ensure that guests receive value for money by utilising online channels and packaging options.

· The case study of Tourism British Columbia which has successfully shifted much of its marketing budget (70%) to online marketing giving significantly higher and measurable return on investment.

· Key drivers for lucrative online bookings- Websites with virtual tours, videos, social networks and blogs, in addition to utilising the growing number of travel review sites for vital feedback and promotion, developing a good email database for email campaigns, and maximising testimonials and recommendations to better position hotels.

· Rich media increases online bookings by 36% for virtual tours; 112% for videos and 149% for a combination of virtual tours and videos.

· Essentially, travel is a highly visible and experience based product, lending itself to a more interactive method for marketing and a greater reliance on customer perception, which is most often shaped by the experience of others. The Caribbean images and lifestyles are made for rich media. The Internet has the potential to bring a property or destination to life more effectively than magazine editorials or print advertising.

“The chicks” are hoping to bring the forum back to the Caribbean in 2009 in their well received fun, interactive and non- intimidating environment. I will definitely be booking for the next conference - the Caribe Hilton was a great venue also - give me the dates so I can plan my vacation around the conference. Perhaps August would be a better time or early December so I can Xmas shop also? Hopefully by then I will have a case study to present on my success using the strategies and tips learnt in the inaugural conference.

Really, what are they saying about YOU?

Well I recently had a reason to be checking the news online extensively to monitor reports related to a recent local incident. Of course, I had bought the book mentioned in my earlier post “What are they saying about YOU!” written by Andy Beal and Judy Strauss called “Radically Transparent- Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online”, but had not yet read it. So I dusted it off, scanned the contents and went straight to Part III- Monitoring, Repairing and Planning your Online Reputation.

Funnily I had set up Google alerts for my name many months ago – I just like to read about myself online! But decided to use the guidance in the book to check on a particular local company. I used Google alerts, technorati, blogpulse, some forums, social bookmarking sites and reputation engines to set up a sentiment analysis. The sentiment analysis process really helped to pull together what could be very overwhelming into a systematic analysis of how you are viewed online and how it changes over time. It also provides a method to track your progress once you start to implement some of the strategies suggested to improve online reputation. (Question though, some of the same sites and blog posts come up through different channels i.e. Technorati and Google Alerts and also on subsequent days- should these be counted separately as part of the chatter or disregarded as duplicate?)

So while tracking, I read the rest of the book- well, actually couldn’t put it down. Well researched with many real life examples, this is a book that provides you with the tools, and specific guidance on how to use these tools. Every professional and business should have knowledge of these tools, although I still believe many may not recognise the importance or impact the new world of Web 2.0 may be having on their business. Which is leading me along the path to do some research related to the hospitality industry.. I am currently checking on what academic research has been done in this area… there is a dissertation to be written there!

I was also quite enthused that even before reading the book, I had done a number of things for my personal reputation suggested… yes, I am blogging (and already have seen great results in terms of a few good connections); I have a LinkedIn profile; I have a Facebook profile; I have a website (not yet very social media friendly). There are many things I can do to increase my online profile.. i.e. get more involved in forums and review sites (first thing will be to write a review of this book on Amazon!), respond to Yahoo Answers queries, write a few wikis and obtain myname domain. This book provides a rational reason to get more involved whereas before I wasn’t quite sure of the value of the time spent in these “social” networking areas. Still can’t quite get my head around Second Life but shall keep an open mind and have a proper look.

I will have to give this book a read at least a few more times, although, it is written in such a way that you can easily skip to specific areas of interest. There is a lot in it but you can pick off one strategy at a time, explore it, implement it and of course, monitor it.

I just read about a further iteration of online reputation management, that there are also services out there where anybody can check your online profile and reputation by just tracking your email address (e.g. Rapleaf) and they can also give feedback on you and your reputation. So it seems you cannot hide at all in this “Radically Transparent” World. The key is to know what you are doing, know why you are doing and know what the implications and consequences may be.

Next stop, Amazon.

From Blogging to Reality

It's been a while, I know. But what a busy time. Of great interest, a couple of months ago was the visit of the POWERi team to Antigua and Barbuda, and the Turks and Caicos.

You may recall from my posts many moons ago, that through blogging about a presentation at the CTO Conference last year, I met the very impressive POWERi Technologies team and to cut a long story short, have been working with them to extend emarketing knowledge and tools throughout the Caribbean.

In May, the high powered team comprising Marvin Dejean, Vice President of Media Strategies and Laura Pierson, Vice President of Client Services from POWERi Technologies along with their Metamend partners including Glen Convey, President and Murray Owen, Vice President of Marketing, spent 3 days in Antigua, then 3 days in Turks and Caicos.

The seminars were hosted by the Antigua Hotel & Tourist Association and Wired Island in Turks and Caicos and gathered a cross section of hoteliers, bankers, Government officials, wholesalers and website designers totalling nearly 100 people between the two islands.

Quite a lot of media attention was generated both in Turks and Caicos and Antigua (click here for some TV footage).

We are hoping to spread the message across the Caribbean so that particularly small independent hotels (some of the most unique and intimate hotels in the world) can exploit the power of the Internet to position their hotels beside the big players and maximise revenue.

I'll fill you in on our crusade throughout the Caribbean.

The Internet and Small Hotels in the Caribbean- Part II

Listen to the second part of the interview with David Andrade, CEO of POWERi Technologies.


http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/shareID3389804/fileID137987195/AudioPlayer.swf

The Internet and Small Hotels in the Caribbean

A few weeks ago I was able to speak to David Andrade, CEO of POWERi Technologies (see earlier post- The Power of the Internet-Nov 22, 2007, to see the power of blogging and making new connections!) He shared his thoughts on the impact of the Internet and Social Networking in the travel industry, and how small hotels and small businesses in general,particularly in the Caribbean, can use these tools to maximise profit. Actually, it has taken me all that time to work out how to get it in the blog! But I have always believed in learning by doing- I shall soon be an expert!

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/shareID3312363/fileID133583730/Interview%20with%20Poweri-Dec%203dhqcomma%202007-%20Part%20I.swf

Listen out for the second Part in the next post