Tips to encourage fan engagement with your Facebook business page

Below are some of our tips to boost fan interaction on your facebook business page.

• Encourage your fans to post their questions or feedback on your Facebook page. Answer their questions, thank them for their reviews and feedback. Let them know that you're listening
• Share photos and videos of your property on your page. Encourage fans to post their holiday snaps and videos on your wall.
• Ask for their feedback. For example, get your fans feedback on their thoughts on a new colour scheme for your hotel renovations, or their thoughts on a menu change for the season etc.
• Celebrate company milestones, achievements or awards. For example, the company's birthday, the 1000th guest who stayed at your hotel, staff birthdays or the total number of years employed at your company, industry awards etc
• Participate in seasonal celebrations/holidays. For example, post photos of the Christmas decorations in your office, or a Valentine's Day special etc. Add a post on your wall wishing all Mothers a Happy Mother's Day and so on
• Have fun! Ask your fans questions, use polls etc or get fans to finish the sentence or fill in the blank. For example, When I'm travelling, my favourite song on my playlist is....... 
• Play a game or post a puzzle on Facebook and get fans to respond with their answers. Eg guess where this photo was taken. 
• Runs contests, competitions, promotions 
• Share interesting content with your fans. It doesn't need to be just specials. Offer other content of interest or relevance to your fans, such as tips, whitepaper downloads, links to interesting news articles etc. 
• Offer content based on current news. Eg Did anyone watch Dancing with the stars last night? Who do you think will go? 
• Leverage events and create buzz around upcoming events. Post photos or videos after the event
• Champion a good cause. Let everyone know the charity your business supports. Post photos of your staff participating in a charity event, eg Movember
• Talk about other things besides your product. Mix it up with other content to interact with your fans and get them to talk to you.

To get started on Facebook, or if you would like more information about facebook marketing and social media management, speak to TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588 or visit www.tafastrack.com.au.

5 things your hotel should do right now with social media

If you're on social media, have you considered what you will be doing next year? Below are some things your hotel should implement 2012.

Put your staff to work.
Your staff members are a wealth of information and you need to use it to your advantage. For example, your reception or concierge are experts on the area and can provide customers with tips on the best place to eat, best shopping or places to see that no one else know about. Your chef is an expert on food and could provide tips or recipes.

Get your staff to write a few sentences every month on various topics, and you’ve got yourself some tremendous social media content with hardly any effort or time at all.

Include more social media only offers. 
Give your fans something of value that they can't get anywhere else, such as updates on events, sneak peek previews, news updates on your hotel or special offers that aren't available on the website.

You can use social media specific codes that can only be redeemed online and the codes can only be found via Facebook or Twitter if they are a follower.

Someone to really take a big foursquare/Facebook Places leap. 
Many places offer people a free glass of wine if they check-in using Foursquare or Facebook Places, but why not go all out and really create some buzz! Give away a free room or upgrade for customers who check-in often.

Cross promote. 
People need to know that your property has a social media presence, so make sure you include your facebook link on your website, in your email marketing messages, under your email signature, in ads in newspapers or magazines etc.

Fewer minutias. 
There was a time when a post like “it’s sunny today” did the trick. It was simple, felt personal, and kept a social presence active. These posts aren't bad now, but the problem is everyone's doing this. Include more depth to your general posts. For example, tell your fans about an interesting event going on in the area that people from outside your location might not know about. Post a photo of the sunset, or wildlife near your property.

Social media can no longer be ignored and although it might not be perfect for every accommodation, it is an important option for most. There are many benefits to using social media and with a bit of effort, your hotel can use social media to generate leads and raving fans.

If you would like more information about social media marketing, speak to TA Fastrack today on 1300 659 289.

How to always have great Customer Service on Facebook

Always reply to your fans

Facebook is all about engagement and interacting with your fans. Make sure you respond to questions, comments and feedback.

Enable your wall

Make it easy for your fans to comment or post photos on your wall - it's a two way street. Fans don't want to be bombarded with your marketing messages without the ability for them to post on your wall.

Monitor your page throughout the day

Just as you monitor your emails and answer phone calls throughout the day, make an effort to check in on Facebook throughout the day and try to respond as quickly as possible to questions.

Add some personality to your posts

It's ok to let your personality shine through. Let your fans see the light side to your company - a touch of humour can put a smile on the face and this will help to keep your brand in the minds of your customers.

It's not just about marketing

Mix up your posts with marketing messages, but engage your fans with photos, open-ended questions, surveys or get their opinion on something.

If you would like help with social media marketing and Facebook, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588.

What's in your marketing plan for 2012?

Start the new year with a solid approach to your marketing! Below are some tips on what you should look at for 2012.

1. Improve the way you handle customer feedback

Analysis from more than 400 entrants in the 2010 Telstra Business Awards suggests it's worth taking customer feedback seriously. It found that 79% of entrants could identify their best customers and that 64% of Australian businesses frequently seek feedback from customers.

Set up a complaints handling process and make sure your staff are well versed in it.

And most importantly, don't forget to answer any negative reviews on Tripadvisor!  According to PhoCusWright, 87% of travellers found guest reviews from people they didn't know influential in their travel decision. Research also shows that online reviews are second only to personal advice from a friend as the driver of purchase decisions.

2. Become the thought leader in your industry
Customers buy brands they trust and one way to build trust is to become a thought header in your industry. Send out a regular newsletter to your customers with interesting news articles, let your customers download a whitepaper or set up a blog.

3. Get on social media
Social media is a great way for you to engage with current and potential customers - and it's free. But before you get into Facebook and Twitter, make sure you have a solid social media strategy. For example, how often will you be updating your posts? What will you post? It's all about trying to find ways to communicate with your customers and add value to their lives.

4. Get a professional website
First impressions count, so make sure that your website looks professional with high resolution photos, there are no spelling errors and it's easy to read and navigate. Make sure you update your site regularly to encourage repeat visits and improve Google rankings. And Remember, it's important that you have original and quality content on the site - and Google will reward you for this.

Speak to a web design company to design a website that is user-friendly and  SEO friendly.


5. Create a loyalty program
Securing a loyal following is not easy, but it can be worthwhile. It is around five times more expensive to find a new customer, than it is to keep a current customer. A loyalty program could include offering your customers discounts, freebies, invites to VIP nights, or a buy one get one free offer. What you decide will depend on what your customers will value the most.

A loyalty program also gives you a great opportunity to capture valuable data about your customers, so you can send them more targeted marketing messages, for example, birthday, hobbies, interests, wedding anniversary etc.

How to respond to an online review in real-time

When customers take to social media to voice their grievances, how you respond to that review is important. Below are some tips on how you can acknowledge and address the issue at hand.

• Be open and honest - you will of course be upset by the comments, but make sure that you address the negative review in a genuine manner. Be upfront and honest with your customers. 
• Respond in a timely manner - be prepared to act fast, preferably within 48 hours. Even if it is to respond and update your customers that you are working on rectifying the situation, your customers will appreciate that you are listening, you care and you are trying to do something about it
• Apologize - take ownership of what happened. Your customers will appreciate this
• Turn a negative into a positive - don't just stop at an apology - take this situation as an opportunity to show everyone that you are listening and you're doing something about it. Take advantage of the situation to engage with customers, build and establish a relationship with them and impress potential customers
• Be professional - don't write your reply angry. Draft your reply, come back to it and relook at it and if need be, send it to someone to view.

How have you responded to a negative review online? What other tips can you add to this list?

Build brand loyalty with Twitter

Below are some tips on how you can use Twitter and build brand loyalty.

Tweet about something worthwhile
This seems obvious, but what will your corporate Twitter account say and will your followers actually read it? You would never follow a brand that constantly sent out marketing messages all the time, so make so you don't do this. Just remember that every post that you tweet should provide some value to the reader. This could include links to interesting articles or news, relevant articles, blog posts, photos, videos, upcoming events or places to see and do around your area.

Let your staff tweet - with guidance
Get your staff involved! People like to feel they are connecting with actual humans online and your staff will be the best people to answer questions, provide advice and respond to feedback.

Respond to feedback
If customers complain on Twitter, make sure you respond in a timely manner.


Give something of value to your followers
This could include special Twitter' specials or offers or run a competition with genuinely attractive prizes. While specials and competitions is a good way to enhance brand loyalty, make sure your tweets don't become too spammy.

Keep it fun
Show some personality and keep it fresh and fun for your followers. Let them see the lighter side to your brand. By making your brand more personable, it will help people feel a greater connection with it and enhance feelings of brand loyalty.

10 things you should be doing on Facebook

1. Create a customised URL name for your Facebook page
If you haven't already created a customised URL for your Facebook page, make sure you do it now! To do this, just visit http://www.facebook.com/username and follow the instructions. Remember that once you confirm your URL, it cannot be changed, so make sure you choose it carefully. 


2. Embed videos 
Nothing sells your hotel, facilities, location and apartment rooms like video. Host them on Youtube and share them on your Facebook page, or upload them directly onto Facebook. Videos are also great for SEO as they will appear in search results.


3. Use Facebook insights
As an administrator of your business page, you will have access to Facebook insights, which is a powerful tool for tracking the fan growth of your facebook page. You can analyse which types of posts were the most popular and engaged fans to respond, you can also monitor fan growth and interaction, see page views and track impressions. Monitoring these key metrics will enable you to better adapt your posts and facebook marketing strategy.


4. Add your hotel on Facebook places
Encourage users to 'check-in' via Facebook places. Offer an incentive, like a free drink voucher, or discount when they check-in. Every time a facebook user checks-in, it gets promoted across their network, thus giving you extra exposure and boosting brand awareness. 


5. Use the reviews app
Facebook has a reviews app which you can add to your page and allows guests to leave their reviews of the hotel. These reviews can give new and potential clients what to expect when they stay at your property. You can also pull reviews from Tripadvisor into your page if you like.


6. Run a competition
A competition is a great way to increase fans and encourage engagement. Just remember that you will need to comply with Facebook's promotions guidelines.


7. Include a welcome page for new visitors
It's so much better for a new visitor to land on a customised welcome page instead of seeing your wall. Your Facebook welcome page can include links back to your website, photos, videos, a book now button and more.


8. Use Facebook questions
Create a poll and gather opinions about what your fans are interested in, or create a fun poll to encourage interaction. 


9. Facebook ads
You can fully customise your facebook ads to target a certain demographic, location or interest. 


10. Most importantly, allow your fans to book directly from Facebook
The average Facebook user spends over 15 hours a month on Facebook, so it makes sense for them to be able to book with your hotel directly from Facebook. You can include a book now button in your welcome page.


If you would like more information about Facebook marketing, or if you are interested in a Facebook welcome page design, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588 or visit www.tafastrack.com.au.

How to improve Facebook fan engagement

Give your fans the opportunity to engage and comment
Enable the comments functionality on your wall so that fans can post content on your wall.

Ask questions
Ask your fans advice on a certain topic, get them to share their favourite tips, photos, videos, ask open ended questions, use polls and surveys and get them interacting with you!

Request feedback
Ask your fans to share their thoughts on a new product or service you are offering or about to launch. Listen to what they have to say and thank them for their feedback. Make them feel like a valued member of your community.

Start a discussion online
Use Facebook's discussions feature to get feedback on what your fans want, like or think, either about your business, a certain hot topic or industry issue. You might learn something new about your fan base, which you could use to bring your hotel to another level.

It's all about participation!
Don't just sit back and watch - get involved! You should be an active member on your page too! Join their conversations, thank them for their comments, feedback, ask questions etc.

Let us know if you have any other tips you would like to share or if there is something you tried and worked!

How to generate positive reviews online

1. Start by paying attention to the reviews you already have - make sure you resolve any complaints or issues. Following up on existing negative reviews show potential customers that you care and you're listening and you are doing something about it
2. Ask for reviews - Don't be pushy, but at the end of the transaction, ask customers to review you online or to fill out a survey
3. Always respond to negative reviews straight away - thank the customer for the review and apologize for the bad experience. Often, the customer just wants acknowledgement that the hotel understands there is a problem is wants to fix it. If the bad review is unwarranted, it's especially important to resist the urge to get defensive. 
4. Reach out to negative reviewers directly - take it offline and provide your contact details. Alternatively, try to contact the reviewers directly and try to resolve the issue.

For help with social media reputation management, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today.

The 5 do's and don'ts of email design

Withouth a clear, consistent and well designed e-newsletter, your email may not get read, or worse, deleted. Consider the following tips for your next email marketing campaign to ensure that it gets read and forwarded.


1. Maintain a balanced ratio between text and images
If your email newsletter contains too many images, or too much text, it could be flagged as spam. Integrate images with text properly to ensure that your messages can be easily read, and most importantly, stays out of the spam box.

2. Always assume that embedded images won't appear properly
Don't you hate it when you get emails where every image is replaced with a red 'x'? Not all email clients automatically display images without prompting the user to take action first, eg click here to view images. It's important that your key messages - the information that you want your readers to take away from your email - aren't embedded within an image. Use HTML body text to deliver the most important information.

3. Do provide a backup option for emails with image-rich backgrounds
Not all email clients (like gmail or outlook) provide support for background images. Provide a backup option, such as a coloured background if an image is usually used as the backdrop for your email.

HTML allows both an image and a colour to be coded in the same tag, which means that if a mail client supports background images, the image will show, but if it doesn't then your chosen colour will appear in its place.

4. Consider using a table of contents for emails with several articles
Create a simple table of contents at the top of your email if your e-newsletter contains several articles or sections. Make it easy for your readers to navigate and read the articles that interest them.

5. Have a strong call to action
Whether you want your readers to click a link, email or call you direct, visit your website, or share the content with their friends, make sure you have a clear call to action where readers are most likely to see it.

Always remember that a great email design will help you in three areas:

1. A well-organised and visually appealing email is more likely to be read and shared
2. Proper email design can help avoid delivery hang-ups and will ensure that it always looks good regardless of the mail client used and it will always get delivered into a person's inbox
3. Optimal integration of text, images and a clear call to cation leads to increased ROI

To get started with email marketing, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588 or visit www.tafastrack.com.au.

How you can use video marketing for your business

Below are some ideas on how you can use online video for your business.

1. Company profile - Online videos can be used as a great introduction to your busienss, for example, provide an overview of your company, your services and products, industry, history, the team and your company culture
2. Staff profile - Find employees who come across naturally on video and have positive personalities. Let them tell their story, eg why they love working at your company, what they are passionate about, or love about their job etc
3. Tell everyone what you are doing for the community - What notable causes is your company involved in or passionate about? A video about what your company is involved in shows you care about your community and that you're not just about money, but you care
4. Customer testimonials - showcase why clients use you and any successful stories, or what your products and services have done for your clients and helped them achieve. 
5. Training - a training video or a series of videos is a great way to educate yur clients on how they can use your products and services. They can also learn at their own pace and is an alternative to the usual and boring text training manual
6. Industry news/commentary - this needs to done in real time. You could consider using video to offer commentary on relevant news/breaking news and then post this on your blog, website or youtube channel. This will showcase your company's responsiveness to breaking news and industry awareness
7. How to guides and tips - share your expertise with your how to videos. Be seen as the expert and it could also help with search exposure for potential customers who need help and are searching for how-to content related to the products and services you are providing
8. Interviews - interview vendors, thought leaders, key influencers, staff or clients on a topic of interest
9. Events - if you are presenting or attending an event, don't just capture the event, but the people associated with the event or who attended the event. Eg get people to share their experience and what they thought of the event, interview presenters etc
10. Presentations - consider a video presentation to better showcase information in an informative and enthusiastic way