People always say, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Well, it sounds nice, but people usually don’t take the advice, and often do judge a book by its cover. Whether it’s right or wrong is another topic, but it happens for all sorts of things, including hotel websites.
Based on an instant feeling from the look and feel of your property’s website, a travel shopper can move on faster than the speed of light. This is the worst case scenario for any property. After all, the shopper’s interest is not the only thing lost. You can kiss increased online bookings, revenue, branding and potential guest loyalty goodbye.
Let’s review five signs that your site needs a makeover. If none of these apply to your property, you’re in good shape. If any of them do apply, it’s time to make some tweaks.
Five signs that scream YES!
1) Dated Imagery
How current are the photos on your website - have they been updated in the last year or two? Have your property’s rooms recently been remodelled?
Photos, especially if they’re rotating in flash or the largest feature on the page, are what visitors notice first, meaning photos should constantly be up to date and professional. If a visitor sees photos of a dim, empty lobby and a room with old TVs and fixtures, it may immediately cause them to start their search over. And hiring a professional photographer is usually worth it in the long run. The difference between professional photos and random photos taken by the hotel staff can be significant.
2) Non-compelling Imagery
Does you property look empty, with no cars in the parking lot, or zero guests walking the grounds? Does your property have vibrant photos of local attractions – whether it’s the outdoors, shopping areas, theme parks, etc.?
Your property’s website should have exciting, professional photos at all times, especially on the homepage, since it’s seen by nearly 100% of your website visitors. Don’t have two rotating photos of an empty lobby and a bed. Have four rotating photos of guest/staff interaction in the lobby, a wide angle of one your best rooms, an active pool that show guests relaxing, and most importantly, a photo of nearby local attractions, such as people enjoying a theme park, businessmen interacting at a convention centre or hikers enjoying the outdoors.
3) Non-engaging Content
Does your site’s content instantly spark interest in the travel shopper?
With the short attention span of consumers and the assault of ads and content they’re exposed to, they hardly ever read an entire page worth, but they do at least skim it… after they’ve been engaged with the imagery of course.
Besides the fact that your content has to be written with keywords and key phrases to help with search engine rankings, it’s crucial that it sells what the travel shopper wants. If you’re a luxury resort, you should sell the luxuries and amenities of your property – things like a spa and room service. You should also, even on the homepage, have relevant content about local attractions or demand generators. Often times, guests search for a property with close proximity to a place or event, not just for the property itself. If you’re located within a mile from the zoo or a botanical garden, emphasize that in your content. Capitalize on your proximity to the attractions, and try to form an emotional connection with the shoppers immediately.
4) Poor Navigation
Is your site map organized in a manner that’s easy for visitors to navigate?
Once a visitor sticks on your website, easy navigation is a must. First and foremost, no matter where a visitor navigates to, there should always be a clear link directly back to the homepage. Think about the goals of your website, and make sure the most important links are prominent and easy to reach from anywhere.
Second, the booking engine should be a distinct call to action on the homepage, always above the page break. Visitors should be able to quickly select a date range and click search. Third, don’t have too many sub pages on different levels. If a visitor clicks on “Event Space” from the homepage, gets to a second page, clicks on “Ballroom,” gets to a third page and clicks on “Weddings,” before clicking to yet another “Bride and Groom” page, then it’s too deep in the navigation. A visitor should never have to go through more than two or three clicks from the homepage to navigate anywhere on your site.
5) Alarming Website Statistics
Are travel shoppers staying on your site longer and viewing more pages than they did last year? Is your site ranking higher in the search engines for crucial keywords and phrases? Is your overall site traffic growing?
All of these questions and more need to be answered regularly at your property. Review how shoppers find your site, which pages they are visiting and how much time they’re spending there. Look at your Web analytics, and learn what every statistic means to your bottom line. These are key indicators about how well you’re engaging shoppers, and how you can improve your site to increase online bookings. An overall “health review” of your site should be done quarterly.
So, your site does or doesn’t need a makeover…
Now that you’ve thought more about your property’s website and considered the aforementioned five potential issues, how do you feel about your site? Does it need a design and/or layout makeover. Do you feel your visitors are engaged with photos and content and compelled to book? Your website is your 24/7 sales tool, so it must be up to par to consistently fill the rooms.
If your property clearly does not have any of these five issues, chance are, the design and layout is in excellent shape. But if any of these signs ring true, whether it’s one or all five, it’s probably time for a site revision, including updated images and content and a professionally diagrammed layout.
This is where hiring an hotel Internet marketing company would be beneficial. A content management system that allows you to make updates to the site without much design or technical knowledge is also a cost-effective, beneficial option. Because after all, improving your site will only help increase the time visitors spend on it, which will in turn, boost your direct online reservations.
For more information about website design and development, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Our Top Tips to Start Using Social Media
Treat it like a party!
Your team should have fun while conversing with your target audience. Keep it light and fun – no need for corporate speak! Bring your personality across when you ‘speak’ with your followers!
Address issues in a timely and honest fashion.
Try to respond to your customers within 24 hours where possible. Be transparent and let them know that you appreciate their feedback and what you’re doing to solve the problem. Integrity matters!
Involve multiple departments
Get your HR, customer service, PR, IT, Marketing department involved! If you don’t deal with them while you’re setting up the program, you will have to deal with them later!
It’s OK to fail.
Don’t be afraid to try something new. If it doesn’t work, stop doing it! Don’t be afraid to push the limit. There’s no shame in trying and failing. It’s not trying and not failing that will get you in trouble.
Dedicate someone to oversee the efforts.
It’s good to have multiple people involved, but not having a point person will result in chaos. Putting someone in charge is never a bad thing.
Create relevant and valuable content.
Give your followers content that they are interested in.
Get to know the people who can help you.
Reach out to bloggers. Understand what blog seeding is, and give bloggers something to work with. Having friends in all the right places is never a bad thing! This means you need to be totally committed to the platform and engaged in the process. It’s no different than the chief maintenance guy at your hotel knowing the best plumbers in town.
Learn how search engines work.
It never fails to know how it all works...
Have a message and a reason for it.
Simply having a social media presence for the sake of having one isn’t worth the effort. Everyone on your team should know your message. This sounds so simple, but it is probably the most abused tip of all. Too many social media platforms exist for the sole purpose of the owner being able to say they have one.
It’s not a popularity contest.
The number of followers you have isn’t as important as the quality of the people interacting with you. Quality, not quantity counts here.
For more information about social media marketing, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588.
Your team should have fun while conversing with your target audience. Keep it light and fun – no need for corporate speak! Bring your personality across when you ‘speak’ with your followers!
Address issues in a timely and honest fashion.
Try to respond to your customers within 24 hours where possible. Be transparent and let them know that you appreciate their feedback and what you’re doing to solve the problem. Integrity matters!
Involve multiple departments
Get your HR, customer service, PR, IT, Marketing department involved! If you don’t deal with them while you’re setting up the program, you will have to deal with them later!
It’s OK to fail.
Don’t be afraid to try something new. If it doesn’t work, stop doing it! Don’t be afraid to push the limit. There’s no shame in trying and failing. It’s not trying and not failing that will get you in trouble.
Dedicate someone to oversee the efforts.
It’s good to have multiple people involved, but not having a point person will result in chaos. Putting someone in charge is never a bad thing.
Create relevant and valuable content.
Give your followers content that they are interested in.
Get to know the people who can help you.
Reach out to bloggers. Understand what blog seeding is, and give bloggers something to work with. Having friends in all the right places is never a bad thing! This means you need to be totally committed to the platform and engaged in the process. It’s no different than the chief maintenance guy at your hotel knowing the best plumbers in town.
Learn how search engines work.
It never fails to know how it all works...
Have a message and a reason for it.
Simply having a social media presence for the sake of having one isn’t worth the effort. Everyone on your team should know your message. This sounds so simple, but it is probably the most abused tip of all. Too many social media platforms exist for the sole purpose of the owner being able to say they have one.
It’s not a popularity contest.
The number of followers you have isn’t as important as the quality of the people interacting with you. Quality, not quantity counts here.
For more information about social media marketing, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
3 Ways To Tap Into The Power Of Social Media
Over 75% of Internet consumers use social media in some form or other, so if you're not using it you may be missing out on a big opportunity. Getting involved doesn't have to be complicated.
Here are three things you can do to get in the game.
Start a blog
Blogs are easy to create and maintain. You can use blogspot or wordpress to set up a blog and you won't even need to consult a web developer for help! Best of all, it’s free to set up a blog account with these sites.
The key is to create high quality content that is relevant to your target audience. Keep it consistent and keep it real. Other than that, just have fun with it! Some suggestions for blog posts include:
Facebook is one of the most popular sites in the world (along with Google). To get started, simply create a Facebook page where you can post updates, link to your blog articles, and receive feedback from your customers. As you post relevant content and interact with customers on your Facebook page, your fan base and your revenue will grow.
Post videos on YouTube
If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, a video must be worth 1,000 pictures (and 1,000,000 words)! Plus videos get priority in search engine results and allow you to show a little personality. Start with a video on your company, resort, staff members and build your video library from there.
If you implement these social media elements in your marketing, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the raving fans waiting for you.
If you would like more information about facebook marketing or how you can maximise social media for your business, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588.
Here are three things you can do to get in the game.
Start a blog
Blogs are easy to create and maintain. You can use blogspot or wordpress to set up a blog and you won't even need to consult a web developer for help! Best of all, it’s free to set up a blog account with these sites.
The key is to create high quality content that is relevant to your target audience. Keep it consistent and keep it real. Other than that, just have fun with it! Some suggestions for blog posts include:
- Industry-specific tips and insights
- Special offers or give-aways
- Analysis of recent news items
- Product tutorials
- Humorous anecdotes
- Interviews with employees, customers or partners
Facebook is one of the most popular sites in the world (along with Google). To get started, simply create a Facebook page where you can post updates, link to your blog articles, and receive feedback from your customers. As you post relevant content and interact with customers on your Facebook page, your fan base and your revenue will grow.
Post videos on YouTube
If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, a video must be worth 1,000 pictures (and 1,000,000 words)! Plus videos get priority in search engine results and allow you to show a little personality. Start with a video on your company, resort, staff members and build your video library from there.
If you implement these social media elements in your marketing, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the raving fans waiting for you.
If you would like more information about facebook marketing or how you can maximise social media for your business, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588.
Friday, June 3, 2011
The Truth About Networking
If you're like most sellers, you detest making cold calls. Just the thought of picking up the phone and calling a stranger sends shivers down your spine. And the brutal fact that nobody ever answers the phone or returns your call, makes it even worse.
That's why so many people are out networking these days. They're looking for connections and ways to establish relationships with prospective buyers first. And referrals - oooh, how we dream of getting someone to put in a good word for us with our ideal client - especially if they work for a big company!
Several years ago, I hit the networking circuit after refocusing my business direction. It was time to expand my client base. Like everyone else, I believed the standard wisdom about the value of networking.
Since I'm not a shy, tongue-tied person, I figured it would be a snap. All I needed to do was:
But I never saw the results I was hoping for. In fact, I barely saw any positive results for all the time I invested in networking.
As someone who thinks a lot about sales-related topics and experiments with all sorts of approaches to see what they yield, I was stymied.
Finally it hit me! If you wanted to do business with large corporations, everything that I assumed to be true about networking was a fallacy.
Here are the 4 biggest myths I uncovered:
Myth 1: Local business organizations and professional associations are great places to meet prospective contacts from big companies.
Reality: People in big companies today rarely attend these functions. Due to all the changes, turmoil and downsizing in their own organization, they have all they can do to stay on top of things.
They're literally too swamped to take time out of their busy days to attend this kind of meeting. They don't want to go to these functions and be hit up by all these vendors who are looking for an "in" to their company. They don't need the education because their own firm provides for that.
Besides, networking for big company decision-makers means meeting with their counterparts in other divisions or attending industry specific events such as trade shows.
If you take a serious look at the groups you're participating in, most all the people who attend are from small to medium sized businesses. That's great, if that's who you sell to.
But if you're trying to work with General Mills, General Electric or General Dynamics - you'll seldom, if ever, see their decision makers at these events.
Myth 2: It takes time to see the results of networking, therefore it's imperative to keep at it.
Reality: Yes, it does take time to see the results. But, if the big company decision makers aren't there - and won't be coming, then you're wasting your time. And the longer you keep at it, the more time you're wasting.
Hope is not a powerful strategy. In fact, it's downright delusional. How many times do you have to beat your head against the wall before you know it's time to stop?
Myth 3: It's important to build relationships with people before trying to talk about your products or services.
Reality: People from big companies don't have time to build relationships first. Much as you may want to, they're too busy. They don't have time to chitchat about golf or family vacations. Get down to business quickly. Focus on your value proposition or ideas that can help them grow their business or save money.
A positive relationship develops over time; it doesn't happen first. Show your value, demonstrate your worth, make a difference. Then these decision makers will really want to have you as a friend.
Myth 4: People you meet at networking meetings are highly likely to refer you to prospective buyers in large corporations.
Reality: Many people you meet at networking meetings are really, really nice. In fact, if you meet them later for coffee or breakfast, you'll have a wonderful conversation. You'll learn even more about what they do and have a chance to share your story in more depth.
And you'll find out that they're hungry for business. Just like you, they're hoping to find that elusive person who will magically fling open the doors of a corporate giant for them. They're hoping for the connection to "just the right person" and a great referral besides.
Believe me, if one of them is ever lucky enough to meet your ideal decision maker, the likelihood that he or she will put in a good word for you is slim to none. They're too busy worrying about how to get their own business.
Besides since they're just getting to know the decision maker, their referral would hold little credence.
That's why so many people are out networking these days. They're looking for connections and ways to establish relationships with prospective buyers first. And referrals - oooh, how we dream of getting someone to put in a good word for us with our ideal client - especially if they work for a big company!
Several years ago, I hit the networking circuit after refocusing my business direction. It was time to expand my client base. Like everyone else, I believed the standard wisdom about the value of networking.
Since I'm not a shy, tongue-tied person, I figured it would be a snap. All I needed to do was:
- Focus on the other person; ask lots of questions and make them feel important.
- Share ideas and resources to help them achieve their objectives.
- And keep in touch so I wouldn't be quickly forgotten.
But I never saw the results I was hoping for. In fact, I barely saw any positive results for all the time I invested in networking.
As someone who thinks a lot about sales-related topics and experiments with all sorts of approaches to see what they yield, I was stymied.
Finally it hit me! If you wanted to do business with large corporations, everything that I assumed to be true about networking was a fallacy.
Here are the 4 biggest myths I uncovered:
Myth 1: Local business organizations and professional associations are great places to meet prospective contacts from big companies.
Reality: People in big companies today rarely attend these functions. Due to all the changes, turmoil and downsizing in their own organization, they have all they can do to stay on top of things.
They're literally too swamped to take time out of their busy days to attend this kind of meeting. They don't want to go to these functions and be hit up by all these vendors who are looking for an "in" to their company. They don't need the education because their own firm provides for that.
Besides, networking for big company decision-makers means meeting with their counterparts in other divisions or attending industry specific events such as trade shows.
If you take a serious look at the groups you're participating in, most all the people who attend are from small to medium sized businesses. That's great, if that's who you sell to.
But if you're trying to work with General Mills, General Electric or General Dynamics - you'll seldom, if ever, see their decision makers at these events.
Myth 2: It takes time to see the results of networking, therefore it's imperative to keep at it.
Reality: Yes, it does take time to see the results. But, if the big company decision makers aren't there - and won't be coming, then you're wasting your time. And the longer you keep at it, the more time you're wasting.
Hope is not a powerful strategy. In fact, it's downright delusional. How many times do you have to beat your head against the wall before you know it's time to stop?
Myth 3: It's important to build relationships with people before trying to talk about your products or services.
Reality: People from big companies don't have time to build relationships first. Much as you may want to, they're too busy. They don't have time to chitchat about golf or family vacations. Get down to business quickly. Focus on your value proposition or ideas that can help them grow their business or save money.
A positive relationship develops over time; it doesn't happen first. Show your value, demonstrate your worth, make a difference. Then these decision makers will really want to have you as a friend.
Myth 4: People you meet at networking meetings are highly likely to refer you to prospective buyers in large corporations.
Reality: Many people you meet at networking meetings are really, really nice. In fact, if you meet them later for coffee or breakfast, you'll have a wonderful conversation. You'll learn even more about what they do and have a chance to share your story in more depth.
And you'll find out that they're hungry for business. Just like you, they're hoping to find that elusive person who will magically fling open the doors of a corporate giant for them. They're hoping for the connection to "just the right person" and a great referral besides.
Believe me, if one of them is ever lucky enough to meet your ideal decision maker, the likelihood that he or she will put in a good word for you is slim to none. They're too busy worrying about how to get their own business.
Besides since they're just getting to know the decision maker, their referral would hold little credence.
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