Click rates highest in the morning: Report

According to a report by MailerMailer, most people tend to open emails between seven and ten in the morning.

Below are other findings from the July 2011 Email Marketing Metrics Report.

• Subject Lines: Emails with shorter subject lines tend to outperform those with longer lines: Subject lines with 4-15 characters generated a 14.1% open rate, whereas those containing 51 or more characters had the least amount of opened emails (9.9%). The highest click rates were generated by emails with subject lines between 16 and 27 characters long (4%). 
• Bounces by mailing frequency: Marketers who send emails more frequently garner fewer bounces. Emails that were sent to subscribers less than once a month (5.1%) generated the highest bounce rate. Emails that were sent more frequently, like once a day or more, registered the smallest bounce rate (0.4%).
• Personalisation: Personalised emails (ie personalisation in the actual message) registered an average open rate of 12.6%, compared with those containing only a personalised subject line (4.1%). Click-rate trends closely mirror open-rate trends: Messages that contained a personalised subject line only generated a 0.8% click rate, whereas personalisation in the message portion of the email generated a 3% click rate. 
• The survey also found that emails are typically opened during the morning hours of 7am and 10am. During that period, email open rates maintain a steady climb until noon, at which point, open rates begin to slowly decline.

The survey found that the average overall unique click rate at the end of 2010 was 2.9%, up from 1.6% one year earlier. Similar to open rates, click rates registered a decline from the first half to the second half of 2010.

The positive click-rate trend indicates that businesses are maintaining their database and ensuring links work properly. It also indicates that they are becoming savvier overall with how they create, design, and distribute their email campaigns. In addition, an increase in the click-rate trend may indicate that messages are becoming more relevant and contain clearer calls-to-action messaging.

If you would like more information about email marketing and how it can help your business, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588. TA Fastrack can assist you with setting up an email template and email marketing campaign.

An introduction to video

Why use video

Video is currently the fastest growing website feature for small businesses and statistics show that videos are a powerful way to communicate key selling points and are far more effective than text or photos alone. Studies show that 80% of online users recall seeing video, 52% take action and 16% make a purchase after viewing a video.

Adding video to your website can be a great way to help you improve customer relationships, increase profits and brand awareness.

How Can Video Help My Business?

Using online video to market your business can help you:

• Raise awareness of your business, products and services
• Generate word of mouth
• Improve search rankings
• Increase referrals - viewers will forward your video link to their friends and family
• Personalises your brand

There are many different online video sharing sites available. We look at the most popular ones being used.

YouTube

YouTube is currently the 2nd largest search engine in the world after Google. If you decide to post company videos, this is the place to do it.

Pros: You can reach a much bigger audience by posting your videos to YouTube compared to other sites, including iPhone and iPad users. Plus, you’ll benefit from YouTube search.

Cons: Videos are limited to 15 minutes in length.

Facebook

Facebook is another great site to share your video with your fans. They will be able to view it whenever they wish and forward it to their friends and family to also view.

Pros: You can tag Facebook friends and colleagues in videos. This will send them a notification, encouraging them to watch and share.

Cons: Your videos won’t reach as wide an audience as on YouTube, and it won't be indexed or searchable with Google. This means people can't search or find your video using Google.

Vimeo

Vimeo is great for high-end videos like documentaries, short features, and full-length movies that are longer than 15 minutes.

Pros: You can post videos longer than 15 minutes. Vimeo also accepts High Quality HD video.

Cons: Your videos won’t reach as wide an audience as on YouTube. There is also the option to purchase a premium account with Vimeo if you wish to take advantage of all Vimeo’s great features.

Blip.tv

Blip.tv is perfect if you're creating online TV shows and generating revenue from your content.

Pros: You can create a personalized channel that is easy to embed on your website or blog. Monetizing your content is also simple and encouraged.

Cons: Your videos won't reach as wide an audience as on YouTube. The site is more obscure and can be complicated for beginners, compared to YouTube or Facebook.


So what are you waiting for? Get started with an online video now for your business. If you would like more information about getting a professional video for your business, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today.

How to Get your Hotel’s Facebook Account to Stand Out

Avoid using Facebook simply to post your promotions and packages that you already have on your website. Below are five tips on how you can stand out from the rest.

1. Your posts are boring.
Get your fans involved and ensure they feel a part of your community.  Encourage your fans to post comments, pictures and videos of their holiday or stay at your hotel. Actively engage with your customers with organized, quality content and brand new, up-to-date information about what's happenin at your hotel, the area, upcoming events etc.

2. You don’t have a social media roadmap.
If you don’t have a map, chances are you won’t make it to your destination, especially if it’s in an unfamiliar area. Outline your objectives and goals so you can coordinate your marketing efforts and cross-utilize the various social media applications that will work best for each of your targeted market segments. It is essential to know what you plan to do, how you plan to do it and, most importantly, why you are doing it in the first place. 

3. Your promotions are just like everyone else’s.
According to the 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, more than 75% of marketers plan on increasing their use of Facebook in 2011. But with more than 5 million active Facebook business pages, how do you get your promotions and your page to stand out from all of the others? Avoid using Facebook simply to post your packages and promotions that you already promote on your website. Give your facebook followers special perks and discounts that they can’t get anywhere else. Eg, a free upgrade for the first 10 people that redeem the coupon using a special facebook promotion code, or a facebook only sale for one day only. Th options are endless!

4. Guests have no reason to keep you in their primary news feed.
Remember Field of Dreams and the whispered message to Kevin Costner, “If you build it, they will come.” They might come once, but will they stick around or make a repeat visit? Take a long, hard look at your business facebook page. Are the posts lively, compelling and unique? There’s nothing worse than a dull Facebook page. Take photos of staff and put them on Facebook - personalise your page and let followers know more about the people behind your business. Take photos of guests during check-in or check-out or at an event you held and tag them.

Make the most of your facebook page’s tab settings by distributing special offers and coupons or holding contests and sweepstakes (be sure to follow Facebook’s full terms and conditions). The idea of winning something is a great incentive to keep fans coming back for more, not to mention it helps to attract new fans. Reward your loyal supporters and don’t forget to remind your users to like and share.

5. Commitment! 
Your Facebook page is a daily commitment, so if you're not ready, don’t go there. If you strive for one post a day, you’re on track to creating a successful page. Watch the activity on your page and post when your followers are most active, usually between mid-morning and mid-afternoon. And don't be afraid to mix it up by posting observations, tips, travel-related topics, breaking news and, without fail, open-ended questions to get followers to join in the conversation. 

If you want to be liked, you have to be likeable. Test various approaches to determine what works best with your fan base. Show your personality, be warm and inviting and have fun with your page!

For more information on how to get your property’s Facebook page to stand out from others and drive more bookings to your website, please contact one of the marketing consultants on +61 7 3040 3588. TA Fastrack can also assist with a personalised welcome page design for your facebook page. Call us now to find out more.

10 Types Of Tweets That Work Best For Hotels

If you’re running out of things to tweet about, then we have some ideas for you...

1) Respond to questions, comments and mentions.
For many hotels, Twitter still remains a service and conversational medium. The majority of content should be @replies to people talking about your hotels, your brand, or your area. Responses to yoru followers build relationships and show that it’s not all about pushing commercial messages.

2) Retweeting positive feedback.
Retweeting positive messages from customers will act as salespeople for your brand. You don’t need to share every comment, but the occasional recommendation as a retweet will show you that acknowledge advocates and appreciate their comments.

3) Retweeting other resources.
This helps you curate what is cool while giving credit to the source. You could always tweet links directly, but retweeting other content will help build important relationships by raising their own Twitter profile. Plus, retweets introduce your followers to new sources of information.

4) Sharing recommendations.
This strategy helps build a brand personality. Lifestyle information can be very popular on Twitter, so define the image you are building and then share information and recommendations around this.

5) Spotlighting media mentions.
If your hotel get mentioned in the media, pass that information along to your Twitter followers. Highlighting stories on Twitter can amplify the coverage by providing an opportunity for additional exposure through retweets and viral word of mouth.

6) Ask questions.
Twitter can act as a 24/7 virtual focus group, and can be a powerful way to do market research. Next time you have a question - or would like to get a second opinion – ask your followers what they think. Eg a menu change, what they think of the new paint colour for your renovations etc

7) Running contests.
Some of the best contests leverage the power of questions to increase participation. Eg ask your followers to submit their favourite thing about the location/area.

8) Offering real-time information.
Twitter is by design a real-time media format, and this can be very helpful when up-to-the-minute information is required. We see this often in breaking news situations: Twitter becomes the best source for knowing what is happening right now.

In the context of hotels and hospitality, it is possible to use this real-time medium eg if there is a storm or bad weather. By following and acting quickly on a news event, you can help stranded travellers. It can also work well for events, sharing timely tips for attendees.

9) Sharing personal thoughts.
Depending on the voice and style you want to communicate in your Twitter account, it may be appropriate to include personal thoughts in your hotels’ Twitter stream. Typically this approach works best for small hotels where the owner also acts as the public spokesperson. Eg instead of just promoting your hotel services and promotions, you can include links and resources on topics you’re interested in, such as food, travel, design etc. It brings a personality to your brand.

10) Staff recruitment.
Twitter can be a valuable way to recruit talented team members. You can use Twitter to offer career advice, CV tips, and guidance to potential applicants.

For more information about social media marketing, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588.