If you attended the recent TIANB conference in Caraquet, and listened to Roger Brooks (international tourism guru), then you know what I'm talking about.
Several points made by Mr Brooks, I have been telling you for the past two years. If you had taken the Tourism Technology website mentoring session prior to the conference then little bells should have been going off in your head ... "Beth mentioned the very same thing during her mentoring session"
"I guess she knows what she's talking about"
That's right folks, I'm not just a pretty face.
There's more to the session then the long winded title implies.
70% of tourism shoppers are frustrated with the online experience
80% of operators are still spending more on print, then their website (backwards!)
e-newsletters are essential
user friendly domain names are essential
have seasonal content
have updated content
It's not too late to call me for a session, and at $125, I'm way underpriced.
Beth
PS If you did take the session and haven't done anything yet, dig out that manual and get on it!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Your best home page
Your home page should state clearly, who you are and what you do.
It should relate your core business aspect in a few simple lines. Yes, it can be done.
What are the properties of some of the best home pages?
It's all about knowing your audience. When you surf the web, what pages make you feel tranquil and serene? What pages make you feel adventurous? Why do they invoke these feelings- imagery, colour selection, sounds?
Be upfront and honest about who you are targeting with your website. Grab their attention with imagery and key descriptives that relate to that demographic.
The most simplistic home page could be Google. What is Google's main product? Search. And so what is their home page comprised of? A search box. They haven't changed their core home page since they started. They've added a few buttons off to the side, and they change up their logo every now and then, but the basic core aspect stays the same. And it works for them.
A person who is interested in the latest news, and flashy ads for their home page would be more inclined to choose msn.ca or canoe.ca for their home page rather then Google.
Match your online esthetics to your audience. Your website belongs to your customer not to you!!!
Be totally awesome - not mediocre
Monday, May 4, 2009
The concept of ROBO
More learnings from the Altantic Internet Marketing conference.
ROBO - Research Online, Buy Offline
Some quick ROBO stats:
89% of buyers perform ROBO
81% of Canadians plan to perform ROBO when making their next purchase
50% of local businesses do not have a website...(or an adequate web presence)
ROBO is essentially comparison shopping. In the old days we used to drive around from store to store with a notebook to comparison shop. Or maybe we used newspaper inserts.
Today we do it online - website to website.
And instead of driving to the "shopping"district of town, we use Google to find our results for us.
No matter what your business people are looking for you online.
It's time to embrace your customers where they are. You have your own "hand picked" community out there waiting. Put your product in front of an engaged audience.
So while you may still be getting sales over the telephone, next time ask them if they checked out your website, 8.9 of 10 will have done so before they called - and that's ROBO in action.
Monday, April 27, 2009
The following are some key points from the Atlantic Internet Marketing conference keynote. (See, even though I got to go, you get the benefits - and you didn't have to sit in those chairs !)
How to make love to your client, Mike McDermont, Freshbooks.com
People are people, they don't want to be treated like a business.
Freshbooks is an online invoicing service for professionals. They have, through social media, positioned themselves as more then an accounting software firm, they are a firm that is in the experience delivery business.
Aren't we all in the experience delivery business?
Consumers talk about their experiences - good or bad. And as tourism operators we would hope for it to be all good !
You can use social media to get to know your customers - just like we used the 1-800 number to get them to call us, we can leverage social media to find out what they want to see, and what they really think.
You can use social media to DRIVE the one on one communication.
Social media, for example Trip Advisor, allows you to "track" the coffee table conversation. People used to take a vacation and then go home and complain to their families, their neighbours and perhaps their co-workers...around the coffee table. Now people take a vacation and go home, get online and complain to the WORLD...around the social media table.
The web is a word of mouth machine !
You can leverage negative Trip Advisor comments into positive ones. Respond in a positive way, let other viewers know the proposed resolution.
Every product can be reinvented
That's assuming you'll ever get a negative comment, 95% of the WWW comments are positive ones. And savvy users can tell a true negative comment from one that's a result of an impossible customer.
Take the negative comments under advisement and reinvent your product if need be. Just like the new Triscuit with addition of rosemary, your B&B can with a bit of revamp, suddenly become the hot spot of the Maritimes.
How to make love to your client, Mike McDermont, Freshbooks.com
People are people, they don't want to be treated like a business.
Freshbooks is an online invoicing service for professionals. They have, through social media, positioned themselves as more then an accounting software firm, they are a firm that is in the experience delivery business.
Aren't we all in the experience delivery business?
Consumers talk about their experiences - good or bad. And as tourism operators we would hope for it to be all good !
You can use social media to get to know your customers - just like we used the 1-800 number to get them to call us, we can leverage social media to find out what they want to see, and what they really think.
You can use social media to DRIVE the one on one communication.
Social media, for example Trip Advisor, allows you to "track" the coffee table conversation. People used to take a vacation and then go home and complain to their families, their neighbours and perhaps their co-workers...around the coffee table. Now people take a vacation and go home, get online and complain to the WORLD...around the social media table.
The web is a word of mouth machine !
You can leverage negative Trip Advisor comments into positive ones. Respond in a positive way, let other viewers know the proposed resolution.
Every product can be reinvented
That's assuming you'll ever get a negative comment, 95% of the WWW comments are positive ones. And savvy users can tell a true negative comment from one that's a result of an impossible customer.
Take the negative comments under advisement and reinvent your product if need be. Just like the new Triscuit with addition of rosemary, your B&B can with a bit of revamp, suddenly become the hot spot of the Maritimes.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Google External Keyword Tool
The Google External Keyword Tool will help business owners understand how their audience searches for them. And it will help you utilitze negative kewords - for example eliminating those who are searching for a free vacation, you're not interested in people conducting those kinds of searches.
While I normally tell my session participants to have an expert run their keyword campaigns and SEO (search engine optimization) there are a few of you who handle it yourselves.
I've only taken a passing glance at the tool but like all Google tools, it's easy to use, free and has lots of help features.
Like I preach in my sessions - repetitive content is key to natural search engine ranking, and this tool can help you find your meta data keywords and your content keywords.
So if you're stuck on keywords, give this tool a try.
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
While I normally tell my session participants to have an expert run their keyword campaigns and SEO (search engine optimization) there are a few of you who handle it yourselves.
I've only taken a passing glance at the tool but like all Google tools, it's easy to use, free and has lots of help features.
Like I preach in my sessions - repetitive content is key to natural search engine ranking, and this tool can help you find your meta data keywords and your content keywords.
So if you're stuck on keywords, give this tool a try.
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
Conferences
Just a heads up about two Conferences you may want to attend:
Firstly, the annual TIANB conference is coming up, early bird registration ends April 17 (save over $100). We are having TWO Tourism Gurus this year, Joe Pine and Roger Brooks. This conference is value for your money. May 22 in Caraquet. Visit http://www.tianb.com/ for more information.
Second, the Atlantic Internet Marketing conference will be next week in Halifax. I will be attending along with my other tourismtechnology.com counterparts. While not geared to tourism specifically, it's a great broad base of information and local contacts to help you generate the most out of your website and blog. http://www.aimconference.com/
Firstly, the annual TIANB conference is coming up, early bird registration ends April 17 (save over $100). We are having TWO Tourism Gurus this year, Joe Pine and Roger Brooks. This conference is value for your money. May 22 in Caraquet. Visit http://www.tianb.com/ for more information.
Second, the Atlantic Internet Marketing conference will be next week in Halifax. I will be attending along with my other tourismtechnology.com counterparts. While not geared to tourism specifically, it's a great broad base of information and local contacts to help you generate the most out of your website and blog. http://www.aimconference.com/
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Just get the job done.
This week's post is dedicated to procrastination and doing those things which you do not like to do.
I'm generally pro technology, and bubbly smiley about websites. However I get the feeling that not all people are like that ... imagine.
Imagine not being at one with your computer, imagine not being in total sync with MS office products ... I shudder at the thought.
So I have a confession.
I dislike to exercise. I loath it the way most of you loath checking and composing email. Not just general loathing, but a deep deep psychological loathing of lactic acid pain.
But for the past two weeks I've been on the exercise bike and drinking at least one glass of water EVERY DAY. And that includes Saturdays and Sundays. In fact I'm sitting at work right now with my water and drinking that bland ol' H2O as I type.
So if I can make the effort to Exercise, You can make an effort with your website !
Start like I did, with a small goal, and just keep at it. Set up a time of day, and stick to the routine.
There are two main factors in my success:
One - there is a chilled water dispenser at my office. It's right there in front of me. And chilled water is a bit tastier, so it's not to much of a hassle for me.
Two - I also own an exercise bike. It's not fancy but it does the job. And it's right in my house, so again it's not a hassle.
Look around at your technology options, are they a hassle ? If so, think about making some changes.
I'm generally pro technology, and bubbly smiley about websites. However I get the feeling that not all people are like that ... imagine.
Imagine not being at one with your computer, imagine not being in total sync with MS office products ... I shudder at the thought.
So I have a confession.
I dislike to exercise. I loath it the way most of you loath checking and composing email. Not just general loathing, but a deep deep psychological loathing of lactic acid pain.
But for the past two weeks I've been on the exercise bike and drinking at least one glass of water EVERY DAY. And that includes Saturdays and Sundays. In fact I'm sitting at work right now with my water and drinking that bland ol' H2O as I type.
So if I can make the effort to Exercise, You can make an effort with your website !
Start like I did, with a small goal, and just keep at it. Set up a time of day, and stick to the routine.
There are two main factors in my success:
One - there is a chilled water dispenser at my office. It's right there in front of me. And chilled water is a bit tastier, so it's not to much of a hassle for me.
Two - I also own an exercise bike. It's not fancy but it does the job. And it's right in my house, so again it's not a hassle.
Look around at your technology options, are they a hassle ? If so, think about making some changes.
- If your computer is too slow, take it in for a professional "cleansing" or a few upgrade parts
- Consider buying a new computer
- Is your computer in a comfortable work area?
- If your website is a pain to update, consider getting a new one.
- Or talk to a web developer to see what can be done with the one you have.
In this market, every developer should be keen on any business, even a few hours of work. Find someone who speaks to you at a level you understand and don't be afraid to get a second opinion (or a third).
I finally started thinking in terms of the rewards, rather then the tasks. The rewards of exercise is good health, long life, better fitting clothes.... while on the beach visiting one of your fine establishments.
The rewards of a technology / website upgrade is that it will make your life easier, it will encourage you to make those frequent updates, and it will lead to increased business.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Story of Bill, Gary, and Jane
(fictional)
Bill runs Trinity Escape, a small cottage property on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. He offers a dozen oceanfront cottages from June through September. He is usually booked solid in July and August.
Bill has had a website for four years that was built by his brother-in-law. He cannot update it himself so every 4-6 months Bill pays to make any changes that are needed. He receives about 30 email and phone inquiries per week, but this number has dropped off over the past year or two, even though travelers are already starting to plan their summer vacations.
One such traveler is Jane from Calgary who has just clicked onto Bill’s website. Jane is flying home in the summer to visit her family and is planning a girl’s weekend away with her sisters. She went online and Googled "cottages for rent in Newfoundland" but found no good results. She then Googled "tourism Newfoundland" and found a list of properties on the provincial tourism website, which she is going through one at a time.
Jane likes the location on the ocean and the cottages look comfortable. She needs to bring her sister’s dog but it takes her awhile to find the policy information. It’s a bit ambiguous as to which cottages will allow dogs but she is willing to take a chance. The cottage fits her budget and she is ready to book. After scanning around for online booking, she realizes Bill doesn’t offer it. Jane hits the "back" button and returns to the provincial tourism website. She may be back if she doesn’t find another property that is suitable -- and if she remembers the site.
Jane clicks the next link in the list and she arrives at the site of Gary’s Oceanside Cottages, 25 km down the road from Bill’s. Jane quickly finds an ideal cottage. She stares in awe at a photo of the sun setting over the ocean, as seen from the deck of the cottage, and salivates at the homemade raspberry scones, crème fraiche and coffee that are delivered each morning. She sees that the cottage is available when she is visiting. Jane is sold and clicks the Book this Cottage button adjacent to the room description. Jane is so excited she calls her sisters
Gary is relaxing by the pool at his condo in Bradenton, FL. He spent the day deep sea fishing. He checks his email and sees that cottage 8 was booked online for a 2-night package in the second week in June. That brings his occupancy for that month up to 74%. He sends Jane a short email to thank her for her business and asks if they have any special requirements for their breakfast or her sister’s dog.
Its mid-June and Bill is shaking his head. For the first time in 20 years he still has vacancies for July. He looks around his property – his gardens are in full bloom and the new dock he built over the winter is just waiting for visitors to launch the kayaks. "Maybe I should lower my rates and put an ad in the paper?" he asks himself.
What do you think?
Do you think an Ad in the newspaper is going to do anything for Bill's occupancy rates?
You know what I think - I think that Bill should have taken the Tourism Technology Website Mentoring Session from myself, and updated his site. Even just a few updates/changes may have prompted Jane to perhaps reserve by phone, and would not have cost Bill a lot of money.
Call me to book your session.
506-451-0173
beth@@tianb.com
Bill runs Trinity Escape, a small cottage property on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. He offers a dozen oceanfront cottages from June through September. He is usually booked solid in July and August.
Bill has had a website for four years that was built by his brother-in-law. He cannot update it himself so every 4-6 months Bill pays to make any changes that are needed. He receives about 30 email and phone inquiries per week, but this number has dropped off over the past year or two, even though travelers are already starting to plan their summer vacations.
One such traveler is Jane from Calgary who has just clicked onto Bill’s website. Jane is flying home in the summer to visit her family and is planning a girl’s weekend away with her sisters. She went online and Googled "cottages for rent in Newfoundland" but found no good results. She then Googled "tourism Newfoundland" and found a list of properties on the provincial tourism website, which she is going through one at a time.
Jane likes the location on the ocean and the cottages look comfortable. She needs to bring her sister’s dog but it takes her awhile to find the policy information. It’s a bit ambiguous as to which cottages will allow dogs but she is willing to take a chance. The cottage fits her budget and she is ready to book. After scanning around for online booking, she realizes Bill doesn’t offer it. Jane hits the "back" button and returns to the provincial tourism website. She may be back if she doesn’t find another property that is suitable -- and if she remembers the site.
Jane clicks the next link in the list and she arrives at the site of Gary’s Oceanside Cottages, 25 km down the road from Bill’s. Jane quickly finds an ideal cottage. She stares in awe at a photo of the sun setting over the ocean, as seen from the deck of the cottage, and salivates at the homemade raspberry scones, crème fraiche and coffee that are delivered each morning. She sees that the cottage is available when she is visiting. Jane is sold and clicks the Book this Cottage button adjacent to the room description. Jane is so excited she calls her sisters
Gary is relaxing by the pool at his condo in Bradenton, FL. He spent the day deep sea fishing. He checks his email and sees that cottage 8 was booked online for a 2-night package in the second week in June. That brings his occupancy for that month up to 74%. He sends Jane a short email to thank her for her business and asks if they have any special requirements for their breakfast or her sister’s dog.
Its mid-June and Bill is shaking his head. For the first time in 20 years he still has vacancies for July. He looks around his property – his gardens are in full bloom and the new dock he built over the winter is just waiting for visitors to launch the kayaks. "Maybe I should lower my rates and put an ad in the paper?" he asks himself.
What do you think?
Do you think an Ad in the newspaper is going to do anything for Bill's occupancy rates?
You know what I think - I think that Bill should have taken the Tourism Technology Website Mentoring Session from myself, and updated his site. Even just a few updates/changes may have prompted Jane to perhaps reserve by phone, and would not have cost Bill a lot of money.
Call me to book your session.
506-451-0173
beth@@tianb.com
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Creating links both real and virtual
The following content is taken from the March 2009 enRoute magazine which I read on a recent Air Canada flight to Toronto.
Travel is a social activity. You meet people you wouldn’t otherwise meet. On a business trip, you hang out at your hotel bar and meet others doing the same thing. You strike up a conversation. Sometimes, you stay in touch. Every business trip is really a trip to meet someone.
So it’s not really surprising that the social aspect of travel has morphed into social networking. Sites like FlyerTalk are not just message boards about airlines and airports but also places where people “meet” and talk and, eventually, socialize.
The endless number of applications built around travel speaks to our desire to see the world or, if we can’t, to experience it vicariously through others. What these sites do is something many are calling “intelligent networking.” Our business trips are often networking opportunities, and the Internet has allowed us to network without leaving our desks.
On Twitter anyone who is thinking about travelling announces it to the world. The “tweets” come in waves when someone is actually on the road; it’s almost as if you’re travelling with them, and, in a sense, you are. From Twitter you can link to a site where you’ve uploaded your photos, so your followers can see what you’re talking about.
Go to Flickr, another photo-sharing site, and you can sort through millions of vacation photos from all over the world.
Why are we doing this?
Well, what’s the first thing you ask when meeting someone who’s been away?
How was the trip?
Because travel is social. You want to know the story. Watching others travel allows us to construct our own stories in our minds. Every traveller has something to relate, no matter how mundane the reason for travel, and every anecdote has the potential to illuminate and entertain.
And if this social travel allows me to grow my network and even wins me new business? Well, that’s about as intelligent as networking gets.
http://enroute.aircanada.com/en/articles/site-seeing
Travel is a social activity. You meet people you wouldn’t otherwise meet. On a business trip, you hang out at your hotel bar and meet others doing the same thing. You strike up a conversation. Sometimes, you stay in touch. Every business trip is really a trip to meet someone.
So it’s not really surprising that the social aspect of travel has morphed into social networking. Sites like FlyerTalk are not just message boards about airlines and airports but also places where people “meet” and talk and, eventually, socialize.
The endless number of applications built around travel speaks to our desire to see the world or, if we can’t, to experience it vicariously through others. What these sites do is something many are calling “intelligent networking.” Our business trips are often networking opportunities, and the Internet has allowed us to network without leaving our desks.
On Twitter anyone who is thinking about travelling announces it to the world. The “tweets” come in waves when someone is actually on the road; it’s almost as if you’re travelling with them, and, in a sense, you are. From Twitter you can link to a site where you’ve uploaded your photos, so your followers can see what you’re talking about.
Go to Flickr, another photo-sharing site, and you can sort through millions of vacation photos from all over the world.
Why are we doing this?
Well, what’s the first thing you ask when meeting someone who’s been away?
How was the trip?
Because travel is social. You want to know the story. Watching others travel allows us to construct our own stories in our minds. Every traveller has something to relate, no matter how mundane the reason for travel, and every anecdote has the potential to illuminate and entertain.
And if this social travel allows me to grow my network and even wins me new business? Well, that’s about as intelligent as networking gets.
http://enroute.aircanada.com/en/articles/site-seeing
Friday, February 27, 2009
Product Development
So you think you're best angle is your sweet coaxing voice on the phone...once you have them on the phone you tell me you can sell them on whatever it is you're selling (overnite stays, meals, tours).
And I ask you, "Is the best use of your time?"
Yes, we all like the interaction with our customers/clients. It's the best part of the day sometimes. But is it the best use of YOUR time.
What about that garden that needs tending, scoping out those new tours routes you have in mind, running cross promotions with near by attractions, even those dreaded HST returns.
What if clients could ferret out a lot of information via your website?
What would you spend your time doing if you weren't answering the same questions over and over again on the telephone?
Would you be able to spend more time mingling with the clients you already have? Leading to better referrals and repeaters.
Would you be able to spend more time with your family and pets? Leading to less home life stress.
Would you be able to build that sunroom/gazebo/rock water fall? Again leading to better referrals and repeaters.
Let your website be their guide, and shift your focus to product development/renewal.
And I ask you, "Is the best use of your time?"
Yes, we all like the interaction with our customers/clients. It's the best part of the day sometimes. But is it the best use of YOUR time.
What about that garden that needs tending, scoping out those new tours routes you have in mind, running cross promotions with near by attractions, even those dreaded HST returns.
What if clients could ferret out a lot of information via your website?
What would you spend your time doing if you weren't answering the same questions over and over again on the telephone?
Would you be able to spend more time mingling with the clients you already have? Leading to better referrals and repeaters.
Would you be able to spend more time with your family and pets? Leading to less home life stress.
Would you be able to build that sunroom/gazebo/rock water fall? Again leading to better referrals and repeaters.
Let your website be their guide, and shift your focus to product development/renewal.
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