Greetings,
Just a short note to let you know that next week I'll be attending two premier conferences in Montreal.
Online Revealed Canada is one of the best Online Marketing conferences with a Tourism focus. Produced by A Couple of Chicks e-marketers, I'm looking forward to learning lots of new ideas to share.
Canada e-Connect , Canada's Tourism Online Strategy conference organized by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) is also shaping up to be a great two days of exciting speakers and presentations.
The organizers of the conferences have placed themselves back to back to bring a full week of learning to tourism operators, DMOs, governments and folks like myself. My aim is to bring back and share the best of ideas with you.
Take care, and I'll have my first post conference post in February!
Beth
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
What I learned from watching TV marathons
Greetings,
I hope you enjoyed your holiday, whether you only had the mandatory days or extra days, I hope you made the most of it like I did - watching TV show marathons!
Holiday programming consists of marathons and seasonal movies. Frankly after four weeks of this, I've forgotten all the "regular" season shows I used to watch.
The more you watch a show, the more involved you become in the characters, plot, outcomes. To the point where after watching 5 hours of Mad Men, I really wanted a drink of scotch and a cigarette, and I don't smoke.
Compelling TV almost made me want to start smoking.
And that's what I want from your website. Compelling content and imagery that makes me WANT to book a vacation immediately.
At the very least short list the destination and come back to revisit it.
This is why fresh content is important from month to month, and for repeat visitors from year to year. While I enjoyed those 5 hours of Mad Men, I can't imagine myself doing that every weekend...but in a few months... I may watch 5 different episodes.
I'm not talking vastly different changes. I mean it wouldn't be Mad Men without Don Draper :) The characters would be the same but the plots would be different. Like those locations working on being four season destinations. I should notice a subtle change up in the content for each season. Varying photos.
Seasonal activities should be highlighted and move to the top of the list as they become applicable.
Engaging video
Local personalities
Content that conveys first hand knowledge
Just little things like that will make your website more appropriate, engaging, relevant, enticing and make me CRAVE to visit you :)
Beth
I hope you enjoyed your holiday, whether you only had the mandatory days or extra days, I hope you made the most of it like I did - watching TV show marathons!
Holiday programming consists of marathons and seasonal movies. Frankly after four weeks of this, I've forgotten all the "regular" season shows I used to watch.
The more you watch a show, the more involved you become in the characters, plot, outcomes. To the point where after watching 5 hours of Mad Men, I really wanted a drink of scotch and a cigarette, and I don't smoke.
Compelling TV almost made me want to start smoking.
And that's what I want from your website. Compelling content and imagery that makes me WANT to book a vacation immediately.
At the very least short list the destination and come back to revisit it.
This is why fresh content is important from month to month, and for repeat visitors from year to year. While I enjoyed those 5 hours of Mad Men, I can't imagine myself doing that every weekend...but in a few months... I may watch 5 different episodes.
I'm not talking vastly different changes. I mean it wouldn't be Mad Men without Don Draper :) The characters would be the same but the plots would be different. Like those locations working on being four season destinations. I should notice a subtle change up in the content for each season. Varying photos.
Seasonal activities should be highlighted and move to the top of the list as they become applicable.
Engaging video
Local personalities
Content that conveys first hand knowledge
Just little things like that will make your website more appropriate, engaging, relevant, enticing and make me CRAVE to visit you :)
Beth
Monday, December 14, 2009
I love my new faucet
Greetings,
I hadn't planned on posting again til the new year but I as I was washing my face this morning, I had one of those light bulb moments - I LOVE my new faucet. I love it.
And it struck me how relevant my new faucet story was to the path of getting a new website.
So pay attention.
My Mom loves to home improve. And I like it... to a certain degree. Certainly not as much as my Mom. Some people like technology, others LOVE it.
So my bathroom looks the same as it did 10 years ago. And while everything was functional, the tops of the faucets...those H and C plastic things, would fly off each time I turned them on, and it was one of those models with a lot of detailing and would therefore collect a lot of soapy "crud" on it that I hated to clean off.
Frankly I didn't spend a lot of time looking at it because it wasn't pretty.
Anyway, I saw a nice one with clean lines in the Home Hardware flyer on sale, a really really good sale. So I bought it - in August.
And then I went on with my life, and it sat in it's box on the counter judging me. And lingering in the back of my mind as basically a $50 investment in a box of parts.
Finally last week, I used Facebook to find a friend willing to help me install it, so I could move it from faucet investment to faucet usage.
And I loved it from the first time I turned it on.
It's fantastic. It turns on with one finger. And the aerator is saving me water. And it looks so shiny and new. And it came with a sink stopper mechanism! (Before I just had a hole and a rubber stopper plug - which I never used because who knows where the plug is hiding)
So the new faucet needed a new mirror to go with it, and so I installed that this weekend.
Lessons I've learned from this:
1. It feels so GOOD to finally complete a task that is sitting in the back of your mind. So if you're contemplating a new site or updates or changes, just DO THEM! It's so refreshing to take steps forward.
2. Improvements are great. There is always a new technology, even in faucets, that will make your life easier and save you time (or water). While there was no learning curve involved with my faucet, there will be with a new website. As you learn to use it, the joy and time saving will come and you'll wonder why you ever stuck with that old technology for so long :)
3. You don't need a Cadillac. I mean my shower is another story, and the bathroom floor ... terrible. But I made a small stride, and am reaping the benefits of the improvement. Get your game plan set and make a few improvements to your site this year, with targets set for the following years. Ask for the basic model website and add a feature each year. It can be really overwhelming to add too many new technologies at once. Add them one at a time, when you are ready to fully commit to them.
4. Reach out to others. Find other operators who have a website you like and ask for a reference for their developer. Take the Tourism Technology mentoring session. It's the best $125 you'll every spend. We can help you find the focus and develop the game plan you need to succeed online.
5. Try it, you might like it. So where my Mom would have gutted the bathroom, I started with the faucet. And while there were no frantic trips to the hardware store during the installation, I know that like website development, some improvement jobs hit snags and you just have to have the determination to keep going!
6. BE OPEN TO CHANGE - it's so easy to stay the same. Change is scary. But once I had taken that first step, I found the courage to hammer up a new mirror! And I'm internet educating my self on installing a new floor. My spring project. If you're open to it, it's so much easier to learn new things.
Have a Happy Holiday
Take care,
Beth
I hadn't planned on posting again til the new year but I as I was washing my face this morning, I had one of those light bulb moments - I LOVE my new faucet. I love it.
And it struck me how relevant my new faucet story was to the path of getting a new website.
So pay attention.
My Mom loves to home improve. And I like it... to a certain degree. Certainly not as much as my Mom. Some people like technology, others LOVE it.
So my bathroom looks the same as it did 10 years ago. And while everything was functional, the tops of the faucets...those H and C plastic things, would fly off each time I turned them on, and it was one of those models with a lot of detailing and would therefore collect a lot of soapy "crud" on it that I hated to clean off.
Frankly I didn't spend a lot of time looking at it because it wasn't pretty.
Anyway, I saw a nice one with clean lines in the Home Hardware flyer on sale, a really really good sale. So I bought it - in August.
And then I went on with my life, and it sat in it's box on the counter judging me. And lingering in the back of my mind as basically a $50 investment in a box of parts.
Finally last week, I used Facebook to find a friend willing to help me install it, so I could move it from faucet investment to faucet usage.
And I loved it from the first time I turned it on.
It's fantastic. It turns on with one finger. And the aerator is saving me water. And it looks so shiny and new. And it came with a sink stopper mechanism! (Before I just had a hole and a rubber stopper plug - which I never used because who knows where the plug is hiding)
So the new faucet needed a new mirror to go with it, and so I installed that this weekend.
Lessons I've learned from this:
1. It feels so GOOD to finally complete a task that is sitting in the back of your mind. So if you're contemplating a new site or updates or changes, just DO THEM! It's so refreshing to take steps forward.
2. Improvements are great. There is always a new technology, even in faucets, that will make your life easier and save you time (or water). While there was no learning curve involved with my faucet, there will be with a new website. As you learn to use it, the joy and time saving will come and you'll wonder why you ever stuck with that old technology for so long :)
3. You don't need a Cadillac. I mean my shower is another story, and the bathroom floor ... terrible. But I made a small stride, and am reaping the benefits of the improvement. Get your game plan set and make a few improvements to your site this year, with targets set for the following years. Ask for the basic model website and add a feature each year. It can be really overwhelming to add too many new technologies at once. Add them one at a time, when you are ready to fully commit to them.
4. Reach out to others. Find other operators who have a website you like and ask for a reference for their developer. Take the Tourism Technology mentoring session. It's the best $125 you'll every spend. We can help you find the focus and develop the game plan you need to succeed online.
5. Try it, you might like it. So where my Mom would have gutted the bathroom, I started with the faucet. And while there were no frantic trips to the hardware store during the installation, I know that like website development, some improvement jobs hit snags and you just have to have the determination to keep going!
6. BE OPEN TO CHANGE - it's so easy to stay the same. Change is scary. But once I had taken that first step, I found the courage to hammer up a new mirror! And I'm internet educating my self on installing a new floor. My spring project. If you're open to it, it's so much easier to learn new things.
Have a Happy Holiday
Take care,
Beth
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The 12 Days of Website Best Practices
Today's content created by ... ME. Seems like everyone is doing a variation on the seasonal carol the 12 days of Christmas so I've joined the bandwagon! Plunked on my elf thinking cap and came up with
The 12 Days of Website Best Practices
12 premium photo galleries
Have at least 12 photo galleries on your site. Include pictures of all seasons, and include pictures with PEOPLE in them - be sure and get photo releases or use your family.
11 minimum updates to home page content per year
Update your home page ONCE a month. Even in the off season. So 12 is the optimal number but I gave you one month off :)
10 pages of content and description
Content is king. Include history of the area, and other delightful content to maintain search engine ranking and improve website visitor experience
9 or more rotating images in your flash banner
If you must have a rotating flash banner or images, make sure you have enough so that they don't get stale. A potential customer will visit your site at least 10 times.
8 or more Frequently Asked Questions and answers
Make your FAQ page extensive. If you're referring clients to it, make sure it's useful.
7 or less menu tabs
Keep your main menu selections to 7 or less. Yes you can do this and still have 10 or more pages of content. They're called sub menus. The less clutter on your site the better.
6 testimonials, guest reviews
I cannot stress the importance of guest reviews, the ability for guests to make their own feedback posts to your site, the ability of guests to reconnect with other guests via your site. It's invaluable to you as a tourism operator
5 videos of the property
If you're going to do videos, have at least 5. Videos should be short, under 2 minutes each, and so you will not be able to showcase the whole establishment in 2 minutes. And some clients will be looking to see just a specific area.
4 featured staff members and bios
Feature your staff, yourself as owners, community characters... someone. Add some local personality into your website
3 latest news stories
If you're operating the kind of establishment where you post a lot of news items etc, have only the last three showing on the home page and the rest in an archive. Be wary, the last thing you need on a website is a stale "latest news" item. So this one is also cautionary, if you can't have at least 3 current news items on at all times, then you shouldn't have any news items at all.
2 languages whenever possible
Whenever possible have at least a portion of your website in a second language, and it doesn't have to be French. Dutch, Mic Mac, German, Polish...anything that shows off your values and culture OR caters to the market you are trying to attract. People will stay on a site longer and absorb more information from a site if it is written in their native language
1 go to source for information
Make sure your website is your clients goto source for information. It should answer almost every question so that when they call to book, they are a pre-qualified caller. When you can't answer the phone, refer the caller to the website and let the site lead them on the same journey as you would over the phone.
Your website is your 24 hour sales person !
I hope you've enjoyed today's tourism tech edition of the 12 days of websites.
Contact me for a one-on-one website critique, mentoring session, helpful tips, and MORE!
Beth @@ tianb.com
The 12 Days of Website Best Practices
12 premium photo galleries
Have at least 12 photo galleries on your site. Include pictures of all seasons, and include pictures with PEOPLE in them - be sure and get photo releases or use your family.
11 minimum updates to home page content per year
Update your home page ONCE a month. Even in the off season. So 12 is the optimal number but I gave you one month off :)
10 pages of content and description
Content is king. Include history of the area, and other delightful content to maintain search engine ranking and improve website visitor experience
9 or more rotating images in your flash banner
If you must have a rotating flash banner or images, make sure you have enough so that they don't get stale. A potential customer will visit your site at least 10 times.
8 or more Frequently Asked Questions and answers
Make your FAQ page extensive. If you're referring clients to it, make sure it's useful.
7 or less menu tabs
Keep your main menu selections to 7 or less. Yes you can do this and still have 10 or more pages of content. They're called sub menus. The less clutter on your site the better.
6 testimonials, guest reviews
I cannot stress the importance of guest reviews, the ability for guests to make their own feedback posts to your site, the ability of guests to reconnect with other guests via your site. It's invaluable to you as a tourism operator
5 videos of the property
If you're going to do videos, have at least 5. Videos should be short, under 2 minutes each, and so you will not be able to showcase the whole establishment in 2 minutes. And some clients will be looking to see just a specific area.
4 featured staff members and bios
Feature your staff, yourself as owners, community characters... someone. Add some local personality into your website
3 latest news stories
If you're operating the kind of establishment where you post a lot of news items etc, have only the last three showing on the home page and the rest in an archive. Be wary, the last thing you need on a website is a stale "latest news" item. So this one is also cautionary, if you can't have at least 3 current news items on at all times, then you shouldn't have any news items at all.
2 languages whenever possible
Whenever possible have at least a portion of your website in a second language, and it doesn't have to be French. Dutch, Mic Mac, German, Polish...anything that shows off your values and culture OR caters to the market you are trying to attract. People will stay on a site longer and absorb more information from a site if it is written in their native language
1 go to source for information
Make sure your website is your clients goto source for information. It should answer almost every question so that when they call to book, they are a pre-qualified caller. When you can't answer the phone, refer the caller to the website and let the site lead them on the same journey as you would over the phone.
Your website is your 24 hour sales person !
I hope you've enjoyed today's tourism tech edition of the 12 days of websites.
Contact me for a one-on-one website critique, mentoring session, helpful tips, and MORE!
Beth @@ tianb.com
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Your cousin is a web guy?
Today's content borrowed from Digital Daisy
Or your neighbour knows someone who can "do you a web page"?
Or even luckier - your daughter's latest beau can set you up with a Facebook page and a Twitter account. How lucky can you get!
Or not. In this issue - why is this a bad idea?
If there is one particular story that breaks my heart, it is this one. Clients talk to me about a friend or relative who developed their website and then ended up being disappointed.
A second relates scenario that plays out when a web designer fails to deliver, drags his or her feet or is not available for further support.
In both cases the root cause of the problem may be similar.
Was the Scope Clear?
Ask yourself whether the scope of work was clearly defined. Did both parties know EXACTLY what was agreed to and at what cost? Scope creep (like colouring outside the lines) eats into profit - in terms of time and money, leaving two unhappy parties.
In the first scenario you have the added complication of personal relationships that get in the way of making tough business decisions or speaking your truth.
Quacks Don't Cure
You take your health problems to your doctor. Web development and Internet marketing are professional services too - don't take them to a quack - the pain is not going to go away. Pay fair value for fair service. It is investment you make in the health of your marketing.
Here are some suggested questions to ask a web developer before moving forward:
How long have you been in business?
What do you know about my industry? (Super important in Tourism !)
What's included in the design - how many pages, what features, etc.
How much will it cost?
Is hosting included?
How much is it per month - is there a discount if I pay annually?
Is setup included?
I don't have a domain name; can you recommend one and register it for me? How much will it be?
Will the domain be registered in my name? (Insist on this!) How is that billed? How can I register the domain name myself?
How do you like to communicate? By e-mail, phone or in person?
What can I expect in the design process?
How many designs and revisions are allowed for?
How long will all of this take?
What are your terms?
What happens if the scope of the project changes?
What happens if we cannot seem to work together?
At what point is the site considered "done"?
What happens when the work is completed?
Do you have a guarantee?
How will the site be maintained? Do you have a service contract? What is included?
Will there be a construction page posted while the site is being built?
What do you need from me?
How should the content be delivered (via email, disk, hard copy)?
Do you take credit cards?
Get your answers in writing
Ask for and check client references
Programmers are not always people friendly, don't let that deter you from hiring one, just keep it in the back of your mind while going through the interview process.
Or your neighbour knows someone who can "do you a web page"?
Or even luckier - your daughter's latest beau can set you up with a Facebook page and a Twitter account. How lucky can you get!
Or not. In this issue - why is this a bad idea?
If there is one particular story that breaks my heart, it is this one. Clients talk to me about a friend or relative who developed their website and then ended up being disappointed.
A second relates scenario that plays out when a web designer fails to deliver, drags his or her feet or is not available for further support.
In both cases the root cause of the problem may be similar.
Was the Scope Clear?
Ask yourself whether the scope of work was clearly defined. Did both parties know EXACTLY what was agreed to and at what cost? Scope creep (like colouring outside the lines) eats into profit - in terms of time and money, leaving two unhappy parties.
In the first scenario you have the added complication of personal relationships that get in the way of making tough business decisions or speaking your truth.
Quacks Don't Cure
You take your health problems to your doctor. Web development and Internet marketing are professional services too - don't take them to a quack - the pain is not going to go away. Pay fair value for fair service. It is investment you make in the health of your marketing.
Here are some suggested questions to ask a web developer before moving forward:
How long have you been in business?
What do you know about my industry? (Super important in Tourism !)
What's included in the design - how many pages, what features, etc.
How much will it cost?
Is hosting included?
How much is it per month - is there a discount if I pay annually?
Is setup included?
I don't have a domain name; can you recommend one and register it for me? How much will it be?
Will the domain be registered in my name? (Insist on this!) How is that billed? How can I register the domain name myself?
How do you like to communicate? By e-mail, phone or in person?
What can I expect in the design process?
How many designs and revisions are allowed for?
How long will all of this take?
What are your terms?
What happens if the scope of the project changes?
What happens if we cannot seem to work together?
At what point is the site considered "done"?
What happens when the work is completed?
Do you have a guarantee?
How will the site be maintained? Do you have a service contract? What is included?
Will there be a construction page posted while the site is being built?
What do you need from me?
How should the content be delivered (via email, disk, hard copy)?
Do you take credit cards?
Get your answers in writing
Ask for and check client references
Programmers are not always people friendly, don't let that deter you from hiring one, just keep it in the back of your mind while going through the interview process.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Twitter and Travel Industry
Note: Content borrowed from and references made to Project Wander as well as Dead Mouse Sandwich
Many operators are asking me about Twitter, what is it? Should I be tweeting?
And the answer is not straight forward.
Twitter is the ability to talk to all your followers with one "text message". Messages in twitter can only be 124 characters. Frankly there's not much you can do on the twitter page itself, twitter requires you install Tweet Deck or some other third party "tweet organizer".
In a nutshell:
It will take some creativity to come up with new and useful 124 character tweets
You have to gain followers (and keep their trust)
And you need to install Tweet Deck
Twitter is not a place where you can just tweet out your specials one right after the other. All your followers will drop you. Applying the dead mouse sandwich principle, you need to wrap tweets about your business with tweets that are interesting and meaningful or retweets.
Twitter is working best in a customer service capacity to some degree for companies like Comcast, or Dell. Celebrities are having fun with Twitter.
It's definitely a time consuming venture.
For our market in Atlantic Canada, your best online bet is still your website, and perhaps a facebook fan page. But definitely your website. It's still your best online impression and close to 50% of Atlantic Canadian travel operations are making a terrible online impression.
Twitter, I wouldn't get my feather ruffled over it.
Many operators are asking me about Twitter, what is it? Should I be tweeting?
And the answer is not straight forward.
Twitter is the ability to talk to all your followers with one "text message". Messages in twitter can only be 124 characters. Frankly there's not much you can do on the twitter page itself, twitter requires you install Tweet Deck or some other third party "tweet organizer".
In a nutshell:
It will take some creativity to come up with new and useful 124 character tweets
You have to gain followers (and keep their trust)
And you need to install Tweet Deck
Twitter is not a place where you can just tweet out your specials one right after the other. All your followers will drop you. Applying the dead mouse sandwich principle, you need to wrap tweets about your business with tweets that are interesting and meaningful or retweets.
Twitter is working best in a customer service capacity to some degree for companies like Comcast, or Dell. Celebrities are having fun with Twitter.
It's definitely a time consuming venture.
For our market in Atlantic Canada, your best online bet is still your website, and perhaps a facebook fan page. But definitely your website. It's still your best online impression and close to 50% of Atlantic Canadian travel operations are making a terrible online impression.
Twitter, I wouldn't get my feather ruffled over it.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Women and Information Forwarding
Recently came across these interesting graphs on another blog. The graphs are from PopSugar Media and Radian research and show some relevent information on how Women share information they find on the internet.
Sorted by Gen X and Gen Y, but I want to focus in on what method came in first, second and third.
As I tell all my clients, it's the women in the family who are reseraching holiday travel.
And so what are the top three methods used to discover new products (products would include travel destinations and attractions):
When you're ready to make your site the best it can be, ask your developer about these features and how to incorporate them into your new website.
For more information, just drop me a line beth@@tianb.com
Sorted by Gen X and Gen Y, but I want to focus in on what method came in first, second and third.
As I tell all my clients, it's the women in the family who are reseraching holiday travel.
And so what are the top three methods used to discover new products (products would include travel destinations and attractions):
- referral from an article or newspaper online
- search engines
- online ads, whether directly clicked or not
And how do they share this new product or vacation spot with friends:
- they call them
- they email them
- and fairly close together are writing a review and posting on facebook
How can this help us create a better website for Women researching new products and destinations?
- never underestimate the value of the press, having your establishment reviewed in any online forum will result in natural search engine ranking and hits
- never stop updating or refreshing your website content and working on maintaining that natural search engine ranking
- direct clicks are not always the best measure of your online ad campaigns, impressions count
- nothing will ever replace girl chat
- email is not dead, and having the "email to a friend feature" on your packages page will come in handy - as well as share this on facebook feature
- always provide a way for your clients to write a review or provide feedback directly on your website. Women will read other's comments and value that information.
When you're ready to make your site the best it can be, ask your developer about these features and how to incorporate them into your new website.
For more information, just drop me a line beth@@tianb.com
Monday, November 9, 2009
What's your story?
Been in the biz a while - what better way to let folks know than by sharing that history on your website
Operating your own Bed and Breakfast? Well tell me why and for how long? You're going to tell me when I get there anyways? Why not give me just a little taste on your website?
Did your jam win 1st place at the local agricultural fair?
Got pets? I want to know their names and quirks.
Anything special you do or have MUST be showcased on your website.
Call me for the tourism technology one on one mentoring session, I can find your website's hidden potential.
506 451 0173
Beth
Operating your own Bed and Breakfast? Well tell me why and for how long? You're going to tell me when I get there anyways? Why not give me just a little taste on your website?
Did your jam win 1st place at the local agricultural fair?
Got pets? I want to know their names and quirks.
Anything special you do or have MUST be showcased on your website.
- Who lived in the house before you
- Knitted mittens for sale
- Home made soap
- Antique furniture collections
- Dessert of the week, collection of mouth watering photos
- Heated mineral pool and it's benefits
- Ghosts
- Bicycles
- Tire swing
Call me for the tourism technology one on one mentoring session, I can find your website's hidden potential.
506 451 0173
Beth
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Email - still going strong
Today, let's focus on our old pal the email campaign.
Regardless of your industry or size, email marketing should still be playing important roles in your overall marketing strategy. When embracing Facebook and Twitter, let us not forget our friend the monthly email newsletter.
While some social networking sites come and go, email shows no signs of slowing down or becoming obsolete. Email is not a fad. Email, dare I say it, could be here to stay.
What makes email so appealing?
Well if you use a company like Constant Contact or another email manager software then email is completely trackable. You can find out how many of your emails were opened, who clicked on which links, and other useful information.
Email is thusly more accountable then social media.
Consumers more and more are relying on their emails. Even the older generation have emails to keep in touch with Grandchildren who are living at a distance. For the user, it's fairly easy to learn and manage.
Email vendors (such as Constant Contact) are getting better and their software options and tracking are improving. It's low cost, based either on the size of your list, or the number of emails you will be sending in a 30 day period.
Email software programs can personalize your email, Dear Beth Ashton.
You can include basic html and logos
And always include a call to action.
To get you started check out the free version of MailChimp. Upto 300 email addresses, and send up to 10 emails per month.
Email - don't start marketing without it.
Regardless of your industry or size, email marketing should still be playing important roles in your overall marketing strategy. When embracing Facebook and Twitter, let us not forget our friend the monthly email newsletter.
While some social networking sites come and go, email shows no signs of slowing down or becoming obsolete. Email is not a fad. Email, dare I say it, could be here to stay.
What makes email so appealing?
Well if you use a company like Constant Contact or another email manager software then email is completely trackable. You can find out how many of your emails were opened, who clicked on which links, and other useful information.
Email is thusly more accountable then social media.
Consumers more and more are relying on their emails. Even the older generation have emails to keep in touch with Grandchildren who are living at a distance. For the user, it's fairly easy to learn and manage.
Email vendors (such as Constant Contact) are getting better and their software options and tracking are improving. It's low cost, based either on the size of your list, or the number of emails you will be sending in a 30 day period.
Email software programs can personalize your email, Dear Beth Ashton.
You can include basic html and logos
And always include a call to action.
To get you started check out the free version of MailChimp. Upto 300 email addresses, and send up to 10 emails per month.
Email - don't start marketing without it.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
What's new with me
Today's post is all about how blogging can be seen as simply talking to friends about what's new in your life.
For some tourism operators in Atlantic Canada, what's new in your life IS what's new in your business.
Take myself in this example... Have I been putting forward the best blogging content over the past two months? Not really and here's the inside scoop. While during the Day I work tirelessly on tourism issues and technologies, at Night I become the Volunteer Director in charge of putting together all the details for the Fredericton edition of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure. The event is the first Sunday in October and gets more time consuming as it gets closer to event date.
Day and Night become blurred, technology posts slide, what I think is more critical work comes first.
Dilemmas? Most certainly.
Should I have been upfront with my followers (all three of you) ?
Should I have even confessed to it today?
My exact situation is a little different from yours... my Day and Night job areas were quite far apart. However if I was organizing the "Giant Tourism Festival", then I should definitely have been blogging about every little detail !! That would be an ideal condition for making time to blog.
But I was doing something unrelated to Tourism. My dilemma being, if I mention upfront that posts are going to be sparser, does that incline you to stop coming by? (oops now down to two followers) Or do you take the break for what it is, a break, and take one yourself?
On the other hand, if I just start posting lame content without any rationale, some might think that I've run out of material and stop following me because they have learned all I have to teach (now down to a single follower, and I think that's my mom...)
Something to think about, and there's no right answer. You have to do what's best for you and your blog.
On a work related note, the Tourism Technology.com program just got it's renewal so I'll be here until 2012 doling out that personal advice. So drop me a line and let me know what technology questions you want to see featured here. beth @@tianb.com
Acutally by 2012 blogs will be so 2009 and we'll just have our memories of these bits and bytes.
For some tourism operators in Atlantic Canada, what's new in your life IS what's new in your business.
Take myself in this example... Have I been putting forward the best blogging content over the past two months? Not really and here's the inside scoop. While during the Day I work tirelessly on tourism issues and technologies, at Night I become the Volunteer Director in charge of putting together all the details for the Fredericton edition of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure. The event is the first Sunday in October and gets more time consuming as it gets closer to event date.
Day and Night become blurred, technology posts slide, what I think is more critical work comes first.
Dilemmas? Most certainly.
Should I have been upfront with my followers (all three of you) ?
Should I have even confessed to it today?
My exact situation is a little different from yours... my Day and Night job areas were quite far apart. However if I was organizing the "Giant Tourism Festival", then I should definitely have been blogging about every little detail !! That would be an ideal condition for making time to blog.
But I was doing something unrelated to Tourism. My dilemma being, if I mention upfront that posts are going to be sparser, does that incline you to stop coming by? (oops now down to two followers) Or do you take the break for what it is, a break, and take one yourself?
On the other hand, if I just start posting lame content without any rationale, some might think that I've run out of material and stop following me because they have learned all I have to teach (now down to a single follower, and I think that's my mom...)
Something to think about, and there's no right answer. You have to do what's best for you and your blog.
On a work related note, the Tourism Technology.com program just got it's renewal so I'll be here until 2012 doling out that personal advice. So drop me a line and let me know what technology questions you want to see featured here. beth @@tianb.com
Acutally by 2012 blogs will be so 2009 and we'll just have our memories of these bits and bytes.
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