Hotel Marketing Podcast

Awesome New Hawaii Promotional Campaign https://www.tnooz.com/article/smile-please-personalised-travel-itineraries-based-on-facial-expressionsa/ ======================== Show Notes: First Off, Why Video? 75% growth in users posting facebook video in past 12 months 100 million videos viewed every day Youtube is the 2nd largest search engine in the world Video in the travel space (according to a Google 2014 study) 66% watched videos when thinking about taking a trip 65% watched videos when choosing a destination 54% watched videos when deciding which accommodation to stay at, and 63% watched videos when looking for ideas for activities at a destination In a recent study by Fuel, over 80% of people said that video influences their hotel decision YouTube reaches more 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the U.S. Must Have Videos for Hotels: Rooms and more rooms (Do I have people in the room shots?) Amenities (include people enjoying amenities) Facility (guided video tours work well) Lobby and street are not that important Drone shots are great if you’ve got the setting (Pete shares his love of the new GoPro Karma) Popular Area Activities/Venues Employee Interviews Guest testimonials Most importantly, consider that video must ADD to your visitors journey to becoming a guest. Self-serving fluff doesn’t help anyone. When shooting video, consider: Lighting is critical Stage the scene and ensure the background is well-kept Stabilization/gimbal Sound Quality (especially outside) Maneuvering during the video (keep a clear path) Waivers/Permission if necessary Shoot in 4k Social Tactics: 100 million videos watched on Facebook daily Get to the point - you have to grab follower attention quickly as they scroll Include subtitles - most videos are viewed with no sound Frequency is important - post videos on an ongoing basis, not one and done Get your guests involved - user photos and videos have a place on your site Go beyond Facebook - Twitter, Vine, Snapchat, Instagram, Periscope and more. Find out what hits your audience (BUT DO FACEBOOK WELL FIRST) Live Video: This ties directly into your social campaign Facebook live has made massive gains in the market and our experience has shown it to be welcomed by fans Practical Advice on Integrating Video into Your Marketing: Make video a feature on the site and specifically the home page Don’t overthink your video serving platform, Youtube works great and allows for an expanded reach of your content. Do you link to Youtube? - Pete says NO, send users to your video gallery instead. Always, always have an intuitive title and transcript Of our clients who have live web cams, these pages are consistently in the top page views on the site (make sure you’re converting them) Wata’ mark dat shit ‘bra Consider merging your photo and video galleries into one larger platform Find opportunity to generate user generated content and post on site The future of Video 360 VR General Best Practices and Key Takeaways: Develop a video strategy and calendar It’s the little things that make a big difference Don’t go it alone, can you partner with area attractions, CVBs, etc? When creating video content for your hotel, your mantra should be: “Show, don’t tell.” ======================== Question of the week: Amit Arora ‏@Amit_0717 Sep 27 @FuelTravel with less than 20% open rates on emails, is email marketing still a better platform than direct mail for hotel marketing? ======================== Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @pdimaio @marketingmeisha @pforiska

In The News: Marriott / Starwood Merger Complete http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/roadwarriorvoices/2016/09/23/marriott-starwood-merger-complete-and-loyal-customers-get-reciprocal-benefits/90885318/ Almost one year after purchase date $13 Billion Now Marriott owns 30 brands / more than 5,700 hotels / 1.1 Million Rooms / 110 Countries Big focus on loyalty program now - members of both programs can log in at Members.marriott.com to begin earning & redeeming points at all hotels; new, unified experience. https://skift.com/2016/09/21/every-one-of-marriotts-30-hotel-brands-explained/ Expedia launches Rev+ revenue management tool https://www.tnooz.com/article/expedia-pushes-hotel-b2b-services-with-revenue-management-launch/ Expedia axes strategy of dimming hotels that apparently offer low value https://www.tnooz.com/article/expedia-stops-dimming-hotels-in-search-results-that-offer-low-value/ Google Rolls Out Cross Device Retargeting http://searchengineland.com/google-roll-cross-device-retargeting-259567 ======================== Show Notes: SERP Changes Google showing flights & hotel costs for vacation searches: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-flights-hotel-costs-vacations-22734.html Showing for very broad searches (ex: Caribbean vacations) New “popular destinations” box with hotel & flight price information Clicking on any of the boxes will take you to a Destinations on Google page Google showing booking widget in SERPs for hotel brand searches: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-hotel-booking-top-22749.html Google starting testing placing a hotel booking widget within the search results above Adwords ads Algorithm Changes: Google Possum algorithm update http://searchengineland.com/everything-need-know-googles-possum-algorithm-update-258900 http://searchengineland.com/google-updates-penguin-says-now-real-time-part-core-algorithm-259302 Also an update to Google’s Penguin Algorithm. Penguin is Google’s algorithm update that identifies sites using spammy linking practices. this would be Penguins 4th major release We’ve heard that Google was trying to bake Penguin into the algorithm so it operates in real-time and now it seems that will be the case. Before this update Google was dishing out site-wide penalties. Sites would have to make huge efforts to remove and disavow spammy links. Sites would remain penalized until the next time the Penguin filter ran and only then would there be chance to have the penalty lifted. This update is supposed to run more granularly. With this update Google crawls and indexes pages, and the Penguin filter will assess the pages in real time. Penalties will now be assessed on more of a page or site-section level than a site-wide level. While some claim to have seen the effects already we will likely see more and more affected as this continues to roll out. Mobile App: Google Launches Google Trips App https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/19/google-launches-a-personalized-travel-planner-google-trips/ Question of the week: Lara Samaha on Twitter: "Hi @stuartbutler. I have a question. How can you track Tripconnect conversations on Google @googleanalytics ?" Google's handy link generator: https://ga-dev-tools.appspot.com/campaign-url-builder/

Show Notes: Mobile Apps are all the rage, in this episode, we look at the good, the bad and the ugly app from the major travel industry players. Find out who’s doing it right and who’s doing it very, very wrong. Also, we look at some data from individual property’s mobile apps and what features are actually working for them. Check out the original blog post: We Tried Every Travel App Out There So You Don’t Have To http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/travel-booking-app-comparison-review-guide/ In The News: Hotels Need More Bandwidth http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/71622/2017-tech-trends-Faster-bandwidth-more-mobile-apps YouTube is now a Social Network https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/13/youtube-gets-its-own-social-network-with-the-launch-of-youtube-community/ Twitter Adds Customer Service Hours https://www.searchenginejournal.com/twitter-customer-service-features/173889/?ver=173889X3 SEE THE FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-23-the-best-and-worst-travel-industry-mobile-apps ======================== Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @pdimaio @marketingmeisha @pforiska

Paying attention to your data is critical if you want to be a successful hotel marketer. The challenge is knowing which metrics to pay attention to and which ones are vanity metrics that can lead you to the wrong conclusion. In this episode, we look at 10 of the most important metrics and why they are important. The inspiration for this podcast came from this awesome blog written by our resident analytics guru, Melissa Kavanagh. Read the full blog here: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/10-hotel-marketing-metrics-matter/ In The News: Business Travel App Stats (via @Tnooz) https://www.tnooz.com/article/business-travellers-on-apps-and-other-hotel-technology/ TripAdvisor revamps homepage with activity focus alongside hotels http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Technology/TripAdvisor-redesigns-website-to-induce-more-tour-bookings Related articles: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/deconstructing-the-hotel-conversion-funnel/ http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-7-how-to-get-more-hotel-bookings-and-influence-people/ Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @pdimaio @makavanagh

The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is one of the industry's leading advocates for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals & their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue. One of their recent articles, entitled 8 Essentials Every GM Needs to Know About Digital Marketing Today, caught our eye and that is the subject of episode 21 of the Fuel Hotel Marketing podcast. Here’s the original article from HSMAI: 8 Essentials Every GM Needs to Know About Digital Marketing Today http://www.hsmai.org/knowledge/article.cfm?ItemNumber=27890&RDtoken=17453&userID=4854 CHECK OUT THE FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-21-what-every-hotel-needs-to-know-about-digital-marketing-in-2016-courtesy-of-hsmai

Show Notes: Chances are, if you have a product or service to sell, you are producing content in some form or fashion. From text, photos and videos to interactive widgets and downloads, the Internet is essentially a great big web of content. In order for customers to learn about your hotels you need content that provides them with helpful information that answers their questions and that persuades them to part with their hard earned money in exchange for a trip to your property. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we look at content in its many forms and discuss techniques that hoteliers can implement to ensure that they are beating their competition in the battle for content supremacy. FOR IN DEPTH SHOW NOTES, VISIT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-20-how-to-easily-create-amazing-content/ ======================== In the News Aloft hotels debut voice-activated rooms http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/roadwarriorvoices/2016/08/24/aloft-hotels-debut-voice-activated-rooms/89218504/ Hotel Guests Engaged During Stay 40% More Likely to Come Back http://www.hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/hotel-guests-engaged-during-stay-40-more-likely-to-come-back#When:10:02:09Z In a first, Expedia promotes a hotel’s loyalty rates and rewards program https://www.tnooz.com/article/expedia-hotels-loyalty-rates/ Google drops “mobile-friendly” label from SERP http://searchengineland.com/google-drops-mobile-friendly-label-keeps-mobile-friendly-ranking-algorithm-257245 Google’s new penalty on pop-ups http://searchengineland.com/interstitialgeddon-google-warns-will-crack-intrusive-interstitials-next-january-257252 ======================== Related Links: Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 10 – Should My Hotel Have a Blog? http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-10-hotel-blog/ How To Create Kickass Content For Your Hotel Website http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/create-kickass-website-content/ Download the Fuel Leisure Trravel Study at www.fueltravel.com/study ======================== Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @pdimaio

In this ultra-competitive hospitality industry, profitability is tough to maintain. Consumers have more research power than ever and have the tools and technology at their disposal to find the best available rate with ease. This, coupled with the ongoing battle between OTAs and hoteliers for the privilege of getting the booking and owning the guest, means that it’s a great time for hotels to get creative in maximizing their revenue. One of the simplest and most effective methods is in the age-old sales technique of upselling. From room upgrades, to additional services, and F&B, there are so many opportunities to upsell a guest and maximize your profit. FULL SHOW NOTES CAN BE FOUND AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-19-art-science-upselling-hotel-guest/ Focus on Enhancing Your Guest’s Experience, Don’t Be a Used Car Salesman. As travelers, we are primed to buy things. There are seldom times when our purse strings are more loose. Having said that, no one likes being sold to. It’s very important that you train your staff to approach upselling as a way to enhance the guest experience. The result of upselling is increased profit; however, the primary goal and focus should be on strengthening your relationship with the guest by enhancing their experience, Upselling should occur throughout the guest’s journey Don’t focus on just one specific time to upsell. Any time you have an interaction with a guest, over the phone, in person, or virtually via your website or an email, there’s an opportunity to upsell. Here’s why: Guests are often not aware of upgrade options, especially when the reservation was OTA or an business traveller’s assistant. Even if they book direct, perhaps, the phone reservationists may not have conveyed the upgrade options or their value The guest’s needs will constantly change Family vacationers, for example, may add people to their trip or may want to squeeze in an extra attraction before they leave. The travel lifecycle is full of micro-moments for decision making. Each time a guest is presented with a decision to spend money or not you may get a different answer. Their experience, their mood, the fact that they already paid perceive that they’ve paid for the stay, etc. All of these factors can influence their decision. Timing and Message Matter. Since the purpose of upselling is to improve the guest’s experience then it has a place throughout the entire research, purchase and consumption life cycle, but what you upsell depends greatly on when you upsell. === CONTEST: the first three hotels to email to [email protected] with subject line "I love direct bookings!" gets a free pass to attend The Direct Booking Summit! Check out www.Triptease.com for great rate parity software and register for their Direct Booking Summit at http://www.directbookingsummit.com/ === Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @pdimaio @makavanagh

In the inaugural episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discussed the OTAs vs. Direct bookings and gave some ideas on how you can reclaim some of your guests. In this episode, we discuss the fact that the war is heating up. All the players are circling their wagons and preparing for a battle royal - potentially to the death. Who will win? Love them or hate them, OTAs are an important part of the travel ecosystem. When used correctly. They are immensely useful and can drive occupancy and revenue. When used incorrectly, they are an unnecessary expense that can handcuff a property and prevent it from being profitable. In this episode, we discuss how this war started and who’s firing the biggest shots. We also look at the impact that this fallout is having on the consumer and offer our words of wisdom to the industry. ======================== ARTICLES THAT WE DISCUSSED THIS WEEK More hotels offer discounts for booking directly http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2016/07/10/hotels-booking-loyalty-program-discounts/86826042/ Are online travel sites providing biased information? (follows on from the dimming article last week) http://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-expedia-priceline-online-travel-sites-providing-biased-hotel-travel-information/ Priceline CEO to Hotels: We Can Offer Discounted Rates, Too https://skift.com/2016/08/05/priceline-ceo-to-hotels-we-can-offer-discounted-rates-too/ The state of online travel agency bookings in charts https://www.tnooz.com/article/state-of-online-travel-agency-bookings-charts/ (Reasons people book with OTAs) In search of hotels, more travelers turn to OTAs than hotel websites http://www.phocuswright.com/Free-Travel-Research/Channel-Surfing-Where-Consumers-Shop-for-Travel-Online Independent hotels increasingly dependent on OTAs http://www.hotrec.eu/newsroom/press-releases-1714/dominant-online-platforms-gaining-market-share-in-travel-trade-no-signs-of-increased-competition-between-online-travel-agents-unveils-european-hotel-distribution-study.aspx ======================== Related Links: Convert OTA Guests to In-House Bookings: 5 Ways to Succeed - http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/convert-ota-guests-to-in-house-bookings-5-ways-to-succeed/?ref=blog Get Your Hotel Bookings Back: 7 Ways to Reduce OTA Reliance - http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/get-your-hotel-bookings-back-7-ways-to-reduce-ota-reliance/?ref=blog Download the Fuel Leisure Trravel Study at www.fueltravel.com/study Check out www.triptease.com for great rate parity software and register for their Direct Booking Summit at http://www.directbookingsummit.com/ ======================== Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @pdimaio @marketingmeisha

In this week’s episode we analyze and discuss an article from Hospitalitynet.org by Sarah Came - a copywriter with GuestRevu. The article discusses ways that you can turn your guests into promoters of your property. Find the full article at http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4077315.html In The News Expedia Caught “Dimming” Hotels with Lower Book Direct Rates: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-online-travel-agencies-manipulate-your-search-results_us_579e0279e4b00e7e269fa568 Google Expanded Text Ads Are Here http://searchengineland.com/google-adwords-expanded-text-ads-live-254548 ======================== Show Notes: User generated content (Check out flip.to for a great UGC tool) Go after repeat guests Don't sell, inspire Engage with your guests (past, present and prospective) Ask for reviews Don't settle for satisfaction, aim for delight ======================== Related Links: The Automated Emails Your Hotel Should Be Sending - http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/the-automated-emails-your-hotel-should-be-sending/ Check out GuestRevu - www.guestrevu.com/ Original HospitalityNet.org Article - 6 ways to turn loyal guests into promoters - http://www.hospitalitynet.org/column/global/154000392/4077315.html ======================== Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @pdimaio @marketingmeisha

Despite search engines doing their best to push organic results down and replace them with more paid ads, every hotel still relies on a steady stream of free traffic from organic search engine results. SEO can be very daunting due to the vastness of what it entails. Search engines look at hundreds of factors when determining which results should rank at the top of the results page for any given keyword. In this episode, we discuss some of the basic block and tackle on-page aspects that can have a significant impact in your overall search ranking.. In The News Verizon Buys Yahoo! For 4.8 Billion http://money.cnn.com/2016/07/25/technology/yahoo-verizon-deal-sale/index.html Brands Can Request Verified Twitter Accounts http://www.marketingtechnews.net/news/2016/jul/20/brands-can-now-apply-verified-twitter-account-it-opens-everyone/ Millennials Lead the Way in Travel Agent Usage: http://www.travelagentcentral.com/trends-research/asta-millennials-lead-way-travel-agent-usage-56823 Westin Hotel Running Club http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/26/business/why-your-local-hotel-is-trying-to-hook-you.html?_r=1 ======================== Show Notes: Previously, we have discussed the Top 3 SEO factors in a broad manner. Today, we discuss things at a more granular and tactical level. http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-5-search-engine-optimization-for-hotels/ In a recent blog post, one of our resident SEO experts, Meisha, gave an in depth look at What you should include in an SEO audit http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/ultimate-seo-audit-for-hotels/ Read the full article for a more detailed explanation and a list of technical items to check for, but here is the basic outline for on-page optimizations: On-Page Optimizations Canonicalization URL Structure Title Tag Meta Description Page Speed Header Hierarchy Image Alt Text - http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/ask-a-fueligan-how-can-i-write-great-image-alt-text/ Schema Markup Keyword Targeting - http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/proper-keyword-research-important-hotel/ Content Optimizations Type/Amount of Content Conversion Funnel Download the FREE Fuel SEO audit and make a copy to use for yourself! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J9GOo8Fn6ctJ5PeD_2y4QBd0bMjh1XsVWQCiVAaDC08/edit#heading=h.40dsaoh8f2qm ======================== Question of the week: What are the biggest SEO mistakes that hotels make? Darren B. ======================== Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @pdimaio @marketingmeisha @pforiska

Your social fan base can be one of your hotel’s best assets and word-of-mouth exposure can be priceless. However massive social exposure is not always a good thing… So what do you do when a guest tweets a photo of bedbugs, or someone posts a scathing review on TripAdvisor? In this episode we discuss the three tactics for mitigating the damage when the social stuff hits the fan (S-SHTF) and even turning it into a win. In The News Expedia Purchases Photo Sharing Site: http://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/expedia-acquisition-acquires-trover-travel-photography/ This combined with Orbits and CheapTickets expanding their reviews to rental cars is a sign that the OTAs are looking to chip away at the TA market share Google releases new ways to edit Google Maps listings. https://maps.googleblog.com/2016/07/more-ways-to-share-your-street-smarts.html How many hotels have jumped on the Pokemon GO Bandwagon http://www.ryansolutions.com/blog/2016/pokemon-go-hotels/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=buttonDBBOXr&utm_campaign=stash FULL SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-15-how-to-deal-with-a-social-media-or-pr-crisis/

Pokemon are everywhere and Pokemon Go is everywhere in the media right now and everyone is trying to get their own little piece of attention from this world-wide phenomenon by trying to newsjack these imaginary monsters. This is the inspiration for an episode dedicated to newsjacking. What is Newsjacking and how can your hotel benefit from it? In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we offer examples of great newsjacking and also where it may have gone terribly wrong for some folks. We give our opinions and offer some simple do’s and don'ts. In The News http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Hotel-guest-satisfaction-plateaus-as-perks-become-standard https://skift.com/2016/07/12/airbnb-scores-another-corporate-travel-win-with-amex-global-business-travel-deal/ Show Notes: Our Pokemon newsjack: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/7-ways-pokemon-go-can-benefit-hotels/ When to Newsjack Timing is everything if you want to be effective at newsjacking. Like most things that involve time, there’s a bell curve that can predict the life cycle of any news item or event. It starts with the news breaking, soon after that, journalists are going to be scrambling to get more information and put out their own spin on the subject. After that, the public gets excited or hyper-aware of the event. Next, the topic reaches fever pitch and peaks. Finally, the news item will slowly die as it drifts through the old news phase and it’s inevitable irrelevance. To most effectively newsjack, you have to be out of the gates fast. You need to create your own spin on the story between the time that the story breaks and the time that journalists produce their own content. Your goal should be to get included in the journalist’s stories because that will give you the maximum impact. The other thing to consider related to when to newsjack is more of a common sense thing. Pick your topics wisely. The following are fair game for newsjacking: Sporting events Celebrity mishaps Popular TV show premiers and finales Award shows Political shenanigans Major holidays and anniversaries (depending on the event) Avoid anything that is tasteless or that would tarnish your hotel brand. For example: Disasters or tragedies of any kind High-profile criminal activity Controversial subjects Don’t trivialize something that is important to people How to prepare your hotel to be a newsjacker Monitor the news - you can set up alerts from most major news outlets. You may also monitor what’s trending on Twitter. Do keyword research - ensure that your content is using the words and phrases that have the highest search volume Know your stuff - spend some time learning about the news item or event. You want to make sure that you have all of the information before you jump in with two fee. Determine your angle - come up with something novel or unique that ties your hotel to the news item or event. You have to have something to say to be newsworthy. Get it done fast, but make sure it’s good - timing is critical, but so is the quality. Don’t rush it out if it’s not ready. Be sure to allocate the appropriate amount of time to the task at hand. This will ensure that people pay attention to you amidst the noise. Spread the word - As with all content marketing, distribution drive the train. Be sure to not only push the information out on your social channels, but consider sending out a press release to local media outlets as well. They are the folks that you really want to engage. Don’t forget the call to action - Brandin is great, social followers or email subscribers are better and better than any of those are hotel bookings. Think through your approach to ensure that you move these potential guests that are paying attention to you down the sales funnel. That could be an email popup or a special offer. Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @marketingmeisha @pdimaio

In this week’s episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we dig into the world of social media. What social media platforms are right for your hotel? What types of posts should your hotel be making? Which hotels are doing a good job on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and SnapChat? Find out below. Question: Which social media channels should my hotel be on? - Zoe C Facebook 72% of adult internet users use Facebook (58% of entire adult population) 1.44B monthly active users More women than men (77% vs 66%) Skews younger, but stats remain impressive (82% of users 18-29… 56% of 65+ use Facebook) US top country, strong presence worldwide (US = 15% of users) https://www.facebook.com/business/news/audience-insights http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/19/the-demographics-of-social-media-users/ http://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/ Organic reach ~5% https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide Best Facebook Ad Formats For Hotels - http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/the-best-facebook-ad-formats-for-hotels/ The Basics of Facebook Advertising - http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/the-basics-of-facebook-advertising/ Do’s: Strong, identifiable, attractive cover photo & profile images. Utilize custom tabs → Hotel / Room tours, specials, book direct, contests, etc. Use Facebook Open Graph meta tags Post regularly Encourage engagement Create & share hotel events Experiment with new features → Facebook live video, 360 images, canvas, etc. Share positive reviews / stories from guests Respond to reviews → Good & bad Show personality Showcase your destination Check audience insights Facebook Marketing For Hotels - http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/facebook-marketing-for-hotels/ Don’t’s: Ignore bad comments, reviews Set it & forget it Use hashtags, unless you are using your own branded hashtag, running contest, etc. Pages We Like: Yotel NYC - https://www.facebook.com/YOTELNYC/ Hilton Brand Page - https://www.facebook.com/YOTELNYC/ MyrtleBeach.com - https://www.facebook.com/myrtlebeach Twitter: ~23% of the online population uses Twitter (19% of adult population) 310 Million monthly active users Skews towards men (24% vs 21%) Skews towards higher income & higher education Age is skewed to young adult population https://about.twitter.com/company https://business.twitter.com/en/advertising.html Do’s: Strong, identifiable, attractive cover photo & profile images. Use photos & videos in tweets Use Twitter cards to make links in tweets larger, more customizable Look at your Twitter Analytics → A lot of great, FREE info here Respond to direct tweets, mentions Retweet relevant news, media, etc. Encourage engagement Show personality Use relevant hashtags Don’t’s: Ignore tweets & mentions Set it & forget it Overuse hashtags Pages We Like: Cosmopolitan Las Vegas - https://twitter.com/Cosmopolitan_LV Aloft Hotels - https://twitter.com/Cosmopolitan_LV W Hotel Hollywood - https://twitter.com/Cosmopolitan_LV Instagram 28% of online adult internet users (24% of entire adult population) → 80% of Instagram users are under the age of 35 Skews towards women (29% women vs 22% men) Paid run through Facebook Ads platform https://business.instagram.com/advertising Do’s: Use high quality images & videos Descriptive, concise, clever captions Encourage engagement Use relevant hashtags Add hotel location to images Don’t’s Overuse filters Overuse hashtags Use low quality images & videos Pages We Like: Selina Hostels - https://www.instagram.com/selinahostels/ Gansevoort Hotels - https://www.instagram.com/gansevoort/ Urban Cowboy Bed & Breakfast - https://www.instagram.com/urbancowboybnb/ SnapChat Approaching Facebook’s level of daily video views (> 7B each day compared to FB 8B) 65% of snapchat users upload their own photos daily → compared to >35% on FB More popular than Instagram among teens, younger demographics More snapchat ads… advertising opportunities? http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/snapchat-gains-momentum-new-research/

In this week’s episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we keep it short and sweet. We’ve been a little distracted this week with our local college baseball team, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, winning the college world series and all that. It’s also a holiday weekend in the USA, so we’re looking to clock off early and go hang out on the beach with an ice cold libation. For that reason, we’re going to cover a few news items but not dig into a specific topic. We hope that y’all are ok with that. We’ll be back next week with an in depth look at social media for hotels. SHOW NOTES: In The News: Facebook Algo Update - 7 Changes To Watch For http://www.fastcompany.com/3061481/seven-ways-facebooks-big-algorithm-change-will-affect-marketers-and-publishers Actual Update Announcement →well http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2016/06/building-a-better-news-feed-for-you/ TripAdvisor - Hotel Business vs Tours & Attractions Business https://skift.com/2016/06/30/beyond-tripadvisor-hotel-bookings-its-tours-and-restaurants-on-track-to-become-500-million-business/ What3Words Funding - Revolutionizing Location Travel Tech https://www.tnooz.com/article/what3words-8.5m-funding/ (if you need to find us, our office address is thunder.debts.baffle) Does anyone even click those website-style nav bars in your email template? http://www.ryansolutions.com/blog/2016/email-template-navigation-bars/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=buttonDBBOXr&utm_campaign=stash Airbnb vs. Hotels: New study reveals key consumer purchase drivers http://hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/airbnb_vs._hotels_new_study_reveals_key_consumer_purchase_drivers Kayak launch Facebook Bot https://www.tnooz.com/article/kayak-facebook-messenger-bot/ Follow Us on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @marketingmeisha @makavanagh

Your friends from the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast took a trip to New Orleans this week for the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference (HITEC). We met lots of neat hoteliers and showed off our mobile app, booking engine, eCRM platform and analytics dashboard. We also met lots of cool new vendors and are going to cover a few of them in this episode. SHOW NOTES: In The News: Google looks to ease tensions within travel sector https://www.tnooz.com/article/google-convenes-meeting-of-travel-brands-to-build-bridges/ Google Releases new feature in Search Console to view stats on rich snippets and AMP http://searchengineland.com/google-brings-rich-results-filter-search-analytics-report-within-search-console-252372 OpenTable Lets Customers Put the Bill On their Tab: http://hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/opentable_now_lets_la_diners_put_it_on_their_tab Ads coming to local search pack, nothing is sacred: http://searchengineland.com/google-confirms-ads-coming-local-pack-252407 What is HITEC? The Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference (HITEC) offers a unique combination of top-notch hospitality technology education, led by industry peers and experts, and an unparalleled trade show showcasing the latest products and services from over 300 companies, occupying more than 130,000 square feet. Nowhere else can premiere hospitality professionals gather to learn and experience the technologies that continue to enhance our industry and our customers’ experiences. HITEC is a service of Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP). More Trends that we saw: Interactive/Digital signage was EVERYWHERE at the show. Though, we didn’t really see any standouts in this space. On property communication and wayfinding seems to be the big thing this year as hotels are focusing more on the customer experience and trying to prevent negative reviews. Check out the best in show Zingle - http://www.zingle.me/ Guest messaging platform. tracNcare - http://www.tracncare.com/ Software to take care of your property and your guests. Flip.to - http://www.flip.to/ A social sharing and brand advocay platform for hotels. TripTease - http://www.triptease.com/ solutions that help you get more direct bookings. Check out videos of these fine folks at www.facebook.com/fueltravel Also, check out Stuart’s ex-brand crush: http://hiutdenim.co.uk/ Follow Us on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @marketingmeisha @pdimaio @pforiska

In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discuss whether or not a hotel needs a blog. You’re already super-busy, should you spend some of your precious time creating and maintaining a blog? Should the blog be a part of your site or separate? What topics should you write about? Come find out with your Fueligan friends. SHOW NOTES: In The News: 1. Majority of Travelers Prefer to Book on a Mobile Device according to operamediaworks.com. Cool infographic included https://www.tnooz.com/article/majority-of-travellers-claim-they-prefer-booking-on-a-mobile-device/ 2. 8 BILLION video views per day on Facebook. BUT 85% are watched without sound. - everywhere reported on this. 3. Ad Blocking Stats http://digiday.com/publishers/global-state-of-ad-blocking/ Describe types of content: channels, pages, news, events, blog Benefits of blogging: Gets more search engine traffic Helps customers make a decision Provides useful information Positions your hotel as an expert Affiliates you with events, attractions, restaurants, shops etc Showcases the brand Supports your social media Helps generate inbound links Content Ideas Answer common questions - be helpful Showcase the product: amenities, cleanliness, eco-friendly, location, brand promise etc Talk to the staff - humanize the brand and make people comfortable Sell your strengths such as nearby events/attractions Sell the experience Repurposing Content in different channels Not just written - videos, interactive, countdown, vacation response generator Top blogging tips Do your research - keyword research (Google Suggest, Search Console), idea generation Include the team and the audience Distribute the content Be consistent with tone and frequency Spend time on your subject line Include a call to action (email signup, availability search etc) Make Your content easy to share DON’t copy/paste content Do it better than the competition (10x) Check out this awesome Headline Analyzer - http://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer# Question of the week:: Should my blog be integrated with my website or separate domain/subdomain? Chris C Follow Us on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @marketingmeisha @pdimaio Come visit us at HITEC booth #627 in New Orleans June 20-23.

We get testy with each other this week, as we talk about how to effectively run tests on your website in order to increase conversion and revenue. The episode also features a super-secret special guest from a galaxy far, far away. Download the FREE guide to The A/B/Cs of Testing: How Smart Hotels Test and Grow at www.fueltravel.com/abc Please leave a review if you're enjoying our podcast! Show Notes: In the news: New Trump hotel not to carry the Trump name - https://skift.com/2016/06/07/trump-hotels-will-avoid-the-trump-name-with-new-lifestyle-brand/ Arizona Legalizes AirBNB Investment Properties - http://www.hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/arizona-legalizes-airbnb-investment-properties AirBNB Local Guide Program - http://techcrunch.com/2016/06/03/airbnb-begins-testing-city-hosts-program-to-give-guests-guided-one-of-a-kind-experiences/ Popular Testing Ideas: Offer Layout Navigation Urgency Email Capture Fundamentals: Yoda - You must unlearn what you have learned Check out https://www.whichtestwon.com/ Experimentation - no idea is a bad idea KPIs - Understand exactly what metrics will be measured High Volume Pages - test pages that get a lot of traffic before pages that get little traffic Iterative Testing - change one element at a time on a page, and then build upon the results Multivariate Testing - Common misunderstanding of what MVT is and isn’t. Keep number of variations to a minimum, as the more variations, the more traffic needed to get statistically significant results. Explain differences in testing software in how MVT is served. Device Type - Segment results based on device type and/or run different versions of test for different types Failure - a test that results in a negative result is not a failed test Questionable Outcome - indicates variations were not different enough, or that element doesn’t have an impact on conversion Patience - wait for the full test results What testing software is right for you? VWO - https://vwo.com/ Optimizely - https://www.optimizely.com/ Unbounce - http://unbounce.com/ Follow us on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @marketingmeisha @pdimaio @makavanagh Learn more at www.fueltravel.com

We get a little bit sneaky in this episode because we're discussing ways to take market share away from your competition with some very aggressive tactics. If your hotel is looking to experiment with something new, this episode is for you In this episode: News: Google is beta testing their new killer app, Google Trips. Does this spell doom for the OTAs? http://www.cnet.com/news/google-beta-testing-trips-traveling-app/ Hotels eliminating guest room desks. Perhaps they could have said that a little better...http://hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/hotels_eliminate_guestroom_desks Google is going to start looking at mobile page speed as a ranking factor f=mobile results. 5 Brilliant Competitive Advertising Strategies to Outsmart Your Competition 1. Facebook users who like competitor's pages 2. Show ads before competitor's YouTube videos 3. Email targeting in gmail and yahoo for people who get emails from your competitors 4. Targeting people who visit your competitor's site via Google Display Network 5. Twitter follower targeting Please leave a review and follow us on Twitter @fueltravel Inspiration for this episode came from a Twitter Question: "Should I bid on my competitor's brand keywords in adWords?" and the WordStream article: http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2016/05/16/competitive-advertising Learn more about Fuel at www.fueltravel.com

Are you ready to drink from a fire hose? This is a fast-paced episode focusing on ways to influence your potential guest's decision making and increase your online bookings We cover a bunch of tactics that have a proven track record of getting people through the conversion funnel.

There's no denying the power and influence that TripAdvisor has on the travel industry. Yet, some hoteliers are still ignoring or refusing to accept the fact that TripAdvisor can help increase bookings and RevPar. In this episode, we discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of TripAdvisor and give hotels some advice on how to maximize their exposure on the platform.

Everything you need to know about content, links and Google's RankBrain for your hotel SEO in one super episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast. What are the top 3 SEO ranking factors? What keywords should my hotel target? How can I make my hotel rank on search engines? Should I target Google or Bing with my Search strategy? Which hotel marketing agency is the best SEO firm in all the land? These questions and hotel SEO tips are tackled in this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast.

Should my hotel spend its advertising budget on Google adwords? Should my hotel bid on brand keywords? Is Facebook advertising right for my hotel? What is Google HPA? These questions and more are tackled in this episode of the fuel hotel marketing podcast.

Should your hotel have a mobile app? What are the benefits to your property from an operational standpoint? How can a mobile app make your hotel more money? What features should your hotel mobile app have? How do you get guests to download your mobile app? All these questions and more are covered in this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast. If your hotel is interested in a mobile app, check out http://www.fueltravel.com/guestexpress-mobile-app/

In this episode, the Fueligans dig into the subject of email marketing. Even some of the big hotels sometimes make mistakes. Be sure that your property isn't doing the same thing.

In the first episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing podcast, the Fueligans discuss how Hilton and Marriott are offering incentives for guests to book direct in order to avoid paying the hefty commissions to the OTAs. The episode also offers some handy advice for independent hotels. Submit your questions on Twitter to @fueltravel. Download our leisure travel study at www.fueltravel.com/study/.