Let me count the ways…
I had a great conversation with Susan Sweeney today (to me a great pioneer in online marketing) and we had really interesting discussion about using Social Media in tourism, specifically, for small accommodations and attractions operators.
Many people thing that they need to have a Facebook page and post information up there so that they have a presence on Facebook and feel that they are using this channel to get business. But people like me and Susan caution them on the fact that if you are going to commit to it, then you should think twice before doing it. But what I realized a while after our conversation was that you need to have a Facebook page, group of fan page at all to be on Facebook – you can just advertize there – duh Jamie! Then I thought some more, some smoke came out of my ears and I started thinking about the couple of cottage operators in the Maritimes that I noticed engaging people on Twitter. They weren’t really into Twitter, they had some posts there about what they do and some conversation topics and status updates, but what many people didn’t notice (unless you looked hard and at the right times) was that they were watching other people’s conversations on Twitter, and when they tweeted looking for information about staying in PEI or NS, they actually engaged the person with a question, a tip of good info, or just a comment. If the person asked them anything back, they would continue engaging them and maybe then they would offer the link to their website – unlike most marketers that just tweet back their promotion or marketing message to people that mention the terms they are watching. These people use twitter a different way than most- they venture outside the box and they seem to be having success with it too.
The big challenge with social media is figuring out how much you can handle, how you can use it to make your online life a bit easier (like YouTube for embedding video and RSS to get news updates) and most importantly, how to get it to work for your business, even if it means you have to use it differently that it was intended to be used, or differently than the business down the road, or across the globe.
Social Media is all about finding a new and better way to use it…
If you have a different way of using some Social Media channel that you are willing to share, please comment or email me and let me know – Jamie@vanderkooi.ca
Marketing (especially online marketing) is about appealing to your target audiences, not to yourself. It’s not about you, it’s about them!
I was just reading that Tourism Queensland (Australia) are having a hard time selling their new tourism campaign ads to the Queensland population. I just looked at them and I think they’re pretty good. They make me think that it would be a good place to visit. I wasn’t sure if they have pulled this ad campaign or not from the article that I read, but personally I think if they did, it would be a waste of $500,000. The locals didn’t like it because it didn’t seem to be themed or have enough of “Australian” content that some of the 80’s ads that featured Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee) previously did. Tough. Change is a good thing, and it is something you need to get used to…
I included the ads at the bottom of this post.
I think the same thing happened here in PEI with the “Gentle Island” theme, which was a big departure from the sucessful “Come Play on our Island” campaigns of the past. I might agree with them here, but the new theme seems to be working…
I think that locals and business owners should realized that their marketing, or the marketing of their province or destination shouldn’t be, or isn’t developed to appeal to them, but to the audiences and markets that they are placing these advertisements in. I have seen some campaigns from local agencies that I don’t particularly like, or appeal to me, but they aren’t trying to attract me and my tastes and reasons for wanting to visit there would be completely different.
I personally like websites that have black backgrounds, dark colors and bright yellow and white text, but I would never try to use that theme when targeting anyone that I wasn’t 100 percent sure it would appeal to or who I want to visit it! It’s not about me, it’s about them.
Send me a comment and tell me whether you like these ads or not…
The Tourism Queensland job campaign
Tourism Queensland Hey, hey this is Queensland Ad 1
Tourism Queensland Hey, hey this is Queensland Ad 2
Websites, email address and domain names are important business tools that you need to have a large amount of control over. EVERY business should have their own proper domain name/s, email addresses and email accounts, etc., and they should also try and take care of registering as much of their online accounts and information themselves as possible. By having control of these important pieces of property, (and trust me – they are your property) you can limit and control almost everything that happens with you business and branding online.
As my example business, we’ll use the business name Island View Cottages and assume that they are a cottage business in PEI. Here is some of the information we should have control over, and how it should be completed.
Email addresses
First you should setup an email address through an email provider such as Google, Hotmail, Yahoo, MSN, etc. These email services are disposable and it is easy to get a new email address if ever needed. You should list one of these as your main email for your domain name when you register it – (horse before the cart concept). Once you have registered a domain, you should have an email address that matches your domain name – such as Jamie@islandviewcottages.ca. If you only use a email address from your ISP such as Jamie@pei.sympatico.ca and I decided to switch ISPs, then I could lose access to that email address, or would have to pay to keep it active.
Domain Name
Always register a real domain name – such as islandviewcottages.ca – for your business. You should also register this domain yourself and not rely on a hosting provider or web developer to do it for you. If your domain name or web address for your website does not look like this or something similar then it isn’t a real domain name, for example: www.peicottagelist.ca/Islandviewcottages is not a domain, just a folder of a listing service’s website – don’t pay for this – register a domain (they’re less than $15 a year now)
Ok, now what?
Now that you have an email address setup and domain names setup correctly, you need to use these pieces of information to get the rest of your online information correctly in place.
Analytics Account
There are many types of website stats packages out there, but since Google Analytics is one of the most popular ones, I will use it for this example. Use your business email (or a Gmail account if you created one) and register for Google Analytics. You should then register your website for an Analytics account and provide the Analytics code to your web developer. Many web developers offer to do all this for you, but if they don’t give you admin access to the account, then you can’t make any changes without them doing it for you (and possibly charging for it). Also if they go out of business or you part ways, then you may not be access the account information.
Social Media
If you want to get into social media and use these channels to promote and market your business, then you need to make sure you get these done properly. Facebook for example can now be directed to an account name, and if possible, that should match your business name and the name of the Facebook group or fan page for your business. YouTube is very similar to this structure too. You create a “Channel” and then register it to an account name. Just like a domain name, you should do all this yourself or at least have someone help you, but use your email addresses instead of theirs.
Website Widgets/API
These are little bits of HTML code that you get from other services to display content on your site. If you want to have a Google or a MapQuest map embedded into your website, you would user a widget or API to do it. If you allow someone else to do this on your behalf, then you want to make changes to that map or API, and you don’t have access to the account that it was created with, then you may have to re-create a whole new map and replace all the HTML code that builds that map. This also goes for many other things such as Flickr photo galleries, Blogs, RSS feeds into and out of your site, audio and video podcasts you may use, video applications, and ecommerce applications, the list goes on and on.
The important thing to remember is if you are going to put/build these items into your site, and they require an email account or a login to manage them, and then make sure it is an email account or a login that you have access too.
Hosting Services
This is one that you should have setup yourself, but it is OK to have a developer handle this for you. Sometime it is even better to have them do it, because they usually have partnerships with hosting companies that allows them to offer discounted prices, and custom built packages that match the style and platform of the type of websites they offer or develop. But if you are comfortable handling this yourself, then it isn’t a bad idea to do so.
Conclusion
I have just listed some of the common stumbling blocks that many people overlook or don’t understand. Most of these are very simple to do – you will be surprised how simple once you do them. You don’t always have to do all these things yourself, but if you are going to get someone to do them for you, such as a friend, a web developer, or even an employee, give them some clear direction that you would like them to document anything that they do, and supply them with an email account that they can use to do the work for you. If you ever do part ways, then all you should ever have to do is change the password on the email account that you originally gave them access to.
It’s never too late to start getting your “online house in order” with the above mentioned items.
If you have any questions or comments on this, or would like help in getting your “online house in order” please contact me at Jamie@Vanderkooi.ca or Jamie@TourismTechnology.com.
I have read over a last while and know of some local companies that block their employees from accessing social media sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. Some of these businesses have good reasons for blocking access to these sites, and some have just missed the boat…
Lets say that your employees work in a retail environment and they are expected to sell our solicit your companies products and services to the public. If you are blocking access to Facebook, and combined all of your staff have over 1000 different contacts in Facebook, that’s 1000 possible customers that you could be encouraging them to sell to, but instead you are preventing them from communicating to, and in turn, not allowing them to use all available resources to be successful at their job.
Twitter is another good example. Lets my company sells a product to help make installing and repairing hardwood floors easier, so we monitor twitter and other social media channels for people having trouble installing flooring. When we then engage that person and inform them of our product and offer them a discount if they purchase it with some minor conditions attached. It helps them out, maybe they blog, write or tell their friends, and we make a couple more sales, and we do this all by participating in online social media.
Yes, if your employees are going to speak to customers via Facebook and Twitter, then there should be some general guidelines surrounding the use of these tools. Your best choice is to create some social media channels and accounts for your business, and ask your employees to encourage their contacts and friends to be fans/friends/contacts of your business so that you can market back to your employees contacts on your own terms,have some more control over what is sent, and also to retain these contacts when the employee moves on in their career.
So before you say “no” to the next big social media trend on the net, ask yourself these simple questions:
How can I use this for my business?
Are there any of my employee are using it, and to what extent?
If I block access to this, what are the reasons I have to block it?
It may prove to be better to embrace it than to restrict it!
This was originally posted by a colleage – Beth Ashton (beth@tianb.com) on her blog TourismTechnologyNB.blogspot.com
Here’s a useful analogy that I’m borrowing from a book called “Gut Feeling”, by Peter Urs Bender…
Take a 3 inch piece of string, lay it out on a table in front of you. Then PULL it along the table by one end. You can make it go anywhere and it will follow you. Now try PUSHING it. The string piles up on itself and nothing happens.
The same can be said for a website. You cannot push a person into a vacation, but you can pull them along a journey with great photos and narrative. You can influence them into wanting to take the same journey by outlining the whole thing from start to finish.
Flashing red buttons that say “Come Here, Come Here” simply aren’t going to work. Putting your brochure (verbatium) on your site isn’t going to work.
A steady tempting of what awaits them in your little corner of the world is a much better approach.
Nudge, encourage, listen and empathize.
Underperforming web tools (like your website or blog) are a reflection of the organizational objectives rather then the tools or technologies them selves. It really is about the organizational culture and the approach.
Later gators,
Beth
If you are reading this article or if you have reviewed the latest Tourism PEI visitor indicators (June 2009), chances are the answer this year is “No”. This isn’t just a problem for tourism businesses, but for all small businesses that supply or service visitors.
Want to change this? Ask yourself if you are doing any of these 5 items to drive people to you and your business. The following list highlights some avenues that can be used to generate more exposure for your business.
Develop an email newsletter
An email newsletter allows you to regularly stay in front of your customers and inform them of your products and services or any special offers you may have. When you create a newsletter from previous site visitors and past or potential customers, some things to include in the newsletter are; general information about your business, some interesting tidbits about your industry, and provide specials exclusively for newsletter subscribers as well as a list of the upcoming events that you may be hosting or attending. Make sure that the focus of your newsletter is to drive your contacts back to your website so that they can convert to a paying customer or some other tangible goal. As an added bonus, if your newsletter is successful enough, you may sell advertising space in your newsletter to generate revenue.
Advertise online in local and targeted markets
Using Google ad words or another pay per click marketing in targeted online markets can really benefit your business. If you are a restaurant trying to attract locals (or visitors that are already here), then set your Google campaign to only display in your province, or more targeted – your city. This will allow you to effectively direct your online marketing dollars at the people that may actually be able to come to your restaurant. If you are an accommodations or attraction operator, try advertising in the same markets as your tourism department is marketing, since your province is already being promoted and the awareness is already there.
Advertise in local offline media
Whether it is an ad in the local newspaper or a classified in a business directory, you will receive results from carefully selected placements. You need not advertise everywhere – quality publications that relate to or are read by your targeted customers will provide you with the best results. When you create your ads for these publications, make sure you direct them back to your website so that you can track them, preferably with a specific URL such as www.mycottages.ca/julyspecial.html so that you know how many people typed that in from that specific ad or campaign. This way you will have some idea how well that campaign performed.
Partner and promote with other related businesses
Work with other local and relative businesses to promote each other. This doesn’t just include tourism businesses, but other small businesses as well, such as the variety store down the street, the craft store that makes those unique items that locals and visitors buy for themselves and their friends and the restaurants that you regularly you visit and recommend – ask them to do the same for you and your business. Together, highlight all that your area has to offer, show the website visitors and potential clients that there is more than just this one business that they have found online.
List your business website with search engines and directory listings
Make sure that your website is listed in many of the obvious places that people may be searching for your type of business. These include your local tourism department business listings (both provincial and regional), related association websites, local tourism business websites, industry or sector specific websites, the list goes on and on. But the goal is to make sure that anywhere someone may be looking, you are listed there. If you are unsure of where to list, ask some other businesses where they list, or do a search for competitor businesses that seem successful and see where they are showing up.
I know I said 5, but I have a couple more suggestions…
Bonus 1- Write an articles for a local papers, blogs, and online media
Just like I am doing now, I would offer my articles to other publications for distribution within their print, email newsletters, and on their website to get exposure for me, my services, and for the business I work for. By doing this, you and your business get exposure (usually for free) in places that you would normally have to pay to advertise in. It also adds to your credibility as an industry resource and professional, or as a quality business that people would like to do business with.
Bonus 2 (and the simplest of all) – Create an email signature
This should include your business name, phone number, email address, website address, and a quick description of your business and/or a brief overview of your products/services, company slogan, or mission statement. Include it in all of your businesses communications and mailing lists – make sure all your staff does this as well.
If you are having trouble getting visitors to your door, whether you are an accommodations operator, a tourism attraction, a craft vendor, or involved in any other sector of tourism, or you would like more information on how to implement one or more of the above mentioned suggestions, contact me (jamie@vanderkooi.ca) and I can help you turn website lookers in to online bookers.
When you spend your marketing dollars in print ads they need to be complemented by an equally satisfying web presence. If your website is not up to the task, both your online and off-line marketing dollars are going to be wasted.
Print ads are viewed by hundreds or thousands of people; this means that you need to maximize the return of investment of this advertising as much as possible. This can be done be having a GREAT website that complements your offline marketing, and it should also improve your online marketing. A successful marketing campaign includes both online and offline activities, and instead of marketing to thousands, you can market to millions and produce a more visible return on investment?
There is more potential for people to view your website than an advertisement in a magazine or printed material, but when combined they prove to be a powerful marketing strategy.
When you do advertise in print, make sure that you are directing your customers back to a first-class website, where they can easily purchase your products – or they will not end up being your customers, but someone else’s. By addressing both web and print, you will get the best return on investment for your advertising dollars. Make sure that you adjust your advertising budgets accordingly to include both website and print this year.
Contact me (jamie@vanderkooi.ca) to find out more about how to leverage the potential of the internet to turn website browsers into actual bookings.
Yes – Again
Those new tires that I purchased, well one of them developed a cut in the side of them, not sure how, but the good news is that is should be under a road-hazard warranty.
So I go back into the same Canadian Tire in Charlottetown PEI that gave me that not so great customer service just a month ago. Showed them the tire and the receipt and they said, yep that’s under warranty. I said great – thinking I may have caught someone one a bad day last time – and told them to fix it and I will be back in a 1/2hr to pick it up.
So after abou 45min of wandering around the store with my 4year-old daughter, we head back down and visit the service department. I go up to the counter and ask if my tire is done, the girl there went and asked someone else, after about 10min of looking for an work order the fellow that took my request came back and toll me it was $45 to replace the tire under warranty – when asked why, he informed me that, again, balancing and now installation, are not included, there was also the infamous “shop supplies???” and the tire would be rated at 3/32 of usage so the tire was going to cost $20 (it was only $84 when I bought them) but its not on sale this week so they rated this as for the tire cost $120. OK, now I have never been known to be easy on tires, but I don’t think this car went anymore than 500kms, the tire was on the rear and it is a FWD – come on, I wasn’t born yesterday! After I point this out and suggest they bring my tire and a new tire out and we measure them right there, they decided to go back and re-evaluate the tire. It seemed to only have 1/32 of wear the second time and and they didn’t need to charge the “shop supplies” and the installation.
Then the made me wait another 25-30 minutes while they ran around trying to figure out who would have to change a tire.
In the end it cost me less than $20 – which I would have been glad to pay in the first place – but if I wasn’t on my toes, or knew what I was talking about it could have cost me almost 3 times that much.
They could have redeemed themselves here, but they blew it again!
I just purchased a couple of tires from Canadian Tire in Charlottetown PEI and had one of the poorest examples of customer service that I can recall in a long time…
I went in and selected a tire and asked them what they include when you purchase a tire, they told me they provided free installation but charged for balancing and an environmental fee if they disposed of the old tires. I said great, here are my two tires (I took them off the car to bring in) and told them to install the new tires, I would have someone else balance them, and I will take the old tires with me.
I returned a couple of hours later, tires were all done and I put them in the car and went in to pay my bill. They gave me my bill and it was about $40 more than I expected? After reviewing it, i noticed that they charged me for disposal of the old tires – no big deal, I don’t need them hanging around the garage anyway – and they charged me a little less than $2-$3 for “shop supplies”, and the rest was for balancing – hey didn’t I say I didn’t want them balanced???
So I went into discuss this with the person at the service counter. The person at the counter couldn’t grasp that I could get someone else to balance my tires other than them, and then explained to me that they couldn’t/wouldn’t credit me back my money for their mistake. After pushing him a little more about my dissatisfaction with not following my instructions, he offered to remove the weights off the tires (un-balance them). I would have thought that they would have said sorry and then credited me back some money, and made things right. Ah, hmm, no. They would rather tic off the customer. Good going Mr. Service Person at Canadian Tire. I’ll keep this in mind the next time I buy something there.
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising needs to be a well thought out business decision, but you need to start your planning with an end goal in mind. Clearly define your objectives before you do anything else. PPC can be used in many ways – you can use it to get more exposure for your business and products, to increase sales of a specific product or service, or just to increase your online return on investment (ROI) from your website.
You will also need to determine what strategy is going to give you the best return on your marketing dollars, when will be the best time to do it and if you will be able to implement it effectively.
Before you start any PPC campaign, you should ask yourself these questions:
- How much money and resources can I afford to invest into this PPC campaign?
If you don’t have the time or resources to monitor and tweak your PPC campaign, your ROI will not reach its potential.
- What timeframe do I need to implement the campaign to get my goal ROI?
For many businesses, there is a right time and a wrong time to do PPC. For tourism business, the right time is probably winter and/or spring, when people are planning their summer vacation. You want to get the most exposure during the times that people will actually be searching for your products and services online. You can confirm this timing with your website statistics.
- Is my website ready to handle the increase in traffic?
It doesn’t matter how much money you spend to get potential customers there, if your website doesn’t impress, perform, and convert them to a sale or you can’t sell the product online, then you are wasting your money. Make sure your website is ready by getting a professional website evaluation before you spend anything.
The answers from these questions will help you start to define your PPC strategy and ensure success.
Tourism businesses usually like to see a ROI or conversion strategy that generates a high number of conversions and an effective ROI for each keyword. Careful attention and some time dedication is needed to do this. You need to constantly refine and optimize your PPC campaign in order to generate as many click to conversions as possible, focusing on keywords that generate leads providing the highest ROI.
Regardless of your bidding strategy, the cold hard truth for any approach is that you need to continuously monitor and optimize your online marketing and PPC campaigns. This means always keeping your business objectives in mind in order to hit your targets. While PPC marketing can be highly effective, it can also be expensive and wasteful if you are not paying attention and following your business plans.
As the travel season heats up and people start searching for their summer vacation destination – spring is the perfect time to begin your PPC campaign to ensure a successful season.
