| I have a favourite analogy about hotels and | | | | focussed on boosting their premium "romantic |
| how they should view their website and online | | | | weekend escape" market. Through our |
| marketing initiatives; it usually strikes a | | | | preliminary research, we also learned that |
| nerve pretty close to home...Imagine if you | | | | they had welcomed some great, premium |
| printed 1,000 beautiful, four colour, ten | | | | corporate clients during the prior year that |
| page brochures that stunningly captured the | | | | had also bought team building and bonding |
| unique nature of your hotel at ten bucks a | | | | packages from local suppliers (What is it |
| piece...and then locked them away in a | | | | that makes the entire executive panel of a |
| cupboard...how effective would they be? Or | | | | company want to jump out of a perfectly good |
| how about creating a masterful piece of | | | | plane with just a piece of cloth packed in a |
| direct mail that is riveting, stimulating and | | | | bag in the interests of team bonding?). We |
| worth a Pulitzer Prize...and then never | | | | sought to capitalise on this knowledge, |
| sending it out? About now you should be | | | | creating dedicated pages on the website to |
| feeling very, very guilty...not about those | | | | show off local suppliers for adventure/team |
| 500 brochures still left in your cupboard | | | | building activities and featured these on the |
| (oops!), but about not driving your website | | | | hotel website home page.You want |
| hard enough...Building a great website | | | | measurability in your marketing? Every day |
| without Search Engine Optimisation is the | | | | the owner of this hotel logs in to see his |
| same as those brochures or that direct mail | | | | website statistics and is now able to equate |
| piece; no matter how captivating the text or | | | | changes in Unique Visits and online enquiries |
| how breathtaking the dynamic imagery, if | | | | to future sales trends. Unique Visits to |
| no-one can find your website when they are | | | | their website grew from 1,000 to over 4,000 |
| searching online for that "luxury San Diego | | | | per month, conference leads have tripled and |
| hotel", that "romantic B&B outside Paris" or | | | | "value added" team building sales |
| that "adventure scuba holiday in the | | | | quadrupled...and premium "weekend escape" |
| Maldives", then you have wasted your money. | | | | packages doubled even after a 30% price |
| Not only that, but the smart competition has | | | | increase! Ah, the wonders of yield management |
| already optimised their site and are reaping | | | | and dynamic pricing!So, does Hotel Search |
| the rewards; and you are missing those | | | | Engine Optimisation really work? Yes...and |
| rewards.What rewards I hear you ask? My last | | | | no. SEO will deliver traffic, leads and sales |
| article received an extraordinary response | | | | prospects...but it still requires the hotel |
| from the industry (well, over 100 emails | | | | to be responsive, attractive and priced to |
| anyway...I've just finished answering the | | | | meet (or slightly exceed) the market. If you |
| last few today)...some genuinely asking for | | | | and your team can respond to online enquiries |
| help, which I am always happy to try to | | | | same day, deliver a memorable experience in |
| provide, but more than a few were saying | | | | reality that matches the consumers experience |
| "Show me the money!".And it's a fair call. | | | | online and at a price that offers genuine |
| So, this week we polished up a couple of Case | | | | value for money, then Hotel Search Engine |
| Studies on Hotel Search Engine Optimisation | | | | Optimisation is for you.And please |
| projects that we have recently completed and | | | | understand...this channel is no longer the |
| posted these on our website for everyone to | | | | place to dump cheap, last minute inventory; |
| see.To be honest, we picked a couple of the | | | | it is the place to wisely invest your scarce |
| best ones for the Case Studies but when we | | | | marketing dollars for maximum ROI. In both |
| looked at a range of sites that we have | | | | these Case Studies, the online channel is now |
| worked with over the last year, the results | | | | their highest yielding source of business.My |
| have been very pleasing overall...and these | | | | next article will be on the "5 Essentials For |
| hotels are still our clients which, when | | | | Effective Online Marketing" which will |
| invoicing time comes around each month, is | | | | provide you with some simple but effective |
| the ultimate test of client loyalty.In Case | | | | tips to start you on your way...plus, |
| Study One, we picked a mature four star inner | | | | apparently this kind of headline really grabs |
| city hotel with over 400 rooms, extensive | | | | attention...and I always promised myself |
| conference and events facilities and multiple | | | | that, one day, I would write a headline like |
| food and beverage outlets. They had a | | | | that! Oh, and keep an eye out for our "Hotel |
| "mature" website that had been upgraded to | | | | emarketing 101" workshops coming up in |
| include a Content Management system five | | | | May...pre-register now or register online |
| months earlier but they hadn't done much with | | | | from 1 March 2006.Keith Paulin is the General |
| it. Through applying sensible Hotel Search | | | | Manager of Hotel Marketing Workshop. Like |
| Engine Optimisation techniques, direct online | | | | many hotel marketeers in the industry Keith |
| revenues more than tripled in three | | | | "landed" in hotel sales and marketing after |
| months...conference and events online | | | | commencing his career in hotel operations. |
| enquiries quadrupled with sales conversions | | | | Keith has worked in senior marketing roles |
| occurring at a staggering 75.0%...apparently, | | | | both within the industry (Hilton, Regent, |
| when conference planners enquire online, they | | | | Hyatt, Accor) and in other industries (HP, |
| are ready to book!The hotel invested $9,000 | | | | Lion Nathan, Shell) and has formal |
| over three months and has since increased | | | | qualifications in Marketing and Business |
| annualised online revenues by a conservative | | | | Management. Hotel Marketing Workshop works |
| $420,000 and still climbing...you wanted ROI? | | | | with chain and independent hotels delivering |
| At a conservative 3.8% of incremental | | | | tactical, practical hotel marketing |
| revenues, this is a remarkable result.For | | | | strategies at property level that work and, |
| Case Study Two, we looked at a recently | | | | just as importantly, they assist with expert |
| refurbished, five star coastal resort hotel | | | | implementation. Keith has a very strong |
| with approximately ninety rooms and serviced | | | | interest in the world of e-commerce, Search |
| apartments; they also offer meeting space and | | | | Engine Optimisation and Search Engine |
| breakout rooms to suit small to medium | | | | Marketing and a clear track record in |
| upscale conferences and corporate training. | | | | producing on-line results in hotel internet |
| The budget here was a little tighter so we | | | | marketing. |