Hotel Marketing Podcast: Recent Episodes
TravelBoom. The hotel industry's best podcast for practical marketing advice. The BoomSquad are as entertaining as they are informative. A must listen for any hotelier!
Episode 275 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast uncovers the secrets of Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO. Hoteliers have three primary customers online: people, search engines, and AI. Today we delve into how you can succeed in optimizing for AI engines such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, CoPilot, and others. Get the full show notes at www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcastđ What We Cover in This Episode:- News: European Hotel Group Challenging OTA Parity Clauses- Room for Improvement: Improving the site before spending marketing dollars- Main Topic: Making your hotel rank well in Generative Engine Optimizationsđ„ Donât miss these insights to help you drive more bookings. Subscribe now and join the conversation at https://www.travelboommarketing.com
Episode 274 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast is going to deliver the key to unlocking social media success and direct revenue through influencer marketing. Hotels have been skeptical of using influencers and today, with the help of our friends at JoyByte.com we are going to show specifically how hotels can win with influencers⊠when doing it the smart way.Get the full show notes at www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcastđ What We Cover in This Episode:- News: Big Troubles in Sin City: Vegas sees drop in visitors and occupancy- Room for Improvement: Help, my room is all wet!- Main Topic: The Social Media Influencer Playbook: 3 Simple Winsđ„ Donât miss these insights to help you drive more bookings. Subscribe now and join the conversation at https://www.travelboommarketing.com
Experiential marketing is gaining traction as hotels seek to create memorable and shareable experiences for guests. From hosting social hours to collaborating with luxury fashion brands for immersive events, hotels are finding innovative ways to engage guests beyond traditional amenities. In this episode, we delve into successful case studies and provide actionable strategies for hotels to implement experiential marketing initiatives that resonate with their target audience.Get the full show notes at www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcastđ What We Cover in This Episode:- News: Illinois Bans Small Plastic Bottles in Hotels- Room for Improvement: Whatâs an appropriate amount of time for a GM to respond to a complaint- Main Topic: Experiential Marketing: Crafting Memorable Guest Experiences- 60 Seconds to Success: Selling benefits, not featuresđ„ Donât miss these insights to help you drive more bookings. Subscribe now and join the conversation at https://www.travelboommarketing.com
Get ready to uncover the strategies to make metasearch work for your hotel. Episode 272 breaks down the misconceptions and shows how hoteliers can setup, manage, and win with metasearch on Google, TripAdvisor, Bing, Trivago, Kayak, and other platforms.Get the full show notes at www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcastđ What We Cover in This Episode:- News: MOXY hotels offer a fun, party atmosphere that independent hoteliers can learn from- Room for Improvement: Have hotels stopped sending confirmation emails?- Main Topic: Making metasearch succeed for your hotel- 60 Seconds to Success: Focus on your Meet/Beat/Loss metasearch report to ensure you're offering the best book direct rate.đ„ Donât miss these insights to help you drive more bookings. Subscribe now and join the conversation at https://www.travelboommarketing.com
Episode 271 dives in to the 3 biggest challenges for boutique hotels & how to solve them. Get the full show notes at www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcastđ What We Cover in This Episode:- News: Marriott launches their first Autograph Collection safari camp- Room for Improvement: Guest books a 21+ property, only to discover it became kid-friendly- Main Topic: Helping boutique hotel owners solve their three biggest challenges- 60 Seconds to Success: Audit your marketing to ensure it matches your offeringsđ„ Donât miss these insights to help you drive more bookings. Subscribe now and join the conversation at https://www.travelboommarketing.com
Episode 270 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast by TravelBoom reveals how hoteliers can maximize the new capabilities of OpenAI's ChatGPT 4.5. Past interactions of ChatGPT have been a game changer, and the latest version revolutionizes what's possible for a hotelier. Today we learn how hotel operators can maximize these new tools and put them to work driving occupancy, direct bookings and RevPAR. Get the full show notes at www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcastđ What We Cover in This Episode:- ChatGPT 4.5's new features- Different GPTs for each hotelier challenge- How You can organize your AI for better results- Using 4.5's deep research to uncover hidden opportunities- Expanding with images, videos, and more.đ§ Fun Moments and Features:âRoom for Improvementâ â A humorous take on what hotels can do better.đ„ Donât miss these insights into the changing behavior of today's leisure travelers and how you can drive more bookings. Subscribe now and join the conversation at https://www.travelboommarketing.com
Episode 269 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast by TravelBoom dives into the big takeaways from our new 2025 Leisure Travel Trends Study. As you may know every year we survey hundreds of leisure travelers throughout the US to better understand how independent hoteliers can connect and convert todayâs discerning guests. Get your copy today at TravelBoomMarketing.com/2025Study and follow along with us!Get the full show notes at www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcastđ What We Cover in This Episode:Key Takeaways From The TravelBoom 2025 Leisure Travel Trends StudyThe importance of food & drink in destination selectionGenerational differences in booking behaviorThe importance of review managementAI is reshaping travel planningSocial media is starting to generate real returns for hoteliersAffordability is driving booking decisionsđ§ Fun Moments and Features:âRoom for Improvementâ â A humorous take on what hotels can do better.đ„ Donât miss these insights into the changing behavior of today's leisure travelers and how you can drive more bookings. âsubscribe now and join the conversation at https://www.travelboommarketing.com
Episode 268 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast reveals the trends AI (chatGPT) sees as the biggest shifts in the world of SEO for hoteliers. Do you think these 7 predictions will come true?Get the full show notes at www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcastWelcome to the first episode of the new year! đ In this exciting installment of the Hotel Marketing Podcast by TravelBoom, we dive into AIâs impact on search marketing and what hoteliers need to know to stay ahead in 2025.đ What We Cover in This Episode:2024 Recap: Milestones in AI-driven search and evolving SEO strategies.Search Marketing Predictions for 2025: Generative AI, zero-click searches, voice search, and visual search optimization.PPC Evolution: AI-powered automation, cost-efficient campaigns, and diversification beyond Google and Meta.Local SEO in the AI Era: Hyper-personalized results and new tools for local visibility.Sustainability in Search: How ethical practices and user experience will influence rankings.đ§ Fun Moments and Features:Meet the castâs New Yearâs resolutions (Peteâs races, Mackenzieâs 50 books, and more)!âRoom for Improvementâ â A humorous take on what hotels can do better.Shoutout to Duncan in Australia for his kind feedback!đ„ Donât miss this fun and informative start to the yearâsubscribe now and join the conversation at https://www.travelboommarketing.com
Welcome to episode 267 of The Hotel Marketing Podcast by TravelBoom. In this episode, we are sharing our key takeaways from the 2024 Hospitality Show in San Antonio, TX.SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Welcome to episode 266 of The Hotel Marketing Podcast by TravelBoom. Today we have a big show where weâll be the top trends to watch in 2025.SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Before you kick off 2025, letâs talk about the biggest blunders you can avoid as a hotel marketer. The cast goes down the list and groups the biggest blunders into a simple list that will save you thousands and drive your overall performance in today's Hotel Marketing Podcast.SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Join TravelBoom for an amazing conversation with Bart Berkey. Bart brings decades of hotel management experience, award winning author, host of âMost People Donât⊠But you Doâ podcast and TEDx Speaker. SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Today on the Hotel Marketing Podcast we are pouring a nice Pumpkin Spice latte and talking about how hotels can drive fall occupancy. Tune in to get the latest hotel news, tips and more. SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Episode 262 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast pits the cast members against each other to pick the top line items every hotel needs in their 2025 hotel marketing budget. Is your budget set to drive RevPAR in 2025? This episode will show you exactly want you want to invest in next year.SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
The Hotel Marketing Podcast is coming out with a fresh new format to help hoteliers succeed online. Tune in today to find out what AI strategies hoteliers can put in place today to save money, time, and drive direct bookings.SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
We're live at HITEC 2024 with special guest Richard Aday, CEO of ThinkReservations! Join us as we learn how boutique properties can drive direct bookings, own search results, and create packages that drive ancillary revenue. Now let's get this show at HITEC startedSHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
We're live at HITEC 2024 with special guest Ed St.Onge of Flip.to! Join us as we learn how creating a truly personalized guest journey can expand your property awareness, increase conversion rates, and lead to an amazing RevPAR.SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
The era of Googleâs Universal Analytics (UA) is ending, and its successor, Google Analytics 4 (GA4), is transforming the world of website data analytics. While this shift shares exciting new insights into customer behavior, it also spawns challenges for todayâs hotel marketers. Are you prepared for the impending Universal Analytics sunset? SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast2024 Hotelier Sentiment Study:https://travelboommarketing.com/hotelier/
There are a near-infinite number of marketing channels vying for your budget, but which ones are worth your limited time and funds? SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast2024 Hotelier Sentiment Study:https://travelboommarketing.com/hotelier/
Gain insights into the new 2024 Hotelier Sentiment study and the four key takeaways that can directly lead to improvements to your hotel's marketing efforts. SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast2024 Hotelier Sentiment Study:https://travelboommarketing.com/hotelier/
Do you ever wonder how hotels can compete with the ever-evolving vacation rental industry? In episode 255 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast, we'll reveal the strategies you can use to compete with all types of accommodation choices. SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast2024 Hotelier Sentiment Study:https://travelboommarketing.com/hotelier/
In this episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast, you'll join TravelBoom on the March 20th webinar where we reveal four strategies to drive instant revenue for your hotel & resort. If you have occupancy or low revenue issues, this is the podcast for you.SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast2024 Hotelier Sentiment Study:https://travelboommarketing.com/hotelier/
In this episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast, the team at TravelBoom will be uncovering the top 10 hotel marketing myths and deciding which ones are true and which are false.In the news we'll discuss Hilton's continuing efforts to improve their guest mobile experience with real-time messaging. Hilton is leading the way in this area and independent hotels can learn a lot from their success.SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcastFULL HOTEL MARKETING MYTHS ARTICLE:https://www.travelboommarketing.com/blog/top-hotel-marketing-myths-debunked/
In this episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast, we'll be uncovering the top email marketing trends for 2024 and the latest techniques for engaging guests and getting the most out of your email communications. As an essential part of digital marketing for hotels, emails have the power to nurture guest relationships, generate new leads, and drive repeat business.To compete in this ever-changing, competitive channel, youâll need not only to master the basics, but to also keep in touch with industry trends, new technology, and well, everyone else.EMAIL MARKETING TRENDS FOR HOTELS:https://www.travelboommarketing.com/blog/email-marketing-trends/SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Did you know 31.5% of travelers will abandon the booking process when hidden fees are discovered? This is the Hotel Marketing Podcast by TravelBoom. And today we will talk about the grave danger of hidden fees and how they impact your overall resort performance. DOWNLOAD THE 2023 LEISURE TRAVEL TRENDS STUDY:https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/studySHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Good day fellow hoteliers and welcome to the big 250th edition of the Hotel Marketing Podcast! Today's episode is going to dive into why great content is critical to any hotel and how it can help improve your site's overall conversion rate. Great ready, let's go!DOWNLOAD THE 2023 LEISURE TRAVEL TRENDS STUDY:https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/studySHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Good day fellow hoteliers and welcome to episode 249 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast. Today we have an interesting question, âIs catering to a small niche market a secret to success for a hotel?â Well, weâre about to answer that right now...DOWNLOAD THE 2023 LEISURE TRAVEL TRENDS STUDY:https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/studySHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Today we are going to do some search optimization like itâs 2004. If your hotel is still doing these 11 incredibly dated SEO tactics, you're setting yourself up for failure, listen in to see what you should be doing.DOWNLOAD THE 2023 LEISURE TRAVEL TRENDS STUDY:https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/studySHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Transform your hotel site into the ultimate revenue-generating machine with these seven strategies to optimize revenue & RevPARDOWNLOAD THE 2023 LEISURE TRAVEL TRENDS STUDY:https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/studySHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Hotels have struggled for years to find the right way to engage guests and drive revenue through social media channels. Today weâre going to make it easy for you with strategies for both paid and organic success.DOWNLOAD THE 2023 LEISURE TRAVEL TRENDS STUDY:https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/studySHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Today weâre going to share six simple tips to make GA4 work for your hotel. Back in July of this year, everyone realized Google was really, really serious about the switch from Universal Analytics to GA4 and we were all thrown into this new exciting world of analytics. Weâve got a full cast today with Alyssa, Jeremy, and Connor. DOWNLOAD THE 2023 LEISURE TRAVEL TRENDS STUDY:https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/studySHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Do you ever wonder how you can get those zoomers and younger guests to give your property a try? Look no further, thatâs exactly what weâre covering in today's episode. Now letâs get this show started.DOWNLOAD THE FULL STUDY:https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/studySHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
The OTAs have come out with some fantastic loyalty programs to take your guests. Do you have a solution? We do and on today's podcast we dig into Expedia and VRBO's new One Key loyalty program, the 2023 travel study, and what you need to do to keep your guests loyal to you.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL STUDY: https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/study
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
What are the five things leisure travelers need you to know before they book a stay? On this episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast, we answer that question, directly from the new 2023 Leisure Travel Trends Study.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL STUDY: https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/study
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
What can independent hoteliers learn from a major hospitality management company? Today we are joined by the Vice President of Digital Marketing for Remington Hospitality, Mauri Berry, to learn the secret strategies they use on their over 120 properties to inspire their team, drive revenue, create a great culture, and maximize performance.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
These five tech trends should be first and foremost in your hotel's plan for growth. In today's episode, we look at what's changing and what your hotel needs to do to save time, improve efficiency, and wow your guests.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Social media should be a cornerstone of your hotel's marketing strategy. However, there's a good chance you're not doing it the right way. These 11 tips will get your hotel on the right social footing.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
In todayâs podcast weâre going to cover what a hotel can do when they just did something really, really stupid. A hotel has been in the news for canceling existing booked stays and future reservations to make room for a large group of migrants. The PR and political backlash for the property has been extreme. We won't be going into the politics of the situation at all, but will focus on the right, and wrong, way to handle a PR crisis.- 5 Strategies To Address A PR Crisis- 5 A's Of A PR Crisis (Forbes Magazine)- How A Property Handled A PR issue Versus How They Should Have Handled The situationSHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
This episode we have the team from Eight Oh Two Marketing on to talk about the major changes Google is rolling out with Project Magi that will impact hotel search. Tune in for what's in-store and what your hotel can do now to be ready for the big changes ahead.SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Is your hotel ready for what's coming in 2023? Major shifts are on the way and the data from TravelBoom's latest Leisure Travel Sentiment study is shining the light on what hoteliers need to know. In Today's episode we're covering four things every hotelier needs to do this year, to survive and thrive in the future.SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Today on the Hotel Marketing Podcast your friends at TravelBoom are going to share five simple tricks you can put in place with just a little effort and a small budget that will have a big impact on your hotel's social engagement.SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
TravelBoom attended the renowned Hunter Hotel Conference in Atlanta this month and uncovered several key insights that will help independent hoteliers and vacation rental managers improve their relationship with investors and tackle the key concerns of the hotel industry's financial backers.  SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Is your hotel struggling to fill vacancies and generate revenue? Are you missing out on potential guests because of ineffective SEO strategies? In this episode, we'll discuss five must-implement SEO strategies for hotels in 2023 that can transform vacancy to victory. These simple changes can result in massive improvements in bookings and revenue, and anyone can fully implement them. Tune in to learn how to turn up your hotel's bookings and achieve success in the competitive hospitality industry.SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcastRead the full article at https://www.travelboommarketing.com/blog/seo-tips-trends-hotel-seo/
Today we have a pretty interesting, and pretty scary episode. OpenAIâs ChatGPT has been hitting the world by storm since itâs launch in late November 2022 and the ramifications to marketers are well⊠profound. Weâre going to dive into the ins and outs of what ChatGPT is and what we all need to know so hoteliers can adapt and make the most of this groundbreaking technology.
Welcome to episode 231 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast. In this short fuze edition of the podcast, we are going to go over 5 easy tests that you can launch today (or tomorrow if youâre busy) and start seeing an improvement in your hotelâs online conversion rate.SHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
In todayâs episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast, we are going to tackle building headless websites, what they are, and why they are critical for successful hoteliers moving into the future.DOWNLOAD THE LATEST STUDY:https://www.travelboommarketing.com/LeisureTravelSHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
The top email marketing trends for 2023. As an essential part of digital marketing for hotels, email marketing has the power to nurture guest relationships, generate new business and drive repeat business.DOWNLOAD THE LATEST STUDY:https://www.travelboommarketing.com/LeisureTravelSHOW NOTES AND MORE!https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Watch out for the ADA Ambulance Chasers! Our industry, and us specifically, have seen an uptick in hoteliers getting served civil suits for their website not being accessible to those with special needs. This can be very costly and very time-consuming, not to mention being very detrimental to your guests. Today on the podcast I am going to walk you through what we have seen, what you can do, and how you can ensure you stay accessible to all and adhere to ADA and WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
DOWNLOAD THE LATEST STUDY: https://www.travelboommarketing.com/LeisureTravel
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
In this edition, on November 8th, 2022, I'm going to cover what you should DEMAND from your analytics in 2023. Not request, not ask nicely, but DEMAND. As we dig in you'll see why demanding these three items from your reporting team will lead to great success for your hotel or resort in the new year.
DOWNLOAD THE LATEST STUDY: https://www.travelboommarketing.com/LeisureTravel
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Get ready ladies and gentlemen, Black Friday and Cyber Monday is here and if past years are any indication, 2022 is going to be another gang-buster year for hoteliers. In todayâs episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast, we are going to revisit an article from last year laying out the ideal hotel plan to maximize revenue from customers when they already have their wallets out for some of the best sales of the year.
DOWNLOAD THE LATEST STUDY: https://www.travelboommarketing.com/LeisureTravel
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
The premise is pretty straightforward, OTAs donât have to be the cornerstone of your booking strategy. Sure thereâs a place, but not at the expense of a direct booking. Today we will dig into one of our favorite topics, the OTAs⊠More specifically how you can leverage the OTAs to drive direct bookings over the long term.
DOWNLOAD THE LATEST STUDY: https://www.travelboommarketing.com/LeisureTravel
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
In todayâs episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast, we cover budget season. Itâs already on everyoneâs mind and most hoteliers have already started putting the figures together. However, if youâre simply regurgitating your 2021 or 2022 budget with a few updates, youâre going to be missing the mark.
DOWNLOAD THE LATEST STUDY: https://www.travelboommarketing.com/LeisureTravel
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Welcome to the TravelBoom Short Fuze! This is a bite size episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast that gives you the data to make smarter decisions. Todayâs episode we cover James Carvelleâs famous quote, âItâs the economy stupid.â James was talking about the 1992 presidential election, but his words ring true for those in the travel space today.
Hereâs the situation. In our latest edition of the Leisure Travel Trends Study one fact stood out above all others. Only 13.5% of travelers consier COVID to be a major influence on their travel plans. Thats right, 86% donât really care. This is great right, we can all go on our merry way and get back to where we were before. Not so fast, because just as we slayed one boogyman, another one rises to take itâs place.
Whatâs that new boogyman? Itâs the economy stupid! Every metric measured on the study points to consumers being nervous and changing their travel behavior due to rising costs and a less secure economy.
DOWNLOAD THE STUDY: https://www.travelboommarketing.com/LeisureTravel
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
The new 2022 Leisure Travel Trends Study reveals concerning insights into how travelers are changing their planning and vacation trends in response to rising costs. Hoteliers should pay close attention and adjust their marketing strategies to attract the changing needs of today's travelers.
DOWNLOAD THE STUDY: https://www.travelboommarketing.com/LeisureTravel
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Leisure travel studies have recently proven that over one third of all booked vacations might be cancel due to rising costs. In today's episode we cover three psychological strategies to save your hotel's bookings as well as several specific tactics you can put in place today.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Join Pete DiMaio, Stuart Butler, and Alex Husner as they discuss Donald Miller's #1 best seller, Building a Storybrand on this edition of the Hotel Marketing Podcast. In this episode the cast shares the secrets from the book on how your hotel can create a compelling story to make your guest the hero of their vacation.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
As a hotel, the thought of establishing a social media presence from the ground up can be daunting. Even for seasoned social media professionals, concocting creative and engaging social content can seem exhausting.
Well, fret no more. Our team of hotel marketing experts collaborated with some of our top hotel social media clients to compile a complete list of social media post ideas for hotels.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Your local profile and rankings are a critical step to ensuring your hotel is maximizing your potential impression share to guests. We have a comprehensive article with the 12 things every hotel should do at https://www.travelboommarketing.com/blog/local-seo-for-hotels/ and today we are going to look at five of the items on the list.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Well, today we have somewhat of a somber edition. TravelBoom just wrapped up a customer sentiment study and received over 2,000 responses regarding how rising prices are, and will continue, to impact leisure travel. The data is a little bit concerning and you'll want to take your time with this episode. The full research can be found at https://travelboommarketing.com/risingprices.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Today on the Hotel Marketing Podcast weâre going to be talking about an interesting question? Do humans add value to the travel experience? If you look at the surging growth of vacation rentals, where human contact is minimal, the answer is yes. However if you ask hotel guests, a friendly staff is one of the most valuable attributes of a property.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
On todayâs episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast weâre going back to the root of everything and work on our fundamentals. Just like with sports, if you find yourself struggling or are just getting started, mastering the fundamentals is the key to winning.
In the case of a hotelâs digital marketing strategy, the 1st thing you need to do is actually have one. Ground zero, starting with nothing, at the bottom, with only opportunities ahead of us. This is where Emily Dailey and the team at First Hospitality really shine, taking a property from the ground up through to success.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
In this episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast we dive deeply into a topic we have not yet covered on the show, the importance of great creative. It is critical to make sure the creative design and message you put forth matches your brand and is consistent across all your channels.
We'll be diving deep into the creative process with our guest Nick McNeill, Interactive Director at the Brandon Agency. Nick will be walking us through why creative matters and how your investment in creative can lead to greater occupancy & revenue.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
In this episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast we are joined with two incredibly special guests, Alex Husner and Annie Holcombe of the Alex & Annie Podcast. These are the two real women of vacation rentals and theyâre here to teach me a thing or five about what hoteliers have been missing when it comes to travel marketing.
We talk all the time about breaking down the silos between marketing and operations, but what about the silos between the accommodation choices todayâs travelers have in the market. Well, thatâs exactly whatâs going to be happening today. In part one of this two-part series Alex and Annie are going to share the secrets theyâve learned in over 35 years of vacation rental marketing and how hoteliers would be wise to adopt a few new tricks.
Check out the Alex & Annie Podcast at https://www.alexandanniepodcast.com/
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Photography is one of the very most important elements of a hotel site to help drive conversion, other than the obvious booking engine, clear calls to action, and a great rate strategy. Photography is also just like any other physical asset your property manages. From the alarm clocks in the room to the chairs in the conference center. From the staff uniforms to the linens. It all has a shelf-life and, just like your physical assets, you should be planning for when you need to update your photography.
In todayâs episode weâre looking at one of our most recent articles, Hotel Photography: The Asset You Are Not Assessing (https://www.travelboommarketing.com/blog/hotel-photography-the-asset-you-arent-assessing/ )
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Appleâs iOS 14.5 update is a big update that impacts web marketers across all spectrums. The new privacy settings, which have over half of iPhone users opting out of tracking, is going to cause some significant changes in how we market, and remarket. Facebook marketing is going to be impacted specifically. If you havenât been running Facebook ads lately or experimenting for yourself, you may not have an idea how the update has actually affected website remarketing audiences.
On todayâs episode we dig into our latest article on how to win Facebook marketing for hotels post iOS14.5 weâre going to dive in and learn the real story.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Join us on today's podcast to look back at the top episodes from 2021. If you missed these episodes, now's the perfect time to catch up and hit the highlights
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
2021 Has been a rollercoaster year and many hoteliers have seen incredible success. Today we discuss what we're thankful for, what we see coming in 2022, and the specific things you need to do to make your hotel perform next year.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Expedia has just released their 2022 Travel Trends report, and the data is quite interesting. Today, weâre going to be reviewing the the top-line findings of the study and looking at specific ways independent hoteliers can apply Expediaâs findings to drive more direct bookings.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Today weâre looking at how you can improve your hotelâs conversion rate through A/B testing. Weâre covering the basics from a more detailed article written at https://www.travelboommarketing.com/blog/improving-conversion-rates-with-ab-testing/
To put it simply, A/B testing is comparing two versions of a single variable. On a hotelâs website there are countless variables that can be tested to improve user experience and increase conversion rates for email captures, rfp submissions, transactions and any other task you are trying to get your website visitors to complete.
Letâs look at some factors you need to consider when setting up tests, as well as some example tests you should run on your hotelâs website.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Today weâre digging into what is on a lot of hoteliers' minds, 2022 and the big projects youâre planning for in the upcoming year. One of those bigger capital expenses many are planning on is a new website. Well, if thatâs you, youâve brought your ears to the right place since weâre going to be discussing how to choose the right CMS for your hotel website.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
OTT stands for âover-the-topâ and is essentially television commercials served specifically through streaming services on connected devices. Itâs called over-the-top because of advertiserâs ability to go over-the-top of the traditional gatekeepers of this medium which have historically been cable TV providers. Does this make sense for hotels? You bet it does... and here's why.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
n today's episode we are going to review the article, "The Definitive Guide To Black Friday For Hoteliers" and focus on the specific way hotels and resorts of all sizes can take advantage of the shopping momentum effect of Black Friday to drive bookings and set the stage for an aggressive rate management strategy in 2022.
https://www.travelboommarketing.com/blog/the-definitive-guide-to-black-friday-for-hoteliers/
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Today on episode 203 of the Hotel Marketing Podcast we are going to dive into the 10 steps any hotelier can take to create kick ass content and ensure it ranks as highly as it can in the SERP. At least thatâs what our potty-mouthed marketing specialist named the article that weâll be covering today. You can enjoy the full length article at https://www.travelboommarketing.com/blog/create-kickass-website-content/.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
In this episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast, we welcome special guest Bruce Jordan, of Hotel Guest Management and the host of YouTube's Hotel Guest Management Do's and Don'ts.
Today we are covering the five ways operations and marketing can work together to align a hotel for success.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
In this episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast the team reviews some interesting in the 13th and 14th editions of the Covid-19 Traveler Sentiment Studies. Hint: age and and your communications make a BIG difference.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
In todayâs special 200th episode of the Hotel Marketing Podcast we welcome back both Stuart Butler and Melissa Kavanagh to the stage as we answer recent listener questions. Join us on a trip down memory lane as well as the expert opinions on the most pressing issues for todayâs hoteliers.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Marketers are the worst when it comes to using an effective marketing tool in a smart way. And of all the tools at a marketers disposal, email is the one that gets the most abuse. Like the saying âThereâs no such thing as a free lunch,â thereâs no such thing as a free email.
In today's episode we walk hoteliers though the three pitfalls of email marketing and what you can do to avoid certain doom!
Enjoy the full article at https://www.travelboommarketing.com/your-emails-are-failing-your-hotel-guests-here-is-how-you-fix-it/
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Is your hotel experiencing high occupancy? Congratulations! Pat yourself on the back, pour yourself a drink and get back to work. Today we are going to dive into how hoteliers can make the most of great occupancy numbers to push their marketing efforts to the next level.
Enjoy the full article at https://www.travelboommarketing.com/blog/marketing-strategies-for-hotels-with-high-occupancy/ and keep listening to find out how to lock in fantastic growth for years to come when you apply these 8 strategies.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Expedia Group just released their Traveler Value Index, which looks at traveler behavior changes in our post-COVID world. We don't agree with everything Expedia has to say and today we will dig into what's real and what's conjecture.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Have you recently asked yourself âDo I need to revamp my hotel website?â With so many components to website design and development, the thought of starting over can be exhausting. In today's episode we are going to show you why it may be time and why you MUST plan for redesigns if you expect to stay competitive in today's hotel world.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Ryan Beachum of HelloVacay.com is joining us on the Hotel Marketing Podcast today to share his years of experience launching and managing companies as well as using the power of persuasion to improve BOTH revenue and customer satisfaction. While this is critical from a sales and startup role, it also is something every Hotelier should be building into the journey a guest experiences pre, during, and post stay.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Enjoy a free year of HelloVacay at HelloVacay.com/freeyear/ (and tell them TravelBoom sent ya!)
Clarity, Microsoftâs revolutionary user behavior analytics tool, made a big splash several months ago as a way you can gain great insight into how your customers engage with your site. However, since launch we have heard very little about the platform. This doesnât mean forget about it, it just means that thereâs been a LOT going on in the world since it was first launched in October 2020.
Today we are going to discuss why you donât want to forget about Clarity, secrets you donât know about the platform, where it differs from Google Analytics, and how you can use it to drive revenue.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Testing is one of the most important aspects of running a successful PPC campaign. Even if your campaigns are meeting your advertising goals, if you are not testing, youâre likely losing bookings and revenue to OTAs and competitors.
In today's podcast we dissect an article with all the details of PPC ad testing by sharing three tests that can (and should) be run by every hotelier.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Are you ignoring a major segment of your audience, and a vast majority of the true decision makers who hold your future in their hands? If youâre a resort destination, family-friendly, or offer kid-friendly amenities you may very well be giving the cold shoulder to your most important consumer.
While parents may choose when to vacation, the kids hold the key to where that vacation will take place. Engaging with kids to help them nudge the parents is easy, particularly when you remember one golden rule: Kids are actually little people, and like to be treated as such.
If youâre a family property and if kids are an important part of your market segment there are countless ways you can differentiate yourself to stand out to the youngest of your guests. These five tips will help you connect and win with your youngest guests.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Many hoteliers have relegated display ads as something that doesnât work or is of dubious impact on putting heads in beds. Weâre here today to say you need to reconsider the errors of that thought process. In fact, the importance of upper-funnel, demand generation campaigns can not be overlooked. Consider our earlier article, This is the Hunter Hotelier strategy.
We recommend that our clients consider display campaigns to capitalize on prospective guests that are actively looking for their property but also create the demand that gets those searchers into the funnel.
Display ads can be shown on both hotel-specific platforms (OTAs & Travel Sites) and non-hotel-specific platforms (Airline websites, GPS Navigation apps, Social Platforms (Facebook, Pinterest, etc.)
In todayâs podcast we are going to cover just a few considerations in building a successful display demand generation campaign for a hotel
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Big, big changes are afoot here at Fuel⊠or should I say big Booming changes. Today the podcast becomes the TravelBoom Marketing Podcast to complement our new company.
Plus,
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.TravelBoomMarketing.com/podcast
Email is quite likely your number one converting tool in your marketing toolbox. If itâs not, youâve got some work to do to hone your email collection, targeting, and messaging strategies. Even if your email is already converting well, there is always room for improvement. Today weâre going to review three email tests you can run right now as well as look at real world improvements.
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.fueltravel.com/podcast
Google Ads has released their new Auto-Apply Beta that allows you to choose âoptimizationsâ that Google can do for you automatically. On the surface this would seem like it would help streamline PPC efforts and utilize Googleâs machine learning to apply changes that would improve your campaigns. In reality, many of the automatic optimizations could actually hurt your campaigns. Weâll take a look at some of the items Google wants to Auto-Apply for you and explain why you should maintain control.
Bidding & Budgets Keywords & Targeting - Add Negative Keywords - Add Phrase or Broad Match Versions of Your Keywords - Expand Your Reach With Google Search Partners - Add New Keywords - Remove Conflicting Negative Keywords - Remove Redundant Keywords - Remove Non-Serving Keywords - Create Dynamic Search Ads - Use Targeting Expansion Ads & Extensions - Use Optimized Ad Rotation - Add Responsive Search Ads Bonus: Turn Off Auto-Generated Ads
SHOW NOTES AND MORE! https://www.fueltravel.com/podcast
Don't wait until the end of the month to look at your hotel's analytics! If you do, you will be missing out on exactly what consumers are looking for right now. Hoteliers have got to be nimble and able to adjust to the demand of consumers in almost real-time.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-187-are-you-missing-the-boat-with-these-7-data-points
To fully staff your hotel or resort you must look at your employment strategy the same as you would look at your marketing strategy. In todayâs podcast, we are going to cover six strategies that will help you identify, attract, hire, and keep great employees.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-186-six-strategies-to-finding-staff-for-your-hotel
Itâs not easy for a hotel to stand out against their competition. At the end of the day, you are providing a place to stay just like your competitor. In this episode we cover the amenities & services that will guarantee a potential guest will pick your hotel over the one next door.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-185-how-to-differentiate-your-hotel-getting-a-leg-up-on-the-competition/
The latest edition of the Fuel Customer Sentiment Study (Volume 12) dives in to when your customers are going to be ready to travel, what it will take for hotels to win over guests, and how vaccines will impact travel.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-184-get-ready-for-a-booming-spring-summer/
Travel coming back in an incredible way. In fact weâre seeing many examples of hoteliers even breaking their 2019 numbers. However, don't sit back. Now is the time to look back on COVID and understand what worked and what didnât work in your communications strategies. Â
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-183-three-easy-steps-to-build-your-disaster-communications-plan/
Itâs been a crazy year here at Fuel and weâve learned a thing or two. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the Fueligans discuss their top 3 lessons learned during the pandemic and give hotels advice on how to move forward with recovery
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-182-top-3-lessons-learned-during-the-pandemic/
This past week, Google quietly rolled out what may end up being a Trojan horse. By opening up Google Hotel Search organic listings, Google aims to gain access to rates and inventory for every accommodation provider on the planet. In this episode, we discuss the facts, the implications, and give advice on how to navigate the changing landscape.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-181-everything-you-need-to-know-about-googles-metasearch-changes/
TripAdvisor is sending a ripple of concern, and potentially opportunity, through the hotel industry. Back in December 2020, TripAdvisor Plus launched on a very limited scale in the US but is in the process of being rolled out to the rest of the states as well as international markets. Today we are going to look at the new program, understand what it is, and discuss ways hotels can adapt to ensure this is a positive tool for independent hoteliers.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-180-will-tripadvisor-plus-destroy-your-hotels-direct-bookings/
In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the Fueligans discuss all things Clubhouse. If youâre not on this new audio-only social platform yet, you may be missing out. We breakdown what it is, how you can sign up, and why you should pay attention to it.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-179-what-the-heck-is-clubhouse-and-why-should-i-care/
While the ultimate goal on a hotel website is to drive bookings, there is more behavioral data available in Google Analytics that can help a hotelier make better marketing decisions than looking at just that one item. In this episode, the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast discusses their top 3 GA goals and explains why you should be paying attention to them too.
SHOW NTOES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-178-top-3-google-analytics-goals-for-hotel-websites/
During the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, competition is going to be tough. There will likely be less demand and youâll have to work harder to get people to visit your site. One of the items that should be on everybodyâs to-do list right now is to improve your websiteâs conversion rate. In this episode, we cover some simple things you can implement today to help catch more direct bookings and ensure that you donât let people bounce away to the OTAs or to your competitors.
SHOW NOTES:
At Fuel, we know a thing or two about mobile apps. Our Fuel Mobile App and Digital KEy software has been deployed to dozens of hotels for more than five years and weâve been selling the system like hotcakes since COVID hit. During that time, weâve learned quite a bit about the features that guests want and the tactics that help drive more revenue to the properties. In this episode, we discuss some of the must-have functionalities that you need to consider as you look to recover in 2021.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-176-is-2021-the-year-of-the-mobile-app/
We released the latest findings of version 11 of the Fuel Consumer Sentiment Leisure Travel Study a few weeks ago. Original findings: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-covid-19-consumer-sentiment-study-volume-11/
After reviewing the results, we decided that we needed to take a look at the data segmented by those who said they have traveled during the pandemic and those who have not. This episode covers the biggest takeaways.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-175-11-key-differences-between-pandemic-travelers-and-non-travelers/
This is a back-to-basics episode where the Fueligans discuss 21 tangible tactics that your hotel can implement today. We break the ideas down into categories and go through them in detail. Whether you want to improve your website guest experience, revisit your approach to content, or simply sharpen your pencil on your advertising spend, this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast has you covered.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-174-21-tactical-hotel-marketing-things-to-do-in-2021/
In this episode, the Fueligans break down the latest consumer sentiment study data and discuss the impact that a vaccine is going to have on leisure travel in 2021. While we're not out of the woods, there are many positive signs that recovery may be closer for many properties than we may have previously thought.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-173-will-a-vaccine-bring-back-leisure-travel/
As we close on an unprecedented year of turmoil, the Fueligans take time to reflect on the things that weâre thankful for during the past 12-months. Despite the numerous challenges our industry has faced, there are so many things to be thankful for and hopeful for as we look forward to 2021.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-172-3-things-were-thankful-for-and-1-holiday-wish
During these tumultuous times, itâs important not to neglect your fundamentals. One of the pillars of effective Search Engine Optimization is backlinks. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the Fueligans discuss some specific tactics that you can deploy today in an effort to maximize your backlink profile and raise your search engine rankings.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-171-10-tools-tactics-to-identify-backlink-opportunities
Buckle up, folks. Google Analytics as you know it may be on its way out and will soon be replaced by Google Analytics 4. This completely new product is not an evolution, it is a complete re-architecture of how analytics works. If youâre not informed, you may miss out on a major opportunity for your business.. In this episode, the Fueligans breakdown everything you need to know about the new platform and give you advice on how to navigate the changes.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-170-is-this-the-death-of-google-analytics/
Every hotelier knows about the conversion funnel: potential guests enter your site, shop for a room, and make a booking. BAM! That guest just made it through your conversion funnel and youâre a great marketer who deserves a pat on the back.
That thought process is flawed and in this episode, the Fueligans prove to you that if thatâs your perspective of the conversion funnel, you are losing guests and revenue every single day. We are also going to show you how to optimize the rest of your conversion funnel and how to better communicate to your marketing team your true conversion rate.
SHOW NOTES:
https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-169-is-your-post-booking-strategy-costing-you-biggly/
Ladies and gentlemen, 2021 is going to be an exciting year and the budget battles are just starting to heat up. Departments claiming stake to budgets, vendors are jockeying for position, and accounting is demanding POs.
In this episode of the podcast, weâre going to pit the Fueligans against each other to pick the five most effective ways to spend your hotel marketing budgets and one thing you can absolutely cut.
Welcome to the podcast, you can grab a whole seat⊠but youâll only need the edge!
Hereâs the scenario, youâre the marketing director for the Old Timey Hotel and budgets are tight. You only get to spend your money on five items and because youâre at the Old Timey Hotel, your departments are siloed and operations have their own budgets.
And hereâs the twist, because you did such an awesome job with your brand PPC campaign over the past few years, that is already included. What five items are you spending your budget on (not counting brand PPC). What is one thing you spent money on in 2019 and 2020 that you are going to cut?
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-168-5-things-to-invest-in-and-1-thing-to-cut-from-your-2021-marketing-budget/
Having a successful Cyber Monday/Black Friday campaign is a critical component of many hotelsâ marketing strategy. It can give you a booking boost for the upcoming year and also help you fill in the soft periods. Given the current state of the industry and the pent up demand we are optimistic that this yearâs Cyber deals can be more effective than ever. This episode discusses the opportunities and provides some guidelines on putting together your own campaign.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-167-4-must-have-components-of-a-successful-2020-cyber-campaign/
The Fueligans recently watch the new Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma. In this episode, they sit down to discuss their take on this controversial topic. Is social media tearing apart the fabric of society or are the producers just fearmongering to get more views? Find out what we think and learn what you can do to ensure that your hotel survives and thrives.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-166-the-social-dilemma-and-what-it-means-for-your-hotel/
There's a lot of noise surrounding the death of third-party cookies and the chaos that this will create for marketers. In this episode, the fueligans break down what the real impact is going to be for your hotel and provide tangible advice on what to do about it.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-165-how-to-prepare-for-a-cookieless-world/
Hotels can no longer rely on an organic demand to put heads in beds. As an industry, we need to switch our mindset from that of a gatherer to that of a hunter. In this episode, we discuss strategies and tactics that can help you and your property survive and thrive during the downturn.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-164-the-hunter-hotelier-finding-new-guests-in-difficult-markets/
In our latest consumer sentiment study, we reached a msssive tipping point in North American Travel. More than half of travellers are reporting that they have taken a trip since the COVID-19 pandemic began. We discuss this data and a whole lot more exciting news in this week's episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-163-great-news-people-are-traveling/
Thanks to our latest consumer sentiment survey results weâve identified the topics people want to hear from hotels right now. Staying in touch with guests on the topics they care about now will keep your hotel top-of-mind, as well as improve your hotelâs chances of more bookings now and in the future.
SHOW NOTES https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-162-the-3-unsaid-things-that-are-costing-your-hotel-money/
In our continuing look at consumer sentiment during the coronavirus outbreak, we are beginning to see some positive signs of recovery. After recently taking a major hit from the uptick in COVID cases and the negative media coverage, consumers are beginning to travel again. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the Fueligans dig into the data from volume 8 of our Sentiment Study and discuss what it means for your hotel.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-161-consumer-confidence-is-rebounding-but-safety-is-still-the-primary-concern/
Don't worry, it's not the death of SEO and it's not another portmanteau with some random word strung together with 'geddon', like mobilegeddon. In fact, SEO is very far from being dead and there's new information from Google that should have good marketers very excited. Google is preparing to make a major change to its search ranking algorithm by introducing a new ranking factor known as Page Experience. In this episode, we discuss what the new factor is and how you can prepare your hotel website to rank higher and beat your competition.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-160-googles-latest-ranking-signal-marks-a-new-age-in-seo/
You already know that the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast is the #1 podcast in the world for all things hotel marketing. But, did you know that thereâs another show that the Fueligans enjoy almost as much as our own? Thinks Out Loud with Tim Peter is smart and snappy and offers great insights into marketing strategy and provides valuable business advice. One of our favorite things about the show is how Tim manages to boil down complex ideas into bite-sized pearls of wisdom. We consider Tim to be the most tweetable digital marketer in the world and weâre excited to chat with him on this episode where we break down a handful of his sayings and unpack the deeper meaning for our listeners as they deal with the current COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
SHOW NOTES:
Fuel recently released volume 7 of our consumer sentiment study and it's a real eye-opener. Just when we all thought things were heading in the right direction, the cases of COVID began to increase and the mainstream media changed it's narrative to be very anti-travel. This has had a dramatic impact on consumers and their willingness to book a vacation. In this episode, we take a look at the new data and break it down between people who are in favor of masks vs those who prefer to abstain. Check it out: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-covid-19-consumer-sentiment-study-volume-7/
SHOW NOTES:
In the latest issue (June/July) of Fortune magazine, the CEOs of the 2020 Fortune 500 list were asked how the world is going to change due to the COVID pandemic. Here are our big takeaways and how they may impact the hotel industry - with just a smidge of Fueligan humor.
SHOW NOTES:
Fuel recently performed a study with our friends at ReviewPro and StayNTouch, during which we surveyed 500 hoteliers to gain insight into how they were navigating the COVID-19 crisis. In this episode, we discuss some of our favorite insights and takeaways.
SHOW NOTES:
All the way back in episode 3 of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discussed the need for a hotel mobile app. Four years on, the technology has still not been widely adopted beyond the major flags. In this episode, we discuss the myths and challenges regarding mobile apps for hotels and give tangible reasons why every property needs to be making the leap right now.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-155-10-reasons-that-your-hotel-needs-a-mobile-app-and-10-must-have-features/
This episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast takes a deep dive into the latest findings from the most comprehensive COVID-19 Consumer Sentiment Data. Every 2-weeks, the fueligans ask leisure travel consumers a range of questions regarding future travel plans. Find out who is going to be traveling, when they will travel, and what types of locations they will travel to. Also, new questions look at guest expectations and show that more than 80% of travelers want to use a mobile app for check-in.
SHOW NOTES:
The United States is quickly reopening from the COVID-19 lockdowns and the pent-up demand by travelers is almost palpable. In the Myrtle Beach area alone we are seeing nearly 100% increases in daily revenue,. However, this is not a long term trend, this is a short correction of bookings due to the abbreviated booking window.
Today we are going to focus on your CRM system, what it must be able to do, and the immediate-action items for making the most out of your data to drive every booking you can in during a compressed booking window.
SHOW NOTES:
During this pandemic, marketers have had to throw out their playbook and create new and original marketing campaigns in order to stay top-of-mind with their audience. In this episode, we chat with Ed St. Onge from Flip.to about some of the campaigns his team is seeing on their platform and we discuss the ways in which hotels can tap into nostalgia and memories of past vacations to inspire dreaming and aspiration for future stays.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-152-examples-of-successful-marketing-campaigns-during-covid-19-with-flip-to/
Fuel has been conducting a series of studies to follow the change in consumer sentiment around COVID-19 travel. We have completed the second study, which included responses from over 10,000 North American leisure travelers, and in this episode, the Fueligans will discuss the biggest changes observed in answers in the 2 weeks since the first study was conducted.
Throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia hoteliers have struggled to find the right way to maintain their existing bookings in the face of mandated hotel shutdowns. Collectively billions have been spent to drive bookings and those bookings have all but disappeared⊠or have the? In this episode, we look at ways to get your bookings back. Â
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-150-covid-recovery-5-proven-strategies-to-recover-your-hotels-lost-bookings/
Lily is a seasoned revenue optimization veteran and recently launched her own revenue management podcast. In this episode, we tap into her wisdom and discuss 5 revenue management tips that will help you navigate the uncertainty of recovery.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-149-5-amazing-revenue-management-tips-to-think-about-during-a-downturn-with-lily-mockerman/
What signals can hotels track to gauge guest readiness to travel again? From a digital marketing perspective, how can hotels get back into the market early to achieve a low-cost share of voice? We tackle these questions and more with the help of our friends at Screen Pilot on this weekâs episode f the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-148-6-ways-to-look-for-recovery-signals-and-make-smarter-decisions-with-screen-pilot
Marketers have become wizards of data collection, masters of data storage, and champions of data management. But for most of us, thatâs where the winning stops. The result? A lot of data and not enough guest engagement. The inability to use data in marketing execution across channels has created a significant disconnect between what guests want and what marketers deliver. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the 20-year marketing veteran of Priceline and Lending Tree, Josh Francia, will reveal his own tried-and-tested recipe for building an engine that leads to sustained growth and success, propelling you light years ahead of the competition. He'll also share how this approach brings greater returns, easier execution, and deeper guest insights.
SHOW NOTES:
Fuel recently conducted a consumer sentiment study to more than 10,000 leisure travelers to see how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting their travel planning. In this episode, the Fueligans dig into the data and discuss ways that your property can take advantage of the situation as we begin to plan for recovery.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-146-a-deep-dive-into-fuels-covid-19-consumer-sentiment-data/
While it may seem that no one is traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still groups of people that need to stay in hotels for a variety of reasons. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we look at a handful of guest types and discuss how creativity can not only help you keep the lights on but it may give you a leg up against the competition when things start to get back to normal.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-145-8-guest-types-who-will-stay-at-your-hotel-right-now-and-how-to-target-them-with-loren-gray/
You know the saying...if not now, then when? If you are like the majority of hotels right now, the traffic and revenue being generated online has come to nearly a screeching halt. This doesnât mean you should be ignoring your analytics data. We are going to cover the three things you need to be doing with your data today.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-144-the-3-things-hoteliers-should-be-doing-with-their-covid-19-analytics-data-now/
In times of disaster and social upheaval, such as the COVID-19 struggles today, hoteliers must be both adaptable and transparent with their guests. When weâre in a time of uncertainty, providing customers with a little clarity can go a long way to building a great relationship as well as being a servant to your guest.
One of the best ways to put your current and potential guests at ease is through updated policies to help address objections to bookings. Objections such as deposits, cancellation policies, modifications, and price fluctuations.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-143-smart-hoteliers-have-updated-their-policies-for-covid-19-heres-how-you-can-too/
We're getting a lot of questions about what folks should be doing right now. The challenge is that a lot of properties are down to minimal occupancy and minimum staff, and marketers are unsure when real recovery will begin or when they should start rolling out campaigns to drive future bookings. Fuel reached out to our friends at Milestone who had written an amazing blog post containing sage advice on how you should be spending your time.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-142-now-is-the-time-what-should-you-be-doing-right-now-with-tammy-carlisle-from-milestone/
In this episode of the award-winning Fuel Hotel marketing podcast, we chat with industry veteran, Kelly Simmons on how her company is tackling the challenges brought on by COVID-19. Kelly gives examples of some of the things Vacation Myrtle Beach has been doing to reduce cancellations and stimulate new business.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-141-a-hoteliers-view-on-how-to-market-during-the-covid-19-crisis-with-kelly-simmons/
In this episode, we go through some simple changes that your property should be making right now to your local listings. Keeping property information up-to-date, especially as cities are changing their protocols. Updating your local listings like Google My Business, Moz, and Yext accounts is the best way to keep your guests in the loop.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-140-local-listings-updates-best-practices-during-covid-19/
Now more than ever, the messaging you send your guests is vital to your hotelâs future success. Your hotel messaging could invoke confidence and togetherness or cringe and turn offâyou donât want to be in the latter grouping.
If you plan on reaching out, consider the following messaging tactics. Weâll also include hotels and companies that have the right idea for messaging and promoting to consumers during global adversity.
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These are unprecedented times and they call for us to rethink our advertising approach. In this episode, we discuss some simple considerations that you should be thinking about when updating your hotel advertising.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-138-adjustments-to-consider-for-your-hotel-advertising-right-now/
In this episode, the Fueligans chat with Industry Guru, Tim Peter, about his advice for hotels and travel industry businesses who are feeling the shock and pain of the past few weeks. Fuel is here for you as we all try to navigate these stormy waters and adjust to the ânew normalâ.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-137-8-things-hotels-should-be-doing-about-the-global-crisis-with-tim-peter/
Sorry about the audio quality on this one. We hope that the content is valuable, though.
In this episode, we talk to industry guru, Loren Gray about his experiences during the fallout from 9/11 and the lessons he learned from running 5 properties during that crisis.
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All the way back in episode 47, we asked the question âIs Google Becoming An OTA?â. Also, in episode 99, we discussed the fact that âGoogle Is Building A Hotel Marketing Demogorgonâ. The scary thing is that this push by Google to get deeper into the value chain of hospitality doesnât look like itâs slowing down anytime soon and itâs also happening in every major industry. In this episode, we look at some of the things that Google has been working on over the past 5 years and how joining the dots paints a potentially devastating picture for many businesses - starting with the OTAs.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-135-google-is-going-to-destroy-us-all-starting-with-the-otas/
Today's small hotelier has more to deal with than ever before. OTAs are a must... but eat into the ever-shrinking margin. The flags are getting more aggressive in creating a unique experience. The technology is getting more complicated. However the future is not bleak for the smaller innkeeper who is managing a property under 100 units, be it a hotel, B&B, campground, or quaint retreat.
In this episode, we share five things that every hotelier can do right now to complete against the 800lb gorillas of the hospitality world.
You can also enjoy the full article at fueltravel.com/blog/5-things-every-small-hotelier-needs-to-be-doing-to-compete-today/.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-134-how-can-small-hotels-compete-today/
This episode is part two of our look at user behavior and performance on your hotel website. In part 1, we covered the movement of a guest through your site and how they interact with the content. This episode looks at your conversion rate and your overall site performance.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-133-even-more-shocking-revelations-of-hotel-guest-behavior-part-2/
Alternative episode titles: You wonât believe what your guests are doing when youâre not looking What your guests are doing when they donât think youâre watching Your guest just did what? Guest behavior gone wild.
Here at Fuel, we constantly preach about reducing friction on your hotelâs website and booking engine to create a seamless user experience. We also often talk on this podcast about how user experience is becoming an increasingly important factor in SEO. A recent article on SEJ got us thinking that there are probably a lot of hotels that arenât regularly evaluating the user experience and how users are interacting with their websites. We are going to dive into what user behavior you should be tracking, how you can track it and what you should be doing with the behavior data you collect.
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Letâs face it, your booking engine is one of the most important pieces of your marketing strategy. According to the Fuel 2019 Leisure Travel study, 87% of consumers will visit the hotel website prior to making a booking, meaning that if you have a great booking experience, you have a great chance to convert the guest to a direct booking. Why then is it that folks look at the booking engine as a commodity and rest their laurels on an antiquated or ineffective system? In this episode, we dive into a few things you should be considering when you think about whether or not itâs time to evaluate your current provider.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-131-is-it-time-to-re-evaluate-your-booking-engine/
Did you know that Gift Cards are the most requested gift for 13 straight years? Well, itâs true and your hotel can take advantage of this multi-billion dollar opportunity by offering gift cards towards future stays, on-property activities, or food and beverage. Itâs great for improving cash flow, capitalizing on last-minute holiday shoppers, but most importantly, gift cards can help you drive more direct bookings and reduce reliance on the OTAs. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discuss the reasons why this may be something you should consider and some of the best practices in deploying your own gift card program.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-markeâŠering-gift-cards/
Why arenât people leveraging the power of SMS messaging to improve the guest experience and create tighter relationships? Perhaps hotels are scared off by the intimate nature of text messaging or perhaps marketers have finally found an ethical line theyâre not willing to cross? We discuss all this and more in the latest episode of the award-winning Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-129-launching-and-managing-your-hotels-sms-text-messaging-campaign/
If youâve ever taken a marketing course, you will probably be familiar with the concept of the 5 Ps of Marketing. The 5 Ps are the standard concepts used to come up with a marketing strategy for your business, and encompass: Product, Price, Place, People, and Promotion. Hotel Speak recently published a great article on a slightly different perspective, geared specifically for the hotel and lodging industry. Hereâs the breakdown.
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By now you have probably heard the increasing chatter about CCPA. In this episode of the award winning Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we do an overview and try to unpack the new California privacy regulations and what they mean for your hotel. Keep in mind that CCPA is just the beginning and we fully expect to see more legislation coming from other states in the very near future.
DISCLAIMER: We are not legal experts and this article and podcast episode are for entertainment purposes only and are not intended to be considered as legal advice. The information is based upon our limited understanding and some random Google searches and may contain errors or factual inaccuracies as well as the occasional dad joke.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-127-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-california-consumer-privacy-act-ccpa/
Bridging the gap between the operations staff and the marketing team is an age-old problem that has faced many hotels. In this episode of the award-winning Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we tap into the brain of a bonafide hotel operator, Wil Slickers, and discuss some ideas that may help you to get every team member into alignment and eliminate the silos so that you can better serve your guest.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-126-top-5-ways-hotel-operations-marketing-teams-can-work-better-together-w-wil-slickers/
Filling occupancy during the off-season remains one of the hotelierâs biggest challenges and can require a lot of creativity for your digital marketing strategy. Hoteliers should be using every platform, including email, social, paid search, and website content, to promote sales during the off-season. As challenging as it may sound, there are several tactics and ideas that you can implement into these platforms for your off-season marketing strategy. Today, weâre going to discuss 8 ways that you can use to push for more bookings in the off-season.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-125-8-ways-hotels-can-promote-sales-during-the-off-season/
Independent hotels can learn a lot from branded hotels. Once you understand their strategies and limitations in the digital space, you can compete with them. For this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we enlisted the expertise of Stephanie Smith from Cogwheel Marketing to tell us about what the brands are up to and how we can outperform them.
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In this episode, we get back to basics with the latest in our hotel marketing 101 series. This time, we discuss social media and identify the platforms and the strategies that make the most sense for your property.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-123-hotel-marketing-101-the-top-3-things-you-should-be-doing-on-social-media/
Finding content out of date, or not ready to be posted, is one of the most common issues we come across in terms of hoteliers being ready for what is to come. This is not unexpected, many hotel operators are busy dealing with guests, property issues, and a myriad of other urgent issues.
Unfortunately, this means the important things that are not urgent, get pushed to the side. If you donât already know about the Eisenhowerâs Decision Matrix by name, you surely have seen it in books like âSeven Habits Of Highly Effective People.â More or less, the point of the matrix is we spend way too much time in Quadrant #1 or Quadrant #3, and not nearly enough time in Quadrant #2.
Todayâs podcast is all about setting up your websiteâs content to be ready to go in advance and completely live in Quadrant #2, important but not urgent. We are going to cover five content areas that can be planned in advance, created, and then executed when the time comes⊠no urgency needed.
We could do an entire podcast on the Eisenhower Decision Matrix, and probably will, but for now, letâs talk content.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-122-hotel-marketing-101-proactive-website-content-updates-that-make-sense/
If youâre a hotel marketer, chances are that you spend some of your budget on advertising. Typically, those efforts are deployed in an attempt to drive demand for your property or to harvest the intend that already exists from a person who is looking to take a trip. Most hotel marketers do the basics right. They set up different campaigns and target a defined audience with a specific message. Most people, however, arenât taking advantage of all of the potential target segments that exist in todayâs marketing toolkit. In this episode, we dig into 15 different ways to target your audience and discuss the fact that layering these segments into more granular groups of people is the best way to maximize your ROI.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-121-15-simple-ways-to-refine-your-hotel-ad-targeting/
What's all the fuss about Millennials and Generation Z? Are they really going to cause the death of life as we know it? Should we be spending our time developing a marketing strategy that specifically targets these increasingly influential enigmas? We tackle all of these tough topics and more in this week's episode fo the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-120-should-your-hotel-be-marketing-to-generation-z-and-millennials/
Effective communication is one of the keys to building a strong relationship with your guests. If you do it correctly, you can build customer loyalty, improve the guest experience, and drive more revenue. In this episode, the Fueligans break down a recent blog article that discusses 15 triggered messages that you should be sending to your guests
Based on this original blog post: 15 Triggered Messages Your Hotel Should Be Sending To Your Guests https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/15-triggered-messages-your-hotel-should-be-sending-to-your-guests/
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-119-dominate-the-competition-with-these-15-triggered-messages/
This episode is based on a vertical trends report produced by Google as well as Revinateâs latest email marketing trends study.
Also see our notes on last yearâs study: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-98-takeaways-revinates-2018-global-hotel-email-marketing-report/
If you tuned in to last weekâs episode where we reviewed the 2019 Leisure Travel Study youâll know we talked a lot about the ever-changing habits of our guests. However, not everything a guest does is constantly changing. In this episode we look at a famous quote from Amazonâs Jeff Bezos and discuss what it means for hotel marketers.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-117-what-hotel-marketers-can-learn-from-amazons-secret-to-success/
Each year, Fuel publishes a comprehensive leisure travel study that takes a look into why people travel and how they make their purchase decisions. The data revealed by the study offers incredible value to the hospitality industry as it provides a clear picture of what people are looking for when they are performing their travel research.
In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the Fueligans breakdown the most surprising and the most important stats from the 2019 study and discuss the biggest opportunities that exist for hoteliers who want to take advantage of this information.
DOWNLOAD THE STUDY: https://www.fueltravel.com/2019-leisure-travel-trends-study/
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-116-youll-be-shocked-by-these-insights-from-the-2019-leisure-travel-study/
We recently published an article on HotelExecutive.com where we made the argument that over-reliance on OTAs could become an existential problem for hotels if the economy were to take a downturn. Not that OTAs are bad, but many have become comfortable letting the OTAs drive a significant percentage of their demand. In this episode, we dive into the article and discuss its wider implications.
READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE: 10 ways to drive direct bookings in 2019 - https://www.hotelexecutive.com/business_review/6165/top-10-ways-to-drive-direct-bookings-in-2019
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This weekâs episode is a breakdown of an article from Adobe that was recently published on CMO.com. The article takes a look at several travel-related trends that have been aggregated from numerous sources. The fueligans discuss the merits of each stat and provide insight into the impact they may have on hotel marketers.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-114-15-mind-blowing-stats-about-digital-trends-in-travel/
This is the second episode in our hotel marketing 101 series. In this show, we dig into Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and give practical advice about how hotels can drive more direct revenue from organic search.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-113-hotel-marketing-101-a-beginners-guide-to-seo/
For many, they think of the annual HITEC Expo and Conference as the âSuper Bowlâ of hotel technology events. For us, the Super Bowl is the âHITECâ of football games. HITEC is simply that darn great. If youâre in the market for new technology or if you just want to see what cutting-edge trends are going to be the next big thing, you should plan on attending HITEC.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-112-shocking-predictions-for-hitec-2019/
In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the Fueligans give 10 simple rules that every hotel marketer should follow.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-111-the-10-commandments-of-hotel-marketing/
Still trying to figure out this whole âinfluencerâ phenomena thatâs getting more than its fair share of coverage in hospitality blogs? In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we solicit the help of our friends at Navis and Flip.to to discuss the difference between macro and micro influencers, and we look at a case study that illustrates the potential that exists from tapping into the influence of your existing guest.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-110-the-real-value-of-hotel-micro-influencers-with-flip-to-and-navis/
Weâre kicking off an awesome new series in 2019 to introduce our audience, clients, and colleagues to the core best-practices in hotel marketing. The idea being if you have just been thrown in to the hotel marketing business, or youâre looking to brush up on what you should have already been doing, youâll be able to listen to each episode in the Hotel 101 series to make your marketing rock.
This episode was inspired by our own older podcast episodes that helps you diagnose anomalies in your analytics data. We get questions from our clients on a regular basis when something in their data doesnât feel right, has had a sudden change, or just doesnât make sense. Here are some common issues
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-108-these-6-analytics-anomalies-give-hotels-agita/
In this episode, we have a special guest, Niel Howe, and we discuss ways in which a hotel GM or Owner can leverage their authority to drive more bookings. Neil is a best selling author and entrepreneur, known as âThe Authority Architectâ and he helps professionals leverage their knowledge to drive more business.
Assuming that youâve been implementing all of the tips weâve provided on the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast thus far, your property is immaculate and your staff are super-friendly. That means that you donât have a problem retaining guests. Your repeat visitor numbers are through the roof. However, you still have some soft spots throughout the year that you need to fill up, so youâre going to have to go find new people to stay in those rooms. In this episode, we look at some of the ways that you can spread the word about your property and earn the opportunity to win some new business.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-106-top-10-ways-to-reach-new-hotel-guests/
Each year, we get inundated by articles containing the top 10 list of something. We thought weâd save you some time by combining 5 of our favorite top 10 lists for hotel marketing and summarize them in this handy-dandy episode.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-105-top-list-of-top-10-lists-for-hotels-in-2019/
Guess what? Itâs no longer the âYear of Mobileâ. While it seems as if mobile has been the âtrend for the past 5 years, I think it's time to acknowledge the fact that mobile is the minimum ante to play these days. If you donât have your mobile strategy figured out by now, youâre so far behind in terms of consumer expectations that you may be beyond help. Assuming youâre still with us, letâs discuss some of the real trends that you should be paying attention to in 2019.
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Today on the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast we are going to cover how to make the most of your marketing efforts by setting up a schedule of continual proofing to guarantee your hotelâs site is ready to convert guests to its fullest. How you ask? Simple, by ensuring your systems actually work as designed, track as they should, and trigger followups as expected.
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In this episode, we take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly in terms of how hotels are responding to their online reviews. We discuss best practices and give advice on how to avoid the pitfalls by leaving emotion out of it and by considering that youâre not just responding to the single individual, but to every potential future guest.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-102-how-to-respond-to-bad-hotel-reviews/
Conversion rate is yet another metric that is most useful to look at in the context of other dimensions. Today we are specifically talking about it in terms of landing pages. Since conversion rate is relative to your market, instead of giving specific ranges for each entry point, weâll rank these pages in terms of likeliness to convert vs. not, based on the likely source of traffic.
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In the 100th episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the Fueligans throw the gauntlet to our faithful listeners and pose the challenge, "Ask Me Anything". Tune in to find out whether the inevitable curve-balls were tackled with the typical brilliance that can only come from this podcast.
In a recent blog article, Fuelâs own Pete DiMaio outlined 6 changes that Google has made over the past year that should scare the Dickens out of hotel marketers. The good news is that your Fueligan friends are here with another episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast to break down these changes, tell you what they mean, and give you a game plan on how to adjust your marketing strategy and not get stuck in the âUpside Downâ.
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Email marketing is still the most effective way to drive direct booking business (if done correctly). The trouble is that a lot of hoteliers resort to spamming their list with nothing but discounts. The key to a successful email strategy is to play the long game. Donât sacrifice long-term success for instant gratification. In this episode, we look at some recently released data from our friends at Revinate and give you the Fueligan spin on their findings.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-98-takeaways-revinates-2018-global-hotel-email-marketing-report
Should your hotel website have a section dedicated to area information, or is it even worth competing with other sites who may already have that content? In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the Fueligans discuss their best practices for having destination content on your hotel website and how it can help drive more direct bookings.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-97-8-great-ways-gain-bookings-destination-information/
Influencer marketing is all the rage these days but what is it exactly and is it something that your hotel should be doing? In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we take a look at this growing trend and give you our in-depth analysis so that you can decide whether or not itâs right for your property.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-96-influencer-marketing-right-hotel/
You may have heard about the 6 Pâs of being prepared, âProper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.â From a hoteliers perspective, the 6 Pâs mean creating a plan for how your organization will react in times of trouble. In a disaster, you will not have time to think creatively and properly address the situation. You must create a comprehensive plan before disaster strikes.
Your property likely already has a well-crafted operational disaster plan detailing exactly how and when the staff goes into action to prepare your hotel. You already have redundancies for power, security, and so on. Therefore we will not go into detail on any operational level disaster planning. Instead we will look at what you need to do from a marketing and communications perspective.
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Today we are talking about our takeaways from part two of a three-part study performed by EyeforTravel in the Behavioral Analytics Report Series. This report is all about driving consumers through the purchase funnel and ways to improve conversion rate.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-94-shocking-revelations-converting-customer-eyefortravel-report-takeaways/
Following up on the last episode, where the Fueligans took a deep dive into the results of the 2018 Hospitality technology study, this week's episode focuses on the feedback and insight that has been gathered from other technology vendors.
DOWNLOAD THE 2018 HOSPITALITY TECHNOLOGY STUDY http://www.fueltravel.com/2018-hotel-tech-study/
As technology leaders in the hospitality industry, your friends at Fuel Travel, Flip.to, and StayNTouch joined forces to conduct an extensive study of hundreds of hoteliers and suppliers with a goal to learn where the industry can improve from a technology perspective. The results are compiled from 358 respondents, all of whom are involved in the process of purchasing or selling technology within the hospitality industry.
DOWNLOAD THE STUDY: http://www.fueltravel.com/2018-hotel-tech-study/
Google My Business is a free and often overlooked opportunity for hotels to gain more search engine visibility. In this episode, we look at 8 thinks that you can Do Right Now to Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
SHOTE NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-91-8-ways-hotels-can-optimize-google-business/
Each year, hoteliers and suppliers from around the world gather for the annual HFTP HITEC conference and tradeshow, which is accompanied by HSMAIâs ROC event. Your Fueligan friends were in attendance and we break down what we learned at this yearâs event.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-90-secrets-hitec-2018-revealed/
Your hotelâs marketing programs have big problems! And odds are, you donât even know it. Today we are going to go through the 10 most common issues any hotel will find with their marketing efforts and how to fix each one.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-89-10-simple-fixes-hotel-marketing/
In this week's episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we dig into the gaps that exist between marketers and revenue managers courtesy of Marco Benvenuti from Duetto
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-88-revenue-strategy-secrets-revealed-courtesy-duetto/
Increasingly, travelers are turning to voice search on their smartphone or voice assistant for the answers to their queries. In this weekâs episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we break down these changes, what it means for your hotel, and give you some proactive tips to ensure that youâre prepared for the SEO-volution.
With all of the changes that Google has made over the past 5 years, SEO has been dead more times than Kenny from South Park but itâs still driving significant traffic and revenue to our hotels. With that said, the latest calls for the demise of SEO may have a little more credence because this time, itâs not about SERP changes, itâs about a definite shift in consumer behavior.
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These are in no particular order of importance, but they are some of the most important things you should be doing to optimize your AdWords account. We take over a lot of PPC accounts that clearly arenât following these best practices. Here are 10 things you should be doing to run a successful PPC account.
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Is your hotel website accessible by everyone? If not, it should be and weâre going to tell you why and precisely what you need to do in this weekâs Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-85-ada-wcag-2-0-hotel-websites-need-know/
Welcome to the TripAdvisor conspiracy theory episode where weâre going to cover all the strange and unusual things we are seeing from the worldâs largest review and hotel shopping platform.
Since the beginning of 2018, we have been noticing some very odd behavior from the TripAdvisor results, customer service response time, sales rep strategies, and overall communication. What is most odd is that we have found communication from TripAdvisor to us, our clients, and industry partners has seriously degraded. This leads us to start asking some pretty conspiratorial questions like, âIs TripAdvisor being bought out?â
ORIGINAL BLOG POST: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/tripadvisor-what-is-happening/
SHOW NOTES:
On todayâs episode, find out all of the mistakes that are holding your email marketing campaign back as we run through Marketoâs list of the most common email marketing mishaps.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-83-8-email-marketing-mistakes-hotels-avoid-marketo/
In this episode, we dig into all things GDPR and try to lay out exactly what you need to know and do prior to the May 25th deadline. Thereâs a lot of information and misinformation floating around about GDPR and we try to cut through the noise and break it all down Fueligan style.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-82-hotels-need-know-gdpr-late/
How should hotels be spending their marketing dollars? We Break down our top 10 lists of hotel marketing investments in this weekâs Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast.
Digital marketing has made marketing so much more effective, but at the same time, itâs made it more complex. There are no right or wrong answers, but we try our best to use our knowledge and experience and debate the pros and cons of everything from brand PPC to email marketing.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-81-top-10-ways-drive-direct-bookings-2018/
There are so many sources talking about mobile data, but do the numbers all add up? What exactly does the data mean and how can hoteliers take action? In this episode, we dig into Fuelâs own data and compare it to data published by other folks in the industry to see if we can help you make sense of it all. Find out what we learned.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-80-hotel-booking-data-reveals-surprising-consumer-mobile-behavior/ SHOW NOTE
Google is not known for keeping the status quo and if all indications are correct 2018 is going to really shake up the hotel space. For years we have seen Google continues to make efforts to keep users on their platform for longer and longer. In 2016/17 Google even became a full-funnel system with the roll out of Google Hotel Ads. Well, theyâre not stopping there. Hereâs just a glimpse of what Google has in store for hotel searchers in 2018.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-79-these-google-changes-will-rock-your-hotels-world-in-2018/
Has the world not realized yet? Mobile is a big deal and you need to be doing everything you can to cater to the consumerâs desire to book on mobile. In this episode, we look at a recent white paper from Criteo and also dig into some of our own data to show just how close we are to becoming a mobile-first industry.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-78-hotel-isnt-ready-second-mobile-tipping-point/
There are a lot of buzz-worthy two-letter acronyms thrown around these days. None more so than Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI), But, what do these things mean to you as a hotelier and how can they impact your hotel marketing? Tune in to this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast to find out.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-77-hotels-paying-attention-ar-vr-ai/
There is a lot of buzz in the hotel industry about both blockchain and voice search. While both are undoubtedly going to have a major impact on society, the Fueligans have a lively discussion about both of these 'megatrends' and analyze the likely impact that they will have on the average hotelier in the next twelve months. Do you need to drop everything you're doing and jump on board the hype train? We think not.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-76-dont-believe-hype-blockchain-voice-search-yet/
Weâve been hearing that âSEO is deadâ for the better part of the last 4 years. While itâs certainly true that the value of SEO has become harder to understand and that the tactics employed to accomplish search ranking continues to evolve, we believe that SEO is far from dead and that it should remain a very important part of your overall hotel marketing strategy. In this episode, we go through a very basic SEO checklist that you should pay attention to in 2018.
FULL SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-75-seo-finally-dead-2018-listen-find/
TripAdvisor is setting the stage for a year full of changes in 2018. They launched a major new initiative at the very end of 2017 with Sponsored Positions and are now in the process of completely revamping their internal structures. Today we are going to discuss some of the most notable changes we are seeing and what may be on the horizon.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-74-troubles-tripadvisor/
Hoteliers - If you had one hotel marketing related wish, what would it be? We asked. You responded. Here are some of the best answers we received from hoteliers and industry experts. We break them down and have some fun in the festive episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-73-hotel-industrys-new-year-wish-list-2018/
In a shameless effort to newsjack the hysteria revolving around the release of Star Wars The Last Jedi, the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast this week is trying to draw comparisons between the galaxy far, far away and hotel marketing. Listen to find out how well we did.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-72-10-marketing-lessons-hotel-can-learn-star-wars-quotes/
Congratulations on your new hotel or resort adventure! Though inevitably a bit stressful, opening a new property is undoubtedly an exciting task.
Of course, you wouldnât ever build and open your new property and just hope people show up. Rather, you will want to have a marketing plan in place to effectively promote your property in advance to generate interest and demand.
FULL SHOW NOTES:
http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-71-things-must-hotel-opens/
In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the Fueligans take a tongue in cheek look at what life would be like if we treated our phone reservations like we treat our website visitors.
Letâs face it, a hotelâs website is one of the most important investments a property can make. It influences almost every booking in some form or fashion. And yet, we still live in a world where folks take a set-it-and-forget-it approach to their website. Despite more than 50% of direct bookings coming in online, and the fact that the phone reservations probably originated from the website in the first place, people still spend more time focused on improving their agents performance and neglecting their top sales agent... THE WEBSITE.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-70-happens-phone-agents-act-like-website/
Reducing friction in the booking process can happen one of two ways. Either you remove the roadblocks and make the booking process more streamlined, or you apply forward pressure through the funnel by using psychology tactics that persuade people to do what you need them to do. Thatâs what weâll be discussing in todayâs episode. Simple things you can apply to your website and booking engine that will have a dramatic impact on conversion rate and the number of direct bookings.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-69-5-simple-marketing-psychology-hacks-increase-direct-bookings/
In this weekâs episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we break down Booking.comâs top 8 travel predictions for 2018.
Looking for inspiration for your 2018 travel? Facilitating reservations for more than 1,500,000 room nights each day, the experts at Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travelers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, have combined customer insights from over 128 million real guest reviews with research from 19,000 travelers across 26 countries around the world to reveal the biggest travel predictions for 2018.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-68-top-8-travel-trend-predictions-2018/
Whatâs worse than bad analytics data? Not knowing you have bad analytics data! Today we are going to cover some common horrifying pitfalls that wreak havoc in your analytics data, making it a bloody mess.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-67-6-common-analytics-mistakes-may-making/
Does your hotel website and the online shopping experience accurately reflect the on-property experience? Or, are you a cotton headed ninny muggins who tricks unsuspecting guests into staying with you, only to disaapoint them and have them never return to your property? Hopefully you are the former rather than the later.
In this Elf-inspired episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we break down some of the biggest mistakes that hotels make by not accurately representing their product and we talk about the consequences that follow.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-66-hotels-marketing-sit-throne-lies/
All hotels and resorts are striving to make the most out of their marketing dollars. Hotels will spend countless dollars and hours finding the right audience, the right marketing channels and setting the perfect bait to bring in a new guest. Many are great at setting the bait, but fail to make sure the trap will work.
Thatâs what weâre going to discuss on episode 65 of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast. We are going to dive in and determine if you are using the right PMS and right booking engine that will allow your hotel to make the most of your precious marketing dollars.
To be honest, switching your booking engine and/or PMS can be a pain in the nether regions. But today weâre going to show you why that pain may be worth it and the phrase âno pain no gainâ is very applicable here.
FULL SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-65-hotel-right-booking-engine/
Google has defined 4 stages of travel, which encompasses everything from the initial spark in which someone decided they might want to take a trip all the way through the process of a guest sharing their vacation photos and experiences online with friends and family. âI want to get away momentsâ - dreaming moments âTime to make a plan momentsâ - planning moments âLetâs book it momentsâ - booking moments âCanât wait to explore momentsâ - experiencing moments
In our new guide (available at www.fueltravel.com/advertising/), we combine Googleâs travel micro-moments with the traditional sales funnel to help hotel marketers better align advertising platforms and ad offerings with each stage of the travel shopping process.
In todayâs episode, weâll discuss the TL;DR version of this whitepaper. (Thought you should still totally download the full version!)
SHOW NOTES: www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-64-secrets-to-becoming-a-hotel-advertising-pro/
Why do hotels need a website? Essentially, your websiteâs job is to close the uncertainty gap, which results in the casual shopper becoming a customer. In order to close the uncertainty gap, your website must anticipate and answer questions that the shopper is likely to have during the research and purchase process.
So, why do the vast majority of shoppers not convert to bookers? Conversion rate on a leisure hotelâs website can be 1-5%. Meaning between 95-99% of website visitors are not booking online during that session.
If you answer the shoppers questions effectively, you will likely see your conversion rate increase and the number of phone calls you receive decrease. The people who come to your site are obviously interested in your offering. Itâs your websiteâs job to nurture those shoppers into bookers.
In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we look at the questions that your hotel website should be answering in order to help your website visitors become loyal guests.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-63-how-to-make-your-hotel-website-more-effective-by-answering-questions/
Fueligans tend to be nerdy about data and weâre always looking to find new insights that can help shape the marketing strategy for our hotel clients. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we take a look at 5 recent facts that weâve stumbled upon and that are influencing our decision making. We look at the data, discuss what it means, and tell you how you can apply this new found knowledge to help drive more direct bookings for your hotel.
SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-62-5-unbelievable-hotel-marketing-facts-need-know-act-upon/
As marketers, itâs far too easy for us to rest on our past successes and for us to believe that what worked yesterday will work tomorrow. The reality is that things often change and the truths that we hold close to us may end up holding us back. In our experience, the good marketers are the ones who constantly challenge their preconceptions and seek out ways to disprove conventional wisdom. This episode focuses on 5 myths that we still often hear about hotel marketing. Make sure that you donât fall foul to them.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-61-breaking-bad-vertising-top-hotel-marketing-myths-debunked/
This week, we have special guest star, Valerie Castillo from TrustYou on the show to talk to us about an amazing study that they recently published. The study highlights the importance of communicating properly with your guest and how that can have a positive impact on guest satisfaction and online reputation.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-60-easily-improve-guest-satisfaction-communicating-right-way/
The marketing mix is becoming more and more complex with new opportunities and tools constantly becoming available to hoteliers. Unfortunately, the days are not getting longer so automation and smarter marketing are required to keep your hotel on cutting edge of marketing. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we are going to dive into how you can save time and improve your ROI on email marketing.
Show notes: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-59-smarter-hotel-email-automation-personalization/
Marketing your hotel can be costly, but it doesnât have to be. In this episode we discuss some free or nearly free methods and marketing tactics that any hotel can employ to drive more awareness and more bookings to their property.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-58-market-hotel-shoestring-budget/
Stuart recently attended the HITEC 2017 show in Toronto. In this episode, we talk about the overall mood of the industry and give a shout out to some of the stand out vendors who were there.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-57-missed-hitec-2017/
Having a mobile-first mindset is key to a successful hotel marketing strategy. To get it right, you have to make sure that youâre paying attention to PPC, the local listings, and your organic search results. In this episode, we break down all three and provide some tips and tricks to ensure that you dominate against your hotel competition.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-56-hotel-can-dominate-serp-mobile-first-world/
In a world of increased competition. Domination by the OTAs and the threat of disruption from DIY hoteliers, hotels have to learn to stand out from the crowd and offer unique value. At Fuel Travel, we believe that investing in the property is the best form of marketing you can do. A better guest experience leads to better online reputation and better word of mouth. This ultimately leads to more bookings and the ability to increase your ADR.
In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we look at some unique or fun things that properties are doing to stand out from the crowd.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-55-set-hotel-apart-unique-amenities/
The email database of any hotel is typically the #1 performing marketing asset available to drive revenue. While email is slightly less effective as it has been due to the growth of other mediums, it does remain one of the sure fire ways of driving bookings when you need them.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-54-why-are-people-unsubscribing-from-your-hotel-emails/
Thereâs a lot of talk in the industry right now about attribution modelling and that scares the daylights out of a lot of people because itâs super-complicated. Well, your friends at Fuel are here to help shine a light on the ins and outs of attribution modelling and all of the considerations you should be making.
SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-53-everything-hotel-needs-know-attribution-modelling/
We recently published an article that highlighted the tremendous potential of using a mobile-friendly booking engine. In it, we discussed the fact that many hoteliers focus so much attention on their desktop booking experience and they overlook the mobile engine all together. This got us thinking about the mistakes that are often made when it comes to the booking engine on a hotelâs website. In this episode, we discuss some of the common mistakes and offer advice on how to avoid them.
FULL SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-52-17-biggest-booking-engine-mistakes-avoid/
Storytelling is all the rage right now, but it's not a fad. In fact, storytelling has been used as a method of communication for thousands of years. It's also a great way for your hotel to create an emotional connection with your guests, increase bookings and increase positive word of mouth exposure.
In this episode, we chat with Richard Dunbar from Flip.to about the art and science of storytelling and give practical advice about how hotels can insert compelling stories within their marketing messaging.
GET THE FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-51-story-telling-can-get-bookings/
To celebrate one year and 50 episodes of the Fuel Hotel Marketing podcast, we are broadcasting live on Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. This episode is all about our loyal listeners, so we are encouraging everyone who has a burning question related to marketing to submit questions either before or during the show to @fuel travel on Twitter with the hashtag #FuelAMA. That's right, it's an 'Ask Me Anything' episode.
WATCH THE VIDEO AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-50-special-live-ask-anything-edition/
We often talk about the importance of testing your hotel website and how it helps improve your conversion rate. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discuss how you can take your testing to the next level by using a qualitative testing tool such as UserTesting.com to support your quantitative data.
Let's be honest, Millennials get the blame for so many things. The truth is that those of us who were born before 1980 are simply jealous that the younger generation has it way easier than we do. One of the common criticisms of Millennials is that they are spoiled and they have a send of entitlement. While this may be true, we at the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast don't believe that they are to blame for the increasing demands of today's traveler. We believe that technology is the primary driver and that it's created a society where instant gratification is the norm.
Check out the instant gratification timeline and the show notes at: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-48-stop-blaming-millennials-increasing-guest-expectations/
2016 was a year full of fun new surprises for our favorite search engine. Travel, in particular, seems to be a special area of interest for Google as the search engine continued to revamp existing products and roll out brand new travel experiences.
In this episode, we discuss the likelihood that Google will bite the hand that feeds it and become a full fledged OTA.
Download the Fuel Travel Trends whitepaper from http://www.fueltravel.com/2017-travel-trends/
If youâre thinking about freshening up your hotel website, then you need to listen to this episode first. We recently joined forces with the fine folks at Flip.to to produce an amazing study of leisure travel consumerâs behavior on hotel websites. In this episode, we drill down into some of the key findings and offer advice on improving your hotel website.
Download the Fuel & Flip.to Website Behavior Study at www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/
45 - How To Hire A SEO Consultant For Your Hotel by TravelBoom. The hotel industry's best podcast for practical marketing advice. The BoomSquad are as entertaining as they are informative. A must listen for any hotelier!
In this episode, we take some of the elements from Stuart Butlerâs discussion on Direct Booking Strategies for Hotels form the HSMAI Resort Best Practices Initiative Annual Roundtable Meeting. The event was held at the New York Marriott Marquis on Feb 21st, 2017.
The topics being discussed were confidential, but Stuart cleared it with the attendees that he could share a small part of the conversation with our lucky podcast listeners.
Download the presentation here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1t0Eo8N3g8g37Xgg6m8Bix0115jeYbUuX1l3RLFflcWs/edit#slide=id.g1b1a6b5120_0_6
FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/2017/02/25/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-44-otas-right-hotel-wrong/
Mobile is all the rage and it has been for many years. In fact, your friends at the Fuel hotel Marketing Podcast believe that the hype should have gone away by now. Mobile is no longer a trend, itâs the foundation of your marketing initiatives. In this episode, we discuss this great article from Hotel News Now that give some great advice about how hotels should approach mobile.
Before we get started, letâs establish something: âMobile Tipping Pointâ in 2014 - More searches now take place on mobile devices versus non-mobile devices.
Hereâs the original article from Hotel News Now http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/113622/5-things-hoteliers-must-know-about-mobile-behaviors
FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-43-5-things-hoteliers-must-know-mobile-behaviors/
Content has long been the key to website success. Weâre even being told now to create 10X content, but what do you do when youâre struggling to even write your first sentence?
In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we solicit the help from one of the industry's best content creators, Cassidy Moore. Cassidy heads up the content team from the best resource on the web for information on Myrtle Beach hotels, MyrtleBeach.com. Check out http://www.myrtlebeach.com/hotels/
FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-42-overcome-writers-block-create-great-content-guest-starring-cassidy-strader/
DOWNLOAD THE 2017 WEBSITE BEHAVIOR STUDY AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/
What happens when the two podcast giants of the hotel industry come together? This is what happens. Check it out.
Glenn Haussman, the host of the No Vacancy podcast, may well be the Kevin Bacon of the hotel industry. Heâs connected to pretty much everyone is some form or fashion and regularly gets A-listers to open up on his weekly podcast. The Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast is excited to sit down and chat with Glenn about his thoughts and insights into the death of the tradition loyalty program. In this episode, he offers some keen advice for hotels who want to keep up with the ever-changing demands of an ever-changing consumer. You donât want to miss this episode.
Hausmanâs in da House! Woot Woot!!!
Some fo the topics we discuss:
Are loyalty programs dead? How have consumers changed and what are their expectations? Whatâs all the fuss about millennials? Is it really an age thing or a societal shift? How are properties adapting? What do you think about Hiltonâs new loyalty program (pooling points, redeemable on Amazon etc) Whoâs getting it right in the industry? Whoâs getting it wrong? Should one of independant hotels offer loyalty programs? How does loyalty tie in with online reputation? Shameless plug
FULL SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-41-did-millennials-kill-loyalty-programs-guest-starring-glenn-haussman/
In this edition of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast weâll be reviewing a few of the most effective channels for hotels. What you can take away from this is⊠You canât apply the same thought process to all marketing channels, regardless of how similar they appear to be.
FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-40-different-advertising-channels-require-different-strategies/
In the second part of a two part episode, Fuel discusses the reasons why 2017 is the year of the hotel guest.
GET THE FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-39-2017-year-hotel-guest-part-2/
It's 2017 and it's about time we undertake that time-honored tradition of designating this the year of "something". We've given this a lot of thought hear at Fuel and we've decided that it's about time we put the focus back on the guest. Over the next two episodes of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we lay out our reasons as to why we believe that 2017 is the year of the guest.
FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-38-year-hotel-guest-part-1/
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/2017-year-hotel-guest/
Tune in next week for part 2.
We recently wrote a blog post, entitled Top 10 Resolutions Your Hotel Should Really Be Making in 2017, in which we compared real-world resolutions to the types of habit that hotel marketers and hotel marketing agencies should be adopting. In this episode, we recap the list and give some additional insights as only your Fueligan friends can. The original article can be found at http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/top-10-resolutions-hotel-really-making-2017/
CHECK OUT THE FULL SHOW NOTES AT:
The Fuel team are big fans of being efficient and productive with our time. We are always looking for new tools that help us market our hotels smarter and more effectively. When we canât find a tool that satisfies our specific needs, sometimes we create one ourselves. In this episode, we have compiled a list of some of our favorite tools that we use on a frequent basis and unveil a new tool created by our resident Analytics guru, Melissa Kavanagh.
FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-36-best-free-hotel-marketing-tools-2017/
There's no doubt that adWords PPC is one of the best and most effective marketing channels available for your hotel.; however, far too many hotels and hotel marketing agencies are making some very avoidable mistakes when managing their campaigns. Learn which one your hotel should avoid in this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast.
FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-35-making-top-10-hotel-ppc-mistakes/
In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discuss a survey conducted by Google via Ipsos in October 2016 to US smartphone users age 18-64. The study had some really interesting data and we dig through it and give you some insight into what it means for you and your hotel.
FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-34-people-use-phones-travel-according-google/
Expedia recently launched Rev+, a revenue management tool designed to provide hotel partners with smart, actionable data and insights. As part of Expedia Partner Central (EPC), the companyâs partner portal which helps hotels manage their properties and rates, Rev+ brings in new functionality that empowers partners to make smart pricing decisions to optimize their revenue. WE discuss the ins and outs of this awesome new offering in this week's episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast.
FULL SHOW NOTES CAN BE FOUND AT:
Your Fueligan friends recently attended the Internet Summit and the HX 2016 shows. In this episode, we discuss our takeaways from each and also announce a special guest for next weekâs episode.
FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-32-learned-internet-summit-hx-2016/
Links from other websites to your own hotel website are the foundation of good search ranking, but they also play an important role in exposing new people to your property. A hotelâs goal should be to have a wide and varied link profile from all manner of sources. In this episode, we discuss ways that a hotel can earn links the right way as well as some pitfalls to avoid.
FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-31-build-links-like-boss-hoteliers-simple-guide-link-building/
Your hotel website is the cornerstone of your hotelâs success. Itâs the focal point of your marketing efforts, the virtual front lobby to your property and the battleground upon which you will win or lose against your competition and the OTAs. We talk a lot on the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast about what you should be doing. This episode focuses on the things you should not be doing on your website. There are certainly more than the 10 that we discuss.
FULL SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-30-hotel-making-top-10-website-mistakes/
Show Note Summary:
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Poor quality photography
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Slow load time/image file size too large
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Not mobile-friendly
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Default Titles/META descriptions
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Non-integrated booking engine
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Sending people out to social media pages/video content or review sites
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Conversion dead ends (ie: news page with no CTA)
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Not designing the site for the audience
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The âNASCARâ effect
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Not owning your site
======================== Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @pdimaio @pforiska @makavanagh
Some of your Fueligan friends attended the first ever Travel Digital Marketing Summit hosted by Leonardo this week.
We thought it would be fun to discuss some of the best takeaways from the summit and give our listeners the TL;DW version.
FULL SHOW NOTES CAN BE FOUND AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-29-travel-digital-marketing-summit-recap/
THE PRESENTERS WERE: Leonardo - Joey Egan Sojern - (Meisha forgot his name. Sorry) Flip.to - Edward St. Onge Triptease - Charlie Osmond SiteMinder - David Chestler TrustYou - Ellis Connolly
In The News:
Kayak testing new short term rentals feature http://qz.com/816755/pricelines-pcln-kayak-is-quietly-offering-a-new-feature-for-short-term-apartment-and-home-rentals-as-it-tries-to-compete-with-airbnb/
Expedia Adding Home Away Inventory http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Technology/Expedia-on-cusp-of-integrating-HomeAway-rentals-into-hotel-searches
Airbnb suing NY over new short term rental regulations http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/22/technology/new-york-passes-law-airbnb.html?_r=1
New Hotel Price Ads Format Live https://www.tnooz.com/article/google-tests-single-hotel-deal-search/
For some hotels, Cyber Monday may be the single largest volume booking day of the entire year. Is your property taking part in this phenomenal opportunity? In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discuss the ways that your hotel can maximize the impact of this crazy shopping fever by preparing properly and making sure you have the right messaging and the right timing on the right platforms.
In The News:
InterContinental Hotels launches podcast series
http://digiday.com/brands/marketing-content-driven-intercontinental-hotels-launches-podcast/
What Googleâs New Mobile Search Index Means For Travel
(Last weekâs announcement that Google will create separate indexes for mobile and desktop resultsâ and will be treating mobile as the primary index â is the inevitable conclusion of the companyâs protracted pivot towards becoming a âmobile-firstâ search engine)
https://www.tnooz.com/article/google-mobile-search-index-travel/
U.S. Travelers Think Booking Direct With Brands Leads to Better Prices https://skift.com/2015/06/29/survey-u-s-travelers-think-booking-direct-with-brands-lead-them-to-better-prices/
========================
Show Notes:
Why is It such a big opportunity? People are conditioned to actively look for deals 40% of shoppers are looking for travel deals (according to Google) Purse Strings are loosest and people are wanting to spend their money Itâs becoming a habit for many people and a bragging opportunity to tell people how much you saved. From the hotelâs perspective, it gets reservations on the books and allows you to yield rates more aggressively and drive a higher ADR.
Pre-Game Prep Collect Emails Tell people that itâs coming (prime the pump) Develop retargeting lists through adWords and Facebook Get all of your creative work done well ahead of time so that you can be nimble during the actual sale Staff your phones appropriately
Timing Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday or perhaps even earlier Duration: 1 day, multiple days? Should you extend it will a slightly reduced deal? Sneak peeks on certain platforms or for certain people? Monitor the local competition and try to get out ahead of them or provide more value.
Messaging Make sure itâs a good offer (at least 30%) Or create great value by adding freebies Donât just jack the rates to show a bigger discount Make it exclusive (Lowest offer of the year) and stick to it! Make them feel exclusive and special Personalize Consider limiting inventory to add urgency Use a countdown clock
Platforms Social Media Email Website Paid Advertising/Retargeting lists
Final thoughts: Think long-term. Offer great value. Be consistent. Stick to your word. Also, consider smaller flash sales throughout the year. Trends - have we reached saturation and a point of diminishing returns? Mobile
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Question of the week: Amit asks, âcan E-commerce principles be applied to hospitality with 1click up-sell at room booking confirmation page?â
======================== Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @marketingmeisha @makavanagh
AirBNB seems to be everywhere in the media right now. Will this industry disruptor spell certain doom for the hotel industry, or are there lessons that hoteliers can learn from this innovative start-up that can help them drive more business and build customer loyalty? Letâs all join hands and discuss in this weekâs episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast.
GET FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-27-airb-n-bust-what-hotels-can-learn-from-the-worlds-biggest-travel-disruptor/
Hoteliers, and marketers in general, think the conversion process ends once a booking takes place. This thought process is not only wrong, but it is costing you in lost revenue. Why? Because once a person converts once, they are much more likely to convert again. On top of that, it is 5 Times more cost effective to retain current guests than find new ones.
In todayâs podcast weâre going to cover an excellent article from CopyHackers.com with tips, tricks, and hard data on making your thank you pages convert your guests a second time.
FOR FULL SHOW NOTES AND THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE, VISIT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-26-converting-conversion-making-thank-pages-work/
https://copyhackers.com/2016/09/thank-you-pages-ret
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 youâve 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 doesnât 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 Donât 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 youâre converting them) Wataâ mark dat shit âbra 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 Itâs the little things that make a big difference Donât go it alone, can you partner with area attractions, CVBs, etc? When creating video content for your hotel, your mantra should be: âShow, donât tell.â
======================== Question of the week: Amit Arora â@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 âpopular destinationsâ 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 Googleâs Penguin Algorithm. Penguin is Googleâs algorithm update that identifies sites using spammy linking practices. this would be Penguins 4th major release Weâve 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 whoâs doing it right and whoâs doing it very, very wrong.
Also, we look at some data from individual propertyâs 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 Donât 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.
Hereâs 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/
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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 hotelâs loyalty rates and rewards program https://www.tnooz.com/article/expedia-hotels-loyalty-rates/
Google drops âmobile-friendlyâ label from SERP http://searchengineland.com/google-drops-mobile-friendly-label-keeps-mobile-friendly-ranking-algorithm-257245
Googleâs new penalty on pop-ups http://searchengineland.com/interstitialgeddon-google-warns-will-crack-intrusive-interstitials-next-january-257252
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Related Links: Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 10 â 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
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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 itâs 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 Guestâs Experience, Donât 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. Itâs 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 guestâs journey Donât 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, thereâs an opportunity to upsell. Hereâs why:
Guests are often not aware of upgrade options, especially when the reservation was OTA or an business travellerâs assistant. Even if they book direct, perhaps, the phone reservationists may not have conveyed the upgrade options or their value The guestâs 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 theyâve 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 guestâs 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.
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CONTEST: the first three hotels to email to erin.nemeth@triptease.com 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 whoâs 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.
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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
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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/
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Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @pdimaio @marketingmeisha
In this weekâs 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 âDimmingâ 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
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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
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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
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Question of the week: What are the biggest SEO mistakes that hotels make? Darren B.
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Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @pdimaio @marketingmeisha @pforiska
Your social fan base can be one of your hotelâs best assets and word-of-mouth exposure can be priceless. However massive social exposure is not always a good thingâŠ
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 doâs 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, thereâs 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 itâs 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 journalistâs 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 Donât 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 whatâs 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 itâs good - timing is critical, but so is the quality. Donât rush it out if itâs 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. Donât 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 weekâs 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/
Doâs: Strong, identifiable, attractive cover photo & profile images. Utilize custom tabs â 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 â Facebook live video, 360 images, canvas, etc. Share positive reviews / stories from guests Respond to reviews â Good & bad Show personality Showcase your destination Check audience insights
Facebook Marketing For Hotels - http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/facebook-marketing-for-hotels/
Donâtâs: 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
Doâs: 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 â A lot of great, FREE info here Respond to direct tweets, mentions Retweet relevant news, media, etc. Encourage engagement Show personality Use relevant hashtags
Donâtâs: 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) â 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
Doâs: Use high quality images & videos Descriptive, concise, clever captions Encourage engagement Use relevant hashtags Add hotel location to images
Donâtâs 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 Facebookâs level of daily video views (> 7B each day compared to FB 8B) 65% of snapchat users upload their own photos daily â 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 weekâs episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we keep it short and sweet. Weâve been a little distracted this week with our local college baseball team, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, winning the college world series and all that. Itâs also a holiday weekend in the USA, so weâre looking to clock off early and go hang out on the beach with an ice cold libation. For that reason, weâre going to cover a few news items but not dig into a specific topic. We hope that yâall are ok with that. Weâll 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 âwell 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 customersâ 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 didnât 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 Stuartâs 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. Youâre 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 DONât 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 isnât. 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 doesnât 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/.