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