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