I’ve talked before about the importance of learning what to look for when managing your brand and reputation online.  As someone who does mainly SEO and Reputation/Brand Management – I see brands neglected in so many ways.  Like a child, you’re obligated to nurture and keep your brand alive and growing.  Without growth and outreach, a brand is just a domain – with some content on it that will mean little to your visitors.

Review Sites
Making sure you’re checking review sites and posting management feedback where available is an important step in this process.  Being approachable and involved in the conversation is key to cultivating a favorable online reputation.  Don’t get defensive, own up – explain the issue – and give available solutions to lead the conversation to a favorable outcome for all parties involved.

Nobody can manage online reviews FOR you – it’s something each hotel, resort or property management company must do on their own.  As a marketer I can tell you where to look, what to look for, and some suggestions for responding.  If I were to respond myself, and represent myself as someone in a position of power at your lodging property – it would be unethical – and a lot less effective.  I don’t have the power to make decisions FOR you – but you do.

Branded Search Engine Results Saturation (SERS)
In my mind, branding and reputation management walk the forest path hand in hand.  Having a strong online brand can alleviate the impact of minor reputation management crises.  Let me explain this concept further:

If you’re strong in the top 10 results for your brand name, in many cases negative reviews will have less impact for brand-based searches.  Saturation for a brand can take many forms – sometimes its sites that are owned, operated and populated by content that can be controlled.  Sometimes its listings that are not all “owned” but can be somewhat controlled – see a search for Starbucks.  If I were in charge of marketing for Starbucks, I would approach the brand managers there with the following tactics in an attempt to move “ihatestarbucks.com” and “starbucksgossip” out of the top 10.

1. Get a Facebook page – optimize for brand name and the word “official.”  I see some applications and some other profiles that “might” belong to corporate, but they’re under-utilizing the potential here.  Yes it takes man hours to do this, but the payoff could be HUGE if they do it right.
2. Start a blog on a subdomain of starbucks.com where anyone in the company can post – or where your corporate employees post information on what’s happening around there.  There are many things that can be done on subdomains – I suggest taking a look at a search for “Zappos” and looking at the first few pages to see search engine results that include content from various subdomains that target a portion of their business.
3. Start some sister sites (on completely different URLS) that address most popular features of Starbucks “PikesPeakBlend.com” or “StarbucksWIFI.com” are examples.
4. Get involved on Twitter – link to your website from your profile and GET INVOLVED.  I found a Twitter profile for Starbucks that hasn’t been used and is protected.  I’m not sure if this is an “official” profile – I somewhat doubt it.
   Now not all of these are “guaranteed” to work – but they can have an impact which is exactly what you want when trying to “own” the top 10 in Google.
   Paid Advertising

Branding and Paid Advertising 
Ignoring the impact a brand campaign can have on your paid advertising is a mistake.  Because some brands are pretty obscure (hotfrog), and some are pretty generic (Island real estate) this can have different levels of success.

I recommend every client w/ paid advertising have a branded campaign.  This campaign doesn’t have to have a large budget; for the most part branded searches are fairly inexpensive.  Be sure you set these up right and use negative keywords to make sure you’re not showing for brands that are similar, but not related at all.

I looked at one client in Gulf Shores, AL and their branded search terms that brought traffic to their site from January 1 through June 26, 2008.  If we combine paid and organic conversions, branded keyword searches resulted in nearly $530,000 in revenue during that time period.  They don’t spend money t o optimize for branded terms, they don’t have particularly spectacular saturation in Google for their brand, and they only spent $1506 in paid advertising for their branded campaign over that time period.

$530,000   x100 = 35,192% an INSANE return on investment!!!
$1506

Your brand is something that needs to be nurtured, protected, fed, and exercised – just like a child or a pet.  It’s your legacy and ignoring its “upbringing” can result in severe problems with its future.  You put so much effort into creating it, if you don’t take care of it you can consider that time wasted.

I received an email yesterday from Orbitz. Usually I delete these as I tend to use Expedia - but this one had a neat green dollar sign on it and i read further.  Apparently Orbitz has started a new program called “Price Assurance.”  This service guarantees you the lowest cost on a flight by offering $5 to $250 back PER TRAVELER if someone books the flight for less on Orbitz between the time you book and the time the flight takes off.

In this age of increased traveling costs, I think this move is quite brilliant.  By booking VERY VERY early, even at a higer price – a traveler could realize the lowest price possible on a flight – without checking every day or week waiting for the prices to drop.

So here’s the example they gave in the email – If I book a flight at $350 and 2 weeks later someone books my same itinerary at $250 – they’ll send me a check for $100 within 30 days after my trip.  The beauty of it is THEY track it.  I don’t have to.

I think this is a great program and I hope it works well for them.  Hopefully the other travel sites such as Expedia and Hotwire implement a similar program to keep it competitive active.

I just returned from a vacation with my family and to tell you the truth – traveling with kids is a royal pain. My kids are 11 and 6 and they fight like you wouldn’t believe. The key to keeping a happy family on vacation is to keep everyone busy. Vacations are supposed to be about relaxing, but to be honest – when you’re traveling with young kids – relaxing on the beach reading a book is just NOT going to happen. Some things I don’t see hotels or vacation rentals doing to help draw the family traveler could be quick implementations and could also be great ways to tout your “family-friendliness” on your website.

• Put a comprehensive list of area attractions along with close to current pricing in EVERY room or rental. I had done some homework so we had a few days planned out, but the days we had planned to spend “relaxing on the beach” were overruled by cries of “I’m bored!” and “It’s too hot!” By giving me a list of stuff I can fall back on in a pinch, you’re helping me keep everyone happy and NOT fighting. No fighting means a happy vacation for mom.
• Vacation Rentals should be stocked with a few decks of cards and some simple board games. Things like Monopoly and Connect Four will keep kids occupied for awhile and they are also games the family can play together. I’m flying to my vacation and I cant bring these things with us – so having them available when I get there is a BIG bonus.
• Get the kids involved in planning by putting a few widget-type games on your website. Have a kid’s section that is dedicated to things they’ll want to see in the area and history or area fauna that will interest them. My kids are big into dinosaurs. In Plant City, FL there’s a big dinosaur attraction. A Web site for a hotel in Orlando might feature a fun little “watch the dinosaur eat the tourist” game. This sounds morbid but kids think this is hilarious and it would be fun for them to play. It could also win them over to your property so when mom asks “Where do you want to go?” the kids have an answer. If the parent thinks the kids are going to be happy, they’re more likely to be happy with the accommodation choice.
• If you have a pool that starts at 3 feet, you need to let the parents of small tots and babies know that. No kiddie pool means mom & dad have to float the kid around endlessly in the 3′ deep water. That can be okay for a few minutes, but not every time we go to the pool. My best advice? Build a kiddy pool that goes from 6″ to 12″ deep or something similar so mom and dad can lounge under the umbrella and watch the tots splash around.
• Small touches like a stuffed animal at check-in or a workbook of puzzles and games that is age appropriate is a great way to engage the kids and make mom and dad happy and more likely to book. A game room or arcade is a good way to keep families occupied during inclement weather. I would love ALL hotels have a small movie room where they could show family movies at certain show-times with popcorn during the hottest parts of the day and on rainy or snowy days.

Thinking of small things and some big things can go along way to proving to the travel shopper that you really ARE family friendly. Everyone may be saying it – and throwing some pictures of cute little kids on the beach into their website – but are they following through? Think about how you can appeal to your youngest shoppers and use your imagination – you never know where you’ll find the pearl in that funny looking oyster.

image courtesy MyAngelG

iMedia Connection came out today with a great article by Guy Maser that talks about getting your company through hard times in the economy. Although his article is talking more about marketing in general, and not about Internet marketing specifically, there are lessons to be learned here to help market your website. Maser outlines 7 strategies to consider when you’re trying to make the most out of your marketing dollar:

Get Targeted – make sure you’re not spending money marketing to folks who aren’t buying. Running ads on MySpace when your target demographic is 34-50 year olds, probably not as targeted a media buy as you can make.

Measure Performance – Online marketing without analytics is gambling money away. Pay the money to someone who has time and experience to understand what your analytics are telling you and target the most profitable segments first. If you’re managing your own account, take a look at my SearchEngineWatch.com article – “Taking the Fear Out of Web Analytics for your Small Business”

Think Integration – don’t focus efforts on 7 different media outlets. Consolidate time and target one outlet that gives you exposure in multiple markets.

Maintain Frequency and Consistency -Cutting budget is the last thing you want to do. Instead use that budget to maintain the visibility your potential guests are looking for. Pull dollars from less profitable pursuits and put them towards proven money makers. Use stable economic times for experimentation and hard economic times to maintain by focusing on proven pursuits. That being said, there is always room for a calculated gamble. If something comes up that has a great amount of potential, it might be worth moving into, because later it might not be available to you. Vendors and media outlets offer discounts on new programs when times are tough for them, taking advantage of one of these deals might be the catalyst for growth and expansion in your own company.

Push and Pull Your Way to Success - Push marketing consists of direct mail, email marketing, etc. Pull marketing is pulling visitors in from directories, search engine listings and paid advertising. By finding a media partner that already has your target audience captive, you can piggyback on their good success by advertising with them and gaining some much needed bookings.

Focus on Quality over Quantity – When shoppers are being picky, the hardest thing to overcome is a bad review. If you’re offering high-quality service, a shopper who has a little money to spend is more willing to pay the rate you’re asking if you’re showing them your service is unsurpassed.

Seek Assistance from Media Partners – In most cases, handling your online marketing yourself is more cost-prohibitive than paying an expert to do it for you. If you need to concentrate on providing service and maintaining excellence, hovering over your paid ads for 2 hours a day is not letting you do what you need to do to manage your business. Get some help to realize the most return on investment for each marketing dollar spent.

This was a great article and I suggest everyone take a look. Keep in mind, economic struggles are mostly temporary – and compromising quality and service to save a buck will definitely hurt you in the long run. Don’t let your Web site maintenance lapse, don’t sacrifice your visibility in search engines, keep your marketing consistent and you’ll come out the other side of that dark tunnel in good shape.

For more information on marketing in a down economy read:

Do Not Cut Online Marketing Funds in Face of Recession by John W. Ellis

Think Twice Before Ending PPC Advertising by Carrie Hill

I recently took a leave of absence from Blizzard to visit my sister in Wellington, New Zealand.  During our visit together to the South Island, we made a stop in Christchurch, where we stayed at the Hotel So.  Opening in 2007, the designer hotel is a recent addition to the city’s myriad of accommodation choices.  They market themselves toward a younger, style (yet budget) conscious crowd, mainly composed of 20 and 30-something adventurers, as well as some business travelers.  The overall feel of the hotel is modern and chic, with minimal yet appealing interior design.  The bar serves designer martinis; the café menu is eclectic and trendy. 

The thing that grabbed my attention the most about this hot spot was their branding strategy.  Every detail of the hotel was considered in the planning of the business; all elements communicated with each other visually.  From the logo to the wallpaper, right down to the tea bags and chocolates, everything matched perfectly.  Simply said, it’s a designer’s paradise, and I fell in love immediately.  If their marketing team hasn’t won an award for this place yet, it’s about time they did!

When I returned to the states in March, I hadn’t checked out the Hotel So website yet, so when I finally did I was pleased to see that their website carried the same stunning brand identity that the hotel did.  Not only did the professional photography sweep me right back across the Pacific Ocean, but the graphic elements of the site reminded me of how carefully their designers made the place a cohesive whole.  The same unusual color combinations of brownish taupe and various pastel colors (which are all very fashionable combinations right now) that I found throughout the hotel itself, were now echoed on my computer screen. 

So what’s so important about creating a brand identity for your property?  Well, there are lots of reasons.  For starters, if you create a lasting impression on your customers, they will become repeat customers.  There is no doubt that if I were to find myself in Christchurch again, I would make a point of staying at the Hotel So.  Since my sister and I stayed in a variety of hotels and hostels all over New Zealand, many of them blur together in my memory.  However, this place was an experience in itself, and I won’t soon forget it. 

The AVS Group, a web services company in Wisconsin, explains another reason that branding is so important. “Brand identity commands a price-premium. Why is someone willing to pay thousands of dollars more for a Lexus than for a Toyota? They are virtually the same product with the exception of some additional options and accessories…the value proposition is wrapped around the brand. The Lexus…[is] worth more in the minds of consumers regardless of whether the product actually functions better.” According to an article by Lara Appelhans at INeedHits.com, “building your brand will create credibility, implies trustworthiness, and should make your business name synonymous with the product or service that you sell.”

When it’s time to start establishing your brand, make sure your design is consistent online and offline.  You and your designer(s) should work together to establish a standard of typefaces, layouts and color palettes.  If your outdoor signage is designed in the font Soho Gothic, carry that font over to your website and use it on some of your buttons (remember though that for many areas of a website, such as the copy, you will need to stick to web-safe fonts).  If the color of the walls in most of your rooms is hunter green, try using a similar color in your website design. 

One of the design elements that we see on the Hotel So website is the repeated abstract line pattern at the bottom of the screen:

Although not identical, it is very similar the line pattern found on the wood panels and comforters found in every room:

To the non-designer, details such as repeating lines may seem trivial.  However, when several of these small details tie together, it can create a visual theme that wows the consumer.  Next time you order new comforters for your beds, or new packaging for in-room amenities – think about the “style” you’re conveying with your property and with your website.  Sometimes making a few simple purchase decisions can go a long way towards giving your guests the experience today’s traveler is craving. 

 The negative review – every online business owners heart-thumping, middle-of-the-night, cold-sweat-inducing nightmare.  Okay maybe not that bad, but to be honest hearing anything negative about your business tends to set one on edge, I know it does me and that’s usually on my clients’ behalf, not my own!

I thought a few tips on handling a negative review in the online space would be handy to all of our readers.  I find that most owners are reluctant to say anything back to negative reviews.  The thing is – the negative reviewer is YEARNING for you to get involved, to tell them you’re “really sorry” and you hope they’ll “try again”. 

Not only is the negative reviewer looking for that – the future shopper that reads that review is looking for the interaction and the reassurance that you’ve fixed the problem.  If you don’t tell them you have fixed it – how will they know?

My number one rule for managing a negative review?  Fix it or nobody will forget it!  If it’s broken, fix it.  If it’s shabby, replace it.  If an employee is rude (on a consistent and repeated basis,) replace them.

DO’s:

• Acknowledge the problem, give out your personal email address and invite the reviewer to contact you directly to address their concerns.  Let the others that read that review know you’re willing to do whatever it takes to “make it right.” 
• Use the negative review as a tool to educatefuture shoppers.  If someone is upset because the vacation rental didn’t house 8 people comfortably – take the opportinity to respond, apologize for their inconvenience, and remind them that the house was only rated to fit 4 comfortably.

Andy Beal – blogger at MarketingPilgrim.com, author of Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online, and founder of Trackur.com talked about a great example of managing reviews in his recent article:  Advice for Managing Negative Reviews of Hotels or Small Businesses.  ResortQuest Waikiki thanks EVERY reviewer for leaving a review and responds to negative aspects of any review with a personal message.

I’ve got my copy of Beal’s book on order,  I’ll be posting a book review when I’m finished with it!

Don’ts:

• Ignore it. Like most things in life, ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away. Dig in and get it fixed – then let others know it has been fixed.

• Be Antagonistic.  Nothing looks worse than an owner attacking a guest for a less than accurate complaint.  You aren’t going to change their mind by attacking them.  Instead apologize and let them know you don’t do business that way and maybe point out the 10 other positive reviews to the readers of your response.

 Think about negative reviews as an opportunity to engage your audience, to show them how much you care about their vacation, trip or getaway.  Without that interaction, your online presence is pretty 1.0 – and 1.0 is about 4-years ago.  Move into Web 2.0 & 3.0 by striking up a conversation online.

The business models seem to go hand in hand on the surface. Realtors usually have the skinny on vacation property for sale and can represent the owners in sales and rental situations fairly easily. This makes it easy for owners that live out of state.

The problem comes when those Realtors combine their real estate website with a vacation rental website. From a marketing and usability standpoint, this is a scary combination. The two business models are entirely different, although loosely related, and combining them creates problems with your marketing efforts – and with the visitor that’s landing on your website looking for a relaxing vacation with the kids.

Usability

• For a web site user, combining two different business models can muddy the waters and they’re never sure which part of the site they’re looking at.
• Your potential vacation rental clients are sometimes unsure when they hit a realty site if you have “vacation rentals” or “monthly rentals.” Sites that have both are especially confusing.
• You’ve probably implemented at least two forms of navigation to separate sales from vacation rentals. This can add unneeded confusion to your site as the visitor isn’t really sure where they are and the navigation is no help.
• There is a perception that a vacation rental that is tied to a realty website is for timeshares, and you’re inevitably going to be sold something you don’t want.
• Branding is doubly difficult. Is your URL MyRealty.com. That isn’t very vacation rental friendly. Wouldn’t you rather be able to promote a url that says what you are such as MyVacationRentals.com?

Marketing

• The content on a site is a factor to good search engine rankings. When content addresses two different markets – the search engines might rank a site lower than they would if the content was focused on one industry. If they don’t have the “trust” in what they’re spidering, they may not consider that content authoritative – resulting in lower rankings.
• Link-building should be accomplished carefully, with relevant and supportive websites and directories. A site that is relevant to your real estate sales is not relevant to a vacation rental program. This means that links from a real estate site are unlikely to help vacation rental pages rank well. By separating content and linkbuilding to two separate websites, your links are going to count more, and be more likely to help you rank in a higher position.

The Problem:
In the past real estate websites had a tendency to participate in vast link exchanges. The example below is a site that breaks all of my rules.

I’m not going to “out” them because that’s not nice, but I will point out some issues that they’re having and that can be corrected, but it will take time and separation.

• Their URL has “Realty” in it
• They combine both sales and rentals on one site

They have a link on their homepage that says “North Carolina Vacation Resources.” This links to a link exchange form and a page that features links from all over the world. Their link text pointing TO this page is misleading – and the content on the site is irrelevant to vacation rentals…and probably most of the links are irrelevant to Outer Banks Home Sales

The Consequences:

1. They’re buying Paid Ads in the top 5 position – pretty expensive for terms like “Outer Banks Vacation Rentals”
2. They don’t rank organically in the top 100
3. They’ve got over 100 “link exchanges” going on – but Google is only giving them credit for 7 links back to their site – pretty big waste of time and space.
4. The user has to choose immediately from a menu when they hit the homepage – sales or rentals. No matter which way they go – the look & feel of the site changes. The visitor is confused and not sure they’re even on the same website.

There are instances when the two have combined, and it can work pretty well, but I always advise clients to consider separating their offerings. Integrating booking engines and MLS pages can be much easier when you don’t have to worry about how one is going to affect the other.

If you can’t separate your sites – the lesson here is to stop participating in irrelevant link exchanges. They don’t work very well. You CAN exchange links with relevant area businesses that add value to the readers, but not with real estate sites in cities and towns your shoppers are highly unlikely to even care about. The proof is in the Google Back Links of the example above. They require a link back to their site – but Google is giving them NO credit for those backlinks.