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.

On Monday, April 8, 2008, Bobby Bowers with Smith Travel Research (STR)  presented to an enrapt audience as a keynote speaker at the HSMAI’s Travel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference. His topic: “The U.S. Lodging Industry … What’s Next?”  Bowers shared some interesting travel statistics and his insight (and foresight) with the attendees. Data specific to your region, as well as global statistics, is available in your STAR Report or by subscribing to their services.

Nationally, leisure travel is down and may continue decreasing due to rising transportation costs.  Hotels that cater to the corporate crowd, however, have escaped the downward trend nearly unscathed.  Corporate travel has remained steady as businesses continue to be reluctant to pull in the reigns.  Luxury travel should also continue to thrive as they have the discretionary funds to offset the rising costs of travel.

International travel is also an area that has the potential to remain vibrant during this period of rising costs.  According to Bowers, the international visitor enjoys an economic advantage when visiting the states.  In fact, the USA has become a bargain for them!  We are already seeing an increase in visits as touring America has become a viable economical alternative.  Take advantage of the opportunities Search Engines provide for advertising to the international market.

A slower growth in demand often accompanies a slower economic environment.  Supply growth remains high as much of the building was planned before the implications of fuel and travel costs became evident.  Supply growth, therefore, is expected to remain healthy, but demand may very well decrease as travelers choose to stay closer to home.  This is where dual-use properties may have an advantage.  Providing and advertising both long and short term options can give hoteliers an advantage over their competitors with more shortsighted perspectives.

Bowers recommends utilizing analytics to discover hidden opportunities and to focus on the marketing opportunities that are currently working.  Analytics can also help predict areas in advertising that may become valuable in the future.  Rather than allowing current conditions to force them into a more conservative approach, many attendees agreed this is an excellent time to become more aggressive.

Take a close look at the data you have available. One of the tremendous advantages of online marketing is the ease and detail with which it can be tracked.  Bring in an expert if you’re not confident in effectively analyzing the data yourself.  Be prepared to make adjustments directly based upon the findings.  Be creative in your solutions; reacting quickly and effectively will be imperative in this changing economic time.

Saw a great post today from Andy Beal over at Marketing Pilgrim wherein he talks about what exactly you should be monitoring online in relation to reputation management. This post is a must read and really drives home the different avenues in which online reputation can hurt (or help) you.

A few of his most important 10 points are:

1. Your Hotel Name

2. Your Legacy Hotel Names (were you rebranded recently?)

3. Your Restaurants

4. Your Hotel Manager

I highly recommend checking out this post, thinking about it, linking to it and getting your staff to read it.

A post over at HotelMarketing.com has shared the “HitWise Monthly Category Report” for the Travel sector with statistics taken during March ‘08. I found some interesting data and graphics there and thought I’d share them with you. If you want to download your own copy you can do so here.

They showed the Trends of visits to travel websites over the last year and as you can imagine - there was a decided dip during the holidays. What really astounded me was the gain over March of ‘07. In March of 2008 we saw a peak market share of 2.2% - wherein March ‘07 saw a peak of about 1.95% - that’s a pretty significant gain - especially when there is talk of a recession moving around. It’s apparent that people are even more interested in traveling NOW than they may have been last year at this time.

Graphic courtesy Hitwise.com

A special shout out to my friend John Ellis over at ResortQuest.com - their ResortQuestDelaware.com site made the Hitwise fast movers list for March!

Like it or not, the baby boomer generation really is the like the pig in the python – a huge mass inexorably moving through our society that cannot be ignored or denied. We have demanded attention and resources since our dads returned from World War II and started making babies like crazy and we will continue to dominate American society well into the 2040’s or 2050’s.

76 million American children were born between 1945 and 1964. The oldest Boomers, at 63, are rapidly approaching retirement age. Many are retiring early or are already working only part time. The youngest Boomers are about 44 and quite a few still have children living with them.

As a group, we are both powerful and affluent and exert immense influence on the worlds of politics and business. In our collective trip through time, our sheer numbers have affected everything along the way.

The Boomers travel more than any previous generation and will continue to do so. How are we affecting your travel or hospitality business now and how will we affect into the future? Here are some things I suggest you think about.

Website Usability
We are online and we are buying online, so make your website Boomer friendly. Consider its usability. Use font we can read without straining our eyes. Make your navigation intuitive and uncomplicated. Make your online booking process simple and forgiving. If your website frustrates us, we’ll just move on and buy from someone else.

Safety
Although we hate to admit it, the first wave of Boomers is feeling their age. We have aches and pains and malfunctioning parts. We know we take a long time to heal, so we’re more careful than we used to be. Give us easily-negotiated stairs with handrails and don’t forget to put safety rails in the showers. Keep your walkways clear of ice and snow. Light your public areas well. Remove hazards and make us feel physically safe and we’ll tell our friends.

Comfort
Boomers are a self-indulgent bunch. We’ve had our noses to the grindstone most of our lives and we don’t feel guilty about enjoying some of the rewards we felt we’ve earned. We want cushy, comfy beds and deep whirlpool tubs. Don’t scrimp with cheap toilet paper. Don’t give us scratchy towels. We’re the ones who’ll notice the frayed carpets and touch of mildew in the tub, so keep everything updated and sparkling clean. Make us feel pampered and we’ll be back.

Work Space
Most of us still work, so make it easy for us to work while we’re staying with you. Give us high speed wireless internet access. We prefer that we can at least perceive it as being free, even if it’s really not. Give us a useable desk, an ergonomic chair, a good light and plenty of electrical outlets – we have cell phones and PDAs and iPods that all need to be kept charged. (Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were both born in 1955.) Then, the next time our partner needs a getaway and we need to take care of business, we’ll know where to go to get both.

Peace and Quiet
Some boomers are empty nesters. We travel in ones and twos and want things relatively quiet and peaceful. Don’t put us on the same floor as the spring break crowd or the high school band on a field trip. Don’t give us the room overlooking the pool or above the lounge. We won’t be happy about it and we will tell others about the experience.

Extended Families
We are also the sandwich generation, with many of us taking care of both our kids and our parents. When we vacation, they often accompany us. Make your activities and facilities appealing to all the people we’re trying to keep happy and you’ll make us happy, too.

Perceptions
Even though we’re getting old – okay, some of us already are old – we don’t want to admit it or be treated that way. Be polite, but please don’t call me ma’am. Ask me if I want a bellman to take my bags up, not if I need one.

I know you have to deal with a lot of old farts - the folks who are grumpy and demanding all the time. I apologize in advance for their behavior. I hate it, too. But we’re not all like that any more than all young people are loud and rude.

Baby Boomers will exert an immense influence on the hospitality and travel industries for at least the next 20 years and those who best adapt to their needs and wants will reap the rewards of a generation of frequent and affluent travelers. If you plan for our comfort and satisfaction when we stay with you, we’ll be back, we’ll tell our friends and we may even write a couple of good reviews about you.

Upper photo from thinkpanama
Lower photo from docman

A lot of search engine marketers expected to see many more Google vertical results showing up in the Google Universal Search Engine Results Pages then we have. In fact, the number of image, video and news results in the blended results seems to be decreasing, rather than increasing.

Google is continually improving their interpretation of search intent and delivery of the most relevant results. These all-important factors are measured in part by: click through rates (the percentage of the people who see the listing divided by the number who click into the page) and bounce back rates (the number of people who land on a page and then immediately return to the results pages).

So, when results from other verticals appear in the blended results, Google tells whether they are relevant to that query or not by whether they are clicked on and, if they are clicked on, if the searcher returned to the results quickly, after a time, or not at all. Think about your experiences with the Universal results. When was the last time you chose to view and image or video or news article after a search query?

Images and videos are naturals for travel web sites. So, how can a travel or hospitality oriented website make the most of their photos and videos in Universal Search? First, look at the results for the keyword phrases for which you would like to rank. Are there any blended results on the first page?

A recent query for Hawaii surfing, for example, shows 3 image results across the top of the page.

The page names for these photos are: http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/hawaii/images/
hawaii-surfing.jpg, http://www.hawaiipictures.com/pictures/bigisland/
hawaii_surfing11024×768.jpg and http://www.jaunted.com/files/admin/
hawaii_surfing_nut.jpg . See a pattern here?

Now, take a look at result #4. It’s a YouTube video entitled Surfing Hawaii and tagged with surf, surfing and Hawaii. In addition, it’s rather popular, with a rating of 4 stars, 224 comments. more than 325,000 views. It’ll take a great video to beat this one out, but if you have one, by all means submit it, tag it and share it with your friends today.

Costa Rica cloud forest is another query that shows the first 3 photos from the Image Search results across the top of the page:

Most of the queries that bring up image or video results are fairly generic, like sailboat, ice sculpture and nascar wreck. Determine which searches that are relevant to what you do display videos and/or images on the first page. Then, come up with a plan to get yours there, too.

Remember that you don’t have to be a great photographer or videographer to make this work for you. In fact, you don’t even have to own a camera. Run a themed contest with a good prize, promote it online and through the traditional media and people will happily send them to you!

A new “term” has been making the rounds in the Search Engine Marketing industry. It’s honestly something that I should have been thinking a lot more about. Consider for a second what your visitors are doing AFTER they have accessed your site. Are you taking the process for granted? Post click marketing is what you’re doing to market yourself on your OWN website. Radical concept, eh?

The big misconception in success is that your goal is “traffic.” Traffic just means you’re working hard to get people to your site. For many websites traffic is the goal. But traffic isn’t the be-all-end-all – Return on Investment (ROI) is. Post-click marketing focuses on the things you can do on your own website to sell the visitor once they hit your landing page – effectively increasing your return – without increasing your traffic-gaining investment. So we’re making better use of the traffic we’re already receiving.

Segmenting
Not everyone who shops on your site is going to do so in the same way. There is usually a wide variety to your segmentation.

• Bargain hunters will head straight for the “clearance section” (aka specials page)
• Business travelers or concert goers may be looking for your location and proximity to a specific event.
• Families will want to know what activities and amenities you offer for the little ones on the itinerary.

Optimization or paid advertising targeting (i.e. keyword buys and selections) will land these different types of shoppers on the correct section of the site for THEIR needs. By segmenting traffic and funneling it into the correct portion of your site, chances for a conversion increase.

Appeal:
Would you stay in a hotel with shabby 1980’s design elements? If your site was designed and photography taken more than 3 years ago, it’s probably outdated. Time in the “internet world” moves much more quickly than in real life. Think dog years - so a website that is 3 years old - is aged to 21 years in reality (well maybe not that much, but close.)

Now is the time to upgrade and reveal to your visitors what’s fresh and new with your property. Consider the following when revamping your website:

• Upgrade photography
• Clean up color schemes – primary colors are out – soft and warm colors are in.
• Great paragraphs of text are out. Think about how a visitor reads content on a website. They scan for the most part. By moving from a great paragraph of text to short descriptions and bullet points you’re giving the fickle web visitor exactly what they want – and you’re creating the opportunity to show them more of your site.
• Deliver information strategically - on the rooms page, place a quick note about sending booking info to their phone.
• Place your product messages where they will be SEEN – don’t bury them in a paragraph.

Paths
Giving a clear and well marked path through your site is going to go a long way towards increasing bookings. Uncluttered, calm, concise and obvious paths through to your conversion process make it easy to find and book online.

Features:
The more added-value you give your guests “post click” the more likely they are to stay and book with you. Right now they can book through Expedia.com and have the data saved, sent and resent – printed and emailed whenever they want – can they do the same on your website? If you’re offering these things – MARKET them. Place the message within your site and especially on the landing pages guests are hitting most often.

You’re not selling ice- cream to Eskimos.
If they’re in your booking process, they’re already targeted. Use the process to sell the process.

• Step 1 of 4
• Step 2 of 4

Might be better worded as:

• “You’re just 2 steps away from a perfect beach vacation!”

Use your thank-you page tell them how successful they are and that they’ve made the “Right Choice!” Begin forming a positive outlook immediately – don’t wait until they arrive on your doorstep.

Once they’ve booked - give them a place to go. Take them back to the activities page so they can make restaurant reservations – either right on your site with the contact information you provide. If you offer add-ons such as champagne and chocolates – show the successful booker where they can buy that, or how they can contact you to add it on to a current reservation.

Post-click marketing on your site is something I’m going to elaborate on in future articles. Stay tuned for a variety of tools and suggestions to help you make more out of the traffic you’re already receiving.
mouse photo from sabandija in da house
path photo from jurvetson