In Carrie Hill’s article, “Top 5 Reasons You NEED Maps on Your Travel Website“, she discusses the importance of offering maps to help drive website visitors to make a booking on your site.
Why put a map on your site? The top five reasons, from Carrie’s article, include:
According to Wikipedia, viral marketing references marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to foster increases in product or brand. It sometimes refers to Internet-based stealth marketing campaigns, including the use of blogs. Brand awareness gains strength as the information self replicates, as with a computer virus or the spread of a pathological disease. These campaigns are often word-of-mouth that is delivered online. Deliberate online strategies can help an advertiser to reach large numbers of individuals rapidly.
Blizzard Associate - Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc.
Any number of times, I have had co-workers, friends, neighbors, and complete strangers ask me for advice on the best computer or other electronics to get. I have even had a few Blizzard Internet clients ask for recommendations. I could never really give the advice I wanted to, though. There are so many choices and options for each type of equipment, and those choices change every six months. Staying up on the newest technology as well as the different options was almost impossible. I did my best but never really felt comfortable, pointing people to websites like CNET.com, which really never fulfilled the need. Thankfully a new website, Tech Selector, has given me a place to point people.
Many a traveler has purchased a ticket, packed and boarded a plane with only a travel guide in hand ready to see the world. These days, the internet makes it easier to plan a vacation through the numerous travel review sites and volumes of information available at our fingertips. Tim Wu, who writes at Slate.com, tested the reliability of internet review sites for a recent trip to Thailand.
Managing your hotel’s reputation online may have just gotten a little easier. TripAdvisor has introduced an RSS feed that enables hotels to put guest comments right on to their website. Currently, about 200 hotels have taken advantage of this new opportunity, but those numbers will change as more hoteliers realize the increasing popularity of online reviews.
A few times a year, the Vacation Rental Managers Association gathers to keep members up to speed on the business. They feature a seminar in the eastern and the western part of the country and several other educational events throughout the year. The group was created to help nurture those who work in the vacation rental industry by offering updates on the industry, networking opportunities, research results and professional development opportunities. The Association is the only one of its kind in North America.
I couldn’t resist this one!
eMarketer posted an article today about text messaging and how it is becoming so mainstream in the dating world. On a day like today, text messages come in handy for letting your sweetheart know how you feel, just like the candy hearts you placed on the desk of your crush as a kid. In an effort to remain current, messages like “URA TIGER” and “PUPPY LOVE” of old have been replaced in more recent years by things like “E-MAIL ME” or “FAX ME”. But you may not need to use a candy heart to send your message of love any longer.
The short messages of candy hearts are slowly being replaced by the SMS or text messaging of today. Some 28% of users report that they use text messaging to flirt. Wasn’t that the point of leaving a candy heart on someone’s desk? “Text messaging has become part of the social fabric of dating in America,” said Jennifer Bowcock of Cingular.
Read the article “Valentine’s Day Text Messages” at eMarketer for an interesting look at how text messages are a must in the world of dating and love.
Jacqueline Binion - Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc.
