Sheila's Guide To The Good Stuff

Most of you probably have the same reaction that I do when someone announces a “new social network”  -  oh, no, not ANOTHER one!

It’s enough to keep juggling the time-suck challenges of all the current ones, right?

So, it takes a lot for me to pay attention to yet another way to stare at some sort of glowing screen, and I have to see the new tool’s application to tourism and hospitality since that’s my business.

That’s why I’m not interested in Google+ right now (other than its implications for search) but I’m quite intrigued by Pinterest, a digital bulletin board or scrapbook that allows people to “pin” interesting photos onto a themed Board.

I first noticed some tourism geeks talking about it around August 2011, then in November 2011 BusinessWeek ran the article, “Why Image-Sharing Network Pinterest is Hot“.

The service is taking off like crazy, especially among those who like visual inspiration: photographers, travelers, decorators and stylists, designers and food enthusiasts.  If you know the story of the Fiskateers and crafting, you know that a lot of activity and discussion can happen in a passionate niche.

CVB/DMO and Hotel Pinterest Boards

What are the possibilities for tourism?

Boards could focus on your unique local foods, architecture, shopping, birding, special events or historic sites. The more specific and visually appealing, the better.

Some examples:

**  Visit Savannah on Pinterest  -  they created an inspiration Board (shown to the right) for St. Patrick’s Day, which is a HUGE annual event in Savannah.

**  Visit Jordan on Pinterest  -  the famous ruins at Petra are certainly magnificent, but how about the curative powers of country’s Dead Sea resorts?

**  Indiana Tourism on Pinterest  -  get hungry looking at their Super 46 Board of sandwiches in honor of the NFL Super Bowl #46 in Indianapolis.  Need ideas for social media integration? Note how the sandwiches campaign also shows up on the Visit Indiana blog (the Pick Your Favorite Super 46 Sandwich(es) post,) on Yelp via each sandwich restaurant’s page, on Twitter via sandwich-related tweets with the #Super46 hashtag and on their Facebook Page by status updates that highlight each sandwich, often with a video that’s also on YouTube.

**  Canton/Stark County, Ohio on Pinterest  -  building up their local Restaurants Board.

**  Wyoming Tourism on Pinterest  -  the Boards you’d expect (incredible vistas and Western stuff) but I really like their HA! Board of pics that make you chuckle.

**  Experience Columbus, Ohio  -  many exciting Boards, but here’s a nice plug for local Columbus-based crafters:  a Columbus on Etsy/Made Here Board.

**  The Hotel Klausnerhof, Hintertux, Austria  -  how about this Advent calendar Board of snowy Tyrol photos?

**  The Four Seasons Hotel in Austin  –  still a pretty new account, but I like the thought behind this 2012 Wedding Trends Board.

**  Guatemala’s Pacific Fins Resort and Marina  –   for Hemingway-esque, The Old Man and the Sea types, a Blue Water Fishing Board.

To look for other examples, try a People search on Pinterest for CVB or Visit or Tourism or Hotel.

Pinterest Can Help With SEO

Just as with photos, video or other visual social communications, spend a little time on the descriptive text of your pinned images;  all of that text can be crawled and indexed by search engines.

Yes, Pinterest counts for SEO (Search Engine Optimization.) Direct link to the SEO for Pinterest video below, by a  bridal consultant.

Also note that each Board has a Facebook “Like” button, which can help spread your curation across your follower’s Facebook networks.

Pinterest is the topic of the January 19, 2012 #tourismchat on Twitter – I’ll update this post afterward with a link to the transcript.

Update:  Here’s the 19 Jan #tourismchat transcript (about Pinterest) via Chirpstory  http://chirpstory.com/li/3920

Update 2:  My friend Troy Thompson has a terrific interview post featuring Joe Vargo, who runs the Columbus, Ohio Pinterest Boards mentioned above.  Get some insights from Joe’s experiences:  5 Questions – Joe Vargo on Pinterest 

The possibilities are pretty endless, aren’t they?

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Today was the last day of a major hospitality industry technology conference, HITEC.  I was excited to attend with a press pass for Tourism Currents, and to go to many educational sessions about social media, especially those with panelists like Loren Gray, Tim Peter and Robert Cole.

More blog posts to follow in the coming weeks, but for now, here are my quick takeaways….

The hospitality industry appears to have many of the same concerns as the average CVB, DMO or Tourist Board:

1) What to do about negative comments? Answer:  Treat as you would in person: “I’m sorry, how can we fix it for you?”  Whatever you do, for heaven’s sake, respond. It is lame to fail to engage with customers when you are paid good money to engage. Side note: yes, respond to positive words, too. How? Say, “Thank you, glad you enjoyed your stay!” to that blog post, tweet or note on your Facebook Wall. You’d say thanks to such feedback if people were physically standing at the front desk, right? Online courtesy is no different.

2) Is there ROI to social media? Answer:  There is, if you have a goal and metrics and analytics tools in place, as you should for ANY communications effort. If your goal is customer satisfaction improvement, set goals and measure for that. If your goal is brand awareness, set goals and measure for that. If your goal is bookings, set goals and measure for that. Really, I’m a bit tired of social media being flogged with the ROI stick when other efforts are not. Is there ROI for your billboard, or that thousands-of-dollars print ad buy that you reflexively pay for each year? As Gary Vaynerchuk quips: “What’s the ROI of your mother?”  What’s the ROI for not being lame, and for responding to those who care about you and are talking online both to you and about you?

3) How can I do all this? Answer:  Work beyond 9-5, use a smartphone to respond wherever you are and build a competent team to spread the load. It’s a tough gig to do social communications well, no question. Why is the Abilene CVB successful? Because Shanna Smith-Snyder works her tail off. Is she working harder than you are? Look in the mirror, think hard and answer that to yourself. Why are the Authentic Seacoast Resorts successful? Because Doug Anweiler (the marcomm guy there) works tirelessly to promote his Nova Scotia properties. Why is Tourism Currents successful? Because co-founder Becky McCray and I have forgotten (temporarily) what a weekend is.  I have so many examples of smaller towns and properties that are shining stars in social communications because they understand that it’s about connecting with humans and telling a good story, so I don’t have much patience with big brands with deep benches who can’t seem to handle the load.

Those who have a salary should earn it.  Too many want the rewards without hustling to do the work.

This is pretty blunt, I know, but some need to hear it.

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I learned about this from the #tourismcollege hashtag stream on Twitter (that’s why Twitter is great for professional development!)

Below are two screenshots of the Facebook Page for the Forty Putney Road bed and breakfast in Brattleboro, Vermont.

The “before Like-ing” photo very cleverly hints at the delights awaiting future fans/friends of the B&B.

The “after Like-ing” shot reveals some of the goodies found after clicking the Like button.

Here’s the inn’s Facebook Page if you want to see for yourself.

Nice work!

**********  Before **********

********** After **********

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It’s a logical question from busy hospitality professionals….

How in the world are they supposed to do all this “social media stuff” while also, you know, running a hotel or resort?!

I asked this question of Andy Hayes, a tourism marketing expert, travel enthusiast, writer, speaker and all-around swell guy. With his typical humor and direct approach, he gave me some terrific answers, so I thought I’d publish the results of our email back-and-forth here, as a Q&A session.

1)  Let’s imagine that the busy operator of a hotel comes to Becky and me at Tourism Currents and says, “Tell me the first 3-5 things I need to do in the next month, in order to begin to establish a better online presence.” What would you suggest?

First thing is to remind yourself:  who are your Dream Customers and what are they looking for from you? If you get clear on that, you’ll have a good idea about the websites, platforms and types of content you’ll want to deliver online.

For example, if you’re a romantic hotel for couples, I’m guessing that photos and romantic stories will be a highlight and maybe a juicy email newsletter with tips for keeping that spark in the relationship. Family hotel? Videos of kids splashing in the pool and fun contests on Facebook might be up your alley.

Think less about “I’m a hotel” and more about “I’m an expert on hospitality and _______________.”

Secondly, get clear on what medium is your strength. If you consider yourself the next Oprah, then get yourself a camera and start doing snappy video. A talker, but not interested in being on screen? Podcasting might be for you. Maybe you’re a photographer – or a writer. It doesn’t matter, but get clear on your strengths and how that meshes with your customer’s desires – if you do the things you’re good at, you’ll keep doing it, and your customers will love it in the process.

Now, with those two pieces of information, experiment. Talk to people. Try things – coupons, discounts, special wacky promotions, interviews, lots and lots of storytelling. I believe the saying is “throw it on the wall and see what sticks.” Now, I know you’re timestrapped, but the magic is in watching carefully and deciding whether you need to keep trying or whether you need to try something else. (Hint: keep those conversations with your favorite, bestest customers going. They’ll give you invaluable advice.)

2)  A hotel operator says, “I can’t sit trapped at a computer all day, but I do have a smartphone. How can it help me listen to and respond to customers ‘on the fly’ as I go through my day?”

It’s all about flow – a lot of the things you do already every day you can incorporate into monitoring and promoting your social media presence.

Let’s take it step by step:

a. Get your toolbelt in place. There are a million and one phone apps out there, so decide on which things you’re going to use….something for images? Video? A Facebook app?  That means testing things out. That means being frustrated and time-stretched for a couple of weeks. (You might remember this feeling when you opened your hotel. Welcome back to the future.)

b. Get your habits in place. Start getting into some habits – they’re good for you, and they’re good for your customers. Maybe you do a room walkthrough at 1PM everyday – use that opportunity to always tweet a picture of something interesting. Maybe you get into the office an hour before anybody else – spare 15 minutes to flip through TripAdvisor and other review sites to ensure there isn’t anything you need to address or respond to. Check your Tweets and Facebook to answer questions at least a couple of times a day. Do these things every day until you don’t notice you’re doing them.

c. Get in the mindset of being a reporter. Start to be mindful of when a “story” is developing in front of you. Maybe a guest has a story. Maybe one of your staff has a story. Maybe you just saw something that’s been there for ages and thought, “Oh – that would be a fab blog post!” Well, write it down, or heck, type it up quick on your phone with those snazzy tools you put in your toolbelt. You’re in charge, so tell that story – you do it so well, ya know.

3)  How can my business keep our online content fresh and interesting? There are only so many times that we can talk about our rooms or our pool or our business center, right?

Let me share with you two fallacies that you may be under the influence of, my dear hotelier:

One, what is boring and not interesting to you may be very interesting to your customer. Why did you call your hotel the Big Green Dream Machine? Why did you even open a hotel? Why did you hire that one kid whose left foot is bigger than the right?

(Tip: the opposite can also be true. You know that press release you sent out to the media about your swimming pool being re-caulked in time for summer? Er, that wasn’t news.)

Two, there is no rule to say that if there is nothing interesting going on, you can’t create a diversion. And the story doesn’t always have to be about you! If there is a big parade in town, bake some specialty cupcakes and tell your Twitter followers to stop in for one (then ask them to tweet about it). Try a new color of paint in a room and ask folks to vote on their fave. Ask the new restaurant in town to give you a few bottles of champagne for guest bookings in exchange for a bit of a Q&A interview on your blog.

Fresh and interesting? The possibilities are ENDLESS. I repeat. ENDLESS. Have fun, let loose (but stay professional). Get creative. If you don’t, your competition will.

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When someone asks me about social media in the hospitality industry, I usually mention the Roger Smith Hotel in New York, AJ Bombers restaurant in Milwaukee and the blog written by Hawaii-based Outrigger Hotels.

Then I wish that I knew more examples.

That problem was just partially solved by this excellent presentation on Slideshare by Lara Dickson, a designer and social media marketing expert based in Vermont. It’s also included in her own blog post, Social for Hospitality 101.

It covers all that any hotel or restaurant needs to know about getting started using social media tools for marketing, and it’s full of ideas and examples.

Thanks a bunch, Lara!

Direct link to the presentation Adding Social Media to Your Hospitality Marketing Toolkit.

As a visitor to your town, staying in one of your member properties, here is what I’m thinking these days….

Full-service hotels need to rethink what “service” means to the traveler.

My idea of a wallet-worthy full service hotel does NOT include:

• Charges for WiFi, which invariably has a weak signal because you don’t have routers and boosters on every floor. I expect free WiFi like I expect the TV to work (and it’s a lot more important to me.)
• Charges for parking – except for big urban hotels, where space is at a premium and parking fees are more acceptable.
• Those tacky $6 bottles of water in the room.  See Chris Brogan’s Man on the Go open letter to the hotel industry about that….
• No breakfast, not even a muffin and cup of coffee. No, I won’t pay $15 plus tip for your overpriced Continental delivered to my room. That’s not pampering; that’s highway robbery. No, I don’t have time nor interest in eating an equally overpriced plated breakfast in your cavernous-yet-always-empty restaurant downstairs.

No, your fancy sheets, 48 pillows and giant flat screen TV do not make up for the above. Making me join your loyalty program for such benefits seems pretty cheesy, especially if I don’t plan to stay at your properties much in the future.

I’m not that into you, and neither is my wallet.

The Hampton Inn and Suites down the road has you beat on all fronts, and I’ll join their loyalty program because I actually feel LOYAL to them for their high-value lodging experience.

Have you heard? There are some problems with the economy these days. Even expense account travelers, your favorite cash cow, are looking for value.

Get with the program.

In Houston recently, I was so peeved about being charged for parking that I took the time to add a Tip on Foursquare about how to find the free parking garage around the corner. Ironically, my check-in to add the Tip was enough to make me Mayor of the hotel.

If only I really was; the things I would change….

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Remember that old saying (maybe from your parents) that there’s a reason you have one mouth and two ears?

It certainly applies to online communications.  Try to listen more than you talk….I know, I know, rather strange advice coming from a talker like me, right?

The first thing to do before jumping into the social Web is to listen (one of our Tourism Currents newsletters has a few tips for better Google Alerts.) Pay attention to the chatter that relates to your destination:  the tweets, the Facebook Wall posts, the blog posts, the photo uploads to Flickr, etc.  Be a “lurker” for awhile, as you might at a party with unfamiliar people.

It’s still very important to continue listening even after you’re comfortable using social media tools.  A lot of hassles and embarrassments can be forestalled by paying attention.

Here’s a tweet that I saw from a well-known tech journalist about the Outrigger Reef Hotel in Honolulu:

“No one should *ever* stay at the outrigger reef in honolulu. We’ve been cheated and abused *daily.* outrageous. Full [blog] post to come.”

When I saw that, I figured that Outrigger management (although they’re on Twitter) probably had no idea that this person was angry and was going to get vocal about it.  So, I sent a quick Twitter DM – private direct message – to a friend in Hawaii who works in tourism PR, giving him a heads up that he needed to go warn someone at the hotel just in case they’d missed the brewing storm.

Funny how that works, because here is the next tweet about the issue from the angry journalist:

“just got a nice call from the Outrigger’s GM [General Manager.] Very responsive and nice about all the problems we had. i think he really cares.”

Here’s the takeaway:  part of the listening process is having your connections out there listening, too, and making sure that important information gets to your digital ears quickly.

You need an army of listeners who care about you.  It’s called a network, and you probably already have one.

Just make sure that they have their listening ears turned on and tuned in.