<p>137In this episode, the Fueligans chat with Industry Guru, Tim Peter, about his advice for hotels and travel industry businesses who are feeling the shock and pain of the past few weeks. Fuel is here for you as we all try to navigate these stormy waters and adjust to the “new normal”.</p>
<h2><span class="search-result-link"><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/crisis-management-resources-for-hotels-master-list/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Click Here For A Crisis Management Resources For Hotels Master List</a></span></h2>
<p>You can also download <span class="search-result-link"> <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/navigating-troubled-times/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">How Hotels Can Navigate Troubled Times</a></span></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/780537388&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s Tim&#8217;s original post that was an inspiration for this episode:</p>
<p>https://www.timpeter.com/2020/03/03/coronavirus-covid-19-the-travel-industry-how-hotel-companies-can-manage-business-disruption/</p>
<h2><b>1. Realize that we’re playing Poker, not Chess</b></h2>
<p>Why is this situation so different from anything we’ve seen in the past? It comes down to uncertainty. Typically, our threats have been more about risk. This is an entirely different game and we need to understand the rules, we need to be adaptable, and we need to focus on the things we know, the things we control, and then make a bet on the rest of it based on our confidence level.</p>
<h2><b>2. Review your insurance, talk to your bank, and stay informed about government assistance</b></h2>
<p>Is coronavirus COVID-19 part of your coverages? Are you able to recoup any losses from business interruption insurance or similar? While insurance is unlikely to cover all your costs, they may help lessen any economic burden COVID-19 places on your business. Also, we’re seeing that a lot of banks are being extremely flexible right now. If your biggest worry is that you may not be able to make your next loan payment, go have a conversation and see what help they may offer. Finally, there are new government assistance programs being announced at a federal and state level on a daily basis. Get involved with your local Chamber of Commerce and use them as a resource to help you understand what’s available.</p>
<h2><b>3. Cut Your Costs Strategically but Ruthlessly</b></h2>
<p>For many of us, this is an existential crisis. The very survival of our business is hanging in the balance. As you think through ways to cut your spending, do so with an eye on the short term and the long term, and be prepared to consider the things that were unfathomable a few days ago. However, while you’re doing this keep in mind that there is a future and those that are best prepared for the new normal will make the most of the opportunities that present themselves</p>
<h2><b>4. Don’t cut your rates.</b></h2>
<p>Anytime business softens, an easy &#8220;fix&#8221; is to offer deeply discounted rates to your guests. The theory behind this action supposes that you can use lower rates to attract attention and steal market share from your competitors. Except that most of the time it doesn&#8217;t work, especially when price is not what’s preventing people from traveling, it’s fear.</p>
<h2><b>5, Change Your Marketing Thinking not Your Budget</b></h2>
<p>One cost you absolutely don&#8217;t want to cut is your marketing spend. Yes, you absolutely must monitor and control your expenses during any economic disruption. But evidence shows that travel companies that continue to invest in marketing during a downturn significantly outperform their competitors in both the short and longer-term. Research from Amrik Singh at the University of Denver and Chekitan S. Dev at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration shows that &#8220;The results of this study show significant differences between winners and losers when measured by top-line indicators (Average Daily Rate [ADR], RevPAR, TRevPAR) and profitability (GOPPAR and NOIPAR). Winners were also found to spend significantly more on marketing than losers… total marketing expenditures are significantly and positively correlated with RevPAR, GOPPAR, and NOIPAR [during a downturn]. This finding implies that an increase in marketing expenditures has a positive effect on revenue and profit.&#8221;</p>
<h2><b>6. Don’t disappear from social.</b></h2>
<p>The team at Screen Pilot put together an outstanding set of recommendations on how to effectively be <b>“aware, available, and agile”</b> on social. Many of these include items addressed above such as “encouraging consumer confidence” and using your FAQ pages to reassure guests. But the whole set is excellent and truly worth your time. You can<a href="https://screenpilot.com/2020/03/screen-pilot-social-media-teams-covid-19-recommendations-best-practices/"> check out their advice here</a>.</p>
<h2><b>7. Keep learning but don&#8217;t burn out</b></h2>
<p>The current situation requires an adaptable approach to the rapidly shifting marketplace. Anything that helps you keep learning is a good move. Tim’s <a href="https://www.timpeter.com/2020/03/03/coronavirus-covid-19-the-travel-industry-how-hotel-companies-can-manage-business-disruption/">post</a> is a great resource to stay informed. Fuel has also put this <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/crisis-management-resources-for-hotels-master-list/">Master List of Crisis Resources</a> together for folks who are looking for more information.</p>
<h2><b>8. Help others and Keep Smiling</b></h2>
<p>While you are certainly hurting right now, there are likely others around you who are hurting as much or more. Be someone who is bringing a little light and levity to the world by sharing your ideas and your talents. The thing we love most about the hospitality industry is the love for others. We need each other now more than ever and we encourage everyone to put on their best smile and help both your local community and the hotel industry as a whole. We will come through this and we will come through it stronger if we do it together.</p>
<p>========================</p>
<h2><b>In The Newsaroos:     </b></h2>
<ul>
<li>COVID-19</li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.</p>
<p><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE</a></p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 137 – 8 Things Hotels Should Be Doing About The Global Crisis (with Tim Peter)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 136 – Applying Lessons Learned from 9//11 To The COVID-19 Crisis (with Loren Gray)

<p>All the way back in episode 47, we asked the question ”Is Google Becoming An OTA?”. Also, in episode 99, we discussed the fact that “Google Is Building A Hotel Marketing Demogorgon”. The scary thing is that this push by Google to get deeper into the value chain of hospitality doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon and it’s also happening in every major industry. In this episode, we look at some of the things that Google has been working on over the past 5 years and how joining the dots paints a potentially devastating picture for many businesses &#8211; starting with the OTAs.</p>
<p>You can also enjoy the full article at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/5-things-every-small-hotelier-needs-to-be-doing-to-compete-today/">fueltravel.com/blog/5-things-every-small-hotelier-needs-to-be-doing-to-compete-today/</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/766835074&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p>Come see us at:</p>
<p><b>NAVIGATE CONFERENCE<br />
</b><b>San Antonio, TX<br />
</b><b>Mar 2-4<br />
</b><a href="https://www.naviscrm.com/navigate/"><b>https://www.naviscrm.com/navigate/</b></a></p>
<p><b>Stat of The Week</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Google represents 94% of all internet searches. In fact, Youtube has more searches than Yahoo and Bing combined. &#8211; source: snapshot.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.similarweb.com/">SimilarWeb data</a> shows that Google travel vertical search products (Hotels + Flights) received 674 million visits in the U.S. in 2019. To put that figure into perspective, that is practically as much traffic as Expedia.com and Booking.com combined received.</li>
</ul>
<h3><b>What has Google been up to?</b></h3>
<ul>
<li><b>Google is Getting Smarter</b></li>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>RankBrain</li>
<li>BERT</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Google is getting more discerning</b></li>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Beneficial Purpose</li>
<li>YMYL</li>
<li>EAT</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><b><b>Links are losing their value</b></b></li>
<li><strong>Google is becoming Zero-click</strong></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>50.3% of searches are now zero-click</li>
<li>Of the clicks that do occur, 14% go to another Google site</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Google is going vertical</b></li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Look at the SERP for Flights, Weather, and Restaurants, the experience is fulfilling more intent than ever before.</li>
<li>There are multiple cases where Google has decimated businesses:
<ul>
<li>Merriam Webster has seen a dramatic increase in exposure but a massive decrease in website visitors.</li>
<li>Genius.com caught Google scaping their lyrics content without appropriate citations.</li>
<li>Google entered the jobs market and now receives 5x more clicks to the Google tools than all of the paid ads receive for job-related searches</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<h3><b>Why is Google doing all this?</b></h3>
<p>Ultimately, because they want Google Assistant to dominate, which is why they are preparing for a voice-first world and why they are getting further into the value chain.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><b> What does this mean for the OTAs?</b></h3>
<ol>
<li>Booking.com CEO came out and said that they were actively trying to drive more direct traffic to combat Google</li>
<li>Expedia fired its CEO and CFO because the board didn’t agree with their strategy on how to deal with Google</li>
<li>TripAdvisor just laid-off 200 employees and blamed Google</li>
<li>Wall Street has a strong opinion and stock prices are significantly lower than they were a year ago.</li>
</ol>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><b>So what are OTAs going to do?</b></h3>
<ol>
<li>Get further down the value chain of travel. See Booking Holding’s CityBook App as an example.</li>
<li>Cut operating costs to maintain profitability</li>
<li>Try to invest more in brand advertising such as TV.</li>
<li>Use legal channels to stop Google in their tracks. 30 businesses, including Expedia and Tripadvisor recently filed a letter of complaint with the EU alleging abuse by Google related to how they favor their own assets in the vacation rental SERP.</li>
</ol>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><b>What does this mean for the big hotel brands?</b></h3>
<p>In the short term, this could be a good thing because the pressure on the OTAs may reduce the cost to the suppliers. In addition, hotels will likely invest more in Google programs such as GHA and Google Ads, which will lead to more direct bookings.</p>
<p>Long term, this could be really dangerous, because the hotels will become more and more dependent on Google. This monopoly isn’t healthy for the industry.</p>
<p>The chains are reacting in the same way as the OTAs. Major investments in brand assets and increased investment in brand advertising, as evidenced by the flags increasing TV budget by 34% in 2019 and Hilton’s announcement of  a content partnership with BuzzFeed’s <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/bringme">BringMe</a>,</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><b>What can independent hotels do about this?</b></h3>
<p><strong>In the short-term, you need to play along with Google, you don’t have a choice</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Maximize your GHA spend</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Optimize your Google My Business listing</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Get more sophisticated with your ad words strategy</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Take advantage of zero-click opportunities</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><b>In the long-term, imaging a world where Google doesn’t exist</b></p>
<ul>
<li><b>Diversify your traffic sources</b></li>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Other Search engines and directories</li>
<li>CVB/DMO/Chamber/Portal Sites</li>
<li>Social Media/Influencers/Niche sites</li>
<li>Partnerships/Sponsorships/Coops</li>
<li>Media &amp; Publications</li>
<li>Audit your online profiles across the entire web</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><b>Hotels also have 3 secret weapons that Google cannot defend against. This is where your focus should be in 2020.</b></p>
<ol>
<li><b>Guest Interactions &#8211; Invest in your direct touch-points</b>
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Website</li>
<li>Booking Engine</li>
<li>Mobile App</li>
<li>Direct Mail</li>
<li>Call Center</li>
<li>Content &#8211;  including Images, Videos &amp; Audio</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><b>Guest Data &#8211; Leverage your unique data and invest in CR</b>
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Create a “Golden Record” of each guest</li>
<li>Personalize the conversation</li>
<li>Develop a 1:1 communication strategy</li>
<li>Don’t limit yourself to one channel</li>
<li>Use your data to improve your advertising</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><b>Guest Experience &#8211; Be an innkeeper</b>
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Create a guest-centric culture</li>
<li>Hire the right people</li>
<li>Provide constant and rigorous training</li>
<li>Invest in the property</li>
<li>Be remarkable</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<p>========================</p>
<h2><b>In The Newsaroos:     </b></h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/otas-and-metasearch-dominate-googles-hotel-related-keywords/">https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/otas-and-metasearch-dominate-googles-hotel-related-keywords/</a><br />
Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 11, research firm, Kantar, analyzed over 1,600 lodging-related Google search keywords like “las vegas hotels” and “nyc hotels” across desktop and mobile. Of the searched keywords, more than 75% of all ad clicks belonged to online travel agencies (OTAs) and metasearch engines, sites that often operate as the middlemen between hotels with vacant rooms and consumers looking for a deal.</li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE</a></p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 135 – Google Is Going To Destroy Us All (Starting With The OTAs)

<p>Today&#8217;s small hotelier has more to deal with than ever before.  OTAs are a must&#8230; but eat into the ever-shrinking margin. The flags are getting more aggressive in creating a unique experience. The technology is getting more complicated.  However the future is not bleak for the smaller innkeeper who is managing a property under 100 units, be it a hotel, B&amp;B, campground, or quaint retreat.</p>
<p>In this episode, we share five things that every hotelier can do right now to complete against the 800lb gorillas of the hospitality world.</p>
<p>You can also enjoy the full article at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/5-things-every-small-hotelier-needs-to-be-doing-to-compete-today/">fueltravel.com/blog/5-things-every-small-hotelier-needs-to-be-doing-to-compete-today/</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/763928701&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p>Come see us at:</p>
<p><b>NAVIGATE CONFERENCE<br />
</b><b>San Antonio, TX<br />
</b><b>Mar 2-4<br />
</b><a href="https://www.naviscrm.com/navigate/"><b>https://www.naviscrm.com/navigate/</b></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><b>#1: Embrace The Cloud-based PMS</b></h3>
<p>The very first thing you need to know as a small hotelier is you can’t, and I repeat, you can’t manage any size property with a paper guest book, Excel file, or crappy old PMS.  Everything you do revolves around your inventory and as a result, you have to invest in a property management system that can set you up for success. Sure, a PMS won’t directly make you successful but you can be sure it can destroy you. What do you need to look for in a PMS for a small hotel?</p>
<ul>
<li>Mobile Usability</li>
<li>Easy Rate Management</li>
<li>Channel Management Solutions</li>
<li>Easy Accounting Integrations</li>
<li>An Amazing Booking Engine</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><b>#2: Own Your Social Voice</b></h3>
<p>At Fuel, we talk about the importance of “owning your owned media.” That means taking proactive control of, and engaging your customers directly whenever possible.   Email is a critical part of that, which we will cover a bit farther down, however, your social channels also fall into owned media. Engaging your social fans and followers is an excellent way to expand your reach, build a relationship, and drive direct bookings.</p>
<ul>
<li>Choose Your Platforms</li>
<li>Be Authentic</li>
<li>Consistency is Key</li>
</ul>
<p>We have created tons of helpful tools and tips for properties large and small.  Learn why social media is important to your hotel’s marketing here, as well as listen to episode 13 of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast here.  If you’re not sure what to post or share, we’ve got you taken care of as well with our article on 80 social media posts ideas for hotels.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><b>#3: Get Direct With Your Guest Relationship Through Email</b></h3>
<p>Email is not the sexy new marketing tool, but it is the single most effective tool in the small hotelier’s toolbox.  Not only is it incredibly cost-effective, it is also one of the only ways to proactively get your message in front of your past and potential guests.</p>
<p>Don’t have an email strategy in place yet, you can start by listening to episode 109 of the podcast, <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-109-hotel-101-sending-an-amazing-marketing-email/">Hotel 101: Sending An Amazing Marketing Email</a>. If you do have your email platform setup, make sure you’re following these tips:</p>
<ul>
<li>Personalize, personalize, personalize</li>
<li>Show your personality &amp; be authentic</li>
<li>Always offer value</li>
<li>Always give your subscribers a chance to book</li>
<li>Emails are consumed on mobile devices, are yours?</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><b>#4: Maximize Your Free Exposure</b></h3>
<p>Building your small hotel’s brand and exposure can get pretty expensive, but it doesn’t have to be.  There are plenty of free tools your property can use to drive awareness and bookings. Each market is unique, and we suggest you find the free tools in your market, but these opportunities are sure to help you drive more guests for no out-of-pocket investment.</p>
<ul>
<li>Optimize your business listings</li>
<li>Stay engaged locally</li>
<li>Maximize your social reach</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><b>#5: Pay Attention To The Competition</b></h3>
<p>Small hotels have the disadvantage of not having big testing budgets and large staffs.  That means you need to use your competition where it makes sense to grow your business.</p>
<ul>
<li>Understand the competition’s rate strategies, and make yours better</li>
<li>Look at what the OTA and Flags are doing, and emulate</li>
<li>Take a trip, and see what others are doing well</li>
<li>Don’t follow blindly, but adapt what makes sense to your plans.</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>========================</p>
<h2><b>In The Newsaroos:     </b></h2>
<ul>
<li><b>Guitar-shaped Hard Rock hotel opens in Hollywood, Florida<br />
</b><a href="https://archpaper.com/2019/11/hard-rock-guitar-hotel-opens/">https://archpaper.com/2019/11/hard-rock-guitar-hotel-opens/</a></li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE</a></p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 134 – How Can Small Hotels  Compete Today?

<p>This episode is part two of our look at user behavior and performance on your hotel website. In part 1, we covered the movement of a guest through your site and how they interact with the content. This episode looks at your conversion rate and your overall site performance.</p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE</a></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/751611694&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p>Come see us at:</p>
<p><b>NAVIGATE CONFERENCE<br />
</b><b>San Antonio, TX<br />
</b><b>Mar 2-4<br />
</b><a href="https://www.naviscrm.com/navigate/"><b>https://www.naviscrm.com/navigate/</b></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>STAT OF THE WEEK:</p>
<p><i>53% of mobile site visitors leave a page that takes longer than three seconds to load.</i></p>
<p><a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/data-measurement/mobile-page-speed-new-industry-benchmarks/">https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/data-measurement/mobile-page-speed-new-industry-benchmarks/</a></p>
<h2></h2>
<h2>Tracking Conversion Rate Optimization</h2>
<p>We touched on some conversion rate optimization in Part 1, but now we’re going to dig in deep to find the friction in your booking process. Identifying where users are leaving your site is extremely important. Also, it’s important to understand the typical page flow and determine if you can get users deeper into the funnel quicker.</p>
<h3>Things you should be monitoring:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Page flow reports</li>
<li>Exit pages</li>
<li>A/B testing results</li>
<li>Form fields</li>
<li>Booking Engine</li>
</ul>
<h3>Tools for conversion rate optimization</h3>
<ul>
<li>Google Analytics for page flow and exits</li>
<li>A/B testing tools like Visual Website Optimizer</li>
<li>User Testing</li>
</ul>
<h3>What to do with your findings:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Use page flow to understand typical patterns and determine if you need to add features or remove noise to guide users deeper into the funnel.</li>
<li>Find the most common exit points. Determine if there are things on those that could be creating friction or doubt that could be driving users away.</li>
<li>A/B testing tools can be helpful for both of the previous items. You can test adding/removing/relocating things from the page.</li>
<li>Evaluate your user tests and listen to the feedback to determine if there are patterns that drive people out of your funnel. Address those issues by removing unnecessary form fields, adding social proof to embolden a potential guest, create FOMO through messaging that drives a user into making a decision to book now.</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Tracking Site Performance</h2>
<p>Your site’s performance can drastically affect how users interact with it. If your site is too slow, or too difficult to navigate, users can, and will find another option to book a room. In many cases, hotels with the highest percentage of total bookings lost to OTAs also have very poor site performance.</p>
<h3>Things you should be monitoring:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Are users leaving because of a poor mobile experience?</li>
<li>Are users leaving because of slow page speed?</li>
</ul>
<h3>Tools for monitoring user experience:</h3>
<ul>
<li>User testing recordings</li>
<li>Google mobile-friendliness testing and Google Search Console
<ul>
<li>Here you’ll find issues like Text Too Small To Read, Clickable Elements Too Close Together, Content Wider Than Screen</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Page Speed Insights/GTMetrix
<ul>
<li>These tools will give you a good idea of true load speed with metrics like slow or average FCP (first contentful paint&#8211;a measure of how long it takes the page begin to render) and slow or average FID (first input delay&#8211;a measure of how long it takes the page to start responding to user actions).</li>
<li>They will also point out what’s causing your site to load slowly. These could be things like images that are too large, unminified javascript, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>What to do with your findings?</h3>
<ul>
<li>Determine if your mobile experience is too difficult to navigate and drives users to find sites/apps where they can book easily.</li>
<li>Determine if slow load speeds are driving users back to search results to find pages that will give them the info they require in a timely manner.</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>========================</p>
<h2><b>In The Newsaroos:     </b></h2>
<ul>
<li><b>TripAdvisor Cuts Hundreds of Positions as Google competition intensifies:<br />
</b><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-23/tripadvisor-cuts-hundreds-of-jobs-after-google-competition-bites" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-23/tripadvisor-cuts-hundreds-of-jobs-after-google-competition-bites</a></li>
<li><b>Booking.com launches CityBook<br />
</b><a href="https://www.phocuswire.com/Booking-launches-CityBook-app" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.phocuswire.com/Booking-launches-CityBook-app</a></li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.</p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 133 – Even More Shocking Revelations Of Hotel Guest Behavior (part 2)

<p>Here at Fuel, we constantly preach about reducing friction on your hotel’s website and booking engine to create a seamless user experience. We also often talk on this podcast about how user experience is becoming an increasingly important factor in SEO. A recent article on SEJ got us thinking that there are probably a lot of hotels that aren’t regularly evaluating the user experience and how users are interacting with their websites. We are going to dive into what user behavior you should be tracking, how you can track it and what you should be doing with the behavior data you collect.</p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE</a></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/746732233&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p>Alternative episode titles:<br />
You won’t believe what your guests are doing when you’re not looking<br />
What your guests are doing when they don’t think you’re watching<br />
Your guest just did what? Guest behavior gone wild.</p>
<p>STAT OF THE WEEK:<br />
We’ve mentioned this statistic in previous episodes but in our findings from the 2019 Leisure Travel Study we found that 86.7% of people say they visit the hotel’s website before making a reservation.</p>
<p>We also found in a study from Amazon Web Services that<br />
UX stats show that 88% of online shoppers say they wouldn’t return to a website after having a bad user experience.</p>
<p>So if you’re not paying attention to UX and user behavior on your site, you could be losing 88% of your website visitors who will book elsewhere because of the poor experience of your site.</p>
<h2>Tracking User Behavior:</h2>
<p>This may be the most important piece for understanding how your visitors are using your website. What are they doing when they reach a page? What additional information are they seeking once they have consumed what that page has provided?</p>
<h3>Things you should be monitoring:</h3>
<ul>
<li>What on-page elements are they clicking on?</li>
<li>How far are they scrolling on the page?</li>
<li>What behavior patterns can you see across multiple pages?</li>
<li>Are they leaving your site to find necessary information elsewhere? (reviews, nearby attractions, etc,)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Tools for monitoring user behavior:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Heat mapping software like Visual Website Optimizer, Crazy Egg, Google Analytics</li>
<li>User testing recordings</li>
</ul>
<h3>What to do with your findings?</h3>
<ul>
<li>Determine if you are making it easy for users to find what you want them to</li>
<li>Determine if you are including enough information or too much information</li>
<li>Determine if users are following a pattern that advances them in the booking process</li>
<li>Determine if your mobile experience is too difficult to navigate and drives users to find sites/apps where they can book easily.</li>
</ul>
<h3></h3>
<h2>Tracking Content Effectiveness</h2>
<p>Are users entering your site through specific pieces of content? Is your content enhancing your experience or turning users off? Does your content follow Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines? What are your users doing after they consume your content? These are all questions you should be asking when trying to determine content effectiveness.</p>
<h3>Things you should be monitoring:</h3>
<ul>
<li>What are your most popular entry pages?</li>
<li>What pages receive the most total page views?</li>
<li>Do you have pages with exorbitant bounce rates?</li>
<li>What does page flow look like?</li>
<li>Do you have pages that aren’t getting any traffic?</li>
<li>Are users sharing certain pieces of content via social media and/or links?</li>
<li>What landing pages are generating conversions?</li>
</ul>
<h3>Tools for monitoring content effectiveness:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Your analytics software should give you the majority of this information
<ul>
<li>Google Analytics will give you landing pages, most viewed pages, bounce rates of specific pages and next page flow</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Social media channels</li>
<li>Backlink monitoring tools like ahrefs &amp; Moz’s Link Explorer</li>
<li>Tracking mentions through tools like Google Alerts or Moz’s Fresh Web Explorer</li>
</ul>
<h3>What to do with your findings:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Evaluate your top entry pages. Are they relevant to your business goals? Are there ways to improve them to guide people into your booking funnel?</li>
<li>Find pages in your flow that are more effective at getting users deeper into the booking funnel. Can you create more avenues into those pages?</li>
<li>If you are finding pages that are not getting any traffic you need to evaluate the content and determine if it’s following Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines.
<ul>
<li>Does your content have E-A-T at or near the level of sites competing for the same topic?
<ul>
<li>[E] &#8211; Are you showing that you are an expert on a given topic/area? Are you providing information that a quality rater would consider useful? Is it better than content users can find on other sites ranking for that topic?</li>
<li>[A] &#8211; Can you establish authoritativeness as the source? Are you using an author bios or displaying that your business or author has been recognized by other outlets?</li>
<li>[T] &#8211; Is your content trustworthy? Is the information you’re presenting factual? Are you citing your sources/adding links where you can?</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Are you inhibiting a user from consuming the content because of difficult-to-close interstitials or ads?</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Determine which pages are shared the most via social media and/or backlinks. Is there a pattern that you can recreate? Is there a way to enhance that content that gets users further in the funnel?</li>
<li>Get links from mentions. Are people talking about you online but not linking? If so, do some link outreach.</li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<h2><b>In The Newsaroos:     </b></h2>
<ul>
<li><b>Google Releases their latest Core Algorithm Update, appropriately named, “</b><b>January 2020 core update” </b><a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-january-2020-core-update-is-rolling-out-imminently/343271/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-january-2020-core-update-is-rolling-out-imminently/343271/</a>
<ul>
<li>One way to think of how a core update operates is to imagine you made a list of the top 100 movies in 2015. A few years later in 2019, you refresh the list. It’s going to naturally change. Some new and wonderful movies that never existed before will now be candidates for inclusion. You might also reassess some films and realize they deserved a higher place on the list than they had before. The list will change, and films previously higher on the list that move down aren’t bad. There are simply more deserving films that are coming before them. Just keep an eye on your rankings and if you see improvement, pat yourself on the back for creating great content. If you see decreases, analyze who passed you, understand why their content is better, and work on improving your content to be better.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.</p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 132 – Shocking Revelations Of Hotel Guest Behavior (part 1)

<p>Let’s face it, your <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/booking-engine/">booking engine</a> is one of the most important pieces of your marketing strategy. According to the Fuel <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/2019-leisure-travel-trends-study/">2019 Leisure Travel study</a>, 87% of consumers will visit the hotel website prior to making a booking, meaning that if you have a great booking experience, you have a great chance to convert the guest to a direct booking. Why then is it that folks look at the booking engine as a commodity and rest their laurels on an antiquated or ineffective system? In this episode, we dive into a few things you should be considering when you think about whether or not it’s time to evaluate your current provider.</p>
<p><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE</a></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/742990942&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p><a href="https://marketingstrategy.hsmai.org/registration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>REGISTER NOW</b></a><b> for the HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference and Adrian Awards &#8211; </b><b><i>January 21, 2020, at the NY Marriott Marquis</i></b></p>
<ul>
<li><b>HSMAI Adrian Awards Dinner Reception &amp; Gala</b></li>
<li><a href="https://marketingstrategy.hsmai.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><b>USE PROMO CODE “Fuel2020” FOR $50 OFF YOUR REGISTRATION.</b></p>
<p>STAT OF THE WEEK:</p>
<p>50% of hoteliers are not satisfied with their current booking engine provider:</p>
<h3><b>1. Does your booking engine provide you with the analytics you need?</b></h3>
<ul>
<li><b> Do you have the ability to integrate with Google and/or Adobe Analytics?</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>How does the integration happen?
<ul>
<li>Provide GA account number</li>
<li>Back end access to paste script</li>
<li>Give us access to tag manager container we control</li>
<li>We provide script</li>
<li>We provide every detail of how to track your booking engine and do your job for you</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Will it take more or less than a lifetime to achieve this integration?</li>
<li>What data can we access?
<ul>
<li>Basic page tracking</li>
<li>Basic ecommerce tracking</li>
<li>Custom dimensions like dates, booking window, package name, room type, revenue</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Does the engine accurately attribute revenue to the original source?</li>
<li>Do you have the ability to add custom tracking pixels (Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Facebook, etc.)?
<ul>
<li>How?
<ul>
<li>We provide scripts</li>
<li>Back end access</li>
<li>Tag manager access</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>How much will this cost?
<ul>
<li>Per tag?</li>
<li>Per year?</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Can you support CORRECT tracking of a global search engine and separate engines?</li>
<li>Is there one point of contact who knows all of this information, or will a team of rocket scientists and brain surgeons be involved to figure it out?</li>
</ul>
<h3><b>2. Does the booking engine provide a good user experience?</b></h3>
<ul>
<li>Does the booking engine not suck?</li>
<li>Is it obvious to the user how to continue to the next step of the process?</li>
<li>Does it have the same look and feel as the website?</li>
<li>Does the booking engine live on the website domain or does it live on another URL or subdomain?</li>
<li>Is the mobile experience kickass?</li>
<li>Is the search functionality super-fast?</li>
<li>Is the date picker intuitive and mobile-friendly?</li>
<li>Does it have a favorite/compare feature?</li>
<li>Does it have urgency and social proof messaging?</li>
<li>Does it easily allow the guest to see the best rates/packages with minimum effort?</li>
</ul>
<h3><b>3. Is the booking engine partner supporting you and your business?</b></h3>
<ul>
<li>Do you have a dedicated contact person who knows your business and is responsive?</li>
<li>Does the provider proactively offer advice on how to improve your performance?</li>
<li>What is the process to get technical support and does support happen quickly?</li>
<li>Do you get nickel and dimed for every request?</li>
<li>Are updates to the system included in the price?</li>
<li>How often are features added?</li>
<li>What is on the feature roadmap and can you provide input?</li>
<li>Are there any other fees or charges?</li>
<li>Are you locked into a long term contract?</li>
</ul>
<p><b>4. Does your booking engine play well with others?</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Does it have integration with TripAdvisor and GHA?</li>
<li>Does the booking engine provider make it easy to integrate with other tools such as flip.to, and theguestbook.com?</li>
<li>Does your booking engine offer an API?</li>
<li>Does it integrate directly with the PMS rather than a CRS?</li>
</ul>
<p><b>5. Will your booking engine get you sued</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Does it meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards?</li>
<li>Is it PCI compliant?</li>
<li>Does it meet GDPR &amp; CCPA standards?</li>
</ul>
<p><b>6. Does your booking engine not suck?</b></p>
<p>========================</p>
<h2><b>In The Newsaroos:     </b></h2>
<ul>
<li>Rand Fishkin’s presentation about how 2020 will be the year Google goes from everyone&#8217;s search engine to everyone&#8217;s competitor. &#8220;zero click&#8221; searches are the way of the future with &#8220;book through Google&#8221; becoming more and more prevalent<br />
<a href="https://searchengineland.com/how-verticalization-and-zero-click-will-impact-local-search-in-2020-327131" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://searchengineland.com/how-verticalization-and-zero-click-will-impact-local-search-in-2020-327131</a></li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.</p>


Hotel Marketing Podcast

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 137 – 8 Things Hotels Should Be Doing About The Global Crisis (with Tim Peter)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 136 – Applying Lessons Learned from 9//11 To The COVID-19 Crisis (with Loren Gray)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 136 – Applying Lessons Learned from 9//11 To The COVID-19 Crisis (with Loren Gray)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 135 – Google Is Going To Destroy Us All (Starting With The OTAs)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 135 – Google Is Going To Destroy Us All (Starting With The OTAs)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 134 – How Can Small Hotels Compete Today?

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 134 – How Can Small Hotels Compete Today?

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 133 – Even More Shocking Revelations Of Hotel Guest Behavior (part 2)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 133 – Even More Shocking Revelations Of Hotel Guest Behavior (part 2)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 132 – Shocking Revelations Of Hotel Guest Behavior (part 1)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 132 – Shocking Revelations Of Hotel Guest Behavior (part 1)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 131 – Is It Time To Re-Evaluate Your Booking Engine?

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