In the 100th episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the Fueligans throw the gauntlet to our faithful listeners and pose the challenge, &#8220;Ask Me Anything&#8221;. Tune in to find out whether the inevitable curve-balls were tackled with the typical brilliance that can only come from this podcast.
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
SHOW NOTES
Some of the questions we tackle in this episode:
<ol>
<li>Selim, @msimre (Twitter): What is your take on: <a href="https://www.phocuswire.com/End-of-hotel-metasearch" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.phocuswire.com/End-of-hotel-metasearch</a></li>
<li>Catherine from Panama City Beach &#8211; I manage 9 properties with one single portal website. Do I need individual property websites for each of my resorts?</li>
<li>Missy (Facebook): How can a new property with no track record decide how much to invest in marketing in its first year of operation?</li>
<li>Missy (Facebook): We’ve recently opened a fully eco sustainable property, generating all of our own energy, gathering and using all rain and waste water and saving 300,000 litres of water with ALL composting toilets&#8230;yeuch? NO &#8211; incredible to use, and not smell! I’d love to hear your views on whether or not clients REALLY care about the sustainable tourism and how can it be used for marketing advantage?</li>
<li>Amit Arora @Amit_0717 (Twitter): @fuelTravel episode 100 AMA &#8211; what are your download numbers?? 🙂</li>
<li>Pam Welliver @mrswelliver (Twitter): How do you measure ROI on FB advertising?</li>
<li>Scott via email: 
Hi All, I enjoy the show and the all the great insight you offer.My question: we are an independent, boutique-y hotel on an island, adjacent to and easily accessible by two major population centers.We’re also the dominant property in the area. I’m wondering what you suggest as best practices in order to capitalize on our marketing efforts. Do we focus on promoting our property and letting guests put together their own travel/activity arrangements, or spend more effort creating alliances and packages w/ local providers in order to ease the travel burden and/or activity-planning requirements? Further, is there any reasonable value in advertising ourselves into these larger markets via Adwords or FB marketing?
Finally, I wonder if you would clarify the different component pieces of Google’s hotel marketing (GHA etc), as I’m not sure which are purely in the realm of the booking engine, and which are directly accessible by the property (or are they only accessible for the property via the booking engine…)</li>
<li>Mauricio Schuler (Digital Marketing Consultant at H&amp;Hotels Group) via Linkedin: What are your thoughts on clickcease for hotels? I mean, if each hotel in our group has about 1,600 searches per month at $1.07 cpc and according to stats I-dont-really-know-where-from a fifth of those are clicked by bots, we would be saving some money. However, our web developer says Google already has strategies in place to fight bots. 
What are your thoughts on this? 
What would be a search volume worthy of such a protection? Do they really work?</li>
<li>Stephanie M 
If my hotel is in a pretty unknown part of Italy (that is not traditionally touristy), what are the most important things I can do to promote the region in conjunction with my hotel (to tourists outside of Italy)? There is little support from the Region itself for tourism, so I feel like I have to do it on my own. Also, what are your favourite blogs, books and websites to learn more about hotel marketing? (Other than your blog which is awesome!)</li>
<li>Meisha Bochicchio via Twitter: What are some of your top predictions for 2019? Any major industry changes or shifts?</li>
<li>Meisha Bochicchio via Twitter: What are the top vanity metrics that you see hotel managers &amp; owners getting hung up on, and what should they be focusing on instead?</li>
<li>Loren Grey via Twitter: Question for the group<a href="https://twitter.com/FuelTravel/"> @FuelTravel</a><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23hotelmarketing"> #hotelmarketing</a> how do you actually calculate lifetime value of a guest?</li>
<li>Bryce via YouTube: What does the team think about the proliferation of Black Friday/Cyber Monday in the travel industry</li>
<li>Robert Cole via Youtube: Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?</li>
</ol>
Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a>.

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 100 – LIVE Ask Me Anything

In a recent blog article, Fuel’s own Pete DiMaio outlined 6 changes that Google has made over the past year that should scare the Dickens out of hotel marketers. The good news is that your Fueligan friends are here with another episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast to break down these changes, tell you what they mean, and give you a game plan on how to adjust your marketing strategy and not get stuck in the ‘Upside Down’.
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
SHOW NOTES
<a href="//www.fueltravel.com/blog/google-hotel-marketing-demogorgon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">VIEW THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE: 
www.fueltravel.com/blog/google-hotel-marketing-demogorgon/</a>
Stats of the Week
<ul>
<li>Gmail has 1.4 billion users</li>
<li>TripAdvisor has just over 300 million registered users and 455 million annual site visitors.</li>
<li>Google drives over 90% of organic search traffic to hotel websites</li>
</ul>
Here are the key changes that have occured over the course of the past year:
<ul>
<li>Battlefront #1: Google Continues to Improve the Hotel Listing Experience</li>
<li>Battlefront #2: Improved Hotel Searching and Filtering</li>
<li>Battlefront #3: Hotel Price Insights</li>
<li>Battlefront #4: Booking Direct On Google</li>
<li>Battlefront #5: Google Steadily Improving Hotel-Centric Advertising Opportunities</li>
<li>Battlefront #6: Google Trips App Continues To Improve</li>
<li>Battlefront #7: TripAdvisor Is Really Screwing Up</li>
</ul>
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
The Hotel Marketing Demogorgon is starting to take shape and a hotelier will be well-served to keep an eye on this beast and be ready to take advantage of the market shakeups that are coming in its wake.  Expect TripAdvisor and the OTAs to create programs to retain their market share. Hoteliers should also be prepared to capitalize on the upcoming changes with these recommendations:
<ul>
<li>Make sure your Google My Business listing is optimized and you are taking full advantage of this platform.</li>
<li>Work with your agency to make sure you are pushing your traditional PPC to its limits.</li>
<li>Review your GHA campaign and make sure you are fully utilizing the platform.</li>
<li>Google is lagging behind TripAdvisor in reviews, but not by much.  Have a plan to grow your Google reviews.</li>
<li>Review your budget for 2019 and make sure you are positioning your efforts to take advantage of Google’s push into the hotel space.</li>
</ul>
***UPCOMING 100th EPISODE LIVE SHOW***
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30th 2018 at 1:15 pm ET, The Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast will be broadcasting a live “Ask Me Anything”  video show on Facebook and YouTube. Tube in live to or submit your questions to @_travelboom on Twitter or email them to info@travelboommarketing.com.
======================== 
In The Newsaroos
Google Testing a New Hotel Search Experience on Desktop 
<a href="https://www.koddi.com/google-testing-new-hotel-search-experience-on-desktop/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.koddi.com/google-testing-new-hotel-search-experience-on-desktop/</a>
Book on Google Stands Out More Forcefully in Hotels Redesign 
<a href="https://skift.com/2018/10/31/book-on-google-stands-out-more-forcefully-in-hotels-redesign/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://skift.com/2018/10/31/book-on-google-stands-out-more-forcefully-in-hotels-redesign/</a>
========================
<div></div>
Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a>.

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 99 – Google Is Building A Hotel Marketing Demogorgon

Email marketing is still the most effective way to drive direct booking business (if done correctly). The trouble is that a lot of hoteliers resort to spamming their list with nothing but discounts. The key to a successful email strategy is to play the long game. Don’t sacrifice long-term success for instant gratification. In this episode, we look at some recently released data from our friends at Revinate and give you the Fueligan spin on their findings.
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
SHOW NOTES
Download Revinate&#8217;s Study: 
<a href="https://www.revinate.com/benchmark/marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.revinate.com/benchmark/marketing/</a>
STAT OF THE WEEK: 
55% of consumers prefer to get permission-based promotional messages from hospitality brands via email, vs. direct mail, text, phone or social media.
Email Effectiveness:
<ol>
<li>Measureable: Open rate, click-through rate, booking conversion rate and revenue</li>
<li>Data-Driven: If well integrated, marketers can use data from the PMS to optimize their content and timing of messages</li>
<li>High ROI: 55% of Revinate customers see an ROI of 10x or more</li>
</ol>
Segmentation Matters:
Correctly used, database segmentation helps marketers send the right message to the right audience.
<ol>
<li>Best if connected to PMS data to segment on booking behavior</li>
<li>Demographic attributes</li>
<li>Geographic attributes</li>
</ol>
Examples of segments: guests that live within x mile radius, weekend guests, loyal guests
Segmented email campaigns had a 20% higher open rate, 70% higher click-through rate, and 73% higher revenue per recipient than non-segmented campaigns.
One Time vs. Automated Campaigns:
Open rates for one-time campaigns averaged 17%, while automated pre-arrival messages averaged 62%. Automated non-transactional messages like birthdays, “we miss you” or OTA winbacks were mid to upper 20s.
<ul>
<li>Study shows highest open rates for pre-arrival messages had “room upgrade” in the subject line.</li>
</ul>
Upsells and Upgrades:
<ol>
<li>98% of upsell revenue was made through pre-arrival campaigns</li>
<li>Breakfast offers drive the majority of upsell revenue, followed by advanced parking. Other offers are early check-in, late check-out, and airport transportation</li>
</ol>
When to Send:
Different campaign types can generate different booking windows.
<ol>
<li>Newsletters were evenly distributed amongst most windows</li>
<li>Birthday messages had 48% of bookings 0-6 days out</li>
<li>Room offers were well distributed, but were most popular within 0-6 days (36% of bookings)</li>
<li>We miss you offers were booked 40% in 0-6 days</li>
<li>Announcement/events had 39% booked within 0-6 days
<ol>
<li>Have to assume these were heavily promoted close in to event</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>OTA Winback weighed heavily in the 0-6 day window, with 52% of bookings.
<ol>
<li>Assume these were promoting “come soon” deals</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>Pre-arrival: the highest converting upsell messages are sent 0-4 days prior to check-in: 0-1 day had a 9.2% conversion rate, and 2-4 days had a 10.8% CR</li>
</ol>
Mobile:
33% of email opened on a phone, 35% on a webmail client (could this also be on a phone?)
Must optimize for mobile experience with ease of scrolling and CTA
ROI:
55% of marketers saw an ROI of 10x or more from email marketing
Also &#8211; 45% saw less than 10x
Wrap-Up
How do your stats compare to these? Testing subject lines, offers, type of message, etc. to get the most bang for your buck. If done well, email marketing should be one of the most cost effective forms of advertising you can do.
Shameless Plug
If you’re interested in improving your email marketing, Fuel has been hard at work revamping our Fuel Mail eCRM product. We’re proud to announce the all new AI-driven version of the product will be rolling out to existing clients in early November and we will be taking on new clients in December. Some of the key features of this revolutionary guest communication  system include:
<ul>
<li>Intelligent Profiling 
The system combines everything from message engagement, website behavior, and 
PMS profile information for a Single Customer View of each guest, allowing for true 1:1 
Marketing.</li>
<li>Intelligent Segmentation 
State-of -the-art machine learning algorithms and Fuel’s data scientists combine forces to provide automatic segmentation recommendations.</li>
<li>Intelligent Targeting 
Leveraging predictive analytics, the platform analyzes aggregated guest 
research and booking behavior patterns to automatically determine each guest’s 
potential value, sentiment, and propensity to book, allowing for targeted drip campaigns 
that were previously impossible</li>
<li>Predictive Engage Time Optimization 
Based on historical data, each guest will receive the message at the precise time and 
channel that is most effective for the individual through a sending model based on full 
cross channel engagement.</li>
<li>Predictive Channel-of-Choice 
Deliver the campaign on each individual customer’s channel of choice, such as email, 
push, and SMS, plus real-time integrations with the Facebook Ad Network and the Google Ads platform for the automatic syndication of targeted advertising campaigns.</li>
</ul>
If you’re interested in taking your email marketing to the next level, send us an email to <a href="mailto:info@travelboommarketing.com">info@travelboommarketing.com</a>.
***UPCOMING 100th EPISODE LIVE SHOW***
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30th 2018 at 1:15 pm ET, The Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast will be broadcasting a live “Ask Me Anything”  video show on Facebook and YouTube. Tube in live to or submit your questions to @_travelboom on Twitter or email them to info@travelboommarketing.com.
======================== 
In The Newsaroos
Skift: Marriott’s New Reservations System Could Be Its Secret Weapon in Direct Booking Wars 
<a href="https://skift.com/2018/10/15/video-marriotts-new-reservations-system-could-be-its-secret-weapon-in-direct-booking-wars/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://skift.com/2018/10/15/video-marriotts-new-reservations-system-could-be-its-secret-weapon-in-direct-booking-wars/</a>
Google Produced 92% Of US Organic Search Visits in Q3 2018 
<a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-produced-92-of-us-organic-search-visits-in-q3-2018-report/275005/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-produced-92-of-us-organic-search-visits-in-q3-2018-report/275005/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@makavanagh 
@pdimaio 
@pforiska
<hr />
<div></div>
Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a>.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 98 – Takeaways From Revinate’s 2018 Global Hotel Email Marketing Report

Should your hotel website have a section dedicated to area information, or is it even worth competing with other sites who may already have that content? In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the Fueligans discuss their best practices for having destination content on your hotel website and how it can help drive more direct bookings.
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
SHOW NOTES
STAT OF THE WEEK:
*US Adults planning a trip in the summer (Arival &#8211; June, 2018)*: <a href="https://www.arivalevent.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Arival-Summer-Traveler-Pulse_2018.v2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.arivalevent.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Arival-Summer-Traveler-Pulse_2018.v2.pdf</a>
<ul>
<li>75% of travelers will book a tour/attraction/activity upon their arrival to the destination.</li>
<li>Younger travelers (age. 18-24)  show more interest in “experiential tours” (food; arts; drink-related).</li>
</ul>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Isn’t Destination Content The Job Of DMOs &amp; OTAs?</h3>
DMOs (destination marketing organizations) typically promote the destination as a broad spectrum. Instead of creating generic content give the content on your site a unique, personalized voice catered to your audience.
OTAs: You know more about your area than the OTAs. Create personalized content that sets yourself apart from the OTAs.
<h3></h3>
<h3>Why hotels should put more effort into building/promoting local information to guests: </h3>
<ol>
<li>Building your property’s authority and credibility as a trusted guide/source to the area.</li>
<li>Building relationships with nearby attractions and points of interest can potentially create incentives for potential guests (contests, giveaways, special stay packages, etc.)</li>
<li>Rank higher for non-brand terms in search engines → catch more people near the top of the conversion funnel who know where they want to travel, but haven’t decided on where they’re going to stay.</li>
<li>Gives your property a competitive advantage against other properties</li>
<li>Gives the guest another incentive to book direct vs. booking through an OTA or AirBnB/VRBO etc.</li>
<li>Encourages word of mouth exposure</li>
<li>Builds a tighter relationship with your guests which leads to higher guest retention and more loyalty</li>
<li>Improves the guest’s experience!</li>
</ol>
<h2></h2>
<h2>8 Best Practices to Gain More Bookings Through Area Information Content</h2>
<h3>1. Speak With A Unique Voice</h3>
Travellers aren’t looking for the same old story about your local area. They want to know something new, or unique, or special. Your content should be written with a sincerity and a level of authority that only a true local could portray.  Be opinionated, tell the guest what your favorite picks are, be genuine and, above all, be helpful. By building trust, you will deepen the relationship with your guests.
Examples:
<ul>
<li>Manager’s Picks</li>
<li>Hidden Gems</li>
<li>Local’s Favorites</li>
</ul>
<h3>2. Create Personalized Travel Guides</h3>
These can be based off of interests (e.g. shopping, outdoors, shows), visitor demographic (e.g. families, couples, honeymooners), or events (e,g local concerts, festivals), etc.
<ul>
<li>This is where you can get specific with your target audience. Don’t just create a travel guide based on the outdoors; create a travel guide based off of hiking, fishing, and so on.</li>
</ul>
Go a step further and find out why your guests are visiting your destination. You may see a trend. Use this as a starting point for your content creation.
<h3></h3>
<h3>3. Offer Unique Experiences Through the Property</h3>
Create a one-of-a-kind local experience through your property’s services.
<ul>
<li>Examples: Beach activities for kids; yoga on the beach or in the park; hiking tours; bar crawls; bike rentals, campfire stories; etc.</li>
</ul>
Even if it’s something as little as shuttle services to and from popular attractions near your hotel.
<a href="https://www.nitalakelodge.com/about-nita/amenities-en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.nitalakelodge.com/about-nita/amenities-en.html</a> 
<a href="https://www.therestorationhotel.com/happenings" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.therestorationhotel.com/happenings</a> 
<a href="https://www.haywoodpark.com/packages/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.haywoodpark.com/packages/</a>
<h3></h3>
<h3>4. Leverage Your Location</h3>
Let visitors know what’s near your property. This is an opportunity to rank for non-brand search terms (e.g. “hotels near atlanta aquarium”; “walt disney world hotels”) and is a top of funnel type strategy. Include as much information as possible on these pages like prices, phone #, and hours. If you have the time and budget, possibly develop a map of the area to show people how close you are to these places.
Along with price, value, and quality, the location &#8211; specifically the vicinity to why the person is coming to your area &#8211; can be one of the biggest factors when a traveller chooses a property.
<h3></h3>
<h3>5. Build Partnerships with Local Businesses</h3>
This not only builds trust amongst local businesses who will recommend you within their circle of influence, but can lead to incentives for guests.
<ul>
<li>A hotel partners with an upscale, romantic restaurant: create a honeymoon/romance package that includes discounted room rates at the hotel and free drinks at the restaurant.</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://www.therestorationhotel.com/packages" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.therestorationhotel.com/packages</a> 
<a href="https://www.haywoodpark.com/packages/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.haywoodpark.com/packages/</a>
<h3></h3>
<h3>6. Gain More Exposure Through Paid Search Ads</h3>
For Google and Bing: target non-brand keywords, like “hotels near six flags” or “hotels around disney world”. Use this space to promote the location of your hotel.
<ul>
<li>Utilize ad extensions</li>
</ul>
For non-brand campaigns based on attractions → use the aforementioned attractions pages as landing pages for your ads.
<ul>
<li>Create CTAs, booking buttons, links to rooms, etc. on the pages.</li>
</ul>
<h3></h3>
<h3>7. Promote Local Events/Attractions Through Social Media and Email</h3>
Email: 
Giving people a reason to come visit your area is a sure way to boost business in the shoulder seasons. Take a break from slamming your email database with deal and try the helpful approach by showing people what’s going on this weeked.
Paid: Facebook Ads
<ul>
<li>Create a campaign specific to an event.
<ul>
<li>Example: Concerts → target concertgoers, age groups, types of music interests, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Target people based on interest.
<ul>
<li>If your property is near an area with hiking trails → target people with interests in hiking, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Non-Paid: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
<ul>
<li>Promote local happenings like festivals, events, or highlight local businesses.</li>
<li>Promote your own services; images of the destination (like the sunset over a beach) with catchy, clever headlines.
<ul>
<li>Use relevant hashtags, tags, etc. to reach a broader audience.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2></h2>
<h2>8. Provide Area Information On Property</h2>
Many guests will arrive on property without a planned itinerary. Have your front-desk prepared to offer their personal opinions on the best places to eat, but make sure that it’s genuine and personalized. Have them be observant of the type of guest. Do they have kids, how old are they, etc. Also, have them engage the guests with qualifying questions such as “What type of food are you in the mood for?” or “what’s your favorite food?” then tailor the answer to the guest’s specific needs.
If you’ve already put the effort in to develop local guides and maps for your website. It won’t take much more effort to produce the same content in printable form. Hand these out to guests at check-in and possible incorporate coupons or discounts to create even more value.
<a href="//www.fueltravel.com/2018-hotel-tech-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">DOWNLOAD THE 2018 HOTEL TECHNOLOGY STUDY</a>
======================== 
In The Newsaroos
None this week.Sorry.
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@makavanagh 
@pdimaio 
@pforiska
<hr />
<div></div>
Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a>.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 97 – 8 Great Ways to Gain More Bookings Through Destination Information

Influencer marketing is all the rage these days but what is it exactly and is it something that your hotel should be doing?  In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we take a look at this growing trend and give you our in-depth analysis so that you can decide whether or not it’s right for your property.
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
SHOW NOTES
To kick off, let’s take a look at some interesting statistics:
STAT OF THE WEEK:
<ul>
<li>86% of marketers engaged in influencer marketing in 2017, of which 92% reported it being effective (<a href="http://www.linqia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Linqia-The-State-of-Influencer-Marketing-2018.pdf">Linqia</a>)</li>
</ul>
85 Surprising Influencer Marketing Statistics 
 <a href="https://shanebarker.com/blog/influencer-marketing-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://shanebarker.com/blog/influencer-marketing-statistics</a>
Highlights:
<ul>
<li>#1. According to a<a href="http://collectivebias.com/blog/2016/03/influencer-marketing-update-non-celebrity-influencers-10-times-likely-drive-store-purchases/"> survey</a> conducted by Collective Bias involving 14,000 respondents in the US, 70% of millennial consumers are influenced by the recommendations of their peers in buying decisions.</li>
<li>#29. A<a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/youtube-stars-influence/"> study</a> by Google shows that 70% of teenage YouTube audiences are influenced more by YouTubers than traditional celebrities.</li>
<li>#34.<a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/youtube-stars-influence/"> 60%</a> of audiences on YouTube are influenced by YouTube stars on their purchases than celebrities.</li>
<li>#41. Social media is used as a key source of research when making a purchase by<a href="http://influence-central.com/social-upends-traditional-media-in-driving-shopping-purchases/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> 86%</a> of women shoppers.</li>
<li>#44.<a href="http://corp.crowdtap.com/press-release/2015-11-04"> 47%</a> of influencers would like to work with brands whose values are in alignment with theirs.</li>
<li>#47. 90% of micro-influencers said that they use Instagram to post original content.</li>
<li>#54. 97% of the micro-influencers said that they charge less than $500 for a sponsored Instagram post.</li>
<li>#61. Markerly<a href="http://markerly.com/blog/instagram-marketing-does-influencer-size-matter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> analyzed</a> more than 800,000 Instagram accounts and found that influencers on Instagram having lower than 1000 followers get their audiences to like their posts 8% of the time.</li>
<li>#62. Instagram influencers with 10 million+ followers get their audiences to like their posts 1.6% of the time.</li>
<li>#66. PageFair’s Ad Blocker report shows that the use of ad blockers have increased by<a href="https://pagefair.com/blog/2017/adblockreport/">30%</a> in 2016. This makes it even more difficult for traditional advertising to yield results.
<ul>
<li>In 2018, 46% of 15-24 year olds use an adblocker (<a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/352030/adblockign-usage-usa-age/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.statista.com/statistics/352030/adblockign-usage-usa-age/</a>)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>#68. Another study of influencer marketing statistics by Linqia shows that<a href="http://go.pardot.com/l/153091/2016-11-29/9t6n1k"> 94%</a> of marketers have found it to be effective</li>
<li>#74. Influencer Marketing Hub conducted a<a href="https://influencermarketinghub.com/the-rise-of-influencer-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> study</a> showing an increase of 325% in Google searches for “influencer marketing” in a year. This influencer marketing statistic indicates the growing popularity of this marketing strategy.</li>
<li>#81. Influencers are great content creators.<a href="http://www.linqia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Linqia-The-State-of-Influencer-Marketing-2018.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> 51%</a> of marketers admit that influencer-created content outperforms brand-created content.</li>
<li>#82. In fact, 81% of marketers leverage influencer-created content on other marketing channels.</li>
</ul>
<h2>What is Influencer Marketing?</h2>
Influencer marketing is not a new concept. It’s been around since the dawn of time. The idea is to leverage someone else’s audience and credibility to create awareness and interest in your hotel. This used to be popular for big brands through celebrity endorsement. Today, it’s more about finding micro-influencers who are already talking to your target audience.
Influencers drive conversation and engagement around a particular topic, discussion, or niche area and they typically have highly-engaged and loyal audiences.
<h2>Why is Influencer Marketing On The RIse?</h2>
For younger audiences, consumer behavior is shifting away from traditional media such as  television toward social media channels and influencers driving content within those channels.
In today’s world, influencer marketing is a great way to get your property in front of an audience with an authentic voice. Many brands are seeing top-of-the-funnel value by getting more of the right eyeballs on their offering.
<h2>How Does Influencer Marketing Work?</h2>
The key is in the word, “Influencer.”  What makes them influential is not necessarily the size of their followings, but the fact that their audience trusts them and listens to them. An influencer can be a photographer on Instagram, or a mom blogger who tweets, or a product reviewer on Youtube.
Rather than marketing directly to a large group of consumers, your hotel works with influencers to get out the word on your behalf.
An influencer marketing campaign often manifests in the form of the property or the influencer creating some form of content such as blogs, videos, and photos. The content is typically then distributed via social media and email.
Over time, your property develops a relationship with the influencer and they become an authentic advocate for the brand.
<h2>Influence vs. Popularity</h2>
Influence is not the same as popularity.  Many people assume that the number of social media followers equates to the person’s ability to influence people. But when you break down the data, a hotel will get a much better ROI by investing in a targeted micro-influencer campaign as opposed to dropping a few million on a Kim Kardashian Instagram post.
An influencer is someone who can help persuade potential guests to book your property. How do they do this? Influencers must have a combination of three key factors: reach to the right audience, relevant authority and authentic persuasion capabilities. The higher these three factors, the higher the influence potential of an. Individual will be for your hotel..
<ul>
<li> Reach &#8211;  the ability to deliver a message to an existing audience of people of whom a large number match your hotel’s target demographics. This can be the readership of a blog, the audience of a YouTube channel, or simply social media  followers. The size of an influencer’s reach becomes less important with higher relevant authority and authentic persuasion.</li>
<li> Relevance &#8211;  the relevance of the subject matter goes hand in hand with choosing the right audience. You want to choose influencers who have something valuable and relevant to say about your property that is inline with their typical content publications. You don’t want to get a food blogger to come and talk about your property if you don’t have a restaurant. A better match would be to engage with a Yoga Youtuber  if your property places an emphasis on health and wellness.</li>
<li> Authenticity &#8211; the majority of influencers have built their reputation by being authentic. The leverage the trust that this creates to communicate thoughts and ideas and, in turn, they persuade their audience of their point of view. One critical element of good influencer marketing is to share the same values and beliefs of the influencer. Have them enjoy and authentic experience at your property and let them share that experience in their normal, organic way.</li>
</ul>
<h2>How Do I Find An Influencer to Work With?</h2>
Influencer marketing should be one part of your overall marketing strategy, which should be one part of your overall marketing strategy. Let’s assume that you have both of those figured out. In that case, you should know what type of audience you want to reach and what type of message it is that you wish to communicate.
There are a number of tools that can help you find the right influencers for your product and your audience:
Best Tools &#8211; courtesy of Loren Grey with <a href="http://www.hospitalitydigitalmarketing.com">www.HospitalityDigitalMarketing.com</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://llink.to/?u=http:%2F%2Fwww.awario.com&amp;e=19c75249f3769c0d8ef484efc036cbaf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.awario.com</a> &#8212; a tool to find influencers and create lists</li>
<li><a href="http://www.socialinsider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.socialinsider.com</a> &#8211; monitors and ranks your influencers</li>
</ul>
Other Tools
<ul>
<li><a href="http://llink.to/?u=https:%2F%2Fwww.rightrelevance.com%2Farticles%2Ftop-articles&amp;e=19c75249f3769c0d8ef484efc036cbaf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.rightrelevance.com/articles/top-articles</a></li>
<li><a href="http://llink.to/?u=https:%2F%2Finfluencerdb.com%2F&amp;e=19c75249f3769c0d8ef484efc036cbaf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://influencerdb.com/</a></li>
<li><a href="http://llink.to/?u=https:%2F%2Fwww.publicfast.com%2F&amp;e=19c75249f3769c0d8ef484efc036cbaf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.publicfast.com/</a></li>
<li><a href="http://llink.to/?u=https:%2F%2Fsearch.upfluence.com%2F&amp;e=19c75249f3769c0d8ef484efc036cbaf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://search.upfluence.com/</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>How Much Does It Cost To Hire An Influencer?</h2>
The best influencer marketing does not necessarily require financial compensation. Instead, it works better when the collaboration mutually benefits both parties. Perhaps, you simply provide them with free accommodations and the content they produce helps them strengthen their influence. Good influencer marketing is centered around building authentic personal relationships with influencers and getting the influencer to genuinely become passionate about your property and to communicate honestly with their audience about the good and the bad about your hotel. The difference is that they will do it in a way that is more credible than if it were simply content on your own website.
This is not always the case. In our experience, many micro-influencers will charge between $500-$1,000 for a single campaign, depending on the size of their audience but some mega-influencers, especially celebrities can charge tens of thousands or more. The key is you don’t have to spend a lot if you don’t want to.
<h2>Measuring the ROI of Influencer Marketing</h2>
Working with a influencers doesn’t guarantee positive returns. Marketers are still learning this channel and there is no single method for success. Measuring the ROI of influencer marketing can be a real challenge for hotels.
Properties can better measure the success of their campaign by clearly defining their objectives and the necessary KPIs.
As with any marketing initiative, it’s important that you start out with clearly defined goals and have specific KPIs that you’re going to measure in order to determine success. There are a number of benefits that can come from influencer marketing. You’ll have to determine which ones are most important to you. Here are a few things that you can measure to see the impact from your influencer campaigns:
<ul>
<li>Awareness</li>
<li>Sentiment</li>
<li>Followers</li>
<li>Engagement</li>
<li>Content and creative assets</li>
<li>Email Addresses</li>
<li>Bookings</li>
</ul>
<h2> Risks From Influencer Marketing</h2>
<ol>
<li>Possible low return on investment</li>
<li>Potential of negative fallout if the influence reputation is tarnished</li>
<li>Lack of control of the content and the conversation</li>
<li>Risk not being accepted by the audience and receiving negative sentiment</li>
</ol>
<h2>Key Benefits of Influencer Marketing</h2>
<h3>#1. It Helps You Attract Better Customers</h3>
51% of marketers believe influencer marketing is a way to attract a higher quality of guest. This could be because of the tendency of social media users to spend more money and spread the words to their friends and family. The guests are more likely to go on to become advocates after their stay.
<h3>#2. It’s A Fast-Growing Channel</h3>
Many marketers claim that, influencer marketing is their fastest growing channel for customer acquisition. In a world where hotels are overly reliant on OTAs, influencer marketing offers a new opportunity to contact with potential customers.
<h3>#3. It Can Yield Strong ROI</h3>
If done correctly, the upfront investment can be very low but the return can be super high. Controlling expenses by selecting the right influencers and maximizing impact by crafting a great campaign is key.
<h3>#4. It’s Great If You have Limited Budget</h3>
For smaller properties who don’t have huge advertising budget, influencer marketing is your best bet. Along with email, it can be a relatively cheap method of acquiring new customers.
<h2>Be Sure To Follow Legal Requirements</h2>
The FTC requires that any and all material connections be disclosed.
<h2>Examples of Hotel Influencer Marketing Campaign</h2>
Big Brands &#8211; <a href="https://www.cmo.com/features/articles/2018/8/24/influencer-marketing.html#gs.RZCPzHY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.cmo.com/features/articles/2018/8/24/influencer-marketing.html#gs.RZCPzHY</a>
Boutique Hotels and other examples &#8211; <a href="https://pmyb.co.uk/7-great-travel-influencer-campaigns/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://pmyb.co.uk/7-great-travel-influencer-campaigns/</a>
<a href="//www.fueltravel.com/2018-hotel-tech-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">DOWNLOAD THE 2018 HOTEL TECHNOLOGY STUDY</a>
======================== 
In The Newsaroos
How Hotels Compete With Local Experiences 
<a href="http://www.traveltripper.com/blog/how-5-hotels-compete-with-otas-by-showcasing-unique-local-experiences/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.traveltripper.com/blog/how-5-hotels-compete-with-otas-by-showcasing-unique-local-experiences/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@makavanagh 
@pdimaio 
@pforiska
<hr />
<div></div>
Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a>.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 96 – What Is Influencer Marketing And Is It Right For My Hotel?

You may have heard about the 6 P’s of being prepared, “Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.” From a hoteliers perspective, the 6 P’s mean creating a plan for how your organization will react in times of trouble. In a disaster, you will not have time to think creatively and properly address the situation. You must create a comprehensive plan before disaster strikes.
Your property likely already has a well-crafted operational disaster plan detailing exactly how and when the staff goes into action to prepare your hotel. You already have redundancies for power, security, and so on. Therefore we will not go into detail on any operational level disaster planning. Instead we will look at what you need to do from a marketing and communications perspective.
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
SHOW NOTES
Read the full article on how your hotel can prepare for disaster  at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/hotel-disaster-planning/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/hotel-disaster-planning/</a>
<ul>
<li>On Site Content</li>
<li>Email Communications</li>
<li>Social Communications</li>
<li>PPC and <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/services/hotel-meta-search/">Hotel Metasearch</a> Management</li>
<li>PR Outreach</li>
<li>Guest and Community Assistance</li>
</ul>
Do’s
<ol>
<li>Be flexible with your policies</li>
<li>Communicate with your staff and across all communication channels constantly and consistently</li>
<li>Appoint a single media spokesperson and have all inquiries routed to that person</li>
<li>Stick to the facts and be concise</li>
<li>Show sincerity and empathy and look for opportunities to help</li>
</ol>
Don’ts
<ol>
<li>Wing it &#8211; you need to have a plan</li>
<li>Speculate or sensationalize</li>
<li>Assign blame or show emotion</li>
<li>Use the situation to self-promote</li>
<li>Ignore questions</li>
</ol>
From Episode: <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-15-how-to-deal-with-a-social-media-or-pr-crisis/">Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 15 – How to Deal With a Social Media or PR Crisis</a>
The 5 “A’s” Of A PR Crisis (credit to Forbes)
<ul>
<li>Assess. Calmly, despite the stress, identify the issue and determine the best course of action.</li>
<li>Admit. If you were at fault (or worse, lying) admit the transgression quickly and directly</li>
<li>Address. Specifically address what you are admitting and apologizing for.  Don’t mince words, be direct and succinct.</li>
<li>Atone. Make right what you made wrong.  Detail out your plan to ensure (1) you fix the issue and (2) layout out plan for it to not happen again.</li>
<li>Adapt. Move on a better person or company.  It’s time to begin repairing and rebuilding you social capital</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/2018-hotel-tech-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">DOWNLOAD THE 2018 HOTEL TECHNOLOGY STUDY</a>
======================== 
In The Newsaroos
Study Finds Consumers Are Embracing Voice Services. Here’s How 
<a href="https://cmo.com/features/articles/2018/9/7/adobe-2018-consumer-voice-survey.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://cmo.com/features/articles/2018/9/7/adobe-2018-consumer-voice-survey.html</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@makavanagh 
@pdimaio 
@pforiska
<hr />
<div></div>
Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a>.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Hotel Marketing Podcast

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 100 – LIVE Ask Me Anything

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 100 – LIVE Ask Me Anything

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 99 – Google Is Building A Hotel Marketing Demogorgon

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 99 – Google Is Building A Hotel Marketing Demogorgon

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 98 – Takeaways From Revinate’s 2018 Global Hotel Email Marketing Report

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 98 – Takeaways From Revinate’s 2018 Global Hotel Email Marketing Report

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 97 – 8 Great Ways to Gain More Bookings Through Destination Information

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 97 – 8 Great Ways to Gain More Bookings Through Destination Information

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 96 – What Is Influencer Marketing And Is It Right For My Hotel?

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 96 – What Is Influencer Marketing And Is It Right For My Hotel?

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 95 – What Hotel Marketers Should Do During A Disaster

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 95 – What Hotel Marketers Should Do During A Disaster

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