Today we are talking about our takeaways from part two of a three-part study performed by EyeforTravel in the Behavioral Analytics Report Series. This report is all about driving consumers through the purchase funnel and ways to improve conversion rate.
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
SHOW NOTES
When is the perfect time to pitch?
<ul>
<li>Based on data from 3,000 consumers, more than 90% use price comparison sites at least occasionally, with 73% using them regularly when booking an accommodation.</li>
<li>Research takes place over one to two weeks of active research and longer for general browsing and dreaming about vacation.</li>
<li>Pre-trip happiness peaks just before and during vacationers’ trips.</li>
</ul>
Now is the time to work with engaged customers, but finding the precise time and right content or offers is challenging:
Inspiration, Planning, and Conversion
<ul>
<li>Address the customers’ needs before they reach the checkout stage with optimized content that helps them when dreaming about their trip.</li>
<li>Don’t confuse “stay” types of content (pictures of rooms, bathrooms, and the buffet) with the inspirational stage of content.</li>
<li>Build content around the attractions and unique features of the destination, and how the property relates to them.</li>
<li>Use social media to reach consumers during the dream phase using engaging content, like video, so you can be top of mind when they are ready to plan.</li>
</ul>
    Interpreting Intent
<ul>
<li>The best time to advertise varies depending on what you are selling and your customer profile.</li>
<li>Build an accurate conversion funnel, and consider each step of the journey &#8211; build content to support each step
<ul>
<li>Aware&gt; Inspired&gt; Informed&gt; Confident&gt; Convinced&gt; Purchasing&gt; Purchased</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Put all the data point together to give the most relevant content and offer, in the most meaningful way.
<ul>
<li>Do you have historical data of what customers have booked before?
<ul>
<li>What time of year did they come?</li>
<li>What time of year did they book?</li>
<li>What other items did they book aside from a room?</li>
<li>What discount did they receive?</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Actively be evaluating content in each for each stage of the process and test new hypotheses to improve performance.</li>
</ul>
Dynamically Delivering
Why Personalize?
From a 2015 study: Personalized banners result in substantially higher revenue than non-personalized ones, even if the personalized ones are more expensive.
From Marketing Science Institute: The optimal window for highly-personalized content is shortly after a consumer has visited your website, because there is a time-decay effect where super-personal banner ads become less effective at later dates than a constant, moderately-personalized approach.
Cunning Content
Consumers are not just looking for a hotel &#8211; they are looking for a great experience of a destination.
<ul>
<li>Combine information about things your potential guests want to know, with striking content that grabs their interest
<ul>
<li>Webcam</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>If you have the right destination content available that keeps consumers on your website longer, they will have a better chance of converting</li>
<li>Use findings from reviews from TripAdvisor and other sources to spark content ideas.</li>
</ul>
Optimizing Conversion
    How Do You Stop Customers Abandoning Their Carts?
<ul>
<li>ABT</li>
</ul>
Color Me Bad? The Ugly Widget Creator
<ul>
<li>Sentient Technologies has an AI system that hotel chains use to test their web and mobile site to find the best colors.</li>
<li>Results of test show some unusual shades can be winners. One really odd (ugly) combination fo the search widget had a 45% increase in conversion.</li>
</ul>
Cross-Selling vs. Quick Selling
<ul>
<li>As much as there is always room to try to sell the consumer on extras, be careful where you give them the option.</li>
<li>You may make more money from selling other products on the way to the payment page, but you could be losing it too.</li>
<li>Look at average order value AND conversion rate.
<ul>
<li>You could have a better conversion rate but lower revenue per booking if you offer the additional products later in the purchase process. Can you make up the lost revenue later?</li>
<li>You could have a lower conversion rate, but better average revenue per booking with the additional products available before booking. Is the lost conversion rate made up by the additional revenue?</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Do You Deserve a Second Chance?
<ul>
<li>Average abandonment rate for travel customers was 81% in a June 2018 study.</li>
<li>This doesn’t mean they truly have abandoned the shopping process, and you still have an opportunity to reach those people.</li>
<li>Send cart abandonment emails
<ul>
<li>Personalize to the extent you can, based on the behavior on the site</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Third-party remarketing</li>
</ul>
The Proof Is In the Product
    Social Proof&#8230;and Why We Stand in Line for a Crowded Restaurant
Your hotel probably doesn’t have a line out the door of people waiting to get in, like a busy restaurant on a Friday night.
<ul>
<li>The best way to prove that you have happy customers is to encourage social media reviews.</li>
<li>Create sense of urgency/scarcity messaging in the booking process</li>
</ul>
Summary
You can make more of your online presence and investment by making small tweaks to existing tactics.
<ul>
<li>Ensure content on your website reflects YOUR consumer and market, and has compelling information available for every step of the purchase cycle.</li>
<li>We’ve said it a million times &#8211; always be testing. This doesn’t just apply to your website. Look for ways to improve your paid campaigns through imagery, messaging, retargeting, etc.</li>
<li>Evaluate your cart abandonment efforts.</li>
<li>Use social proof to provide new customers confidence in your property.</li>
</ul>
Link to download the report:
<a href="http://1.eyefortravel.com/LP=21727?extsource=fuel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://1.eyefortravel.com/LP=21727?extsource=fuel</a>
<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
Google hotel search results testing ‘price insights’ 
<a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-hotel-search-results-testing-price-insights-302446" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://searchengineland.com/google-hotel-search-results-testing-price-insights-302446</a>
Hotel Direct Bookings Remain Flat Despite Big Marketing Push 
<a href="https://skift.com/2018/07/25/hotel-direct-bookings-remain-flat-despite-big-marketing-push/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://skift.com/2018/07/25/hotel-direct-bookings-remain-flat-despite-big-marketing-push/</a>
Google Hotel Ads launches Promoted Hotels 
<a href="https://www.mirai.com/blog/google-hotel-ads-launches-promoted-hotels/?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=promoted_hotels" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.mirai.com/blog/google-hotel-ads-launches-promoted-hotels/</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 94 – Shocking Revelations About Converting the Customer: EyeforTravel Report Takeaways

Following up on the last episode, where the Fueligans took a deep dive into the results of the 2018 Hospitality technology study, this week&#8217;s episode focuses on the feedback and insight that has been gathered from other technology vendors.
<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/2018-hotel-tech-study/">DOWNLOAD THE 2018 HOTEL TECHNOLOGY STUDY</a>
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="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/2018-hotel-tech-study/">FOLLOW ALONG AT HOME BY DOWNLOADING THE STUDY</a>
======================== 
In The Newsaroos
Amazon Prime Day 
<a href="http://fortune.com/2018/07/18/amazon-prime-day-sales-record/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://fortune.com/2018/07/18/amazon-prime-day-sales-record/</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 93 – Vendor Takeaways From The 2018 Hotel Technology Study

As technology leaders in the hospitality industry, your friends at Fuel Travel, Flip.to, and StayNTouch joined forces to conduct an extensive study of hundreds of hoteliers and suppliers with a goal to learn where the industry can improve from a technology perspective. The results are compiled from 358 respondents, all of whom are involved in the process of purchasing or selling technology within the hospitality industry.
<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/2018-hotel-tech-study/">DOWNLOAD THE 2018 HOTEL TECHNOLOGY STUDY</a>
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="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/2018-hotel-tech-study/">FOLLOW ALONG AT HOME BY DOWNLOADING THE STUDY</a>
======================== 
In The Newsaroos
Expedia Travel Research Shows Packages Perform Better 
<a href="https://www.tnooz.com/article/expedia-says-packages-are-better-for-hotels-than-room-only/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.tnooz.com/article/expedia-says-packages-are-better-for-hotels-than-room-only/</a>
Chrome To Begin Listing Sites as Not Secure This Month: 
<a href="https://searchengineland.com/effective-july-2018-googles-chrome-browser-will-mark-non-https-sites-as-not-secure-291623" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://searchengineland.com/effective-july-2018-googles-chrome-browser-will-mark-non-https-sites-as-not-secure-291623</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 92 – 2018 Hotel Technology Study Reveals Surprising Alignment Between Hoteliers and Vendors

Google My Business is a free and often overlooked opportunity for hotels to gain more search engine visibility. In this episode, we look at 8 thinks that you can Do Right Now to Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
SHOW NOTES
<ol>
<li>
<h3>Claim Your Business &amp; Verify!</h3>
</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>Claiming and verifying your GMB listing can be advantageous for your property
<ul>
<li>Local SEO: Greatly enhances your search presence.</li>
<li>Reach new guests; builds confidence in guests to book with your property.</li>
<li>Your listing points back to your site/social profiles</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>You must verify your account before it can show in Search, Maps, and other Google services</li>
</ul>
<ol start="2">
<li>
<h3> Make Sure the Knowledge Panel Is Displaying the Correct Information</h3>
</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>Your GMB listing is like the front door to your business, all of the information (phone #, website URL, address, etc.) should be accurate.
<ul>
<li>If not, make these changes ASAP</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>You can also manage the services/amenities your property offers (pools, restaurant, non-smoking, etc.).</li>
<li>All of this info should match universally</li>
</ul>
<ol start="3">
<li>
<h3> Answer Questions Asked by Searchers/Potential Guests</h3>
</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>Humanizes your business and gives you the opportunity to interact with potential guests.</li>
<li>Frequently check your listing for questions.
<ul>
<li>Respond promptly, professionally</li>
<li>Avoid generic “yes” or “no” answers</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Also a good way of dropping a valuable keyword or two into your listing.</li>
<li>You can even upvote questions for more visibility.</li>
<li>Note: ANYONE can answer a question on your listing, this is why you need you should be frequently checking your listing.</li>
</ul>
<ol start="4">
<li>
<h3> Create Your Own Custom FAQ List Within Your Q&amp;A Section</h3>
</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>Get ahead by answering the questions you receive the most from guests.
<ul>
<li>Makes life easier for potential guests and makes less work for you (win, win!)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Still, it’s best practice to manually check your listing for unanswered questions frequently.</li>
</ul>
<ol start="5">
<li>
<h3> Encourage Guests to Leave Reviews</h3>
</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>68% of people left a review after a local business asked them to (Bright Local, 2017). The odds are in your favor!
<ul>
<li>Upon guest checkout; Email remarketing; Social media; Subtle prompts in rooms</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Online reviews can impact search rankings (Guests love reviews → SERPs love reviews).</li>
<li>If they leave a review, leave a response; it shows that you place value in your guests’ input.</li>
</ul>
<ol start="6">
<li>
<h3> Add High Quality Photos and Video to Your Listing</h3>
</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>Give potential guests an inside look at your property.
<ul>
<li>Showcase what makes your property unique.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Select a Preferred Photo: this will display next to your business name on Google Maps and search. However, it’s not a guarantee that Google will use this photo.
<ul>
<li>Stay away from using logos as a preferred image</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Choose high quality images: exterior photos, room interiors, amenities, images of employees assisting guests, food and drink, etc.
<ul>
<li>Room Interior Images: these can be make or break for potential guests. Use well-lit, wide angle shots.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Optimize your photos for SEO: file name &amp; alt tags
<ul>
<li>No keyword stuffing</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Note: Guests can also post photos</li>
</ul>
<ol start="7">
<li>
<h3> Message Directly with Potential Guests</h3>
</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>Text with searchers through SMS or a messaging app to directly answer questions.</li>
</ul>
<ol start="8">
<li>
<h3> Claim Your Bing Places for Business, Too!</h3>
</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>You can now import your Google My Business information to your Bing Places for Business</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Things to Avoid</h3>
<ul>
<li>Follow Google’s guidelines so you don’t get penalized.
<ul>
<li>Multiple listings for the same location</li>
<li>Keyword stuffing</li>
<li>Using the wrong address</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
======================== 
In The Newsaroos
Google Tests Hotel Search Filters Using Highlight Icons 
<a href="https://www.seroundtable.com/google-hotel-search-filters-using-highlight-icons-25948.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.seroundtable.com/google-hotel-search-filters-using-highlight-icons-25948.html</a>
Google Adwords Changing to Google Ads 
<a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-is-retiring-the-adwords-doubleclick-brands-in-a-major-rebranding-aimed-at-simplification-301073" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://searchengineland.com/google-is-retiring-the-adwords-doubleclick-brands-in-a-major-rebranding-aimed-at-simplification-301073</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 91 – 8 Ways Hotels Can Optimize Google My Business

Each year, hoteliers and suppliers from around the world gather for the annual HFTP HITEC conference and tradeshow, which is accompanied by HSMAI’s ROC event. Your Fueligan friends were in attendance and we break down what we learned at this year’s event.
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
SHOW NOTES
The big trends:
<ol>
<li>Improving the guest experience through technology</li>
<li>Solving the integration and data challenges facing the hotel industry
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.snapshot.travel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SnapShot</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.thenavisway.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Navis</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.siteminder.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SiteMinder</a></li>
<li><a href="http://hapicloud.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hapi</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.stratifyd.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Stratify</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Old-school PMS companies modernizing</li>
</ol>
Interesting companies:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.heymojo.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HeyMojo</a> &#8211; Chatbots for hotels</li>
<li><a href="https://theguestbook.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Guest Book</a> &#8211; rewards for booking direct.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.jibestream.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">JibeStream</a> &#8211; property visualization data</li>
<li><a href="https://www.getimpala.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Impala</a> &#8211; single source PMS integration</li>
</ul>
Favorite: <a href="https://www.trayaway.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TrayAway</a> &#8211; one click room service removal
Weirdest &#8211; Real-Time Pest Monitoring
Coolest Name &#8211; <a href="https://www.beekeeper.io/en/hospitality" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BeeKeeper</a> &#8211; internal communication tool
BEE NEWS PHOTO:
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6296" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/waxmoths-768x1024.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="1024" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/waxmoths-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/waxmoths-225x300.jpg 225w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/waxmoths.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" />
======================== 
In The Newsaroos
Alexa For Hotels Is Here! 
<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/19/amazon-launches-an-alexa-system-for-hotels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/19/amazon-launches-an-alexa-system-for-hotels/</a>
9 Travel Marketing Trends to Watch in 2018 
<a href="https://blog.advertising.expedia.com/9-travel-marketing-trends-to-watch-in-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://blog.advertising.expedia.com/9-travel-marketing-trends-to-watch-in-2018</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 90 – Secrets from HITEC 2018 Revealed

Your hotel’s marketing programs have big problems! And odds are, you don’t even know it. Today we are going to go through the 10 most common issues any hotel will find with their marketing efforts and how to fix each one.
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
SHOW NOTES
Inspiration for this episode cam from our otiginal Blog Post:
<h2 class="post-title entry-title"><a title="Permalink to These 10 Things Are Probably Broken With Your Hotel Marketing" href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/you-broke-your-hotel-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="bookmark noopener noreferrer">These 10 Things Are Probably Broken With Your Hotel Marketing </a></h2>
======================== 
In The Newsies
Google Posts Ads New Post Types 
<a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-posts-adds-products-and-offers-299759" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://searchengineland.com/google-posts-adds-products-and-offers-299759</a>
Airbnb launches Travel Stories 
<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/24/airbnb-travel-stories/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/24/airbnb-travel-stories/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
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@pdimaio 
@pforiska
<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>.

Hotel Marketing Podcast

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 94 – Shocking Revelations About Converting the Customer: EyeforTravel Report Takeaways

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 94 – Shocking Revelations About Converting the Customer: EyeforTravel Report Takeaways

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 93 – Vendor Takeaways From The 2018 Hotel Technology Study

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 93 – Vendor Takeaways From The 2018 Hotel Technology Study

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 92 – 2018 Hotel Technology Study Reveals Surprising Alignment Between Hoteliers and Vendors

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 92 – 2018 Hotel Technology Study Reveals Surprising Alignment Between Hoteliers and Vendors

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 91 – 8 Ways Hotels Can Optimize Google My Business

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 91 – 8 Ways Hotels Can Optimize Google My Business

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 90 – Secrets from HITEC 2018 Revealed

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 90 – Secrets from HITEC 2018 Revealed

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 89 – 10 Simple Fixes For Your Hotel Marketing

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 89 – 10 Simple Fixes For Your Hotel Marketing

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