The marketing mix is becoming more and more complex with new opportunities and tools constantly becoming available to hoteliers. Unfortunately, the days are not getting longer so automation and smarter marketing are required to keep your hotel on cutting edge of marketing. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we are going to dive into how you can save time and improve your ROI on email marketing.
CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/335668399%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-myi4n&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a>
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
Show Notes:
Part 1: Personalization
It is a well-known fact that personalization improves email performance, both in the subject line and email content.  <a href="http://campaignmonitor.com/email-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Campaign Monitor</a> released figures that on average a personalized subject line will improve open rates by 31% (18.8% for personalized content and 13.1% for generic).  Personalization beyond the subject line can further move the ball toward the goal line by improving click rate by over 10%.  Now the most important metric, revenue improvements, really depends on the offer so we will save that topic for another podcast.
Before you can personalize you need to collect data and depending on the stage of your relationship will depend on what you can personalize. Your goal as a marketer is to work on building the best possible customer database you can, and while that may start with an email address and name, it should quickly evolve to stay information, desired room types, home address, etc.
We’re going to look at two main types of personalization, basic and advanced. We would define basic as any personalization that is based on your in-house email or guest history database. Advanced would be when you go beyond that and start looking at dynamic content, browser activity, or 3rd party data feeds.  For today’s discussion we are going to look primarily at the basic personalizations that you can put into action with your list today.
Basic Personalization
<ul>
<li>Subject Line Personalization such as “Hi, Jack. Our Resort Has Great Deals!” or “Did You Know The Smith Family Can Stay For 30% Off?”</li>
<li>Offer personalization such as 30% off your next stay in an XYZ room type</li>
<li>Image and/article personalization based on guest interest or guest type.  An example of this would be showing a tour group photo and group article</li>
</ul>
These types of personalization are an excellent way to get started and will absolutely improve your campaign performance and email ROI.  However there is more, much more, that you can do to personalize your content.  This is where we get into more advanced personalization tactics.
Advanced Personalization
<ul>
<li>Real time pricing and availability</li>
<li>Dynamic email updates post send</li>
<li>Location based content</li>
<li>Current weather</li>
<li>Much more</li>
</ul>
Advanced personalization is a bit more complicated than what you can typically do directly via your ESP and database and you will typically need to enlist services such as MovableInk.com and others to make this work.
Email Tip: Personalization is as much about what you don’t send as what you do send. Exclusion lists are your friend.
Part 2: Triggered Sends and The Emails Your Hotel Can’t Live Without
Now that we have covered the personalization aspects of your sends, we are now going to go into detail on how you can combine personalization with triggered emails to make your overall email campaigns more profitable in both driving guests as well as incremental revenue from current guests.
<ul>
<li>Welcome Email(s)
<ul>
<li>Welcome emails typically have a phenomenal open and click rates (above 50%)</li>
<li>Limited personalization depending on signup method</li>
<li>This can be a single email or better yet a series of warm up emails promoting different aspects of your property</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Confirmation Email
<ul>
<li>This is the one trigger all properties already have, but few use them effectively.</li>
<li>70+% open rates and 25+% click rates if you are doing it correctly</li>
<li>Aside from the booking confirmation, use this to sell room upgrade and on-site amenities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Pre Arrival Emails
<ul>
<li>Based on our client email performance the pre arrival message has the best open rate of all triggered sends we manage (71%)</li>
<li>Ideal for a last minute room upgrade and selling on-site amenities</li>
<li>Use this to also begin creating the social story for the guest with strong social media integration</li>
<li>Don’t be afraid to send multiple pre-arrival emails</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>App and Express Check In
<ul>
<li>Depending on your property this message is one of our favorite tools to improve customer satisfaction and drive incremental revenue.</li>
<li>Our clients typically see performance in the range of 50% open and 20% click through.  For one client, that equated to almost 2,000 app downloads in the 2nd quarter</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Post Stay
<ul>
<li>Fantastic way to gather customer experience information or drive reviews, both in-house and via TripAdvisor.</li>
<li>Opportunity for a limited time discount for future stays</li>
<li>Opportunity to elicit your guest to share experiences on social media</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Booking Anniversary Message (join date and/or last stay)
<ul>
<li>Don’t forget the booking anniversary message, it is an incredibly valuable tool in driving your past guests back into the booking process.</li>
<li>We have our triggers set up to typically deliver this personalized message 30 days prior to the booking anniversary of their last stay.</li>
<li>If you’re savvy and are capturing your OTA guest emails at check in you can also setup an OTA Anniversary message in an attempt to bring them back to the property, this time as a direct booking.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Cancellation
<ul>
<li>Don’t let your guest cancel without putting up a fight.  We have found that we can engage customer back to the hotel site from a cancellation email relatively effectively.</li>
<li>Typically these emails have about a 55% open rate and is an ideal place to take one last shot at the guest.  We have found that a typical click through rate can be north of 4% which equates to your guests being effectively re engaged.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Cart Abandonment
<ul>
<li>If you are not doing cart abandonment emails… START NOW</li>
<li>Low volume but very high engagement, averaging 50+% open rate and 25% click rate.</li>
<li>How it works:
<ul>
<li>User signs up or provides an email address somewhere on your site and cookied</li>
<li>If user enters the booking engine and leaves they get a message after an hour to return and book.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Depending on the data they provide in the booking process the more personalized this email can be, such as, “ Hi Rick, your stay at our resort on August 12-15 is waiting!  But did you know popular rooms, like the XYZ ROOM TYPE, go fast?  We saved your cart for you, click here to continue…”</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Email marketing remains a hotel’s most valuable marketing asset and one of the few true direct lines of communication to your guests.  Personalizing that communication will result in more direct revenue and guest engagement.  After all it is only hospitable to speak to someone by name, and we are in the hospitality business.
&nbsp;
======================== 
In The News
<a href="https://skift.com/2017/07/20/google-is-testing-vacation-rental-search-in-its-hotel-price-comparison-tool/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://skift.com/2017/07/20/google-is-testing-vacation-rental-search-in-its-hotel-price-comparison-tool/</a>
<a href="http://www.eyequant.com/blog/what-booking-can-teach-us-about-ab-testing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.eyequant.com/blog/what-booking-can-teach-us-about-ab-testing</a>
<a href="http://searchengineland.com/google-posts-now-live-google-business-users-277710" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://searchengineland.com/google-posts-now-live-google-business-users-277710</a>
========================
Download the Fuel &amp; Flip.to Website Behavior Study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/websitestudy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@marketingmeisha 
@makavanagh 
@pdimaio
<div>
<hr />
</div>
<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>. Download our leisure travel study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/study/</a>.

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 59 – Smarter Hotel Email Automation & Personalization

Marketing your hotel can be costly, but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode we discuss some free or nearly free methods and marketing tactics that any hotel can employ to drive more awareness and more bookings to their property.
CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING. 
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/333228478&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a>
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
Show Notes:
This episode was inspired by the following question:
Hi guys,
I absolutely love your podcast and listen to it religiously.  I recently bought a small 7 room boutique hotel. Currently 60% of my bookings are direct and our average occupancy is roughly 75-80%.
I would love to be able to get my direct bookings up to 70% and occupancy to 85% within the next 12 months. However, being a small hotel, my marketing budget is fairly limited.  If I were to spend $150 per month, how would you suggest I spend it?
Sincerely,
Chris Schlamp
Here you go. Chris. If you even do half of this, you’ll be well on your way to improved occupancy.
You should invest as much time and money as you possibly can, given your specific situation.
<ol>
<li>Educate yourself on simple marketing by:
<ul>
<li>Using online education sites such as Linda.com or skillshare.com</li>
<li>Finding sites that give you a solid foundational understanding of specific marketing skills. A great place to learn about SEO is the Beginner&#8217;s Guide to SEO on Moz.com.</li>
<li>There’s also a magical site on the Internet that can answer any question and teach you any skill. It’s called ‘Google.com’.</li>
<li>Listening to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Get an intern from local college to handle blogging, event coverage and social media. This can often be free if the work applies to course credit. Even if you have to pay them, it’s can be less than $10/hr.</li>
<li>Ask a current staff member who has an interest to post on social media or write blogs.</li>
<li>Consider reinvesting a portion of the savings from OTA commissions back into incentives for direct bookers or a loyalty program.</li>
</ol>
Build your owned assets.
<ol>
<li>Build a low cost website (weebly.com, wix.com, squarespace.com, wordpress.com), but make sure that it has a kick-ass booking engine and the ability to publish blogs on a frequent basis.</li>
<li>Claim and optimize your local listings on Google and all other major directories.</li>
<li>Build a quality email database and send emails using MailChimp &#8211; email marketing is still the most effective channel for hotels and there’s no better platform out there for small properties than MailChimp. If you have fewer than 2,000 subscribers and send fewer than 12,000 total emails per month, it’s absolutely free.</li>
<li>Build your content. Write down a list of every question you have ever been asked about your property or your area. No question is too small or too insignificant. Once you’ve compile the list, start writing well thought out and useful responses to each question and publish them on your site. Keep adding to the list as new question come up.</li>
<li>Hold a photo Contest for local photographers to generate high quality and diverse photography. The rules should state that you own the unlimited usage rights to all submissions. Offer a free stay to the winner as an incentive.</li>
<li>Build a list of local and regional media outlets and send them press releases on a regular basis.</li>
</ol>
Engage with the local community
<ol>
<li>Feature and sell local art throughout your property.</li>
<li>Engage with local groups/clubs and let them meet at your property for free. For example, a local running club or a yoga class.</li>
<li>Host contests between local restaurants at your property.</li>
<li>Create an ‘Insider’s guide’ to your area and give it to every guest. Also give copies to all of the area bars and restaurants who your feature and let them give it to their patrons.</li>
<li>Collect donations for local charities. Toys for tots, food banks, etc.</li>
<li>Join with local businesses to create a magical Christmas stay for a need family each year.</li>
</ol>
Differentiate yourself 
<ol>
<li>Create a themed room and tie it into a charity</li>
<li>Offer unique experiences such as stories by the campfire, a whacky museum related to the local area, or perhaps,  dress up like Elvis every Wednesday and belt out your best rendition of Blue Suede Shoes by your pool.</li>
<li>Utilize unique spaces within your property. If you have a lawn area or a rooftop terrace, or simply a small breakfast area, think about how you utilize the space for maximum impact. For example, your rooftop terrace could be a breakfast area in the morning, but a hip night time spot for cocktails.</li>
<li>Turn your lobby into a gathering space</li>
<li>Offer Starbucks coffee</li>
<li>Make your eateries all organic and source the food locally</li>
<li>Create a unique selfie-spot</li>
<li>Set up a live webcam and take a shot at specific times during the day and post them on your website</li>
<li>Create a photo scavenger hunt on instagram</li>
<li>Put an amazon echo in every room</li>
<li>Add multi-language support to your website using Google Translate</li>
</ol>
Focus on the guest experience (this is the best form of marketing)
<ol>
<li>Ensure that every guest receives a warm and friendly welcome</li>
<li>Speak with your guest at every opportunity and find out the following:
<ul>
<li>Who they are</li>
<li>Where they’re from</li>
<li>What they like</li>
<li>Why they came to the area</li>
<li>Why the chose you</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Address your guests by name and always smile when you see them (and insist that your staff do the same)</li>
<li>If you’re a family friendly property have your staff carry stickers and temporary tattoos to give out to the kiddos</li>
<li>Surprise and delight them during the stay</li>
<li>Don’t forget to personally thank your guests when they are leaving and ask them to leave a review</li>
</ol>
======================== 
In The News
Kayak &amp; Amazon Echo Now Offer Voice-Powered Hotel Booking &#8211; Meisha 
<a href="https://skift.com/2017/07/11/kayak-and-amazon-alexa-now-offer-voice-powered-hotel-booking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://skift.com/2017/07/11/kayak-and-amazon-alexa-now-offer-voice-powered-hotel-booking/</a>
Direct Booking Campaign Stats Are In &#8211; Freebie? 
<a href="https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/304146/marriott-wyndham-gain-direct-traffic-bookings-fr.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/304146/marriott-wyndham-gain-direct-traffic-bookings-fr.html</a>
Best SEO Practices For Travel Differ From Other Industries 
<a href="https://www.tnooz.com/article/search-rankings-travel-google-searchmetrics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.tnooz.com/article/search-rankings-travel-google-searchmetrics/</a>
========================
Download the Fuel &amp; Flip.to Website Behavior Study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/websitestudy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@marketingmeisha 
@makavanagh 
@pdimaio
<div>
<hr />
</div>
<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>. Download our leisure travel study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/study/</a>.

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 58 – How to Market Your Hotel on a Shoestring Budget

Stuart recently attended the HITEC 2017 show in Toronto. In this episode, we talk about the overall mood of the industry and give a shout out to some of the stand out vendors who were there.
CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING. 
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/331367518&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a>
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
Show Notes:
Here are some of our favorite vendors from HITEC 2017:
TrustYou &#8211; <a href="http://www.trustyou.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.trustyou.com/</a> &#8211; collecting guest data, allowing you to manage and respond. But also pushing data back out to Google, Kayak, Skyscanner to promote your trust score.
Angie &#8211; <a href="http://angie.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://angie.ai/</a> &#8211; A dedicated voice and touch controlled virtual assistant specifically built for  hotel rooms.
Savioke &#8211; <a href="http://www.savioke.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.savioke.com/</a>. An innovative room service robot with the appeal of R2-D2.
Stay Wanderful &#8211; <a href="https://www.staywanderful.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.staywanderful.com/</a> &#8211; loyalty rewards take on a whole new meaning with this revolutionary start-up. Guests who book direct can claim instant rewards from retail giants such as JC Penney, Starbucks and Uber.
======================== 
In The News
Kayak Enables Emoji Search For Select Destinations (Meisha) 
<a href="http://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/06/26/kayak-enables-emoji-search-select-destinations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/06/26/kayak-enables-emoji-search-select-destinations</a>
Fake Travel Firms Duping Google 
<a href="http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/281798/fake-travel-firms-duping-google-into-thinking-they-are-genuine" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/281798/fake-travel-firms-duping-google-into-thinking-they-are-genuine</a>
OTAs Go On A Summer Spending Spree (Pete) 
<a href="http://adage.com/article/news/online-travel-agencies-ummer-pending-pree/309570/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://adage.com/article/news/online-travel-agencies-ummer-pending-pree/309570/</a>
========================
Download the Fuel &amp; Flip.to Website Behavior Study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/websitestudy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@marketingmeisha 
@makavanagh 
@pdimaio
<div>
<hr />
</div>
<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>. Download our leisure travel study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/study/</a>.

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 57 – What You Missed at HITEC 2017

Having a mobile-first mindset is key to a successful hotel marketing strategy. To get it right, you have to make sure that you’re paying attention to PPC, the local listings, and your organic search results. In this episode, we break down all three and provide some tips and tricks to ensure that you dominate against your hotel competition.
CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING. 
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/328984034&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/hotel-marketing-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" height="104" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a>
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
Show Notes:
Mobile-First PPC
<ul>
<li>First thing on the SERP &#8211; Ads often go well below the “fold”</li>
<li>Up to 4 ads can show at once, requiring searcher to scroll for more content</li>
<li>Bidding for #1 position is the best way to be front and center
<ul>
<li>Mobile bid adjustments (settings &gt; devices)</li>
<li>You can NOT run on mobile by setting -100% bid</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Using ad extensions will help your ad take up more SERP real estate</li>
<li>Call extensions or call-only ads can drive direct calls to your property</li>
<li>Segment your campaigns and analyze the difference between mobile and desktop performance
<ul>
<li>Don’t assume that all campaign data together represents mobile specific performance</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>OTAs are present in this space &#8211; monitor your competition</li>
<li>Make sure your landing page is mobile friendly!</li>
</ul>
More <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/fast-easy-mobile-ppc-tips-hotels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mobile PPC Tips</a> via the Fuel Blog.
Local Search Pack &amp; Google Hotel Ads 
<ul>
<li>The local 3-pack &amp; map combo appears below the paid ads and above the natural search listings</li>
<li>Appearance will differ greatly based on the search query → brand vs non-brand
<ul>
<li>Branded search queries show interactive</li>
<li>Non-branded queries will reveal an interactive map, date selection tool, filter buttons, and 3 relevant listings (Determined by Google)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Make sure you have access to and fully control your Google My Business page
<ul>
<li>Make sure all info and links are up to date</li>
<li>Use high quality images</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Google Hotel Ads are present throughout the search experience
<ul>
<li>Appear for brand &amp; non-brand search terms</li>
<li>No control over where these show; cannot see keyword level data</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Booking engine integration, hotels must work with a verified partner (See also: Fuel Travel)
<ul>
<li>3 data feeds → hotel listing feed, price &amp; availability feed, point of sale feed</li>
<li>Bids → Managed through Google.com/Ads/Hotels dashboard</li>
<li>Dashboard with performance score &amp; warnings</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>OTAs are very present in this space</li>
<li>Automation and intelligence has greatly improved performance over the past several months → ROAS has been phenomenal</li>
</ul>
Mobile-First SEO
<ul>
<li>The last type of SERP result that searchers will see on their phones &#8211; requires a bit of scrolling to find.</li>
<li>Mobile specific rank factors:
<ul>
<li>Mobile friendly website</li>
<li>Page speed &amp; site speed (Tool: <a href="https://testmysite.withgoogle.com/intl/en-gb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TestMySite.WithGoogle.Com</a> or Google Search Console)</li>
<li>Site design for mobile → No flash, No intrusive pop-ups, user-friendly design (mobile usability)
<ul>
<li><a href="http://searchengineland.com/interstitialgeddon-google-warns-will-crack-intrusive-interstitials-next-january-257252" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Penalty for intrusive popups</a> (Jan. 2017)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Do not block important page resources → CSS, JavaScript, Images, etc. (make sure your site is crawlable and indexable)</li>
<li>Schema.org markups (<a href="http://schema.org/docs/hotels.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hotel list here</a>)</li>
<li>Keep meta information in check → Less room to work with vs desktop</li>
<li>Resource → <a href="https://moz.com/learn/seo/mobile-optimization" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Moz Mobile Optimization Guide</a> &amp; <a href="https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-sites/mobile-seo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google Mobile SEO Guide</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Monitor mobile specific rankings &amp; mobile specific KPIs
<ul>
<li>Many SEO platforms &amp; rank tracking software allow you to track both mobile and desktop search queries</li>
<li>You can easily segment mobile visitors in Google Analytics &amp; other analytics platforms to monitor mobile specific performance</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>AMP Pages &#8211; Yay or Nay</li>
</ul>
HITEC Boothe 1911. Come see us and learn about Guest Express Mobile App 
We’re offering HITEC pricing to our podcast listeners through June 30.
Question from Travis Kilgallon 
“Our facebook account was under a name and was blocked by Facebook in November last year but they didn&#8217;t give me time to convert it. I submitted documents, have tried everything but we don&#8217;t have access to anything Facebook i.e. Airbnb, certain accounts, trip advisor. I have had to get other passwords to use these. I have tried everything, lodged help request, complaints, tried to claim our Facebook Listing page under my own account. This is the error I get: Thanks for your help We&#8217;ll take a look at the documents you submitted and get back to you. If we need more help with confirming your name, we&#8217;ll contact you for additional documentation. Do you guys know how I can get access back? I had to claim 3 pages because people checked-in under different company names. But I no longer have access to anything Facebook, our facebook business page listing is blocked with that message. I still get the weekly page activity email and am notified if people leave a review so it doesn&#8217;t seem dead. Thanks so much for your help. Kind regards.”
Facebook support is pretty terrible, unless you are an advertiser that spends a ton of money.
Facebook Chat Support: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/form/chat" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.facebook.com/business/form/chat</a> → Might not actually get you anywhere but it’s a start.
Business Help: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/help">https://www.facebook.com/business/help</a>
To abide by Facebook’s rules, use Business.Facebook.com to run your page and ads. Create new page, complete profile information, claim relevant URL, start building new page and audience so Facebook will recognize that page as the authority.
<ul>
<li>Might have to spend a bit of money to reclaim &amp; rebuild fan base</li>
</ul>
========================
COME SEE US AT HITEC | BOOTH 1911
======================== 
In The News
Best Western Is Testing Voice-Activated Rooms 
<a href="https://skift.com/2017/06/06/best-western-is-testing-voice-activated-rooms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://skift.com/2017/06/06/best-western-is-testing-voice-activated-rooms/</a>
RIP Expedia Online Visibility 
<a href="https://goralewicz.com/blog/expedia-com-seo-visibility-drop/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://goralewicz.com/blog/expedia-com-seo-visibility-drop/</a>
========================
Download the Fuel &amp; Flip.to Website Behavior Study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/websitestudy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@marketingmeisha 
@makavanagh 
@pdimaio
<div>
<hr />
</div>
<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>. Download our leisure travel study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/study/</a>.

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 56 – How Your Hotel Can Dominate the SERP In A Mobile-First World

In a world of increased competition. Domination by the OTAs and the threat of disruption from DIY hoteliers, hotels have to learn to stand out from the crowd and offer unique value. At Fuel Travel, we believe that investing in the property is the best form of marketing you can do. A better guest experience leads to better online reputation and better word of mouth. This ultimately leads to more bookings and the ability to increase your ADR.
In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we look at some unique or fun things that properties are doing to stand out from the crowd.
CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.
<iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/326013755&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false"></iframe>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a>
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
Show Notes:
<h2>Music Lovers</h2>
<h3>Choice of 20 Fender guitars  &#8211; Chicago&#8217;s Hard Rock Hotel</h3>
You can check out one of the twenty guitars and keep it until you check out. You do need to provide a credit card in case you do break the $1,600 instrument.
<h3>Wake-up calls from celebrities &#8211; Nashville&#8217;s Gaylord Opryland Resort</h3>
Guests can opt for a &#8220;Rise and Shine&#8221; wake-up call from a Who&#8217;s Who of country music stars, including Trace Adkins, Kellie Pickler and Wynonna Judd.
<h2>Animal Lovers</h2>
<h3>Pet psychologist &#8211; Seattle&#8217;s Hotel Max</h3>
Offers guests&#8217; dogs acupuncture and even Reiki treatments, and has an in-house pet psychologist for guests to connect with their pets better.
<h3>Borrow a dog &#8211; Greenville’s Aloft</h3>
Guests can borrow a canine companion from the local animal shelter and can  take it to their room or for a walk. If you accidentally fall in love with the perfect pooch, you can adopt it and take it home with you.
<h3>Pet goldfish  &#8211; Kimpton Hotels &amp; Restaurants</h3>
Scientific studies show that fish can calm nerves, reduce anxiety and lower blood pressure. And if that doesn&#8217;t work, Kimpton also offers in-room yoga lessons.
<h2>Health &amp; Wellness</h2>
<h3>Fitness Classes and Guest Chefs Series &#8211; Rancho Pescadero</h3>
The daily yoga classes at this barefoot luxury hotel are fun and invigorating. You can follow them up with a bite to eat from an ever-changing roster of world-famous chefs, who make their delicious delicacies be using fresh produce from the on-property gardens.
<h3>Mindfulness and Exercise &#8211; Morgans Hotel Group</h3>
This collection of boutique hotels offers adult coloring books, a free mindfulness meditation app and also partners with local running clubs to for group exercise offerings.
<h3>Complementary Massage &#8211; Alive and Well Resorts</h3>
This group of resorts in the Turks &amp; Caicos Islands offers all guests a welcome “Hand to Head” massage upon arrival, yoga classes, organic foods and more. Guests also have a private butler who checks guests in in-room.
<h2>Kid-Friendly</h2>
<h3>Fire-side stories and sing-a-longs &#8211; Aulani, a Disney Resort &amp; Spa</h3>
Vacation are about making memories, what better way than to snuggle up under a blanket with your parents and listen to some great storytelling? 
The Candyman &#8211;  Ritz Carlton
Hopefully, this isn’t like the child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Band. This person goes around and gives out candy and chocolate to the well-behaved. Also, for the parents, there’s a cocktail man as well.
Other Ideas:
<ul>
<li>Jungle Jim</li>
<li>Bouncies</li>
<li>Lego Area</li>
<li>American Girl Dolls</li>
<li>Pirate and Princess Dress Up</li>
<li>Kids Karaoke</li>
<li>Movie Nights</li>
<li>Tree House</li>
<li>Ball Pit</li>
<li>Cookie classes</li>
</ul>
<h2>Unique Rooms</h2>
By offering a limited inventory of specialty rooms, your property can create demand and drive up RevPAR.
<h3>The Pink Room &#8211; InterContinental Milwaukee</h3>
$25 of each night’s stay in this room is donated to <a href="http://www.abcdbreastcancersupport.org/">ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis</a>
<h3>The Treehouse Suite &#8211; dventure Suites, North Conway, NH</h3>
This unique room successfully recreates the feeling of staying in a treehouse in your backyard. Complete with stolen stop signs and a jukebox.
<h3>Pirate-Themed Room &#8211; Legoland Hotel, Carlsbad, California</h3>
Argh, Mateys! Have a swashbuckling adventure when you stay in this red and white striped room adorned with skull and crossbones and a treasure map rug.
Other Ideas:
<ul>
<li>Animal theme</li>
<li>Movie theme</li>
<li>Music theme</li>
<li>Fairy theme</li>
<li>Unicorn theme</li>
<li>Futuristic theme</li>
<li>Science theme</li>
<li>Historical theme</li>
<li>American Girl Doll theme</li>
<li>Sports team theme</li>
<li>Military theme</li>
</ul>
========================
More information on wellness travel trends: 
<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/wellness-tourism-fueling-hotels-bottom-lines/">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/wellness-tourism-fueling-hotels-bottom-lines/</a>
======================== 
In The News
Venetian Las Vegas Offers Direct Bookings Via Facebook Messenger (Pete) 
<a href="http://www.travelweekly.com/North-America-Travel/Insights/Booking-beyond-the-browser" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.travelweekly.com/North-America-Travel/Insights/Booking-beyond-the-browser</a>
Airbnb Dabbles With Destination Marketing 
<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/google-analytics-cross-domain-tracking-hotels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://skift.com/2017/05/23/airbnbs-latest-role-is-destination-marketing-for-sweden/</a>
Study Uncovers the Power of Kids’ Opinions on Vacation Planning 
<a href="http://www.htrends.com/trends-detail-sid-94774.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.htrends.com/trends-detail-sid-94774.html</a>
========================
Download the Fuel &amp; Flip.to Website Behavior Study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/websitestudy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@marketingmeisha 
@makavanagh 
@pdimaio
<div>
<hr />
</div>
<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>. Download our leisure travel study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/study/</a>.

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 55 – Set Your Hotel Apart With Unique Amenities

The email database of any hotel is typically the #1 performing marketing asset available to drive revenue. While email is slightly less effective as it has been due to the growth of other mediums, it does remain one of the sure fire ways of driving bookings when you need them.
CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.
<iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/323447457&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false"></iframe>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a>
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
Show Notes:
But, like all powerful tools, email tends to get overused or used recklessly to solve all sorts of occupancy issues.  And when that happens, that’s when the unsubscribe rate begins to climb.
In today’s episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast we are going to look at five of the most common reasons your hotel guests abandon your email list and how you can reverse the trend.
You can also find more ways to reduce your unsubscribe rate at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/why-people-are-unsubscribing-from-your-hotel-emails/">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/why-people-are-unsubscribing-from-your-hotel-emails/</a>
#1: You’re sending way too much… or not enough
Customers are looking forward to getting your messages, but they’re not looking to get them daily.  How much is too much.  That depends completely on the list and content you are sharing with your guests.
<ul>
<li>One property group we work with sends weekly and has just a 0.05% unsubscribe rate, great open, click rate, and revenue.  However other clients see have found their threshold at once per month.</li>
<li>The inverse of this not sending enough.  If you only send once or twice a year, you’re going to likely see a high unsubscribe rate.  Typically when we begin working with a property that has not been sending regularly we see a very high (2 &#8211; 3% or more) unsubscribe rate.  Not because the people didn’t want the hotel information, but because they forgot they even requested it.</li>
</ul>
Have you seen an increase in your unsubscribe rate that correlates with an increase in sends?  Here’s the solution.  Stop sending so much and start testing. Go to a single send per month and see if your unsubscribe rate falls down below a 0.1% rate. While you are doing this, closely monitor your analytics to see how this change impacts your revenue from email. If there’s no impact to your bottom line, a congratulations is in order. If your revenue drops, start testing a slightly higher frequency until you find the happy medium.
#2: Your content is boring
If people are not engaging with your email content it is inevitable that they will eventually unsubscribe.  Just like people stop watching boring shows, they’re going to stop reading boring emails.
The solution is simple too, over deliver on your email promises and give your readers an amazing experience.  Overload them with great content and they’ll never unsubscribe. This does take time, and there’s no way around it.  Take the time to put together great content, personalize your emails and you’ll see your unsubscribe rate drop and revenue rise.
#3: You’re playing the bait &amp; switch game
This is a bad one and if you are not giving your guests and readers what they asked for, you can expect your unsubscribe rate to be high.  This one goes without saying, if you told your subscriber when they signed up they would get exclusive deals… and didn’t send any, they are going to absolutely unsubscribe.
The solution, say what you’re going to do and do what you say.  Engage your customers with deals, exclusive offers, contests, and more.  Respect your subscriber.
#4: There’s subscribers who should not be on your list
You may be surprised how many subscribers are on your list that should not be there.  Did you get a big list from a co-op marketing program?  If so, they are NOT your subscribers, they are leads.  Adding them into your list without opting them in is a disaster in the making.  Why:
<ul>
<li>It is typically illegal. While currently CAN-SPAM in the United States doesn’t have any teeth, Canada’s new CASL regulations on spam absolutely do.</li>
<li>It is expensive. You’ are paying to send to someone who doesn’t want to hear from you.</li>
<li>You associate yourself with spammers.  If you are trying to get someone to be a guest at your hotel, it’s best not to start by invading their privacy.</li>
<li>You are hurting your delivery rate.  When your unsubscribe rate grows and spam complaints rise, you’re going to get blocked by email platforms and will likely get shut down by your ESP.</li>
</ul>
The solution, adopt and maintain the best practices of email marketing.  Have a clear opt-in strategy (preferably double opt-in), send welcome emails and respect your subscribers.
#5: You gave them no other choice 
Sometimes people unsubscribe when they don’t really want to do so.  For instance, if you are sending an email every two weeks and a guest just visited your resort, there’s a good chance they don’t want any more emails from you… right now.  However, in a few months they would love to hear from you again.
The solution, give customers a frequency choice.
<ul>
<li>Take the time to look at your unsubscribe process and be sure that you are giving customers an option to get less emails before they completely unsubscribe. For a great example look at retail and sites like bonobos.com.</li>
<li>Set a frequency cap on your own by limiting sends to once a month (or even less) for subscribers who are not engaged or just visited.  We have seen great success with this strategy and can reduce both the cost of sends and unsubscribe rate.</li>
</ul>
So there you have it, five ways to drop the unsubscribe rate for your hotel or resort.  There are tons of other reasons people unsubscribe, but if you tackle these five you’ll find the rest will fall in line and be easy to address.
======================== 
In The News
TripAdvisor Scales Back Instant Booking in Strategy Reversal 
<a href="https://skift.com/2017/05/08/tripadvisor-scales-back-instant-booking-in-strategy-reversal/?utm_campaign=Skift%20Trends%20Reports&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=51963035&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz---Qtffn7ns-FjktZTwWC6PNUwwhH9iMmze93iXxiUhU8olGooFPcJubzeKyuCad4AWfBNOyhduQNaPJTfbP6lrCnanHmSn53nQ4uZjrFPT93VzYLE&amp;_hsmi=51963035" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://skift.com/2017/05/08/tripadvisor-scales-back-instant-booking-in-strategy-reversal/</a>
Amazon &amp; Facebook &#8211; Next Big Travel Disruptors (Meisha) 
<a href="http://travolution.com/articles/102814/phocuswright-europe-breakwell-tips-amazon-and-facebook-as-travel-disruptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://travolution.com/articles/102814/phocuswright-europe-breakwell-tips-amazon-and-facebook-as-travel-disruptors</a>
========================
Download the Fuel &amp; Flip.to Website Behavior Study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/websitestudy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@marketingmeisha 
@makavanagh 
@pdimaio
<div>
<hr />
</div>
<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>. Download our leisure travel study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/study/</a>.

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 54 – Why Are People Unsubscribing From Your Hotel Emails

There’s a lot of talk in the industry right now about attribution modelling and that scares the daylights out of a lot of people because it’s super-complicated. Well, your friends at Fuel are here to help shine a light on the ins and outs of attribution modeling and all of the considerations you should be making.
UPDATE 05/23/2017: since recording this episode, it looks like Google is rolling out the ability to use attribution modeling (cross-device AND cross-channel) within AdWords now. 
<a href="http://marketingland.com/google-attribution-launch-multi-channel-attribution-215580" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://marketingland.com/google-attribution-launch-multi-channel-attribution-215580?utm_content%3Dbuffer32915%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter.com%26utm_campaign%3Dbuffer&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1495721798243000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEXPYRnnGWAOa5RYBXCxVAo_ilXTA">http://marketingland.com/google-attribution-launch-multi-channel-attribution-215580</a>
CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/321493883&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a>
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
Show Notes:
What Is Attribution Modelling? 
Attribution modeling is where a hotel creates one or more rules that help calculate the credit for bookings or other conversions that should be assigned to various customer interactions throughout the sales funnel.
Why should hotels use an attribution model? 
Attribution modelling creates an apples-to-apples comparison for your marketing efforts and allows hotel marketers to make smart decisions about where they should invest more and where they should pull-back.
Marketing has become significantly more complicated over the years and requires more sophisticated tracking and analysis to understand the impact that your marketing dollars are having on your hotel’s business.
Factors to Consider
<ol>
<li>Source of the data</li>
<li>Type of interaction</li>
<li>Length of cookie</li>
<li>Time between interaction and conversion</li>
<li>Where the interaction was in the funnel</li>
<li>Was it new or repeat business</li>
<li>Lifetime value of the customer</li>
<li>Consumers are using multiple devices</li>
<li>Are you including the management cost in your ROI/ROAS?</li>
<li>What type of attribution model your vendor is using</li>
</ol>
Different Types of Attribution Modeling 
Let’s discuss a specific scenario:
A potential guest finds your  hotel website by clicking one of your paid search ads in  Google AdWords. The consumer then returns two weeks later by clicking over from a Facebook organic post that has a campaign ID. That same day, they comes back a third time via one of your guest history email special offer, and a few hours later, returns again by typing your url into a browser and making a booking that was worth $1,000.
Last Click &#8211; the last click or source of traffic that occurred prior to the booking—in this case, the Direct channel—would receive 100% of the credit for the sale.
    Direct Booking = $1,000
Last Campaign &#8211; all direct traffic (and often referred traffic)  is ignored, and 100% of the credit for the sale goes to the last channel that the customer clicked through from before converting—in this case, the Email channel.
    Guest History Email = $1,000
First Interaction &#8211;  the first touchpoint—in this case, the AdWords campaign—would receive 100% of the credit for the sale.
    adWords = $1,000
Linear &#8211; each touchpoint in the conversion path—in this case the Paid Search, Facebook, Email special, and Direct channels—would share equal credit (25% each) for the sale
    adWords = $250 
    Facebook = $250 
    Email = $250 
    Direct = $250
Time Decay &#8211; the touch points closest in time to the sale or conversion get most of the credit. In this particular sale, the Direct and Email channels would receive the most credit because the customer interacted with them within a few hours of conversion. Facebook would receive less credit than either the Direct or Email channels. Since the adWords interaction occurred one week earlier, this channel would receive significantly less credit.
adWords = $50 
    Facebook = $200 
    Email = $375 
    Direct = $375
Position Based &#8211; this is where first and last interaction is prioritized over everything else. For example: 40% credit is assigned to each the first and last interaction, and the remaining 20% credit is distributed evenly to the middle interactions.
adWords = $400 
    Facebook = $100 
    Email = $100 
    Direct = $400
Takeaways:
<ul>
<li>It doesn’t matter what attribution model you use as long as you’re consistent and fair to all marketing effort</li>
<li>Sometimes, it helps to look at the data using multiple attribution models to get a better grasp of how specific channels impact your business.</li>
<li>There are tools that can make your life easie</li>
<li>Don’t over think it. Your model should be accurate, but doesn’t need to be precise.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Watch Fuel in our upcoming webinar 
<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/webinar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sign Up Now 
</a>Online Bookings Trends: Understanding Traveler Behavior for Smarter Hotel Marketing 
May 9 at 11am ET 
Presented by Fuel. TrustYou and Travel Tripper.
======================== 
In The News
Google Hotel Reviews &amp; Ratings Test 
<a href="https://alakov.com/blog/google-hotel-reviews-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://alakov.com/blog/google-hotel-reviews-test</a>
Google Hotel Ads Becoming The Behemoth Everyone Feared 
<a href="https://skift.com/2017/04/24/google-hotel-ads-is-becoming-the-behemoth-everyone-feared/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://skift.com/2017/04/24/google-hotel-ads-is-becoming-the-behemoth-everyone-feared/</a>
Voice Search Getting Louder In Travel 
<a href="https://www.tnooz.com/article/voice-search-travel-brands/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.tnooz.com/article/voice-search-travel-brands/</a>
========================
Download the Fuel &amp; Flip.to Website Behavior Study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/websitestudy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@marketingmeisha 
@makavanagh 
@pdimaio
<div>
<hr />
</div>
<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>. Download our leisure travel study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/study/</a>.

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 53 – Everything Your Hotel Needs To Know About Attribution Modelling

We recently published an article that highlighted the <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/booking-engine-may-losing-millions-mobile-revenue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tremendous potential of using a mobile-friendly booking engine</a>. In it, we discussed the fact that many hoteliers focus so much attention on their desktop booking experience and they overlook the mobile engine all together. This got us thinking about the mistakes that are often made when it comes to the booking engine on a hotel’s website. In this episode, we discuss some of the common mistakes and offer advice on how to avoid them.
Does your current booking engine have any of these issues? Contact us today to learn more about the <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/booking-engine/">Fuel Booking Engine</a>!
CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/319745878%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-MalIg&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a>
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>The search widget is buried</li>
<li>Outdated or not enough photography</li>
<li>No Room Diagrams</li>
<li>Boring room descriptions</li>
<li>Unclear call-to-actions</li>
<li>Different look and feel from the rest of the site</li>
<li>No progress bar</li>
<li>Only showing one rate OR showing way too many rates for the same unit (10% off, 15% off, etc)</li>
<li>Not monitoring availability restrictions</li>
<li>Using confusing language when there is no availability</li>
<li>Not offering alternate dates/room types if there is no availability</li>
<li>Not using basic psychology such as FOMO, reassurance and social proof.</li>
<li>Ads, pop ups, or any other element on the engine that could distract the guest from booking</li>
<li>Showing a  promo code on the checkout page</li>
<li>Missing upsell opportunities</li>
<li>Not having the best price compared to the OTAs</li>
<li>Not mobile friendly</li>
</ol>
Watch Fuel in our upcoming webinar 
<a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/webinar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sign Up Now 
</a>Online Bookings Trends: Understanding Traveler Behavior for Smarter Hotel Marketing 
May 9 at 11am ET 
Presented by Fuel. TrustYou and Travel Tripper.
======================== 
In The News
TripAdvisor Reaches 500 Million Reviews 
<a href="http://travolution.com/articles/102456/tripadvisor-reaches-500-million-reviews-milestone" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://travolution.com/articles/102456/tripadvisor-reaches-500-million-reviews-milestone</a>
Google To Include Ad Blocker In Chrome 
<a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-include-built-ad-blocker-chrome-browser/195251/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-include-built-ad-blocker-chrome-browser/195251/</a>
========================
Download the Fuel &amp; Flip.to Website Behavior Study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/websitestudy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@marketingmeisha 
@makavanagh 
@pdimaio
<div>
<hr />
</div>
<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>. Download our leisure travel study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/study/</a>.

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 52 – The 17 Biggest Booking Engine Mistakes That You Should Avoid

Storytelling is all the rage right now, but it&#8217;s not a fad. In fact, storytelling has been used as a method of communication for thousands of years. It&#8217;s also a great way for your hotel to create an emotional connection with your guests, increase bookings and increase positive word of mouth exposure.
In this episode, we chat with Richard Dunbar from Flip.to about the art and science of storytelling and give practical advice about how hotels can insert compelling stories within their marketing messaging.
CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/318102409&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a>
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
Show Notes:
Discussion points (in no particular order, yet)
Brief intro to storytelling and the science / research behind its effectiveness
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-neuroscience-of-your-brain-on-fiction.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NY Times &#8211; Your Brain on Fiction</a></li>
<li><a href="https://moz.com/blog/heres-how-to-combine-storytelling-and-data-to-produce-persuasive-content" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Moz &#8211; Combining data and storytelling for better content</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2014/03/the-irresistible-power-of-storytelling-as-a-strategic-business-tool" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Harvard Business Review &#8211; the irresistible power of storytelling as a strategic business tool</a></li>
</ul>
Storytelling during inspiration
<ul>
<li><a href="https://think.storage.googleapis.com/docs/2014-travelers-road-to-decision_research_studies.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google &#8211; Traveler’s road to inspiration</a></li>
</ul>
Storytelling during planning moments
<ul>
<li>Guest may have narrowed down the list of options, and now it’s time to make a decision</li>
</ul>
Storytelling during booking moments
<ul>
<li>It’s still possible to lose the guest here</li>
<li>Continue the narrative and offer content relative to the reason the guest is booking, or even link the content to the accommodation type the guest has shown interest in</li>
</ul>
Storytelling to rekindle
<ul>
<li>Reminds guests of their favorite moments</li>
<li>Positions the hotel as a key facilitator of the experience &#8211; meaning the brand doesn’t need to insert itself obtrusively into the guest’s story</li>
</ul>
ADDITIONAL SOURCES 
___________________________________________________________________________
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.flip.to/blog/a-hoteliers-guide-to-visual-content" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Flip.to &#8211; A guide to visual content for hoteliers</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.flip.to/blog/storytelling-how-to-win-travelers-at-every-part-of-their-journey" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Flip.to &#8211; Storytelling: how to win travelers at every part of their journey</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.flip.to/blog/stories-matter-what-hotels-can-learn-from-content-marketers-at-large" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Flip.to &#8211; Stories matter: what hotels can learn from content marketers at large</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.flip.to/blog/winning-experiential-travel-combining-data-storytelling-compel-guests" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Flip.to &#8211; Winning at experiential travel: combining data and storytelling to compel your guests</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
======================== 
In The News
TripAdvisor opening retail store in Raleigh-Durham airport 
<a href="https://skift.com/2017/04/07/tripadvisor-to-open-branded-retail-store-at-raleigh-durham-airport/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://skift.com/2017/04/07/tripadvisor-to-open-branded-retail-store-at-raleigh-durham-airport/</a> 
Google begins showing Pinterest-like shoppable photos in image search 
<a href="http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/10/15248624/google-image-search-shoppable-product-suggestions?utm_content=buffer63a1f&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/10/15248624/google-image-search-shoppable-product-suggestions?utm_content=buffer63a1f&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer</a> 
========================
Download the Fuel &amp; Flip.to Website Behavior Study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/websitestudy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@marketingmeisha 
@makavanagh
<div>
<hr />
</div>
<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>. Download our leisure travel study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/study/</a>.

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 51 – How Story Telling Can Get You More Bookings

To celebrate one year and 50 episodes of the Fuel Hotel Marketing podcast, we are broadcasting live on Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. This episode is all about our loyal listeners, so we are encouraging everyone who has a burning question related to marketing to submit questions either before or during the show to @fuel travel on Twitter with the hashtag #FuelAMA. That&#8217;s right, it&#8217;s an &#8216;Ask Me Anything&#8217; episode.
CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/317048932&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a>
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
Show Notes:
<iframe loading="lazy" width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w2TiW4B3QWo?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
========================
Download the Fuel &amp; Flip.to Website Behavior Study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/websitestudy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@marketingmeisha 
@pdimaio 
@makavanagh
<div>
<hr />
</div>
<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>. Download our leisure travel study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/study/</a>.

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 50 – Special LIVE Ask Me Anything Edition

We often talk about the importance of testing your hotel website and how it helps improve your conversion rate. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discuss how you can take your testing to the next level by using a qualitative testing tool such as UserTesting.com to support your quantitative data
CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/315876985&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a>
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
Show Notes:
What is qualitative vs. quantitative data? 
Quantitative: Data that can be measured (visits, pages viewed, revenue generated) 
Qualitative: Data that can be observed but cannot be measured (visitor behavior, opinions)
<a href="http://www.usertesting.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UserTesting.com</a>: a service that allows companies to watch “real” people test the usability of their website. These testers come from a pool of nominally paid people, with the ability to have the test request go to specific demographic targets. The software records commentary from the tester and mouse movement. The company has the tester go through a series of tasks and has the tester give their opinion and thought-process as they complete the tasks. There can be written or oral questions for further feedback at the end of the videoed tasks.
User Testing vs. Heat Maps 
Heat maps are quantitative data tools that allow you see the hot spots on a given web page. Both Google Analytics, as well as Adobe Analytics have heat map features. Heat maps are also available through A/B testing tools.
Heat maps are a great way to see some general information about how a web page is being used by visitors. Data needs to be taken with a grain of salt, especially if there is dynamic content on the page. Advantage of heat maps over live user testing is that the heat map is a compilation of all traffic to the site vs. a small sample of paid testers.
Case Study 
Tambourine released two UserTesting.com <a href="http://www.tambourine.com/blog/video-watch-what-happens-when-ota-users-actually-shop-online/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">videos</a> that provided feedback from testers tasked to use Expedia to search for, and book a luxury hotel. One tester was on a traditional laptop and the other on a mobile phone.
From watching the recorded sessions, we get to hear the testers’ thoughts on what they think they are able to accomplish on the Expedia website. The testers are then asked to navigate the site to search for a luxury property in NYC. We get to hear the feedback as they try to figure out how to filter their results for luxury hotels, and then the thought process behind how they choose one property to move forward to book. They go through the booking process until the point of entering a credit card. They are then asked to go to Google to find the hotel’s website and compare the two booking experiences. They are asked which site had better pricing and what, if anything the hotel’s website does better than Expedia.
In the feedback from both testers, we hear that Expedia’s experience is simple and intuitive. The hotel websites required more information or had more steps to complete the booking than Expedia, but neither tester had anything specifically negative to say about the hotel sites. Both sites happened to have rate parity with Expedia’s pricing.
Takeaway from this testing experience: 
Nothing surprising. Only two testers, with just one per device type
Pros and Cons of User Testing 
Pros:
<ul>
<li>We get to hear AND see real people use the website</li>
<li>Generate ideas for A/B tests based on feedback</li>
<li>Catch technical bugs</li>
<li>Potentially see alternate paths that visitors take to navigate the site vs. what we think they should d</li>
</ul>
Cons
<ul>
<li>Very small sample size</li>
<li>ven though you can target users with demographic information that comes close to your target customer, these are still not “typical” website visitors.</li>
<li>Composing the test tasks can be complicated and time consuming to do in a way that gets the testers to give you the feedback you are hoping for, without leading them down a path to answer in a skewed, favorable fashion.</li>
<li>Testers are human beings &#8211; some don’t follow directions well</li>
</ul>
Summary 
Use this service to get some honest feedback on your website in conjunction with your standard analytics data. However, we don’t recommend jumping to large conclusions based on such a limited sample size. Use the feedback to start testing ideas.
Don&#8217;t forget, that episode 50 of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast will be broadcast live on Facebook and Youtube. Tune in at 2pm EST on April 7th for the special &#8216;Ask Me Anything&#8217; episode. You can also submit your questions on Twitter to @_travelboom with the hashtag #fuelAMA.
========================
In The News
Marriott Buys Stake In Tours &amp; Activities Search Engine 
<a href="http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Marriott-buys-stake-in-tours-activities-search-engine" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Marriott-buys-stake-in-tours-activities-search-engine</a>
What Areas Of A Hotel Experience is Most Shared on Social Media? 
<a href="https://www.tnooz.com/article/hotel-experience-most-talked-social-media/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.tnooz.com/article/hotel-experience-most-talked-social-media/</a>
Google Optimize: Available globally today (no link) 
Last September we announced Google Optimize, a free version of our popular enterprise-class A/B testing and personalization product, Google Optimize 360. Today we&#8217;re excited to share that Optimize is now available for everyone to use in over 180 countries around the world. Optimize helps any business test and deliver better website experiences. And to help businesses get started, we&#8217;ve made it easy to implement through a native integration with Google Analytics–just add a single line of code to your existing Analytics implementation!
========================
Download the Fuel &amp; Flip.to Website Behavior Study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/websitestudy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@marketingmeisha 
@pdimaio 
@makavanagh
<div>
<hr />
</div>
<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>. Download our leisure travel study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/study/</a>.

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 49 – Why You Should Be User Testing Your Hotel Website

Let&#8217;s be honest, Millennials get the blame for so many things. The truth is that those of us who were born before 1980 are simply jealous that the younger generation has it way easier than we do. One of the common criticisms of Millennials is that they are spoiled and they have a send of entitlement.  While this may be true, we at the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast don&#8217;t believe that they are to blame for the increasing demands of today&#8217;s traveler. We believe that technology is the primary driver and that it&#8217;s created a society where instant gratification is the norm.
CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW TO START LISTENING.
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/314771977%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-gOd6z&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast/id1101978909" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/itunes.png" alt="Subscribe to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on iTunes" width="165" /></a> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fuel-hotel-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/soundcloud_button.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Soundcloud" width="190" /></a> <a href="http://app.stitcher.com/browse/feed/87986/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Subscribe-on-Stitcher-Icon-11.png" alt="Listen to the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast on Stitcher" width="155" /></a><a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/Is5pw37jjjn4tk327nqan4uh5ci?t=Fuel_Hotel_Marketing_Podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5087" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png" alt="Google-play-logo" width="175" srcset="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo.png 2194w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-300x105.png 300w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-768x268.png 768w, https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Google-play-logo-1024x358.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2194px) 100vw, 2194px" /></a>
If you like what you hear, please leave a comment below, share it with your friends, and also leave a review.
========================
Show Notes:
This is the timeline that we discuss. It illustrates all many technologies that have contributed to a fundamental shift in our society. Today, people are more discerning, they know what they want, and they are not prepared to wait for it. Looking at the timeline below, it&#8217;s no surprise that we all appear to be spoiled&#8230;we are.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5910" src="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Instant-Gratification-Timeline.png" alt="Instant Gratification Timeline" width="2320" height="1052" />
Download the Travel Trends study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/2017-travel-trends/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/2017-travel-trends/</a>.
Don&#8217;t forget, that episode 50 of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast will be broadcast live on Facebook and Youtube. Tune in at 2pm EST on April 7th for the special &#8216;Ask Me Anything&#8217; episode. You can also submit your questions on Twitter to @_travelboom with the hashtag #fuelAMA.
========================
In The News
Amazon Opens Brick and Mortar Bookstores 
<a href="http://uk.businessinsider.stfi.re/amazon-bookstore-chicago-2017-3?r=US&amp;IR=T&amp;sf=lgbldbo&amp;utm_content=bufferd1055&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer/#the-chicago-store-has-sections-of-books-dedicated-to-popular-local-interests--7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://uk.businessinsider.stfi.re/amazon-bookstore-chicago-2017-3?r=US&amp;IR=T&amp;sf=lgbldbo&amp;utm_content=bufferd1055&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer/#the-chicago-store-has-sections-of-books-dedicated-to-popular-local-interests&#8211;7</a>
Travel Tripper Publishes New Google Eye-Tracking Study 
<a href="http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4081713.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4081713.html</a>
========================
Download the Fuel &amp; Flip.to Website Behavior Study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/websitestudy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/</a>
========================
Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom 
@stuartbutler 
@marketingmeisha 
@pdimaio 
@makavanagh
<div>
<hr />
</div>
<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>. Download our leisure travel study at <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.fueltravel.com/study/</a>.

Hotel Marketing Podcast