If the saying that no two guests are alike is true, then it also rings true that no two marketing channels are alike – especially when it comes to social media and email. The good news is that there can be overlap.

According to a recent ExactTarget report shared with eMarketer, while email subscribers still make up a majority of engaged followers, there is actually a little overlap in email, Twitter and Facebook fans. This highly-engaged four percent of users are every marketers dream, but how do you increase that number for your brand and continue to keep fans of individual channels happy? Get back to the basics, know your audience and diversify your offers.

Email Subscribers

These folks are your bread and butter. They have invited you into their inbox and regardless of their click-thru rates, open rates or conversion rates, their opt-in attitude can pay off for you. This is also the group you have the most information about so don’t blow it. Sort through your data and segment, segment, segment!

-Email Them

Focus on offering this group the best loyalty offers and make sure you are giving them what they have requested. Remember, you should know if they were visiting for business or with their kids or for a romantic weekend. This group wants to see that you “get” them and are paying attention to the needs and desires they have communicated to you. Your promotions to them should reflect at least a basic level of personalization.

-Booking Window

Email subscribers move on their own timeline, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t build some urgency into your offers. Give them a promo with a few weeks booking window for travel in the near future and a book by date. Keep in mind though that like you, they have to sort through hundreds of emails a day so make your subject line screams deal!

Facebook Fans

Research has shown that your Facebook fans were most likely already fans of your property before they hit the “I Like” button. So, the key to keeping these followers coming back for more is delivering a blend of rich content that reminds them of their fond memories and fun and unbeatable offers that they can share with their friends.

-Post

Focus on offering this group the most inventive and impressive offers you’ve got and remember, the more interesting, quirky or fun the better. Be creative with this audience, a casual tone and exciting offer goes a long way. This is also a great place to give away need period nights or weekends with contests so don’t just limit your offers to the usual rate deals.

-Booking Window

Facebook fans flock to this outlet for 24/7 updates on friends and deals, they are regular users so you don’t have to worry about them “missing out” on something you post at the beginning of the week. Try working with announcing a promo at the beginning of the week with a close at the end. If you are trying a contest, make sure to make a big deal out of winners.

Twitter Followers

Fast and furious is the name of the game with these 140 character addicts. They are tuned into Twitter for only the latest information, deals and developments.

-Tweet

Think “fire sale” for this channel. Focus on offering this group the cheapest rate possible. The offer should be clear, direct and of course, 140 characters. This is also an ideal place to push promos for your F&B offerings. Pack the bar for the evening with a Twitter happy hour deal or hype a new menu item and offer perks to those who try and tweet about it.

-Booking Window

The booking window here is the shortest of all avenues. The offer should go out early to mid-day and the booking deadline at the end of the day. Remember that this audience has a super short attention span so it is a great place to get rid of a few rooms a few days from the offer date.

Once you have established a promo pattern for each of these channels, your followers and fans will make note and that is where you’ll see an uptick in cross-pollination – they’ll realize the benefits of being dialed in to all of your messaging if you have diversified your promos. After all, nobody wants to miss out on a deal.

This foray into more focused social media isn’t the only new feature TripAdvisor has launched recently that could aid properties. The new business listings are streamlined way for hotels to list direct booking info that wasn’t previously available. This is not a free service of course, but for a fee your property can have increased visibility with a phone number, URL and email address – all valuable info for travelers and even more valuable to those looking to channel online bookers directly.

TripAdvisor’s 34 million monthly visitors, and more than 35 million reviews and opinions make is the world’s largest travel site and not participating is not an option for hotels. And, in addition to all the exposure you’ll have on the site, it is highly weighted by Google meaning any activity on your profile page (especially if you have a link directly to your site) can have a positive impact on your natural search results.

Here are a few tips to keep you at the top of your TripAdvisor game.

Tap into the Manager’s Center. If you have registered your property you have access to the manager’s center. This area of the site allows you to report postings that are not about your property, correct any information about the hotel that isn’t correct, keep track of your advertising efforts and respond to reviews. Keep responses short and sweet and always thank users for their feedback. It is best to respond to both positive and negative reviews and do so on a regular basis.

Photography 101. You’ll notice the hotel photo link at the top of your profile rotates from different OTAs. Make sure your photos have been updated in all these channels to ensure that users are seeing the representation of your hotel that you intend no matter what OTA is being featured.

Share the Wealth. Keep on top of the reviews and share the comments with your team and the front of the house teams. Reviews are a great way to get to know what travelers are experiencing and how they feel about your brand. Positive or negative, it is a gold mine of information that the whole organization can learn from. Of course, the more you can learn the better the reviews should become.

Play the Numbers Game. A lot of what is behind the rankings on TripAdvisor has to do with the number of reviews you receive, not just those ratings. Take every opportunity you can to link your guests directly to your profile page. Do you email out a survey? Put a link to TripAdvisor there and ask participants to “share their experiences with other travelers.” Does your GM or anyone in guest services regularly communicate via email with guests? Ask them to add a quick link to TripAdvisor and a standardized line to the bottom of their emails when they feel they have made a positive impact on a guest.

Become a Forum Junkie. The local forum board is a great way to get to know the big influencers on the site and put a word in for your hotel from time to time. Create a transparent user name that reflects your property and introduce yourself to the community. On a regular basis, answer traveler questions making sure to give helpful information that is NOT pushing your brand. By being a resource on the board you will ensure that forum users and local TA experts think of you and your property as a valuable part of the community – that is invaluable exposure.

You have a solid list of email contacts that you’ve built up over years, but do you have any other information about the recipients besides their email address? Did they travel with kids, on business, for a particular conference or on a romance package? All of these little details can help you improve your email marketing results and your relationships with your guests. Today’s tech-savvy travelers are used to personalized, targeted messaging and they are expecting you to deliver the same level of service to their inboxes.

A recent e-Dialog survey of US and UK internet users revealed that email recipients are interested in emails that show the company’s knowledge of their likes, dislikes and if they were a returning customer or not.

If you do have some of this personal information about your guests it is time to start segmenting and creating emails around specific traveler types. Here are a few ideas to get you moving in the right direction.

Identify Segments – Take a look at the calendar from last year. Map out particular conferences or events that may be happening again this year. How about weddings? One-year anniversaries are a happy time to send out special romance deals.    Did you run any popular children packages? Target those folks with a kid-friendly promos and watch the tikes toddle through the doors. Internet users love deals so hit up past guests with a fantastic “Thank You” rate to come back and they will.

Be Consistent When Highlighting Interests – From your subject line to the imagery and text within in the emails, keep your targeted group in mind when developing creative. Your road warriors may not respond well to photos of the pool filled with kids and your returning families won’t find a romantic candle-filled suite appropriate for pillow fights.

Close the Loop – Most marketers believe that their job is done once the email has gone out. But to really wow guests and remind them that you have their interests in mind you need to follow through. Make sure the front desk staff is aware of specialized email promotions that have gone out so they can actively look at the profiles of those checking in and offer them the appropriate amenities and services according to their likes and dislikes.

Clean Up Your List – You can’t get a good idea of who your guests are and what they like if you have a list littered with duplicate names and ancient email addresses. Make de-duping and updating your contact info a habit so that you have a better sense of the actual data you have.

Is Your CRM Light on Details?

It is never too late to start collecting more information on the likes and dislikes of your customers.  There are a few easy touch-points to hit up guests for more personal data.

-Reservations Desk - Adding a few questions to the end of your reservations script can make a huge difference in being able to segment your customers for email marketing purposes.

-Front Desk - Check in can be the perfect place to fish for details. It may add a few seconds onto your average check in time but it will be well worth it. Offering guests an incentive to fill out a quick card for you can also do wonders for data collection.

-Online Reservations – While you don’t want to delay potential guest from hitting that “Buy Now” button, you can still ask for a bit of info on the confirmation or “Thank You” page or even follow up with them in the confirmation email.

You’ve toiled tirelessly to work through and gain approval for your hotel’s social media strategy and now it is ready for action. Goals and measurement objectives have been put in place. You have identified team members to monitor your online reputation and set up a procedure to respond to guest comments. The executive team is on board. The sales and marketing teams are ready to participate. Online accounts and profiles have been carefully crafted. But you could be missing one crucial step.  Have you educated your front-of-the-house staff about the impact social media has on your business?

Online reviews and comments aren’t created out of thin air, they are based on experiences and the good news is your staff can influence them greatly. They are the first to greet your guests and the last to send them off. More than lobby decor, room amenities or facility offerings, your staff’s actions and reactions are what truly shape user reviews.  It is vital that you educate them about the viral power of the service they deliver.

Unlike the hard copy comment cards, online user reviews can be potentially seen by millions of travelers. Tripadvisor.com alone has more than 34 million unique monthly visitors and more than 35 million reviews – Yelp.com isn’t far behind with around 31 million visitors a month. Add Expedia and all of the OTA reviews and you can see how magnified the service levels at your property can become.

The sheer number of eyeballs alone is staggering, but what is even more compelling is the the impact user-generated reviews have on traveler purchases. According to a study conducted by comScore with The Kelsey Group, nearly one in four online users reports using online reviews before purchasing and 40% of those who consulted an online hotel review actually stayed at the property. Of review users, 87% reported that the review had an impact on their purchase.

You can take steps to help your staff understand the significant part they play in your social media strategy and how much weight their actions carry with guests both during and after their stay. Here are some tips to help you get started.

1.  Start on Day One

Staff orientation is the perfect place to introduce the importance of social media. See if your human resources or training team will allow you to hijack a section of their agenda to impart this crucial message to new hires. Keep the presentation simple and powerful and use examples to illustrate your points. Consider using real reviews and have staff role play how they would have dealt with the guest.

2.  Share the Love

If your managers currently use comment cards to call out the stars of your staff, they can do the same with glowing online reviews. This is an easy way to incorporate the power of online reviews into everyday discourse. Of course, they’ll want to be sure to showcase a balance of fantastic reviews and some items that need working on as well.

3.  Buzz

Create and distribute a monthly social media Buzz Report that pulls together a range of reviews from a variety of online review sites. This report will help tell the story of your online reputation, identify trends month over month and give your front-of-the-house managers some benchmark data that they can easily share with their team members. If you don’t have a reputation monitoring tool that can help with this, consider creating it in a simple Powerpoint document.

4.  Reward Five Star Service

Creating an award that is given to a particular department or team that was regularly mentioned in five star online reviews over the year is a fun way to involve staff and get them as excited about positive mentions as you are.

(June 2, 2010) O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing will be at HITEC 2010, June 21-24, Orlando, Fla., where they will introduce their one-of-a-kind iPhone app for hotels called Smartstay. Visitors to the O’Rourke Booth (#1234) can also enter to win an Apple iPad.

Smartstay is a new ‘white label’ iPhone app that hotels can customize to represent their own brand. Hotels can easily enter their hotel information, images, videos, and news updates with an easy to use content management system that they can access online.

The main benefit of the Smartstay app for hotels is that it opens up a new communication channel where hotels can connect with their guests before, during, and after their stay. Hotel guests also benefit from the app and can make a reservation with their iPhones, access information about a hotel, and use the interactive map.

O’Rourke invites conference attendees to visit booth #1234 and try Smartstay for themselves on the demo iPhones that will be available. Visitors can also learn more about how O’Rourke’s services can enhance their marketing efforts and increase their ROI. O’Rourke focuses exclusively on the hospitality industry and provides hotels with Website Design and Optimization, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, and Print Design.

Visitors to the O’Rourke booth can enter the Giveaway by filling in a raffle form which can be downloaded from the Smartstay website. Raffle forms will also be available at the booth. The drawing will be held on Thursday, June 24^th at 11:00 at the O’Rourke booth (#1234). The winner must be present at the time of the drawing to claim their prize.

HITEC is the World’s Largest Hospitality Technology Show and offers educational sessions, as well as an unsurpassed expo which showcases the latest industry products and services from over 300 companies. O’Rourke is looking forward to participating in HITEC and welcomes the opportunity to meet hoteliers and introduce them to Smartstay.

O’Rourke recognized the hospitality industry’s need for a mobile solution and has created a high-quality, robust, unique app that will take hotels into the mobile market and allow them to tap into a new source of revenue.

For More Information Contact:

O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing

e-mail:                        info@orourkehospitality.com

phone:                        978-465-5955

website:                     www.orourkehospitality.com

Smartstay – The Mobile Division of O’Rourke Hospitality

e-mail:                        info@smartstayapp.com

phone:                        888-965-5966

website:                     www.smartstayapp.com

HITEC:                      http://www.hftp.org/HITEC

About O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing

Founded in 2001, O’Rourke is an award-winning hospitality marketing firm headquartered in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Serving national and international clients, O’Rourke provides hotels with a complete range of services including Internet marketing, hotel website design and development, mobile marketing, and print design. Clients include major brands as Marriott International, Renaissance Hotels, and Winegardner & Hammons, Inc.

Understanding why users abandon a transaction is the first step to removing the obstacles that can deter them.  According to a January 2010 survey of US online travel bookers by PhoCus Wright, while too-high prices were the main driver to booking abandonment, the remainder of complaints revolved around site functionality. In addition, online travel bookers also stated that these factors impacted return visits and ultimately drove them to book on competitors’ sites.

The list of complaints is lengthy, but there are some quick and inexpensive ways to alleviate user discomfort and build online loyalty in the process.

1. Be Up Front

While you may not be able to reduce rates low enough to accommodate all travelers, you can still address users’ number one gripe by ensuring that the rates you are advertising are actually available on your site and that you have included or disclosed any additional fees and taxes in your banner ads, promotions and emails. This one simple step will pre-qualify visitors to the site, funnel only those ready to buy at the rate you have listed, eliminate user frustration, and build trust in your target market.

2. Optimize Your Advertising Landing Pages

A landing page is the page on your site where users “land” after clicking through a piece of online advertising. By taking users from an ad to an ad-specific landing page that has coordinating messaging, imagery and promotional offers you instantly reassure them that they are in the right place. To optimize these pages even further, stick to one offer per landing page, lead with the offer and simply bullet out the details. Lastly, include one large and hard to miss call to action – Book Today!

3. Eliminate Pre-Booking Registration

With the constant push to gathering more and more guest information it can be easy to lose track of the number one goal of most hotel sites – drive online bookings. To get back on track, remember that less is more. The faster you can funnel the user to that “Book Now” button the better. Still want to capture some user contact info? You can always include an option to set up an account on the reservation confirmation page after they have booked their stay. Explaining the benefits of creating an account will also increase submissions.

4. Consider Showing Users Availability

Hotels can’t have a room for everyone, but hotel sites can show the dates they do have available and the calendar is a great tool for accomplishing that. By showing availability in this manner, users can see what time frames they have to work with. If your system kicks back the “No Availability” message if there is one day of conflict in the request – even when the other three days are available – it is time to re-evaluate. You will be missing out on travelers who could alter their stay by a day on either end and nothing sends a user surfing to competitor sites faster than constantly receiving the “No Availability” message.

5. Streamline Your Online Content

Hotel sites can be a dumping ground for everyone in the organization who would rather not field questions or deal with travelers one on one, but if you have communicated that the number one goal of the site is to drive online reservations it isn’t hard to cut out the content that is just clutter. Review your content and in every turn ask your team, “Does this content support our goal?” or “Will this info help a user make it to that “Book Now” page?” Use this technique when there is a request to add content as well. The content that you have left will be clearer and more concise to online travel bookers, leading to less confusion and a speedier completed transaction.

Having a hard time identifying what content is important to users and what isn’t? Take a look at your site statistics and see what pages users are leaving your site from and what pages or funnels lead to a booking. If you don’t have access to site analytics, take a read through your recent online reviews and let your previous guests call out what really made their stay memorable, chances are other guests will be drawn to those same points and that is the content you should lead with.

If you would like to learn more about Hotel Website Design and Optimization please call O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing at 978-465-5955 or send an email to info@orourkehospitality.com.

Many hoteliers are asking themselves that very question, ‘Does my hotel really need a mobile strategy?’ They are questioning the reasons why they should enter into the mobile market, how their hotel and their guests will benefit from mobile, what amount of time and financial commitment is involved, and what type of mobile strategy would be best for them and deliver the highest return on investment. In this article we will offer our insights to the questions posed above, and provide you with an overview of the mobile market today and the many opportunities that mobile opens up for the hotel industry.

Why should my hotel enter into the mobile market?

Mobile is no longer just a future trend – it is here now.

We used to talk about mobile as a future trend, but with the rapid growth of smartphone usage, and the mobile guests’ increased expectations, it is clear that mobile is here now and hotels need to adapt and develop a mobile strategy.

As Mary Meeker of Morgan Stanley stated in a recent report, “The current cycle is the era of the mobile Internet and within the next 5 years it is predicted that more users will connect to the Internet over mobile devices than desktop PCs.”¹ She also predicted that the companies that invest in mobile will likely win big (potentially very big) while many will wonder, ‘What just happened?’

A PC-style website is not suitable for mobile.

Just as a standard hotel website is vital for desktop users, a mobile web site, or an app, is vital for smartphone users. Guests need to be able to find your hotel, access information, and have the option to make a reservation through their mobile devices. A standard PC-style website is not suitable for mobile and guests won’t bother trying to navigate through it. Mobile web sites or apps are specifically designed for mobile and are very easy to use.

Your guests now expect to interact with your hotel through their mobile devices.

Smartphone users are very tech-savvy and have increased customer service expectations that your hotel must meet. Your guests want to be able to use their mobile devices to access information about your hotel, make a reservation, and receive up-to-the-minute news about special offers and events. If your hotel doesn’t provide the convenience of mobile you may be losing business to the competition.

How will mobile benefit my hotel?

Mobile opens up a whole new communication channel.

A main benefit of mobile is that it opens up a new communication channel and allows you to connect with your guests in a more personal way. Mobile is unique in that it is always with your guests, and it is always on. An app is an excellent option for hotels and makes it possible for them to communicate with their guests before, during and after their stay in a way that isn’t possible in traditional marketing.

O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing has recently launched one of the first ‘white label’ iPhone apps for hotels called Smartstay^SM. Hotels can purchase the app and then brand it for their own hotel. They can then send their mobile guests exclusive offers, news posts about events at their hotel and in their city, and last minute deals that the guest can use while they are on property.

Mobile allows hotels to manage their own content.

The Smartstay iPhone app is designed with a content management system which allows hotels to create, edit, and instantly publish their own content. Hotels can post special offers and news updates as often as they choose with no added cost (unlike e-mail, SMS, or traditional advertising).

Mobile helps hotels acquire new guests and increase ROI.

Your own hotel Smartstay app will help generate brand awareness and increase publicity about your hotel. Guests will appreciate the added convenience of mobile and it will help build customer loyalty. With Smartstay you can inform guests of special offers and up-sell other hotel offerings to guests while they are on property. You can also keep guests informed of future events and promotions and encourage repeat visits.

Mobile makes booking convenient for guests.

A mobile web site or an app will make your hotel accessible for travelers looking to make a reservation through their mobile device. An iPhone app such as Smartstay makes it very easy for guests to make a reservation because once the guest downloads the app, the hotel app icon will appear on the main screen of the guest’s iPhone. The guest can simply tap on the icon and then select ‘book now’ to connect with the hotel’s booking engine.

Mobile will help distinguish your hotel and appeal to savvy travelers.

Hotels who embrace mobile now will benefit from increased exposure which will in turn increase bookings. Mobile will allow hotels to get ahead of their competitors who don’t offer the convenience of mobile. It is also a powerful opportunity for smaller independent hotels to stand out. Savvy travelers are attracted to hotels that offer the best technology and customer service to their guests.

How will mobile benefit my guests?

Guests can make travel arrangements anytime, anyplace.

Many travelers today spend a lot of time on the road and often have to make hotel reservations on the go. They often depend on their mobile devices to make a reservation or access information about a hotel such as directions, check-in times, or restaurant hours. Guests appreciate the convenience of a hotel app or mobile web site.

Guests will enjoy exclusive offers and up-to-the minute news and information.

With an iPhone app such as Smartstay, guests can receive exclusive offers and promotions. Studies have shown that people are more receptive to receiving offers on their mobile phones than they are to more traditional forms of advertising. Guests will appreciate the news updates about special events at your hotel or in your city. Your hotel can also send guests last minute deals that they can take advantage of while they are on property such as a free drink at the lounge or a discount on a spa service.

Mobile will engage your guests and enhance their stay at your hotel and in your city.

A mobile app can be very engaging and often includes fun and useful features. For example the Smartstay app comes with an interactive map that guests can use to find the location of all the hotel-recommended restaurants, bars, cultural venues and more. Guests can also view images and videos of your property and city. Users will also enjoy the fun features of the app such as the virtual postcards that they can send to their friends and family.

WHAT AMOUNT OF TIME AND FINANCIAL COMMITMENT IS INVOLVED?

Some hotels are wary of developing a mobile strategy because they are unsure of the time and financial commitment involved. As with any marketing endeavor there is a necessary amount of planning and execution time involved, however it is by no means an overwhelming amount of effort. Of course it also depends on the mobile strategy you choose. We believe an iPhone app is the best option for hotels for reasons that we will explain later on in this article. Therefore, below we will look at the time and financial commitment involved in maintaining an iPhone app.

What is involved in setting up and maintaining an iPhone App?

First let’s take a look at an iPhone app. We will use the Smartstay hotel iPhone app as an example. How much time is involved in setting up and maintaining the Smartstay app? The answer may sound too good to be true, but the reality is that you can get your own hotel app up and running within a matter of weeks.

O’Rourke provides you with the app and you can enter in your own content with the intuitive and very easy to use content management system that you can access online. There is no programming involved and all you have to do is simply type in the content. It is also very easy to upload images and videos. You can create and enter the content yourself, or O’Rourke can create and enter the content for you as an additional service.

O’Rourke then submits your hotel app to the Apple Store. The approval process varies, but the average waiting time is usually 2 weeks. Once the app is approved your guests can download it from the Apple App store on their iPhones, iPods, or iPads. The app is designed exclusively for the iPhone so your hotel won’t have to worry about any technical problems.

The hotel can now use its Smartstay App to send out exclusive offers and news posts to their mobile guests. Again, this is not a huge time commitment but it is a task that needs to be assigned to someone on the hotel staff. Typically someone in the marketing department will take on the responsibility. O’Rourke also offers to update content for the hotel as an additional service.

The quantity and quality of the offers and news updates depends on the level of commitment at the hotel (unless O’Rourke is updating content for the hotel). We recommend that hotels keep the news posts updated with fresh information on a daily basis. The posts must contain information that is valuable and relevant to your guests. Hotels can also include their Twitter stream in the news posts.

The hotel must also have clear goals in mind about what they want to achieve with the app. Does your hotel want to boost revenue on property – for example at the restaurant or spa?  Perhaps you want to use the app mainly to generate cutomer loyalty. The app can be used to achieve multiple objectives simultaneously.

How much does an iPhone App cost?

The financial commitment of an iPhone App varies. For example it would be more costly to have an app made from scratch just for your hotel. A more cost-effective option is to invest in a ‘white label’ app such as Smartstay and brand it for your own hotel. There is typically a one time set-up fee which costs a lot less than a website, and then there is a minimal monthly charge to maintain the app. Overall it is a very small price to pay for such a powerful tool.

WHAT IS THE BEST MOBILE STRATEGY FOR MY HOTEL?

Some hotels don’t bother creating a mobile web site or an app because they think their PC style website will also suffice for mobile. Unfortunately that is not the case because a PC style website is very hard to read on a mobile phone. Other hotels would like to enter the mobile market but they aren’t sure where to start.

Two popular options are an iPhone app or a mobile web site. An iPhone app can be downloaded from the Apple App store and the app icon will appear on the main screen. When users click on the icon the app will open and display the hotel content and images in a very mobile-friendly way.

The mobile web site is also designed for small screens and render their pages in narrow columns. Below is an image of an app, a mobile web site, and a PC-style website (which is crossed out because it is simply not a good option).

Which is better, an app or a mobile web site?

There are advantages and disadvantages to both the app and the mobile web. We believe an app is the better choice for hotels for the following reasons; an app is faster, it has a better user interface, it allows for more features, it provides an easier navigation, and has better overall usability.

The main advantage that a mobile web site has over an app is that it can be used on many different phones and browsers. However this can cause technical problems and the site may not display correctly on so many different devices. Many apps, including the O’Rourke Smartstay app, also offer a mobile web version which can be used by guests who have smartphones other than an iPhone.

In a recent article, Adam Kirby referenced Tishman Hotel Corp. who uses both mobile web sites and iPhone apps. He stated, “ Even the best mobile sites are not as user-friendly as downloadable apps, which have the benefit of operating even without an Internet connection. In terms of usability, if accessing the mobile web is like flying coach, then using an app is like upgrading to business class.” ²

People prefer to use apps on their mobile devices over search. On a PC people typically search to find what they are looking for, but on a smartphone they can quickly access the information they need from an app. As Steve Jobs said in his introduction to iPhone OS4, when people want to go out to dinner, they don’t search for restaurants on their iPhones, they go right to the Yelp app.  People do the same with hotels. It is much easier just to tap on a hotel app icon then it is to search for a hotel website.

THE MOBILE MARKET TODAY

When deciding on a mobile strategy that is best for your hotel, it is important to look at the mobile market today and predict where it is going. What technology is currently available and which smartphones do people use most to download apps? How popular are travel apps, and do your guests download them?

Do my guests use Smartphones?

The use of smartphones is growing at a very rapid pace and experts predict that they will overtake feature phones in the US as early as 2011.³ Below is a recent survey by the Nielsen company which shows the rapid growth of smartphones. The falling blue line in the chart below represents feature phones (phones other than smartphones) and the rising green line represents smartphones.

source: Nielsenwire: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/smartphones-to-overtake-feature-phones-in-u-s-by-2011/

Which phone do people use most to browse the web and download apps?

O’Rourke decided to create an app for the Apple iPhone because people clearly use it more than any other mobile device to browse the web and download apps. As mentioned earlier there is also a mobile web version available for guests with smartphones other than the iPhone.

The chart below was used in Steve Job’s presentation of the iPhone OS4 and reveals that the iPhone has the largest share in US Mobile Browser Usage with 64%. Everything else added together is only half the iPhone.

source: Steve Jobs: http://www.apple.com/iphone/preview-iphone-os/

People also download more apps with the iPhone and iPod touch than any other mobile device. The chart below shows the average number of apps downloaded per user per month. As you can see the average user downloads about 8.8 apps a month on the iPhone and 12.1 on the iPod touch.

source: AdMob Mobile Metrics: App Usage Survey, February 2010

http://metrics.admob.com/2010/03/january-2010-metrics-%E2%80%93-app-survey-data/

Will my guests download my hotel app?

Travel Apps are extremely popular and rank in the 5^th category (out of the 20 categories in the Apple App store). Guests will be happy to download your hotel app because of the convenience it will offer them.

The hotels that currently offer mobile apps have reported a very high number of downloads. Choice Hotels International was one of the first hotels to create an app and as of August 2009 it had reportedly been downloaded more than 225,000 times in 73 countries. The Starwood Hotel app is also very popular and is being downloaded at a rate of 2,000 per week. ⁴

WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES IN MOBILE?

Mobile is a new frontier that offers hotels numerous opportunities to connect with their guests, tap into a new source of revenue, enhance customer service, and increase customer loyalty. Hotels are aware that they need a mobile solution but they are still trying to work out which strategy would be best for them and understand what their opportunities are in mobile.

Below is a chart from an EyeforTravel report based on a survey of people working in the travel industry and the opportunities that they have identified in mobile.

Opportunities identified by the travel industry

Source: EyeforTravel Report
The Introduction – http://www.eyefortravelresearch.com/reportsales/record/id/10

In closing, Mobile is here now and it is here to stay. As a recent EyeforTravel report states, till recently the “growth and uptake has been slow and identifying the right opportunities continues to be the hardest part of setting a mobile agenda,” but it is emphasized that the use of mobile in travel distribution is “unavoidable” and “the key success of any travel business in the future.”⁵

If you would like to learn more about the Smartstay iPhone App for Hotels please call the mobile division of O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing at 888-965-5966 or send an email to info@smatstayapp.com. You can also visit the Smartstay website at www.smartstayapp.com.

O’Rourke will be attending HITEC 2010, June 21-24, Orlando, Fla. Stop by our booth (#1234) and enter to win an Apple® iPad.

¹ Mary Meeker: Mobile Internet will Soon Overtake Fixed Internet (April 12, 2010)

http://gigaom.com/2010/04/12/mary-meeker-mobile-internet-will-soon-overtake-fixed-internet/

²Adam Kirby: Hotels Get App Happy (Aug 31, 2009)

http://www.usablenet.com/in-the-news/hotels-get-app-happy/

³ Smartphones to Overtake Feature Phones in U.S. by 2011 – March 26, 2010

http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/smartphones-to-overtake-feature-phones-in-u-s-by-2011/

⁴Adam Kirby: Hotels Get App Happy (Aug 31, 2009)

http://www.usablenet.com/in-the-news/hotels-get-app-happy/

⁵Eye for Travel: Travel Industry gets serious about Mobile

http://www.eyefortravelresearch.com/liveresearch?h=91#tab-recentfindings

Smartstay is a revolutionary iPhone app customized to your own hotel brand. The Smartstay hotel app serves as a 24/7 concierge and provides users with a micro mobile website, real-time news about events, and an interactive city guide.

Hotels have unlimited opportunities to communicate with their guests and can send them exclusive offers. Smartstay is a mobile solution for hotels looking to capture a wider market share, tap into a new source of revenue, and enhance the guest experience at their hotel and in their city.

For more information call 888-965-5966
http://www.smartstayapp.com/

A free Demo Version is available for download at the Apple Store. Just tap on the apple store icon on you iPhone and search for Smartstay or click on this link:  http://bit.ly/bgSC4Y

O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing, a full-service marketer specializing in the hospitality industry, has just launched Smartstay a one-of-a-kind iPhone app that hotels can customize to reflect their own hotel brand.

Smartstay is a mobile solution for hotels who have been looking for a way to enter the mobile market and who recognize the many benefits the mobile platform can provide their hotel and their guests. Tom O’Rourke, Founder/CEO of O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing explains, “We’re opening up a channel that has never been used before in the hotel industry. This is not just another app – it’s an opportunity through a mobile channel to connect with a guest before, during, and after their stay.”

O’Rourke explained that the mobile platform is new for hotels and is often overlooked in their marketing plans. Many hotels still spend millions of dollars on traditional media that aspires only to attract guests to their hotel. The mobile platform allows hotels to communicate with their guests in a continuous and connected manner.

Smartstay provides many benefits for hotels and it can help them capture a wider market share, tap into a new source of revenue, and enhance the guest experience at their hotel and in their city. Hotels can send exclusive offers directly through the Smartstay app and the user is then prompted to make a reservation with the single touch e-mail and dialing options.

The hotel can also cross-sell and up-sell guests on amenities, their spa services, the hotel restaurant or events at their hotel through the news feature of Smartstay. The hotel can enter posts as often as they choose and they can also incorporate their Twitter stream to supply their guests with real-time information that their guests can use at that moment. For example if the hotel posts a last minute deal at their restaurant, guests with Smartstay will receive the message on their iPhone and may decide to have dinner at the hotel restaurant to take advantage of the offer.

The Smartstay app also serves as a micro mobile website and guests can see images, videos, and useful information about a hotel. The hotel can manage all the content on the Smartstay app through a very easy-to-use back-end program that they can access online. Hotels can instantly update their content and choose the information they want to display such as directions, specials & packages, room rates, restaurant information and more.

Smartstay appeals to travelers and helps them make the most of their stay at a hotel and in a city. Many people today make travel plans from the road and they appreciate the convenience of managing their stay at a hotel directly from their iPhones. Once a guest downloads a Smartstay hotel app from iTunes, the hotel icon appears on the user’s iPhone. The next time the Smartstay user travels, they are more likely to tap on the hotel iPhone icon and make a reservation at that hotel because of the convenience it offers and the time it saves them from searching the Internet for hotels.

Guests will also enjoy the interactive city guide which will help them find the location of the nearest shops, bars, restaurants, cultural venues, transportation services, and more. Guests simply tap on the icons to see detailed information about a specific place. They can also tap on the phone number if they would like to learn more or make a reservation. Local area businesses such as bars and restaurants may also promote special offers on their detailed description page with the consent of the hotel. With the interactive map feature, guests are able to find their way around an unfamiliar city at any time without the help of a concierge.

The Smartstay app is an asset to any hotel and will help them increase revenue, improve guest loyalty, and enhance the guest experience. O’Rourke has officially launched the Smartstay hotel app and is currently filling requests from interested hotels. However, as Tom O’Rourke pointed out, “There are unlimited opportunities for hotels to use the iPhone app and we are constantly working to add new features and find creative ways that hotels can use the app to connect with their guests and increase revenue. Once a hotel has obtained their customized  iPhone app that is not the end, but just the beginning. We are confident that hotels and hotel guests alike will find the Smartstay app an invaluable resource for travel.”

Contact Information

For more information about the Smartstay hotel app please contact the mobile division of O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing:

Toll Free Phone Number: 888-965-5966

Watch a Demo Video: http://www.smartstayapp.com/

Try it for Free!

A free Demo Version is available for download at the Apple Store. Just tap on the apple store icon on you iPhone and search for Smartstay or click on this link:  http://bit.ly/bgSC4Y

About O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing

Founded in 2001, O’Rourke is an award-winning hospitality marketing firm headquartered in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Serving national and international clients, O’Rourke provides hotels with a complete range of services including Internet marketing, hotel website design and development, and print design. Clients include major brands as Marriott International, Renaissance Hotels, and Winegardner & Hammons, Inc. For more information see the O’Rourke website: http://www.orourkehospitality.com/

Our clients often ask us if they should use Facebook ads. Many hotels are skeptical about using the ads and question if they will be effective or not. We recommend that hotels do use Facebook ads, but that they do so with clear goals in mind, and that they follow best practices when it comes to designing, targeting, testing, and tracking their ads.

Before using Facebook ads, hotels should understand the advertising platform. As with any advertising medium, the objective of using Facebooks ads is to increase your business. Facebook ads have the power to do this, but as their representatives often state, their platform is primarily in demand generation rather than demand fulfillment.¹

In other words Facebook considers itself to be a platform where you can generate interest in your brand – demand generation, which typically happens at the top of the sales funnel. Once consumers have decided to take action, they may conduct more specific searches on Google, which can be used for demand fulfillment.  Facebook ads are used more to stimulate interest in a brand, and engage with customers early in the buying & decsion making cycle.  As the Facebook marketing slogan states, ‘Find your customers before they search.’

What are Facebook Ads?

Facebook ads appear on the right-hand column of the Facebook pages and are highly targeted to the users’ profiles and interests. Advertisers can easily create ads through their own account, and can set a minimum budget for as low as $1 a day. You can choose to bid by CPC (cost per click), or by CPM (cost per thousand impressions).

Only three ads may show at a time on a page, and the ads to be displayed are determined by an algorithm that takes into account the ad performance and the bid. Advertisers can run multiple ads simultaneously, and can set up start and end dates up to 30 days in advance. You can then track the performance of your ads through the Facebook reports and your analytics software.

How can my hotel benefit from using Facebook Ads?

Targeted Messaging

Facebook compiles personal information from its users’ profiles and interests, and will display your ads to people who match the criteria you specify. This is extremely beneficial for hotels, because they typically have different segments with different target audiences that will require different ads.

For example, you may want to create an ad to promote weddings at your hotel. You can specify that your ads be shown only to females, who are engaged, between the ages of 20-35, and who live in a specific state, or province. You could also create ads about your spa, restaurant, or meeting space, and select different demographics for each ad.

The targeting options you can choose from include location, age, birthday, sex, keywords, education, workplaces, relationships, interested in men or women, languages, connections, and friends of connections. Below is a brief description of how these options can help your hotel send targeted messages:

Target people in different countries, cities, or states: This option is very useful to hotels. For example, a beach resort that is a short distance from a city may run a summer campaign targeted exclusively to people who live in that city. You may also want to run an international campaign to promote your hotel to an overseas market.

Create ads that will appeal to different age groups: Different types of hotels may appeal to different age groups.  For example, a golf resort may want to target an older demographic than a modern urban hotel.

Send people special offers on their birthdays: Create a separate ad with a birthday image and perhaps a special offer.

Target to men or women: Different ads will appeal to different genders. For example, you could create two ads for the same weekend getaway, one that would appeal more to women, and one that would appeal more to men.

Use keywords that match users’ interests: This is the most important targeting option. When a Facebook user sets up an account, they can reveal a lot of personal information about themselves, including their basic information, where they went to school, and where they work. There is also a personal profile where users can list their favorite activities, interests, favorite music, favorite TV shows, and favorite books.

As an advertiser, you can select words (keywords) to target, and your ad will be displayed to people who have used that word somewhere in their profile. For example, if I am creating an ad to promote my hotel restaurant, I would need to think of the words that someone interested in food and dining might include in their profile, such as such as, ‘dining out,’ ‘gourmet food,’ or ‘cooking.’ If I include these words in the keyword section, my ad will be displayed to people who have used these words in their profile.

You should create different versions of your ads to match different profiles. For example, think of the city or town you are in. Why do people go there? Some go to ski, to see a sports event, to shop, to see the sights, to go to a show, to visit a museum, etc. You could create an ad for your hotel that includes an image of a museum in your city, and display it to people who are have expressed an interest in art or in visiting museums. You could take the same ad, and include an image of a famous sports event in your town, and display it to people who are interested in sports, a specific team, or a specific event.

Customize your ads to students of specific universities: Send an ad to students of a specific university, and offer them a special discount for family members. For example, if I was a student at Emerson, and I saw an ad that said, ‘Hey Emersonians – Special Discount for Your Parents!’ it would get my attention. The National Center for Education Statistics can give you a list of all the Universities in your area.

Include the name of a specific workplace in your meetings ads: Create a meetings ad and include the name of the company that you are targeting. For example, employees of ‘Compstar Rhode Island’ would be interested in an ad that stated, ‘50% Discount on Weekend Retreat for Compstar, Rhode Island Employees!’

Target wedding ads to couples who are engaged, or offer weekend getaways for married couples: Relationship targeting is very useful to hotels. You could promote weddings at your hotel to couples who are engaged. You could even go a step further and create a separate ad for the bride-to-be, and another one for the groom-to-be. With Facebook ads you can also target married couples of various age groups, and offer weekend getaways.

Create ads targeted to the gay and lesbian community: Facebook ads allow you an excellent opportunity to create ads that will reach the gay and lesbian community. Most ads on the market are very generic and cannot target specific groups. People in the gay and lesbian community will become more aware of your hotel, and perhaps choose you over your competition.

Create ads in different languages: People respond better to ads that are in their own language. Create ads that will appeal to foreign language speakers and tap into new markets.

Create ads exclusive to your fans with Connection Targeting:

Connection targeting allows you to send ads targeted to people who are fans of your page, people who have used your applications, members of any groups you may have, or people who have RSVP’d to one of your events.

Send your connections a special offer, and encourage them to share it with their own network of friends and family. Your connections have already proclaimed their interest in your brand, and they will be happy to engage with you. You also have the option to exclude your connections from seeing an ad, for example if you are sending an ad to promote your Facebook page, you may not want to send it to people who are already fans of your page.

You can even send ads that target the friends of your connections:

One step further than connection targeting, you can also target friends of your connections. For example, let’s say that Sally is a fan of your hotel Facebook page. When your hotel sends an ad, you can select the ‘friends of connections’ option, and all of Sally’s friends will receive your ad. Even more exciting, the ad will also announce that their friend Sally is a fan of your hotel Facebook page. Sally’s friends are more likely to click on your ad because they trust Sally, and they will be curious about your hotel.

Facebook users who fit a specific profile will welcome your ad

There has been some controversy whether ads should appear on Facebook, because it is mainly a place to socialize, not shop. However, the Facebook ads targeting options allow you to target people who have already proclaimed an interest in things related to your hotel or to travel. For example, they may have expressed an interest in your city, an interest in an activity your city offers, an interest in dining out, or an interest in leisure travel. These are the people who will see your hotel ads, and they will welcome the opportunity to learn about a special offer at your hotel.

Awareness building

Another benefit to using Facebook ads is that your ad will gain a lot of exposure, which will build more awareness about your hotel. Every time your ad appears on a page it is called an impression. Even if your ad doesn’t receive many click-throughs, it will still be effective because the impressions will generate awareness.

Facebook ads can affect search behavior

Studies have been conducted that explore the impact of a brand’s exposure in social media on users’ search behavior. One such study, conducted by GroupM, revealed that searchers who engage with social media, especially those exposed to a brand’s influenced social media, are far more likely to search for lower-funnel terms compared to consumers who do not engage with social media.² (Lower-funnel terms express action and loyalty including campaign brand terms and brand product terms. Upper-funnel terms express awareness and consideration such as industry relevant terms or general product attributes.)

You have less competition (if you advertise now)

Facebook ads are still relatively new, and many hotels haven’t figured them out yet, but they will. Some businesses are afraid to advertise on Facebook because they believe some of the other ads appear spammy or low quality. The flip side of the coin are the large corporations who also advertise on Facebook. If you create a well-designed ad with an attractive image and clever copy, your ad will stand out, and you won’t be competing with hundreds of other hotels.

It is wise to start advertising on Facebook now while you have less competition. Businesses are becoming more aware of the opportunities that Facebook ads present. Tim Kendal, Facebook’s Director of Monetization, stated in a September article from ‘Daily Finance,’ that the number of advertisers on the platform has more than tripled over the past 12 months.¹

FACEBOOK AD TIPS

Set up a Facebook business page

Regardless of whether you are using Facebook ads or not, you should definitely set up a Facebook page for your hotel. Encourage your guests to become fans of your page. Any action a fan takes on your page will go into the news feeds of all their friends’ pages. For example, if Sally signs up to become a fan of your page, all of her friends will be notified. They will also be notified if she takes some action on your site, for example if she RSVP’s to an event. You can also create ads to promote your Facebook page where users can sign up to become a fan without even leaving their own page.

Set measurable goals

Outline your goals. What do you want to achieve from your ads? Once you have identified your goals, you will have something to compare your ad campaign performance to.

Create compelling ads with relevant landing pages

Create copy and images that will stand out and capture attention. Specify what makes you different from your competition, and have clear calls to action that will tell users what they can do when they arrive at your landing page, i.e. ‘Book Now!’ It is also smart to include a special offer or promotion.

Facebook has outlined some suggested best practices you can follow. Make sure that your landing page is relevant to your ad, and allows users to follow through on your calls-to-action. You should also change your creative often to keep users’ interest. Don’t forget to optimize your ads and landing pages with your keywords.

Test, Test, Test!

As with most online advertising, you can greatly increase the effectiveness of your Facebook ads through testing. For example, you can send two different ads to the same audience to see which one performs the best. You can test ad copy, imagery, landing pages, and experiment with different targeting options. A trick of the trade is a tool called Facebook Ads Manager, and it can help you conduct split testing and multivariable testing. It can also help you automatically create thousands of Facebook ads.

Start big, narrow down

Start out by creating many ads, and then narrow it down to the ads that are most effective. You may also want to experiment with bidding by cost-per-click and cost per thousand impressions to see which option is most profitable for your ads.

Track your results

You must monitor your ad campaign’s performance. With your account, you can analyze data about your click-through-rates, impressions, and average cost-per-click or cost per thousand impressions. You will start to notice what works well, and what doesn’t, and then you can decide what action you need to take to improve your campaign. You can also integrate your ads with Google Analytics so you can track conversions on your website.

The best way to learn if Facebook ads are right for your hotel is to give it a try. Here at O’Rourke, we believe that Facebook ads are an effective way to build awareness about your hotel, and generate new business. It is an inexpensive platform to use, and if you test your ads, and follow best practices, you could have a lot of success with Facebook ads. According to the Facebook statistics, there are more than 350 million active Facebook users. That is a large audience that your hotel could tap into. The targeting options available, and the popularity of the site, make it a perfect advertising platform. Start advertising now to get ahead of your competition, and as the Facebook ad slogan states,  ‘Find your customers before they search.’

¹ Facebook revenue guru says demand generation is secret to ad success

² Group M, The Influenced: Social Media, Search and the Interplay of Consideration and Consumption

If you would like to learn more about Internet Marketing and Social Media Strategies, please call us at 978-465-5949 or send an email to info@orourkehospitality.com.