And while we’re looking ahead to bank holidays, wedding season and holidays, remember to keep up with the marketing themes for July.

August is a chance to relax in the UK – the days are long, the evenings are light and the temperatures are warm.

Are you one of them? Millions of us take holidays this month, escaping the mundane in search of new experiences and memories. The shops are full of barbecue food (whatever the weather), and the beaches are crowded with flip flops.

School’s out and parents are juggling childcare and work, but for holiday businesses it’s all systems go. How are you making the most of holiday season?

Here’s a round-up of events taking place this month, along with a round-up of August marketing themes, to give you plenty of ideas for your socials.

August Marketing Themes

Wedding season

Wedding season is well underway, with invitations pinned to thousands of noticeboards in kitchens all over the country and guests frantically searching for appropriate (and within-budget) wedding gifts.

Your holiday business could offer special rates for wedding parties looking for group accommodation, or special packages that include extras such as in-house chef or spa treatments for large groups.

Guests will also be looking for memorable gifts. How about creating a gift voucher for short romantic breaks for two (out of season to help fill those quieter shoulder months)?

5-29 August – Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Held in Scotland’s capital, this is the largest art festival in the world with thousands of performers taking to stages throughout the city.

There are hundreds of smaller festivals taking place throughout the UK during the Summer, so retailers will inevitably be capitalising on this trend with festival fashion and accessories.

How could you tie in with this theme? Could you serve special festival food, or hold a festival fancy dress night with live acoustic music, hair-braiding and henna tattoos.

12 August – International Youth Day

This annual event is organised by the United Nations and aims to celebrate the efforts of young people in creating and enhancing local communities.

You could organise an event for young people at your holiday business, offer a discount on ice-creams to people aged 15-24 (this is the age the UN defines as ‘youth’) or promote any entertainment and activities nearby that this audience would enjoy.

13 August – International Left-handers’ Day

Just 12% of the world’s population is left-handed and this is their time to shine!

Have a bit of fun with this one and create special offers for left-handers for the week – maybe a large coffee for the price of a small, or extra clotted cream with their scone and jam.

You could even talk to a local freelance therapist to provide hand massages and manicures to guests , whether they’re left-handed or right-handed!

29 August – Late Summer Bank Holiday

The final Bank Holiday of the year before Christmas is one to be treasured – people will be looking for short breaks and events to attend with their family before the end of the Summer holidays.

Hold an end of Summer barbecue for guests, ensure you have plenty of information about events taking place nearby, and provide a range of short breaks that cater to all budgets.

Also try and take a bit of time to relax yourself – you’ll have earned it after a busy season!

28 August- 2 September – World Water Week

Eco-tourism is big business, and guests are increasingly interested in finding out how holiday accommodation providers are doing their bit to minimise their impact on the environment.

How do you save water? Do you recycle? What about energy-saving light bulbs? Make sure your green credentials are well publicised on all your printed marketing materials and on your website.

Once August is over and the schools are back, it’s time to start thinking about marketing your holiday business for the Autumn, specifically October half-term, and Christmas so request your monthly prompts below for next month’s marketing themes to stay ahead of your competitors.

SaBut it’s not all Summer holidays. Your audience may already be thinking about gearing up for the new term, or planning a short break away in September once the kids are back at school….

Get ahead with September’s marketing themes.

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July marks the start of the long break for school pupils, students and teachers across the UK.

And millions hit the roads and skies for sand, sea, swimming pools and (hopefully) sunshine.

This post looks at the themes we’ll see in July that you can use in your marketing, social media posts and promotion.

Sporting events, retail trends, the latest fashion themes and wedding season, July is a mix of colour, textures and travel.

National Picnic Month

Grab a rug, a picnic basket and your favourite people for an awesome outdoor feast for the eyes and the taste buds.

As a holiday accommodation provider, you may want to think about reaching out to nearby food and drink producers to offer guests a luxury locally-sourced hamper for al fresco dining. Partnerships are a great way to reach new audiences on social media and build lasting relationships.

End of term

Exam stress is over, school’s out for Summer and it’s finally time to put those books away for a few months.

Cater to those looking to escape the monotony of everyday by inspiring guests to try new experiences, visit fascinating attractions and discover the magic of exploring.

Share example itineraries and showcase nearby sightseeing destinations. You could even hook up with tourism venues to bag discounts and exclusive special offers.

Festivals

The fields of Glastonbury may be in recovery after a week of mud (or cracked earth), tents and revellers, but there are plenty more festivals and outdoor events coming up this month.

Highstreet stores will be promoting festival fashion (see Boohoo’s festival pages) on their front pages, with casual accessories, floaty fashion, easy-to-wear style and on-trend outfits to pair with wellies and sunhats.

How could you link with this trend? Perhaps offer a ‘festival weekend’ with live music and cheap camping offers, or simply hold a ‘festival’ evening with songs round a campfire, marshmallows all-round and spooky story-telling.

Or offer an alternative to the crowds, shared toilets and noise of festivals with a luxury break in one of your finest rooms.

Garden parties

For those who prefer five star treats to one star tents, the garden party is a pretty cool way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Hang bunting round the trees, make Jenga towers of sandwiches (with the crusts cut off), buy enough Pimms to feed a small army, and get yourself a hat (the bigger the better).

Hold a special event at your venue or get in touch with a nearby garden and offer guests a special weekend break with free entry to the gardens.

Holidays

Thousands will be searching for activities to keep the kids happy in the car, on holiday and at home as the schools break up for the Summer, so offer some ideas on your social media accounts and blog that are fun and free.

This round-up post from Good Housekeeping is a great example of a post that thousands of mums (or “moms” as this is the US version) will bookmark this page for emergencies…

Holidays also mean fake tans, beauty treatments, sun protection, sunglasses, lip balm, hats and natural Summer hair. Could you partner with a local beauty salon to offer spray tans to guests?

Wedding season

The busiest time of year for the wedding industry is May to September – how could your product or service tie in with ceremonies, parties and honeymoons?

Create a dedicated landing page and content on your website that details the special bespoke packages that bring joy to couples. You can also share testimonials (with permission, obvs), photos from previous events, and behind-the-scenes images to inspire those in the midst of wedding planning.

July Marketing Ideas

… inspired by national days and events

1 -23 July – Tour de France

The annual cycling race covers over 3,400km and provides hundreds of hours of television coverage.  Benefit by introducing promotions that tie in with France, cycling and the French countryside.

3-16 July – Wimbledon

Strawberries and cream, Pimms and celeb-spotting.

4-10 National Barbecue Week

Most of us don’t need to be asked twice if we’d like a barbecue. The answer is yes. Always yes.

7 July – World Chocolate Day

Any excuse to peel back the wrapper on a bar of something tasty, or tap into that sweet tooth with a chocolate-themed menu.

9 July – The British Formula One Grand Prix

Silverstone comes alive with the sound of screeching tyres and the smell of burning rubber… get your thinking cap on and create marketing content that taps into all things motor sport.

12 July – National Simplicity Day

This national day honours the birthday of Henry David Thoreau, born on this day in 1817 who was a famous advocate of simplicity.

“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.”

– Henry David Thoreau

Many of us look forward to a holiday as a means of rediscovering simplicity; shoot a short vid of a peaceful evening in the garden of your holiday cottage to show off just how much of a nirvana your holiday accommodation offers.

15-20 July – Festival of Archaeology

UK’s biggest annual celebration of archaeology is an opportunity to discover more about the historic places that surround our homes and businesses.

Events, exhibitions and crafts will be hosted by organisations such as the National Trust, English Heritage, Heritage Wales and Historic Scotland. These are a big draw for tourists, as they discover stories that resonate and fascinate.

16-23 July – The Open Golf Championship

Golf fans the world over are preparing for a long week of avid television watching and Twitter following (follow @TheOpen for live updates and use #TheOpen to join the conversation).

If your target audience is likely to be watching, you can tie in your promotions by providing gadgets that help them stay seated in front of their flat screens 24/7. Ensure your social media updates are in-tune with the mood of the tournament and offer your opinion on who might take the Claret Jug this year.

If your customer is less of a golf fan, give them something to enjoy that takes them away from the TV – an inspiring blog post about nearby walks that aren’t ruined by a golf course, or places to eat which don’t have golf courses.

23 July-7 August – National Marine Week

If your holiday accommodation is near the coast, this is an own goal of an event. Get your guests excited about the natural marine environment by inspiring them to visit some hidden gems nearby.

(I’m off to write lists for our Summer holiday…. bucket, spade, magazines to read by the pool, sun cream, lip balm, hats….)

What have I missed?  If you’re gearing up for something big this month, share in the comments below.

PS Get ahead and plan next month’s content with August marketing ideas.

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Download the 30-day Instagram Challenge

To get started simply add your email address below – you will have instant access to the 30-day challenge, packed with creative ideas to keep your Instagram feed fresh, engaging and eye-catching.

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Consumer trends

At least 80% of people book their holidays online, with a further 90% researching destinations on the web before booking.

Chatbots and use of artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT are becoming the norm for many holiday accommodation providers. The latest tools can help improve guest experiences and simplify their booking journey.

86% of people make decisions on travel destinations based on user-generated content they have seen online. A simple video featuring the interior of your properties and the surrounding area takes no time to make and could attract new bookings.

Accommodation types

Hotels account for the lion’s share of bookings in terms of revenue in the UK.

By 2027, it is estimated that hotels will generate over £18bn in revenue in the UK, compared with £0.96bn for camping and £3.83bn for holiday lets.

Social media

Travel companies see social media as the most effective way to target new audiences globally. The favourite platform is Facebook, closely followed by Instagram, as these are both great at attracting guests and eyeballs.

There’s a reason you keep hearing about ‘mobile first’ – having a website that works fast on a smartphone is essential in a crowded marketplace. 79% of travellers use their phone for booking accommodation and transport.

Are you in the best position for the changing expectations of guests? Talk to us about a website and social media audit to make sure your business is ship shape.

Sources: ABTA, Statista, Amra and Elma, Expedia and Visit Britain.

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As the person responsible for getting bookings for your holiday property, you will need a well-structured marketing plan.

This will help you attract visitors to your website, calls and emails to your enquiries team (even if that’s just you) and bookings.

Without a detailed plan, you can say goodbye to loyalty, web traffic and revenue.

The below marketing plan is a 5-step process that focuses on acquiring new leads, building loyalty, converting enquiries and generating bookings.

Biggest challenges for tourism

Whether you’re new to letting a holiday property or have been in the tourism sector for decades, you will know one of the biggest challenges is getting found online.

The giant online travel agents (OTAs) such as AirBnB, cottages.com, bookings.com and Sykes, can make your holiday properties seem invisible.

Their multi-million pound advertising budgets and high profile online campaigns make it near impossible to compete.

So most holiday cottage companies finally give in and list on third party sites. But with ever increasing costs, is it time to get more creative and take back control to generate your own bookings?

The time to act is now

The dream is: no more paying big commissions, no more restrictive contracts and no more losing control of your availability.

Instead, you put together a clear and effective marketing plan that connects with the right people at the right time.

This helps you connect directly with guests, answer their questions, and add value at every stage so they keep coming back. A good marketing plan that attracts guests is essential for holiday cottage owners who want to go it alone.

So why doesn’t everyone do it?

Because they’re scared. They’re scared of getting lost online, of missing out on bookings and of failing.

You dreamed of owning and managing your own holiday cottage business, but you aren’t a qualified marketer. You’re already wearing fifteen different hats including Human Resources, Housekeeping and Maintenance.

The thing is, you don’t need to be a qualified marketer to do it well.

Guests choose to come and stay with you because you make them feel special; you remember their names, you personalise the welcome pack for them, you share personal recommendations based on their interests and likes. You’re already doing great marketing, whether you know it or not.

You just need a template to follow that shows you what to do before they get in touch.

And that’s why you’re here.

So let’s get started with your 5-step holiday cottage marketing plan:

This plan is designed to make it easy for you to make changes today that will improve your marketing. It takes effort and may take a while to see results, but everything you do here will help build a strong foundation for your holiday business.

1. Know your audience

I know, I know. You hear this everywhere. But there’s a very good reason every marketer wants you to be specific about your target guest.

“When you speak to everyone, you speak to no-one.”

– Seth Godin

If you try to attract absolutely everyone to your holiday property, you will succeed in connecting with absolutely nobody.

Imagine you’re looking for somewhere to stay for your next short break. You browse online, check out a few websites.

Accommodation A describes their cottages with bland details: 3 bedroom, great views, well-equipped kitchen, parking, near to village amenities.

Accommodation B describes their cottage in words you can relate to: comfortable beds so you will sleep like a log after a day’s sea air and coast walking; stunning views across an area of outstanding natural beauty where you may spot hen harriers and buzzards; outdoor space includes a fully furnished decked area to enjoy dark sky star-gazing.

Which is more appealing?

By understanding what your guest are looking for when they visit, you can tailor the language used on your website, on social media and in other communications so it resonates at every stage.

Start by defining your target audience:

• What age is the person booking the holiday? (eg. mid to late thirties)
• Who will be in the party? (two adults plus two young children under the age of 5)
• What are the guests’ hobbies and interests? (nature, good food, photography)
• What level of disposable income do your guests have? (are they looking for high end restaurants and adrenalin experiences? Or prioritising free activities such as rock-pooling and hiking, taking their own picnic out for the day?)
• Where do your guests live? (on the coast? Inner city?)

The more detail you can provide the better.

With a clear picture of your target audience, every part of your marketing becomes easier.

What photos will you feature on your homepage?

How about creating some exciting items to upsell at time of booking?

Are there any partnerships you could explore with local attractions to add value?

Use the right language and your guests will feel you are talking directly to them at every stage of their booking journey.

2. Set your goals

Yes you want more bookings.

But where will those bookings come from? How many bookings do you need? How much more web traffic will help you achieve those bookings?

Poorly defined goals might be:

• get more bookings
• get more web traffic
• get more enquiries

The following example goals are much easier to focus on and to achieve:

• generate five bookings for peak season from our current email list to achieve revenue of £5,000 by the end of the month
• get 1,000 people to visit our website from our social media channels over the next month
• generate 25 enquiries from families with young children looking to book a short break before the schools break up in July

The more specific goals are clear and help direct your actions in the next stage.

How to set your holiday cottage marketing goals:

• Consider revenue goals

What figure do you want to earn in bookings (realistically) in your chosen time frame? How is that revenue made up (i.e. short breaks, long weekends)?

• How many of each type of break do you need in order to achieve that target revenue?

Break down your target into the different types of break so you can see how many two-night, three-night and seven-night holidays you need enquirers to book to hit your target

• How many enquiries do you need?

If you know you normally convert 20% of all enquiries into bookings, you need five times as many enquiries to reach your goal.

• How much web traffic do you need to generate those enquiries?

Using the data in your Google Analytics, write down how many enquiries you receive per thousand web visitors. If you get ten enquiries for every 1,000 users, you can determine the number of visitors you need to hit target.

Don’t stress too much about getting everything just right; wasting hours tweaking the numbers won’t help you reach those revenue goals. Jot down some rough figures and use those as a goal for the next step.

3. Choose strategies

A marketing strategy is a plan of action designed to promote and sell a product or service.

Examples of marketing strategies include:

• social media marketing
• email marketing
• search engine optimisation
• content marketing

Link back to the goals you set in Step 2 to get clarity.

Before you decide on your strategy, let’s look at the samples above in more detail.

Social media marketing for holiday cottage businesses

If social media is part of your strategy (which I’m guessing it is), consider the latest trends shaping how people are consuming social media.

Biggest social media trends in 2023 include:

• the popularity of short videos – as seen in the rapid growth of TikTok
• authenticity – keep it real, not too polished and perfect
• content marketing – educate and entertain your audience to keep them engaged
• shining a light on your guests by highlighting guest feedback, sharing guest stories and thanking guests for their support (all with permission, of course!)

Email media marketing for holiday cottage businesses

Email marketing is still one of the most effective tools for generating revenue. It’s up to 40 times more effective than social media at converting, making it a hidden gem in your marketing toolkit.

You can get started with a free email marketing tool such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact and AWeber.

READ MORE: See our comprehensive guide to getting started with your first email marketing campaign.

Search engine optimisation for holiday cottage businesses

Getting found online is one of the biggest challenges for most holiday businesses we talk to. But there are ways you can improve the visibility of your website:

• speed up your website with a caching plugin
• set-up your Google Business profile
• fix the title tags on your website
• update your FAQs to capture searches for the biggest queries
• add internal links to your most viewed web pages – this encourages people to stick around for longer, clicking through to more relevant content they’ll love
• guest post on other relevant websites – you may already know of some local businesses or attractions that your guests visit. Contact them and offer to create some great new content for their website (or join Visit Britain’s Content Producer Network)
• Content marketing for holiday cottage businesses

Content marketing is all about the law of attraction – create content that you audience want to read and they will find you and stick around.

It helps if you write headlines that grab their attention, but a well-planned content marketing plan is the cornerstone of many holiday companies’ excellent SEO.

4. Implement

So now you know:

• what you’re trying to achieve in the coming months
• who you’re targeting in your marketing communications
• what strategies you’re going to use

All you need to do now is exactly what you’ve outlined.

For each strategy, there will be a list of to-dos.

Maybe you need to create a content calendar for your social media.

Perhaps you need to draft an email marketing plan for the next few months.

Or maybe you will begin working on creating some attractive packages that your target audience will instantly love.

Whatever has to be done, you are now in a great place to do it. Take some time to jot down the individual actions relevant to each strategy, then timetable in who will do what and when.

5. Measure

As with all marketing activity, it’s essential that you track what’s working.

The joy of online marketing is that you’re able to see where your traffic and bookings are coming from through online tools such as Google Analytics.

Google Analytics set-up

If you haven’t already please set this up on your site as a matter of urgency – by adding a small piece of code to your website, you will be able to see:

• where your web visitors are coming from (Google search, social media, referral sites, paid ads, etc.)
• what they’re reading (the top content on your website)
• where they’re leaving your website (the pages where most people drop off your site)
• what search terms they’re using to find you
• how long they’re spending on each page
• and so much more

If you’re not sure whether Google Analytics is installed on your site, Monster Insights have created a handy guide, or if you don’t know where to start, check out this quick guide from Google.

Measure everything

If you’ve got this far, you’re way ahead of your competition. Well done!

By keeping an eye on the data, you will be able to continuously improve your digital marketing, bringing more website visitors, generating more enquiries and securing more bookings.

Keep in mind those key goals you set in Step 2 – you may find it helpful to write them out or print them and stick them to a noticeboard in your office. That way, all your online activity is focused and deliberate – no more lost hours scrolling through Pinterest or watching funny videos on TikTok…

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From chatbots that provide customer service to users on holiday booking sites to AI-generated photos and videos, the AI genie is out of the bottle.

Chat GPT is the latest tool in the AI suite and is currently a hot topic in the world of marketing. It’s been named as the fastest growing app of all time, gaining over one million users in just five days.

But Alexa, Siri and “Hey, Google” are part of our everyday interactions, so what’s the big deal with Chat GPT and, as a holiday let owner, why should you care?

It’s free and can be used for a variety of tasks including:

• answering questions
• generating text
• translating languages
• crafting different kinds of creative content

Chat GPT (which stands for ‘Generative Pre-trained Transformer’ in case you were wondering) is a natural language processing tool that can hold human-like conversations.

It can help you compose emails, brainstorm ideas for social media content and even explain Einstein’s theory of relativity.

Let’s take a deeper dive into how Chat GPT could make your life easier as a holiday let owner.

1. Blog post ideas for your website

Publishing new content on your website is essential for staying relevant and boosting your online visibility. But it takes time to come up with ideas, draft a useful and informative article, and publish it on your website.

What if I told you there was a way to outline a blog post in less than a minute?

One way Chat GPT can help is by creating a quick bullet-point outline of a blog post that you can adapt for your own site. Simply enter your query and let the bot do the work.

What I typed:

Suggest ten things to do on holiday in Cornwall

Not bad, huh?

But of course, there is the risk that every holiday cottage blog in the UK will be swamped with auto-generated content from Chat GPT. Keep yours relevant and unique by customising the style, including your own photos and sharing personal stories.

You could also use Chat GPT to suggest an idea for a blog post, rather than asking it to write the whole post.

Here’s what I mean:

• Ask Chat GPT: “Give me quotes about the importance of taking a holiday”
• Find one that resonates

eg. “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…including you.”

– Anne Lamott

• Write a blog post with the quote as an opening, suggesting ways for guests to properly unwind and recharge while staying with you

2. Content ideas for social media

Constantly coming up with fresh ideas to share to your social channels can be a challenge. You’re already stressed about a busy change-over day, keeping your availability calendar up-to-date and adding new photos to your listing on AirBnB.

So the possibility of a shortcut to social media utopia is tempting…

What I typed:

Suggest social media posts for a holiday cottage

Notice I didn’t mention a place in my original question but Chat GPT assumed I was talking about Cornwall following my previous search. The more you use it, the more it learns about you and what you want.

Nothing scary to see here. Nothing to worry about. Keep reading.

I wasn’t wowed with these suggestions – they all sound a bit ‘salesy’ to me, which is a big no no for social media. Nobody is going to engage with your account if your posts are a long stream of adverts.

Sorry, Chat GPT, I’ll stick with writing my own social media posts.

3. What about tips on getting PR?

What I typed:

Can you give me some tips on getting featured in a national newspaper?

No ground-breaking insights but some useful pointers to get started if you’re new to PR.

4. Pretend to be a guest with queries

What I typed:

I am expecting a call from a potential guest looking to stay in my holiday cottage. Can you pretend to be the guest and ask me questions?

If you’ve been letting your holiday cottage for a while, you will likely know the answers to most questions asked. But if you’re new to this it could be a good way to anticipate the most likely queries.

5. Website copy

What I typed:

Write me a product description for a holiday cottage

Writing content for your website can be time consuming and daunting. It’s not just about giving your potential guests an insight into your holiday accommodation; it’s also about getting across all the benefits without waffling.

You may not be in a position to pay a copywriter to undertake this task for you, but Chat GPT can give you a broad outline that could be tweaked to suit your property and surrounding area.

In conclusion…

Like it or not, Chat GPT is here to stay – the tasks it can undertake are increasing every day, from providing customer service to writing social posts and even translating your welcome emails to guests.

Try Chat GPT for yourself – you will need to create an account, but you can use your Google account for speed and simplicity so it only takes a minute. Once you’re done, ask it anything and see where it takes you.

PS Just remember to use caution and common sense. Just because Chat GPT says it’s true doesn’t mean it is!

The post How holiday lets can use the latest AI technology appeared first on Perfect Balance Marketing.

Before I knew it, I was heading for the plant aisle with a large shopping basket.

Short of time? Get this month’s marketing themes delivered to your inbox in two minutes – click here

This month’s post gives you some pointers on the themes that you’ll see in the press in coming weeks and hopefully offers some inspiration for your marketing and promotional messages.

And if there are still a few days left in May, there’s still time to keep up with May’s marketing themes.

June marketing themes:

Summer time

Now is the time to start talking all things Summer.

Interest in last minute get-aways jumps as we enter the warmer months.

• share photos of your holiday accommodation in the Summer
• promote last minute breaks with promotional deals and extras
• show off the fabulous activities nearby by sharing posts from the social media accounts of nearby attractions

See below (Google Trends chart) how interest in “last minute breaks” jumps in June and remains high until the Autumn, spiking again after Christmas.

Highlight seasonal breaks on your homepage, publish blogs containing packing tips, details of the best nearby beaches, simple Summer cocktail recipes and local ice-cream favourites.

Teacher gifts

It’s the end of term for schools, which means “World’s Best Teacher” cards and boxes of chocolates will be on parents’ shopping lists throughout the land.

I bet your holiday business could offer something awesome that won’t end up in the re-gifting pile…

Perhaps you could offer a gift voucher for parents to club together and purchase for that extra special teacher? Either for a spa in your on-site spa or a voucher towards a pampering weekend? Get creative and make it easy for busy parents to quickly and easily buy online with free gift wrapping and speedy free delivery.

Fashionable fabrics

As the sun finally pokes its sleepy head out after a long hibernation, many of us will be caught out, hot and uncomfortable in our Winter boots and warm jumpers.

But you will be ready. Summer signals the time for us to reveal white legs and last year’s tan lines, generating a buzz of shopping activity on the high streets and online.

Fake tans, fitness classes, light floaty fabrics – and all in an atmosphere of optimism and happiness for the lighter evenings and warmer days.

Fathers’ Day

Another of the year’s major gift-buying periods, Fathers’ Day is just around the corner (Sunday 18th June 2023).

Gifts will be bought for all types of dads:

• gadget lovers
• gardeners
• business dads
• travellers
• sporty dads
• DIY-ers
• handymen
• car enthusiasts

Stay in tune with the Fathers’ Day theme:

• share inspiring quotes about parents
• post funny memes and short videos about fatherhood
• create an extra special gift hamper for dads staying with you this month (perhaps include a bottle or two of the local beer, some freshly baked biscuits and a branded glass for him to take home)

Wimbledon championships

From 3rd – 16th July 2023, Wimbledon will be over-run with:

• singing tennis fans
• celebrities in giant sunglasses
• the world’s greatest tennis players.

News programs will be filled with grunts and shouts from Centre Court, and the supermarkets will be filled with strawberries and cream.

Here’s some tennis lingo that we’ll hear a lot of in coming weeks:

• ball boy
• game, set and match
• umpire
• the ball was in
• backhand
• out!
• smash
• you cannot be serious (it never gets old)
• love – forty

Consider using tennis sayings in your marketing messages or offering tennis-free breaks for those who want to escape the tournament.

Exam time

For some students, term has come to an end already, but others are just going through the exam season – stimulants, relaxation, escapism – they’re desperate for all three.

Could you offer insights from your own experience, or some advice for parents struggling to support their stressed-out teens?

Or maybe you want to offer a treat for exhausted final year students – indulgent cream cakes to celebrate after an exam, detox weekend breaks for when the studying is over, film nights at home, or a day out to enjoy the sunshine away from revision notes and frantic cramming.

Wedding season

As the Summer months approach, wedding season is in full swing and invitations are pinned to noticeboards all over the country.

The season brings plenty of opportunity to satisfy consumer demand from brides-to-be, which is at an all time high as one of the biggest June Marketing themes.

Consider pamper parties for the bridal party, stag weekends for the men, and partnerships with local crafts people to offer handmade jewellery and customised keepsakes for guests.

How will you be getting involved with the big trends of the month?

Look ahead to July’s monthly marketing themes.

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New social networks crop up all the time, generating buzz and excitement among businesses and tech media, but Facebook remains the giant, with over 1.59 billion monthly users.

To keep up with changing needs and trends, Facebook continues to evolve, introducing new features and functionality for users and advertisers.

This constant changes can create stress – what’s the latest change? Is my page up-to-date? Am I doing all the right things to make sure I’m reaching as many people as possible? Have I got my page set-up right?

If you don’t keep up with all the changes you could miss out on potential customers.

Here is the latest check list (you can download a copy here) to ensure you have your Facebook business page set-up right to maximise your success.

1. Instant replies

One of the down sides of social media is its 24/7 nature – when you shut down your computer and head home at 5pm, your Facebook page is still working. Traffic to Facebook actually spikes in the evening on many pages as users are browsing their newsfeed on a smartphone or tablet while relaxing at home in the evening…

I woke up this morning to a notification on my phone received at 00:39 – someone had sent a Facebook message to one of the pages I manage overnight. Unsurprisingly I was asleep at the time so didn’t see it until I checked my phone in the morning, but Facebook has registered this as ignored for seven hours which isn’t good customer service.

One way to manage this is to set-up instant replies on your Facebook page – click the ‘Settings’ heading at the top right corner of your page, write your Out of Office reply within the ‘Messaging‘ section and it’s sent to anyone who messages your page out of hours.

2. Page roles

If you have Admin rights to a Facebook business page, you can add new users who can add content to the page and help you manage it. There are five different types of roles for people who manage pages:

1. Admin – this is the top level of access and the user can manage page roles and settings, edit the page, create and delete posts as the page, respond to comments and sends messages as the page, remove and ban people from the page, create ads and see insights for the page
2. Editor – can edit the page, create and delete posts as the page, respond to comments and sends messages as the page, remove and ban people from the page, create ads and see insights for the page
3. Moderator – can respond to comments and sends messages as the page, remove and ban people from the page, create ads and see insights for the page
4. Advertiser – can create ads for the page and see insights for the page
5. Analyst – can see insights for the page

To add a new user to your Facebook page, click the ‘Settings’ heading in the top right hand corner and then choose ‘Page Roles’ from the menu on the left.

To add someone, type the email address they use to log into Facebook, choose their access level then hit Enter. They will receive a notification from Facebook that someone has given them admin rights to a Facebook business page.

Quick note: Be careful who you add as an Admin – they can remove other page Admins and even delete the page – and also make sure that anyone added as an Editor knows the guidelines on what to post

3. Post Attribution

When you publish a post on your Facebook page, you want it to come from your business, not from your personal account.

Hitting publish to then see your personal profile picture (the one of you and the kids on the beach last Summer) might not quite be the professional look you were going for….

Cringe

To make sure all posts appear correctly, check the Post Attribution settings and tick the button that tells Facebook that every time you’re on your business page and you post something, it defaults as being by the business page.

4. Page URL

Take a quick look at your Facebook business page now – what does the URL in the browser bar look like?

If it’s something like this:

https://www.facebook.com/my-lovely-holiday-cottages-162166373456878/

(see all the numbers at the end?) then you’re missing an opportunity. In less than a minute you can easily change the web address of your Facebook page to something a bit more memorable, like www.facebook.com/my-lovely-holiday-cottages

Click the ‘About’ tab below your Facebook cover photo, then click the Facebook Web Address option and type whatever you’d like to appear after the Facebook.com URL.

If it’s available, Facebook will ask you to confirm the change, then immediately you’ll have your own lovely personalised URL, like the one below.

5. Verify your page

You know those sexy blue ticks that celebs have next to their names on Twitter? How do you fancy having one of those bad boys on your Facebook page?

Recently Facebook has given us meer mortals the chance to get our business pages verified so we too can enjoy the glow of the blue tick!

Want to know how?

Head to the General Settings section of your page and click ‘Edit’ next to ‘Page Verification’.

Enter a phone number (that’s publicly listed as the contact number for your business) and click ‘Verify’ – within a minute or two you’ll receive an automated call to that number from a friendly American woman who will give you a four digit code. Enter this code on the screen and hey presto – you have your tick!

6. Check your insights

One question I get asked all the time is “When is the best time to post to Facebook?” And my answer, every time, is “it depends”.

I know that’s a frustrating answer, but your audience might be different to mine so I can’t tell you when they’re most likely to see your post.

The only way to find that answer is to look at your Facebook insights data.

This information is easy to access via the ‘Insights’ tab at the top of your Facebook page; click the ‘Posts’ heading in the left menu.

Scroll down on this page and you can also see which of your posts have the greatest reach.

The simple takeaway from this chart is: do more of what’s working. Identify the posts which reach most people and publish more like them.

7. Edit the call to action on your cover photo

Way back in 2014, Facebook gave us business pages the opportunity to add a sales button to our cover photos – in marketing speak, this is a ‘Call to action’ which means it’s asking users to do something.

The Norfolk Coast Holiday Cottages page prompts visitors to ‘Book Now’ via the button on their Facebook cover photo:

There are currently 12 options for your Facebook cover photo button, each with different ways to customise what happens:

To edit yours, click the button, select from the dropdown menu and follow the steps.

8. Posting by others

Social media, by its very nature, is social, which means it’s two-way communication, so you will most likely receive comments and posts from other people on your page.

This interaction indicates to Facebook that your page is interactive and therefore engaging, which helps you reach more people.

Check your settings to ensure you have enabled other people to post on your page:

9.Pin post to top

Social media is fast-moving – as soon as you’ve published something it gradually gets pushed down the newsfeed as new more topical posts get published.

One way to get your message seen long after it’s published is to pin it to the top of your newsfeeds – this means that even when you publish other content, this post will stay at the top of your feed until you remove it.

Examples of posts you might want to pin to the top of your feed:

• A time-sensitive offer
• An event that’s coming up
• A new service such as a new property, revamped menu or refurbished room
• A post which has performed particularly well in the past

10. Add links to your profile picture and cover photo

Did you know you could add a link to your About page to your cover photo?

This means that if anyone’s interested in finding out more about you, they can click easily through to your website from your Facebook page. You can even link to a special offer or a sign-up form to join your email list from your cover photo or profile pic.

To add the link, simply click on your Facebook cover photo (the big pic at the top of your feed) or your Facebook profile pic, then click ‘Add a description’ to the right of the photo. Here you can type in more information about your business, and paste in a link to a relevant page of your website.

11. Add featured pages

No man (or woman) is an island and this is never more true than on social media where users are always going to be looking for new content and updates from different sources.

The featured pages section is a great way to show off some other Facebook pages that serve the same audience as you and that you would like to support.

By showcasing a few related pages on your Facebook business page (on the left-hand side of your page, as shown below), you’re adding value to your audience and showing them some additional places where they can find content that they might find interesting.

To add featured pages, visit your ‘Settings’ again and select ‘Featured’ from the menu on the left.

You can choose a few to feature from all those that you’ve already ‘liked’ in the past by clicking ‘Edit Featured Likes’.

Keep up with all the changes to Facebook can be a challenge, but you know I love to keep you up-to-date with any changes that could affect your business so hopefully this post has been useful.

I’ve also created a super helpful checklist that you can download for free on the link below – once you’ve downloaded it, simply print it out and complete it as you work through your Facebook page settings.

The post 11 Facebook settings for pages every business needs to know appeared first on Perfect Balance Marketing.

You just want to run your tourism business, make people happy by providing enjoyable holiday experiences that bring them back year after year.

But you’re competing online with national travel companies that employ teams of people to write fresh new content full-time, so you need some knowledge of what helps your website get found online and what your audience want to read.

Blogging and SEO

This is where blogging can help. Writing and publishing blog posts on your website can help to optimise your website as you regularly create interesting, topical and relevant content that help your readers out.

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But creating content isn’t enough. Most bloggers spend 95% of the time carefully crafting a perfect blog post and the headline is a hasty after-thought, added once the post is complete and ready to publish.

This is a big mistake.

The headline is like the finishing touches in a hotel room – the welcome hamper or the pristine bedding. Not critical for the enjoyment of someone’s holiday but essential to making the right first impression and drawing the reader in.

The best copywriters of all time recommend spending 50% of your time writing your blog post and the other 50% on crafting the perfect headline.

If the headline is not well written, no-one is going to read that wonderful blog you slaved over for four hours.

The importance of a good headline

One of my favourite bloggers, Neil Patel, did some research into blog post titles and found that 8 out of 10 people will read the title of your blog, but only 2 out of 10 people will read the whole post.

This means your blog post title is the number one most important part of the post.

If you’ve made it this far, you’re ready to learn the nine hacks that will turn your headlines from invisible to irresistible.

How to write better blog titles

1. Include a number in your blog post

The title of your blog post shows up in the search engines, so it plays a huge role in delivering web traffic.

Numbered blog post titles have been shown to achieve a much higher click-through rate than those that don’t contain a number.

Eg. 21 Amazing Travel Apps You’ve Ever Heard of

Why? We have short attention spans, particularly when reading online, and list posts are easy to scan. We know what to expect and can easily skim an article to get all 21 promised apps (or whatever) without having to read every single word.

(I bet you’re scanning this now… if you read this sentence, leave a comment and prove me wrong).

So if you’re looking to drive click-throughs to your posts, try and include a number in your blog post titles and test out how it affects the traffic.

2. Make that number an odd number

There doesn’t seem to be much understanding of why this works, but using an odd number in your blog post title increases the number of clicks it receives in the search results.

The Content Marketing Institute researched their most successful blog posts and found that titles with an odd number in them led to 20% more clicks than the even numbered headlines.

So if your post is a top ten list, remove one before publishing. Or add one.

Up to you.

3. Use power words to emphasise key benefits

You know your content needs to be interesting – it needs to solve a problem for your reader, inspire, entertain or amuse them.

But you can enhance your finished headline by adding power words that ramp up the interest.

Compare this to a headline which reads: “17 things to do during the May Bank holidays”.

Hmm, not so tempting.

Add “brilliant” and you’re already promising your reader some fantastic ideas.

Legendary copywriter and advertiser Karl Stepp regularly used power words in his copywriting and Coschedule have pulled them all together in a handy list – download it here or by clicking the image below.

4. Keep it below 45 characters

Google can only show 65 characters in its search results – and on mobile it’s even less – so if your blog post title is too long, it won’t show up properly in search results and all the hard work you put into writing an eye-catching headline will be wasted.

Research by Hubspot revealed that headlines shared on Twitter were shared the most if they had between 8 and 12 words, while on Facebook the length was 12 to 14 words.

If you absolutely can’t keep your title below 45 characters, put the most important key words at the front, so if it is cut off, the first few words make it obvious what the post is about, enticing readers to click through to read the rest.

5. Learn from the masters

Buzzfeed is the king of headlines – they have spent millions of dollars researching, writing and testing which ones work and why, so if you’re ever short of inspiration, take a quick look at their home page and your creative juices will soon be flowing with unmissable titles.

Or you can take a more scientific approach, and learn from software engineer Max Woolf, who studied the most successful Buzzfeed blog titles to identify common phrases.

Read them all here or here are some of my favourites:

[X] signs you’re….

[X] things that….

[X] reasons you should….

….of all time.

….blow your mind.

How could you incorporate those into blog posts that your readers would love?

6. Be useful

How many marketing messages are you exposed to every day?

Research suggests anything from 5,000 to 20,000, so it’s no surprise that marketing blindness is a growing problem as we become blind to the benefits and products being pitched at every turn.

As bloggers we have a job to break through the clutter with valuable content that our audiences want to read.

This means your blog headlines need to instantly communicate a benefit to your audience.

Bad headline: Walk the coast

Good headline: 7 breath-taking walks around the Cornish coast (for all fitness levels)

Immediately it’s clear to the reader what is being offered, and the addition of a power word (“breath-taking”) sells the benefits perfectly. Check that every blog title you create is clearly articulating the benefits of reading it in full.

7. Start your title with ‘How’

List posts containing an odd number (eg. The 7 best rooftop rooms) are most clicked in search results, e-marketing tests and on social media.

However, there is another type of post which comes a close second…

Posts which offer a how-to guide or step-by-step instructions to achieve a desired result are also incredibly popular and successful at generating clicks and readers.

Eg. How holiday lets can use the latest AI technology

The secret is knowing what problems your audience has and trying to solve those problems with a blog post.

Once you have the basic outline, you can make it more tempting by addressing a perceived barrier to achieving the promised outcome.

Eg. How to write and create content for your blog (even if you’re new to blogging)

Do you see how the second one acknowledges a potential worry of the reader, and totally smashes it out the water?

This technique is fool-proof, baby. Even you can’t mess it up.

To create these types of headlines, start with the worry or problem or your reader, then offer a solution. Add a cherry on top by adding in brackets “even if…..“.

It works a charm.

8. Share your opinion

There are millions of generic blog posts out there – but the ones that really get people fired up are the ones that give an opinion, particularly one that’s a bit controversial.

People who agree will share it on their social networks, people who want to taunt their friends will tag them on Facebook below the post, and people who disagree may write an alternative piece and link back to yours.

Many of these are tongue-in-cheek, but be prepared for the responses from people who take them completely seriously…

 9. Test it out

Think you’ve got the best headline ever?

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just run it past someone before publishing, just to get their feedback. When you spend a long time working on something it’s sometimes hard to take a step back and review it objectively.

You’re in luck. The free headline analyser tool over at CoSchedule is designed to help you check just how effective your finished headline really is.

Simply enter your headline and the analyser tool will scan it and show how it scores in terms of relatability and emotion.

So there are 9 (I started with ten but cut one…) of the best headline hacks that can help your posts can web traffic from search results.

Which is your favourite?Save

The post 9 headline hacks to grow your tourism blog traffic appeared first on Perfect Balance Marketing.

Every. Single. Day.

But how easy is it to think up entertaining content to share on the world’s biggest social network every day? Especially when it’s the busiest weekend of the year so far and you’re expecting 33 new arrivals….

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Easter weekend is a big opportunity for tourism businesses throughout the UK as they seek to capitalise on the first long Bank Holiday weekend and the inevitable arrival of tourists looking for something a bit special. So how do you make the most of the opportunities, while still delivering an excellent customer experience for your guests?

As with most things, it’s all in the planning.

Keep your Facebook page alive with engaging content this bank holiday weekend, while still looking after your guests and hopefully even enjoying a bit of relaxation yourself.

Here are five Facebook post ideas for a Bank Holiday weekend:

1 – Stream live video of the views from your holiday accommodation

Video is the most popular form of content at the moment, with live video streamed to your page in real time likely to generate a boost in views and engagement.

I went into detail a couple of weeks ago about how to use the new live video feature (read the full post here) so I won’t repeat it here but if you can, it’s pretty much guaranteed to give your page a boost.

2 – Record a short video of your local beach on your smartphone

Video is still big everywhere, even if you’re not live-streaming, and it doesn’t have to be a Hollywood production – a simple video of the waves crashing in on your local beach on your smartphone could easily reach thousands.

Be aware of what’s going on around you – the daffodils blowing in the wind, the chef preparing lunch, your dog running around the local park – events that seem everyday and boring to you could be fascinating to someone hundreds of miles away sitting in their office.

3 – Share details of events taking place locally that visitors could enjoy

There is plenty going on near you this Easter Bank Holiday – Easter Egg Hunts at National Trust properties, celebrity guest appearances at local attractions, themed craft activities – your guests will want to know what’s happening near you to keep them entertained (whatever the weather).

Share highlights from other Facebook pages or links to comprehensive What’s On guides.

4 – Share photos of food and drink being served

Photographs and videos of food stand out on social media, so use this Bank Holiday weekend as an opportunity to share some mouth-watering photos of the dishes on offer at your business.

Create time-lapse videos of dishes being created, or, like Holbeck Ghyll County House Hotel above, post photos of finished dishes ready to serve.

Yum.

5 – Publish photos of your local beach or nearby countryside

You see it everyday, you can become immune to the beauty of the countryside around your business – but open your eyes and see the views with fresh eyes. Share photos on your Facebook page so people can see what they’re missing!

Once you have your posts planned and ready to go, use Facebook’s scheduling tool to publish them over the Bank Holiday weekend.

It can be a challenge to keep creating new content for your Facebook page, but sometimes something as simple as a video of the sun rising can make the difference between a reach of 25 and 25,000. Plan ahead now and get your Facebook posts scheduled now so you can focus on giving your guests an Easter Bank holiday to remember.

Happy Easter x

The post Facebook post ideas for a Bank Holiday weekend appeared first on Perfect Balance Marketing.