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What do your customers want from you?  Specifically, what do they want from you when they’re mobile?

That’s the question you need to answer when building a mobile marketing campaign.

If they’re interacting with you on their phones, they need something – now. Think what this could be and how you can solve it from their perspective.

It’s probably basic information like:

• Your phone number
• Your email
• Your address
• Directions from where they are (perhaps from Google maps)
• Important hours (check in, check out)
• Special promotions

They don’t need to access your whole website, just the basics.  Consider making a separate, very basic website with just this information.

Or, start off by making your existing site mobile-friendly.  (This is easy with blogs.)  Mofuse.com offers a quick & easy converter.

An accessible website is one aspect of your mobile marketing campaign, but what about personalized communication?

Begin with people you already have relationships with: your best guests.  Ask what they want most from you (special rate alerts, etc). Only send what they ask for, and only as often as they ask.  You must be extremely sensitive to privacy issues, since nothing will hurt your relationship than sending unwanted messages.

However, if guests have specifically requested mobile communication from you, SMS is a good place to start.  Most people are familiar with text messaging, and nearly every phone supports it.  Some companies that specialize in SMS communications include MobileStorm and i2SMS.

The future of mobile marketing for hotels will undoubtedly involve proximity awareness, giving you the ability to serve relevant information based on the user’s location.   But for now, it’s important to make sure your basic hotel information is fully accessable to mobile users.

With conflicting opinions about the state of the travel industry right now, it can be hard to separate hype from reality.

According to USA Today’s hotel blog, overall US hotel occupancy was down 7% earlier this month, with luxury hotels getting hit harder.

Does this number sound right?  What has been the trend with recent occupancy rates at your hotel?  I’d be interested to know…

To make smart marketing decisions, you need solid information. Of course, this is true in any economic climate, but with a possible slowdown ahead in the travel industry, the stakes are even higher.  All marketing expenditures must be justified by results.

If you’ve been marketing for a while, you undoubtedly know some metrics that work for traditional marketing and advertising campaigns.  However, the rules of the game change once you begin marketing online and encounter a wide variety of new media options.

What metrics should you use to measure the effectiveness of your digital hotel marketing campaign?  Let’s start off by putting aside a couple web marketing metrics that have been used in the past, but aren’t really that helpful anymore.

• Number of ad views – in the early days of the web, it was common to purchase advertising based on the number of ad impressions or views.  Now, there are other more effective ways (such as pay-per-click).
• Website visitors – the number of people that visit your website might have little correlation to the effectiveness of your marketing campaign.

Should you track these?  Absolutely.  They just don’t provide enough insight.  So let’s move on to some more helpful metrics.

1. Conversion rate – what percentage of website visitors are booking a room?
2. Cost per booking – actually, you should be tracking a wide variety of “cost-per” actions for any advertising campaign. How much does each click, visitor, and lead cost? Spending must be tied to revenue gains.
3. Referral source type – knowing the type of websites that provide the most visitors can help you decide the direction of your marketing campaign
4. Search engine rank – How high do you rank in search results for each important keyword phrases?  Search is still the #1 way people find websites, so you need to list high for key phrases.
5. Social media mentions – How many bloggers and social travel networking websites are talking about your hotel?

Those are the core metrics that are important for anyone doing hospitality marketing.  Other metrics that could be useful in your situation include:

• Percentage of positive mentions in social media – this statistic is a little harder to generate, but the results are more insightful.  What is the overall consensus on your facility?
• Average time on site – how long do people stay on your site?
• Bounce rate – how many people leave your website without visiting any other pages (the lower this number, the better)
• Reservation abandonment rates – you need to know when and where potential guests are giving up in your booking system
• Top referral keywords – which phrases do people use to find your website?
• Number of inbound links – your goal should be to increase the quantity and quality of inbound links each month
• Google Pagerank – Google’s measure of website authority

Whatever combination of indicators you plan to use, the important thing is that you track and save this information.  You can only make efficient marketing decisions by looking at historical data, and then focusing your marketing resources on what works.

Let me ask you this: What metrics do you use for digital marketing?

For some hoteliers, the first reaction they have when facing an economic slowdown is to slash prices.

But is this really a good strategy?

If you look at historical data, the answer is clear: you should never, ever reduce prices as a quick-fix remedy.

All studies carried out in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in New York City showed that price cuts damage the long-term health of your business.  One report by Cornell University, titled “Hotel Pricing in a Networked World,” shares this insight:

“It should come as no surprise that discounting has a chilling effect on revenues. The discounting concept is based on the core micro-economic principle that reducing your price means that additional consumers will enter the market and you will sell more rooms.  The hotel industry has never been able to apply this principle successfully, and the CHR study demonstrates why this is so.

New consumers do not enter the market in response to hotel discounting.  Instead, current customers simply get more for less and revenues fall.“

So what should be your pricing strategy?

Try this: Leave your prices where they are, but increase your perceived value.

Instead of discounting, focus on building your overall value package.  Sell the experience – work to position your hotel as a destination.

Explore social media networks, and look for recurring themes of what guests like about your hotel.  Improve and showcase your specialties.  Put them at the core of your marketing efforts.

But never fall for the price cutting trap.

So far in 2008, a number of negative events have taken place in the world economy.  First, oil prices soared over the summer, causing many people to re-think their travel plans. Then, the credit crisis intensified, causing the stock market to plunge and several established banks to fail.  Speculators wonder if the US and the rest of the world is headed for a prolonged period of economic recession.

As expected, the travel industry has taken a hit with this news.  A new survey by Travelocity showed that 66% of respondents’ travel plans are affected.  Many marketing professionals in hospitality are worried about how they can weather this storm.

But let’s take a step back and look at the big picture.

With all the gloom and doom going around, there remain some good opportunities for the savvy hotel marketer.

Life will still go on.  Business travel will still take place.  Weddings will still happen.  People will still take vacations, even if they tend to stay closer to home now.

You now have the opportunity to gain market leadership in this environment.  While everyone else is cutting back on marketing, you can gain market share by consistently running a smart promotions strategy.

Now is the time to increase your marketing, not decrease it.

Of course, you’ll have to play smarter.  The same old tactics and campaign may no longer be sustainable.  You’ll need to think outside the box, and develop a campaign that takes into consideration new trends in media and travel.

How can you play smarter?  That’s the subject of this series, and I’ll be showing you specific tactics in the days ahead.

Let me ask you this: how has your hotel been affected by the economy?

Industry studies show that search engines account for the large majority of traffic to most hotel websites.  Of course, this is hardly surprising.  Search engines are the most popular way for internet users to find information.

With this in mind, how can you position your hotel to capture a larger share of search engine traffic?  There are two broad approaches to search engine marketing (SEM), which I’ll explain in this post.

1. Natural (Organic) Optimization

All search engines will include your hotel website somewhere in their results pages – it’s just a question of how far from the top.  The natural approach to ranking high involves optimizing your website, and getting other popular sites to link to you.

The advantages of organic optimization:

• Getting visitors from natural searches is totally free for you
• The people coming from search engines will be actively looking for you
• A higher placement conveys authority for the term searched for

The disadvantages of organic optimization:

• It can take a while to reach the top for your core keywords
• In some markets, the competition can be very intense (lengthening this time even more)

2. Paid Placement

It is possible to pay to appear in search engine result pages.  Usually, this is accomplished by using pay-per-click services such as Google AdWords.

The advantages of paid placement:

• It’s possible to instantly appear at the top of search results
• It can potentially be a very cost-effective way to attract guests (usually under $1 for each visitor)
• The ability to measure campaign success (more than any other advertising medium)

The disadvantages of paid placement:

• Your campaign can cost a relatively large amount (depending on the strategy you use)
• Ongoing management of your campaign is needed

In future posts, I’ll discuss in greater detail how to design and launch a campaign using both of these types of search engine marketing.  Stay tuned!

Let me ask you this: Which search marketing strategy does your hotel focus on?

With all the turmoil the US financial markets are going through, what is your hotel marketing strategy for the months ahead? Do you plan to change marketing tactics, or continue existing ones?

I’d like your input.

Please take a moment to complete this completely anonymous, 90-second survey.

I’m going to compile all the results into a special report, which will be available for free download from this website.

People who share their ideas will be able to download the report first, so to reserve your copy please take the survey now.

Getting covered in a popular travel blog is one of the best ways to increase your internet visibility.  Because of the way the internet works, one mention in a high-profile website will give you long-term benefits – perhaps even more than traditional media coverage.

• The blog post will be archived and searchable for future potential guests
• A link to your website will improve your search engine ranking for years to come
• The coverage will increase awareness of your story with other bloggers and writers

With all this to gain, how do you encourage travel bloggers to write about your hotel?  Depending on the amount of commitment you have to this form of marketing, your hotel can take one of two approaches:

The pitch-from-a-distance approach

Sending bloggers stories by email or mail is certainly the easiest (and fastest) approach.  From your desk, you can connect with dozens of top writers and present your story idea.

If you choose this method, be sure to follow these steps:

• First, find relevant bloggers.  Directories such as BlogCatalog can help you with this.
• Second, take some time to read the blogs you plan to pitch.  Get to know the author, and the topics he likes to write about.  Look beyond the blog’s title and see if the blog would even be a good fit for your story.  Pitching a story that is not relevant is a sure way to fail.
• Third, send a personal note to the blog’s author.  (Do NOT copy and paste generic messages – you’re not trying to spam anyone.)  Briefly explain your story, and how you think it would benefit the blog’s readers and more the site a more valuable resource.
• Fourth, make it easy to blog your story.   Include any support materials that would help, such as photos and video that can be embedded into the post.
• Fifth, be persistent.  If you’re absolutely certain that the blog is a good fit for your message, don’t be afraid to followup with new story ideas.  Writers need good content, and by providing them with information, you’re being a resource.  (Just make sure you’re actually being helpful – and not just annoying.)

The come-see-it-for-yourself approach

With this method, you invite the blogger to experience your facility for herself.  You can offer everything from a coupon for free drinks to check out new hotel technology, all the way up to offering an all-expenses-paid stay at your hotel.

While this approach clearly costs you more, it is far more effective because it allows you to personally connect with a blogger, and introduce him to your hotel.  For a grand opening or introduction of a significant new feature, an investment of this level can kick-start the media coverage you need.

Even more than with the first approach, you’ll need to locate the very top bloggers if you plan to invest in this type of PR coverage.  Follow the steps mentioned above, and you’ll be able to accurately locate these writers.

This is part 5 of my hotel blogging best practices series.  You can read part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, and part 4 here.

A blog with no readers is a waste of time.

If you’re going to pursue blogging as a part of your internet marketing plan, then building popularity for it needs to be a top priority.

The first step to building a popular hotel blog – whether it’s an executive or destination blog – is to view the project as a major part in your marketing mix.  Chris Brogan recently discussed the concept of making your blog a media property.  The summary: effective bloggers understand what they’re doing is serious business – so they treat it that way.

Next, understand that your writing – the blog posts themselves – is the marketing.  The quality of your entries will have a direct effect on the success of your blog. There are many reasons for this:

1. Search engines will bring the most traffic to your site.  If you’re not publishing relevant content regularly, you won’t be found.
2. When visitors do find your blog through search engines, they’ll leave in 2 seconds if it’s not relevant to what they need.
3. If your blog content is interesting, it will be linked to and shared on other websites, bringing you more traffic from those sites and through search engines.

As you can see, it’s a virtuous cycle once you begin posting good content.  What what exactly is good content for a hotel blog?

• List content
• How-to content
• Review content
• Controversial content
• News breaking content
• (Any of the ideas mentioned in part 4 of this series)

Now, publishing great content is the first step.  But there are other things you can do to increase your blog’s reader base.  If you build a better mousetrap, the world will not always beat a path to your door.  As a marketing professional, you know this.  That’s where an understanding of blog popularity building techniques is helpful.

Link liberally to other bloggers, and request they link to you (where appropriate).  Links are the currency of blogging.  Don’t be stingy here – share the love.

Comment on other blogs, especially in your industry.  The blogosphere is built on community participation.  If you want comments on your blog, take part in the discussion on other blogs.  (Just a note: there’s not need for comment spam – post intelligent responses and you’ll be rewarded.)

Integrate and encourage social media sharing. This is easy to do, and a well-written post can receive thousands of new visitors if Dugg or otherwise shared in social media.

Promote your blog on your hotel website and other advertising material.  Not doing this could cause you to miss out on valuable traffic.

Nobody likes wasting time.  Make sure people are reading what you write.  Make your blog a powerhouse in your overall web presence.

Let me ask you this: What are you doing to build your blog’s reader base?

Hiring a professional marketing firm to promote your hotel online can be a wise investment. But before you select a consultant, it’s essential to have a checklist of questions ready to help you separate the legitimate, results-oriented firms from the inexperienced, amateur ones.

Here are some questions to begin with:

Question: What makes you unique?

What to look for: Unique differentiation of the consultant’s skills.

Why it’s important: To gain the competitive edge, you need innovative approaches to your internet promotions. Make sure the firm you’re considering possesses these.

Question: How long have you been doing this work?

What to look for: Significant, relevant experience.

Why it’s important: Asking “How long have you been in business?” isn’t especially relevant. In the internet marketing world, time spent perfecting a specific skill is far more meaningful.

Question: Do you have a backup team? If yes, where are they located?

What to look for: A local backup team.

Why it’s important: When a project deadline is critical, it’s nice to know that there will be others working on your project. Your company promotions cannot come to a standstill if the consultant is on vacation, for example.

Question: Who will be doing the actual work?

What to look for: Close proximity between your consultant and the people doing the work.

Why it’s important: When an issue arises, your consultant needs the power to take immediate action.  If the people conducting the actual marketing work for you are 12 time zones away, communication can be a challenge.

Question: What is your workflow process?

What to look for: A documented path to project completion.

Why it’s important: A work flow chart helps ensure consistent results and provides clear expectations for everyone.

Question: How will I be involved?

What to look for: Clear communication systems between you and the consultant.

Why it’s important: Having your input in the marketing campaign development is crucial. Look for consultants that will involve you as much as you want to be involved, and send you frequent progress updates.

Question: How can I contact you if I have a question?

What to look for: A full range of communications options – including a toll-free and personal cell numbers, email address, and physical office location

Why it’s important: When you need to communicate with your consultant, you should be able to use whatever method is most convenient.  Good consultants understand this, and will make it easy for you to contact them.

Question: How do you price your services?

What to look for: Results and percentage-based pricing.

Why it’s important: Your investment in marketing consulting should be tied to what your hotel will make in additional revenue, not on how many hours the consultant worked.

Question: Do you guarantee your work?

What to look for: A list of deliverables backed by a money-back guarantee.

Why it’s important: A money-back guarantee is a sure indicator of consulting legitimacy. You only want to work with individuals and firms that only accept payment for results. Insist on this in the beginning for untested consultants.

Question: What is the duration of your contract?

What to look for: No-penalty termination option (in the event of poor service).

Why it’s important: You don’t want to get locked into a long-term contract if the consultant isn’t providing the results you need. Good consultants will have enough confidence in the quality of their work to make a contract with a no-penalty, early-escape clause.