You don’t have to be a Twitter power user to set up searches and lists that provide you with a customized flow of information and content. This was the vision of RSS, and I’m pleased to see this come true – even if through a different technology.

I used to promote Feedburner. Today I set up @HMSblog for those who want new post notifications from this blog… and none of the thoughts, ideas, and chatter on @HMarketingHelp

“One Big Thing” on the homepage

Traditional blog layouts – with the newest post on top – can lack focus. There is no “One Big Thing” for a first-time visitor to click. With the new layout, I prominently feature one important post at the top of the homepage.

Quickly display new & best content

I wanted to adopt a magazine-style homepage for two reasons: 1) to quickly show what has been recently published, 2) to display some of the site’s most important content (we’re calling this “HMS 101″).

Encourage email signup

I’ve been talking a lot about email the past few weeks, so by now you should see why I want everyone reading this blog to receive my weekly email summary. Because of this, I’m making the email signup box a prominent part of the sidebar.  I have exclusive VIP content planned for email subscribers, and want as many people as possible to get in on this.

Encouraging participation

I really want to open up the content here to other voices and viewpoints. While I’ve tried to encourage this in the past, I’m making the options for participating very clear in the sidebar design.

Integrating video

Video will play an increasingly important role in the future, and it’s something I want to do a lot more of in coming posts. Our new YouTube channel will be a mix of me talking into the camera, live interviews, and how-to screen captures. Again, I wanted the design to reflect this new priority.

Improved comment area

Blog communities revolve around the comments section. Typically only a small percentage of readers post a comment, so I wanted to improve the comment area to encourage more discussion. The big things we added are threaded comments (so you can reply to others), and comment subscription (so you can be notified when someone replies to you).

Focus on new “Insider’s Circle” program

This is something I’m very excited about: a toolbox for hotel marketers. It contains everything my colleagues and I use for the day-to-day management of hotel marketing campaigns out in the “real world.” So it’s more than theory and strategy – it’s very practical use-it-now stuff.  The “Insiders’ Circle” is opening to the public on Tuesday, and I’ll post an explanation then…

—

I would love your feedback on this new design: What do you think? Do you see any little improvements I can make on it?

If you’re publishing a blog or similar website, you should definitely check them out. You can learn more at Zemanta.com.

• 97% more inbound links to their website (improving search rankings)
• 55% more website visitors

Are you blogging yet?

Hotel Blog Mega-List on BlogforGuests

Enjoy!

Download Blogging for Guests

In this 20 page guide, you’ll learn why blogs are essential for marketing today, and how they can increase your profits.

This week, I’m going to be blogging from blogforguests.com: sharing exclusive interviews and tips on how you can use blog marketing effectively. And then on Friday, we’re releasing another free resource that is getting some finishing touches right now.

So, I invite you to visit blogforguests.com during this week as I blog over there. Regular posting will resume again here shortly.

Twitter adds personality to your brand

Many top blogs are becoming like online magazines. Staffed by full-time professional writers, there is a tendency to become overly factual.

But through a Twitter account, many corporate bloggers feel more free to be themselves and lighten up a bit. By bringing these two tools together, you can provide both informative content and a little personality behind it.

Twitter helps you get to know your readers

Blog discussions in the comment section can serve the same function, but I find them to be less spontaneous than the back-and-forth nature of Twitter. For any blogger, it’s important to build relationships with your readers, and regular communication is the way to do that.

Twitter expands your network

I’ve probably met more new people through Twitter than any other social networking tool. Whether it’s another blogger or a business you wanted to find, Twitter can help open doors and establish connections.

Twitter is an idea goldmine

If you follow the right people, just watching the tweets stream by for a few minutes can give you lots of fresh ideas and interesting links. I use TweetDeck to carefully monitor a select group of people’s tweets, and usually check in a few times each day.

Additionally, you can get a lot of very good ideas by asking questions to your followers. Whether you just want a second opinion on your logo design, or need to do a more in-depth survey, it’s a very convenient to have real time feedback.

Twitter is also a great research tool

Twitter is a recorded stream of consciousness of the web. Entering keywords into search.twitter.com helps you measure the pulse of what people are thinking.

Twitter is the preferred subscription method for some

Some people would rather receive your blog updates on Twitter than through RSS or email. Whether the motive is accessibility or security, cross-promoting blog updates on Twitter is a good idea for these people.

Let me ask you: Does Twitter help you as a blogger? Drop by my shiny new Twitter page and let me know.

The difference between Google and Twitter

After last week’s experiment, several months of testing various Twitter integration tactics, and reaching 100,000+ people in 36 hours, I’ve learned some interesting things.

Twitter is the best social media marketing tool for bloggers

I started blogging in 2002, and have tested many different tools since then. Delicious, Digg, and StumbleUpon all have the potential of reaching large numbers of people. But for the typical blogger, nothing matches the viral marketing potential of Twitter.

How you use Twitter makes a huge difference

Like nearly every other aspect of business, you can achieve success quicker by using the right tactics. Some bloggers on Twitter get tens of thousands of new readers each day by using the tool; others tweet frantically and never really get anywhere.

Here are some lessons I’m learning from the best bloggers on Twitter…

Only promote your best posts

Instead of automatically syndicating your blog on Twitter, focus on a few articles you know could be winners.

Personally, I aim to publish 3-5 posts to this blog weekly; and tweet 50-75% of them.

Depending on your publishing frequency, you may want to adjust this.

Promote your best posts well

It’s fine to re-tweet your posts several times throughout the day. Several experts suggest every 2-3 hours is best.

With many of us having hundreds, if not thousands, of followers on Twitter it’s easy to miss what your friends are saying. I try to check into Twitter several times each day, but since my whole friend feed in TweetDeck is updated every 10 minutes or so, you can see how easy it can be to miss updates.

When you’re communicating with a worldwide audience, the difference in time zones makes this even more important.

Tweet formula 1: Insight + Link

Depending on how good your titles are, you may be fine just using them in tweets. But I get a little bored with those sometimes.

Instead, try tweeting a little excerpt from your post along with the link for more info.

That way, you add real value and arouse curiosity at the same time.

Tweet formula 2: Question + Link

Questions encourage conversations. Some people believe it’s effective than just giving out information.

Try it for yourself and see.

Tweet formula 3: Retweet someone else

If someone else tweets about your article, try retweeting them:

Highlight reader discussions

One of my favorite parts of blogging is learning from your comments. If one post draws a lively discussion, let people know about it on Twitter.

Use some type of ‘Tweet this’ link

I’ve tested multiple formats, and Tweetmeme was the hands-down winner for me.Perhaps displaying the number of retweets adds an element of social proof, but I think it’s just a very elegant solution to content sharing.

As of today, it will become the only social media sharing tool on this blog.

Know why you’re on Twitter

Is it to build your overall number of followers…or reach a select audience of very targeted people? Is it to drive page views, or share your ideas as far as possible? Selling something, or part of your branding efforts?

You may be able to achieve multiple goals at the same time, but knowing why you’re using a tool helps you focus.

Action step: Spend 5 minutes brainstorming how Twitter could help you build your blog’s audience.

Let me ask you this: How do YOU use Twitter to promote your blog?

How to get bloggers to write about you

If you are serious about building your hotel’s web presence, reaching out to travel bloggers is a smart strategy. In many ways, bloggers are the journalists of this new media landscape, so you need to treat them as you would the press.

That means providing Access, Content, and Coverage

1. Access to whatever they need to write their story
2. Content to include in their story
3. Coverage of their story

I encourage hotels to put together a special blogger’s package that may include:

A hotel fact sheet

What information does the writer need to know?

• Address
• Contact info
• Property details
• Hotel amenities
• Design concept
• Press coverage
• Awards won
• Links to sites with more info

The background story on the hotel

Is there a unique history that would make a great story? What did the building used to be? What renovations have been done?

Access to high-resolution hotel photos

Bloggers need photos, and lots of them. Provide an area to download quality, high-resolution photos.

Photos for bloggers from Witt Istanbul Suites

A neighborhood guide

What’s cool nearby?

Many bloggers enjoy writing from a coffeeshop, so you may want to provide a list of cafes nearby that offer wireless internet access.

Provide tools to bloggers

You may want to loan out Flip Mino video cameras, or even laptops.

Make sure the blogger has free internet access, and can use your business center for printing documents and so on.

Offer a special blogger’s rate

Depending on your situation, you may want to give a special blogger’s discount on all rooms – or even give away free rooms in return for a blog review.

As long as you don’t attempt to control the review’s content, this is not unethical. You just need to make it easier for people to write about you.

Give blog reviews special attention

Many hotels have a press section on their website. I suggest hotels also showcase recent reviews by bloggers.

Hotel Murano does a good job of this on their Facebook page:

Hotel Murano encourages blogger reviews

By showing bloggers that you care about their thoughts, you encourage more coverage…and expand your web presence even more.

Photo credit: Filipe Ferreira

Thinking about launching your own blog? Here’s some friendly advice: Don’t. And if you’ve already got one, pull the plug.

That’s the opening paragraph in a recent article by Wired that suggests blogging is dead.  Obsolete. More suited to 2004 than 2008.

I disagree.

Now, the author does raise a few valid points:

Writing a blog today isn’t the same as four years ago. This is true.  The blogosphere has become far more crowded than it used to be. Publishing a blog isn’t as unique as it once was, and you may not receive the same attention.

When blogging was young…posts quickly skyrocketed to the top of Google’s search results. Again, true.  I remember blogging during that time, and it was far more common for posts to achieve top rankings (along with the traffic and links that come with that).

Text-based websites aren’t where the buzz is anymore. Maybe, but buzz doesn’t always equal effectiveness. Besides, blogs should only be one part of your social media strategy and overall web presence.

These arguments against blogging fail to recognize how blogs can still be foundational to an effective hotel marketing plan.

The more useful information you publish, the larger your web presence will be. A blog is one of the most search-friendly publishing methods, and you can increase the number of visitors to your site by writing prolifically on useful topics.

Blogs provide the opportunity to be an authority of the subject you cover, whether it’s a destination or a niche in the hospitality industry.  Your writing is compiled into a library of knowledge that visitors can browse through, and you can re-use in future marketing material.

The popularity of social multimedia websites like Flickr and YouTube do not mean an end of blogging.  In fact, I recommend embedding photos and video content into your hotel blog, making it a destination resource.

So while blogging’s buzz factor may have worn off, its usefulness to a hotel marketer has not. (Just look at Bill Marriot, whose blog has brought in $5 million in additional revenue.)  This is just another reminder not to jump on the blogging bandwagon without carefully considering the advantages and disadvantages of hotel blogging.