Ms. Dietrich

Social Media & PR

Are Bloggers Writing about Your Hotel, and Does it Matter?

By Gini Dietrich, Founder & CEO, Arment Dietrich Inc.

We are well into the 21st century, and as technology continues to advance all around us, the business climate is changing. PKF recently forecast that lodging is going to be down again in 2009, but that capacity is on the rise. With the combination of both, profits are expected to also decrease. However, the lodging industry is adept at taking cost out when demand drops, and using bloggers and other social media to continue your communication efforts is critical.

Now, more than ever, technology is a critical part of our daily way of life. Gone are the days of travel agents and switchboard operators, replaced by Web sites and online reservation programs. Today's tech-savvy travelers can do everything necessary online, from research, to comparisons, to booking, and even arranging payment.

For centuries, travelers asked others about the best places to stay, relying on the advice of friends, colleagues, and experts. Today, referrals continue to be trusted resources for lodging advice but they are much more high-tech, widespread, and commonly known as "blogs."

Blogs play an important role in the hospitality industry as a source of information for many guests. Families, business travelers, and even those just passing through town on a wandering adventure all look for the perfect place to stay.

Blogs serve as a great source of information to travelers for several reasons. They offer personal opinions that give readers much more customized insight than an advertisement. After all, what hotel ever tells its guests it is anything short of excellent? Blogs provide multiple opinions potential visitors can find regarding your hotel. This variety provides customers a more complete view of your offerings, helping in the decision making process. Blogs also are great places to get information because they are convenient and easy to use. The information is readily accessible. Guests just need an Internet connection. So the question remains, who is blogging about your hotel?

When tackling any communication challenge, it is critical to know the perceptions of your business among your guests. What people are saying, thinking, and doing are all important pieces of information helping you shape everything from your corporate messaging to your customer experience. Tapping into the conversation in the blogosphere is important, and is the first step toward participation. Adding your voice to the online conversation delivers important information about your hotel to potential visitors and establishes you as an accessible industry leader, in-tune with their needs.

Which blogs cover your hotel or specific traveler niche? Are there bloggers who write about their travel experiences in general and offer recommendations for your markets? What about blogs which focus on the industry, in general? Do your homework and read, research, and compile a preliminary list of blogs to find out if your business is being talked about and to monitor the conversation.

Simple Internet research is an easy way to learn which blogs are writing about you. Google, Yahoo!, Google Blog Search, and Technorati are all effective search engines to discover who and where your hotel is being discussed in the blogosphere. Google alerts are free, automated emails that scour the Web and deliver new postings about any topic you choose, a great option to monitor the online conversation about your hotel. Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds offer automatic updates of new Web site content sent to your email, and are a great way to monitor specific pages. Don't forget old-fashioned, personal interaction for researching the conversation about your business. Ask your guests where they get their information and how they discovered your hotel. It's a great way to strike up a conversation as well as to know what to monitor in the future so you receive even more feedback about their experiences at your hotel. Research who is writing the blog posts most relevant to your potential customers, collect their contact information, and create a blogger list. Then begin participating in the conversation. If someone writes something negative about your hotel, post a public comment on their blog offering to fix the problem. Don't hide your head in the sand - post comments, write to the bloggers, and let others see what you're doing.

Write your responses to provide your potential guests with relevant information that adds value to the online conversation. Value adding items are facts, figures, and information coming from personal experience. Insert your business' key messages in the responses where appropriate to reinforce consistent communication with guests and strengthen your brand identity. Highlight your hotel's strengths and competitive advantages and use your successes as case studies for applicable issues. Don't be afraid to include appropriate links back to relevant parts of your Web site, company blog, or other sources of information. Bloggers love getting links to outside sources, as it drives their viewership and expands their circles of influence.

Proactively reach out to bloggers to further increase your coverage in the blogosphere. Great proactive blogger relations programs develop relationships with targeted bloggers where both parties benefit. If you open a new hotel or complete a renovation, invite your blog contacts to write reviews. Ask your contacts for feedback on how you can improve your hotel. Link your company Web site to blogs that cover your niche, region, or guest base. Be responsive, timely, and transparent with bloggers who request information about your hotel. Contacting bloggers directly establishes you as a go-to resource for your industry. Offering post topics to bloggers helps create new content, focuses the conversation on your issues, and highlights your business. This interaction with potential guests and bloggers solidifies you as a member of the community instead of just another hotel, setting you apart from your competitors.

One of the most empowering aspects about the Internet is the unlimited knowledge base. It creates a forum for anyone who wishes to express their thoughts and feelings, or share their opinions. This network of people sharing their experiences and ideas is an enormous business resource just waiting for you to tap in to and begin reaching out to guests. Through daily conversation and a well executed campaign, you become a participant in the online conversation about your industry, establish yourself as an expert, and improve the perceptions of your business. Discover how becoming actively involved in the online referral system can boost your online coverage and, most importantly, your bottom line.

Gini Dietrich is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Arment Dietrich, Inc., a firm that uses non-traditional marketing. The author of Spin Sucks, Gini has delivered numerous keynotes, panel discussions, coaching sessions, and workshops across North America on the subject of digital marketing tools. One of the top rated communication professionals on the social networks, Gini was recently named the number one PR person, according to Klout and TechCrunch, on the channels, and number one on Twitter, according to TweetLevel. Ms. Dietrich can be contacted at 312-787-7249 or gini.dietrich@armentdietrich.com Extended Bio...

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