Hotel marketing is difficult, from every angle. Hotels are selling an experience -- a complex combination of amenities, services, facilities and value -- not a tangible product that consumers can hold in their hand. And they are selling that intangible product using one of the least tangible marketing instruments -- the brand -- as their primary tool. Talk about a hard sell!! Add to this already difficult equation a marketplace where there is now more supply than demand (in most destinations), and the prospect of marketing a lodging property successfully truly becomes a task for the bold and brave.

Of course, we know that only the bold and the brave read this column, and you don't need to hear from us about the challenges you face on a daily basis. So instead, how about we focus on something positive by adding another tactic to your marketing toolbox?

I'm talking about social media marketing, and unless you're one of the five or six people left in the world without a Facebook account, or you're the guy in the Microsoft commercials working from the bamboo hut on that South Pacific island, you've most likely heard about it. In fact, you're probably pretty familiar with ...