1.866.840.3062

Christmas is over and another new year is underway.  As the 2008 economy has been rough for many businesses and an uncertain bottom exists, making a few New Year resolutions for the business certainly wouldn’t hurt.  If you are still wondering how your business can leverage its available resources in 2009, its not too late to develop a game plan.  Below, I have outlined 3 resolutions that your business could consider undertake to start out 2009 on the right foot.

Business Resolution #1
Develop a marketing plan- Sounds simple enough, but many businesses don’t take the time to determine how they will promote themselves in the long run.  Although it is easy to get buried in operational issues and deadlines, this should never be an excuse for not strategically looking forward.  Start by setting a date and a time where key stakeholders can discuss the overall direction of the company.  Don’t be surprised as this meeting can typically take an entire day.  So a weekend or off-site meeting may be required to get everyone on the same page.

Business Resolution #2
Reduce Unnecessary Costs- As we will soon feel the pinch from holiday spending, reviewing and removing unnecessary business expenses can greatly improve cash flow.  Perhaps your frivolous spending habits aren’t as bad as Google , but no one can escape some of the little luxuries that we have all come to enjoy such as bottled water, gourmet coffee, and snacks.  However, as you probably have guessed, these cuts alone are likely not enough to get struggling companies back in the black.  If you are in need of heavier cuts, here are a couple of key expenses you may want to visit:

1. Renew Your Lease: Seek to renegotiate, remove unnecessary warehouse space, or move to a smaller facility.  If you own, consider refinancing at a lower rate or longer terms.
2. Reduce the Workforce: It’s never easy to cut jobs, but times of economic distress does make it easier rationalize.  Seek to reduce your labor force by determining which jobs could be outsourced or reassigned to other employees.
3. Hold off on Capital: Seems like a day doesn’t goes without someone asking for some sort of upgrade, whether it be a new computer hard drive or a van.  Many of these can be held back or possibly sold if they are no longer required.

Business Resolution #3
Embrace the digital era- It’s no mystery that more consumers and businesses are choosing to consume the Internet than ever before.  In addition, if 2009 online marketing predictions aren’t proof enough, a look back at the 2008 presidential election tells us that we are just beginning to scratch the surface with the possibilities of online communication.  However, I’m not suggesting that you should blow your entire marketing budget on Internet media, but if you have been considering a new website or haven’t included the Internet in your media plan in previous years, make 2009 the year to get started.

Summary
As we all know, it’s easier to make resolutions than to actually keep them.  Additionally, many of the common personal resolutions like quitting smoking, losing weight, or spending more time with family actually fail.   Interestingly, these all affect your quality life or even the length of it the sooner you do them.  In the same regard, your business’s health should be treated no differently and is just as vulnerable as your personal health.  So, perhaps the above resolutions are not perfect for your business, but I’m sure you can think of a few that would improve the long term performance of your company…that you can stick to.

It is no secret that the landscape of marketing within the hospitality industry has been evolving in recent years as more and more hotel rooms continue to be booked through Internet sites.  While it can be a daunting task for brands that have historically focused their efforts in traditional media to realign their marketing to emphasize Online initiatives, there are basic principles that will help make the transition simpler and ensure that your hotel maximizes its Internet advertising budget.

Get Found:  It is difficult for consumers to book an Online reservation with you if they cannot find your Website.  Because search behavior varies from consumer to consumer, the best way to ensure that your site is found is to have a strong presence in both the natural or “organic” results (search results that appear in the center or left-hand side of the page) and paid or “sponsored” listings (search results that appear in the highlighted regions at the top and bottom of the page and in the “sponsored results” located on the right of the page in most search engines). 

To obtain high organic rankings, it is vital that your Website is search engine optimized for important keywords.  That means that you need to know what words your target audience is searching for and make sure that the content of your Website (copy, html tags, etc.) highlights them.  Free Online keyword tools such as Wordtracker (http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/) allow you to estimate the daily search volume for common terms and related phrases.

High paid listings can be obtained through pay-per-click advertising campaigns where you bid on relevant keywords and are charged a fee each time a searcher clicks on your ad and visits your site.  Again, it is important to understand what consumers are searching for and to ensure that the content of your Website reinforces your ads (I.e. don’t advertise on the words “business travel” if your hotel and Website do not offer a business travel program).

Keep it Simple:  While it’s tempting to create a flashy Website with dramatic images and videos or custom animation, remember that the ultimate goal of driving traffic to your site is to get visitors to book a reservation.  Therefore, it is important to regularly review the design and architecture of your Website to ensure that the Online booking process is simple and concise.  Make it possible to check rates and availability on every page.  Clearly highlight a 1-800# throughout the site.  And minimize the number of clicks required to actually “book” Online.  Studies show that a percentage of visitors are lost with every additional click needed to complete a desired action, so keep it simple.

Make a Compelling Offer:  With your competition being only a click away, it is important to make a compelling offer that encourages visitors to book with you rather than searching for a better deal.  Feature current specials or promotions predominantly on your Website’s homepage and in the main navigation.  Whether you run a seasonal special or offer something that simply has perceived value in the eyes of your customer, consumers want to feel like they are getting a deal (whether it be saving $100 or getting free movie tickets).

Segment Your Audience:  Because different things appeal to different travelers, it is important to segment your audience and target them with timely offers that speak to their specific needs.  Highlight programs for business travelers, family packages, etc. in different areas of your site and send regular communications to consumers featuring your latest specials.  Providing an easy link for visitors to subscribe to a newsletter or to opt in to receive e-mail offers lets them tell you what they are interested in and build a large database of potential customers.  When sending e-mails, drive traffic to unique landing pages that reinforce specific offers rather than simply sending all customers to your home page.  Sending the right message at the right time helps you build a relationship with your customers and makes them feel like you understand their unique needs.

Online marketing and advertising can be confusing when undertaken without a solid understanding of your audience and best Website practices.  Even if you have good IT and marketing departments, it is often wise to enlist the services of an Internet marketing company that specializes in creating and managing effective Online campaigns. With a comprehensive Internet marketing plan and the help of experienced professionals, you will likely increase Online conversions, enhance user experience, and more fully maximize your Internet marketing budget.

When I was working in retail many years ago, I had the displeasure of having to close a high-end electronics outlet.  Customers came from far and wide, but many of them had no empathy for the years of hard work and memories.  Prices were already slashed by as much as 30 – 50% which didn’t stop the average Joe asking to get a better deal.  However, I will never forget the day my co-worker responded to a guy that asked what his best price was in which he replied “Excuse me.  Am I wearing a Jacket with question marks all over it?”

If you don’t get the above reference, he was referring to “Matthew Lesko” who airs on Infomercials about how to get free money from the government.  I nearly hit the floor laughing because if you have never seen this guy, he is one of the most obnoxious characters you’ll see on TV. Just check out the clip below:

In any respect, I get a kick out of infomercials like these because although you may think that no one would ever buy something from them, consumers love the idea of how something could make their life easier. Additionally, they wouldn’t be around if they didn’t work.

Anyone that has stayed up late at night or has gotten up early on the Weekend can speak from experience. TV infomercials draw us in and we have all fallen victim of one in some shape or another. But have you ever stopped to think what makes these so compelling? Is there something that can be learned from infomercials that can be applied to the online marketing realm?

Sure we can.  When you look at Infomercials such as these, they share a great deal of basic fundamental components of a successful online marketing campaign:

1. They are short- the Internet is all about speed and if you want your message to be heard, you have to keep it short and simple.
2. They sell benefits- in the example above, he talks about what you can do with the money and not how it works.  When constructing online web pages, keep in mind that your audience will want to know how it will make their life better and care less about how you have chosen to label features.
3. They are engaging- in simple terms, this means that they are able to generate a significant amount of interest in a relatively short period of time.  In the example above, the execution was humor (…i think).  The web is no different.  Advertising creatives need to be compelling and draw a web users attention to click on them.  From there, the website needs to provide an “experience” that was in keeping with the advertisement.

No matter how you slice it, Infomercials do work and have been around much longer than the web.  And I’m sure you probably don’t have to think too hard to recall some that you have likely have seen.  If you stop and think about it, you may realize an opportunity that you haven’t thought of…even if he’s waring question marks on his jacket!

Interestingly enough, most websites I run across don’t have as much of a problem in getting traffic as they do in converting the traffic they have. Sure, we all would agree that getting some more traffic certainly wouldn’t hurt. But generally speaking, there are usually many easy to implement website changes that most companies can perform to their website that will immediately add to the bottom line before spending a dime on website promotion.

Ok, so what are the secrets you ask? Well believe it or not, making your website lead generation firendly isnt as hard as you think as long as you stick to the basics. The below 3 tips may seam elementary to some, however i assure you than if you follow these basic guidelines, your lead generation efforts will thank you.

1. The phone number- The last thing you want is a qualified prospect having to work at trying to contact you. I’m a fan of putting important contact information in the upper right hand corner of every page. Many web users like to call rather than e-mail or fill out a form. So, if you plan to track leads, make sure you purchase a unique phone number for your website.
2. Clean-up your form submissions- This is not the easiest or the most fun task to perform, but does have one of the largest pay-outs in my opinion. First, start out by outlining the information that you would like to know about a potential customer that would make your qualifying efforts easier. Next, try to shorten your list to the “bare minimum,” as most website users typically don’t like long forms to fill out. Lastly, add a captcha (a number or letter field that prevents spam) and a form validator that will notify users if they missed a field. Lastly- test, test, test!
3. Focus your content- “Our business is your business.” Does your content describe what your product or service does well or could be used for any company? It wasn’t until recently that marketing and advertising professionals started to recognize that web content writing is different than print. More specifically, web users are time poor. If they don’t find what they are looking for, they literally are a click away from your competitor. As a general rule of thumb, try to keep your content down to 300 words or less per page. Additionally, focus your writing on solving customer “pain points”…that is what your customers likely care the most about your product or service.

As you may have noted, none of the above related to flashy graphics or web design. These are important aspects to lead generation as well. However, sticking these 3 basics will assure that the visitors you do have can get the information they need as well as contact you when they are near a purchasing decision. Good luck and happy selling!