Be
found more easily on the internet and create a
higher profile on the search engines. Generate fresh
ideas for media coverage.
Add a
dynamic new element to your marketing mix and
develop a more transparent and distinctive
personality for your brand.
Speak
directly to the market in an authentic and personal
voice and encourage your most loyal customers to
join in and spread the word.
Incorporate a
range of rich media in a way which is impractical or
prohibitively expensive in a traditional website.
Show what makes your brand special.
Free up
time and resources with a dedicated one-stop
solution created by an experienced practitioner.
Create
an effective and immediately available
communications tool to use in the event of a crisis.
Tackle complaints before they get out of hand.
What are the benefits of a blog? Why would you add one to your marketing mix?
(click on the arrows)
Improve your presence on the search engines
Here is one cast iron guarantee: if we start a
blog, you will improve your presence on Google. You
may have heard of the long tail of travel. We will
use your blog to expose your brand, operation and
inventory to the search engines in a way that makes
your products far more likely to be found by online
travellers. We will also increase positive coverage
of your brand to outweigh any negative reviews
which might appear from disgruntled customers.
Build new relationships with clients
The friendly, informal tone of conversational
marketing and the personal nature of a blog
encourages surfers to engage with your brand in a
more effective way than a traditional brochure-type
website. As broadband uptake continues to increase,
people take more time to research their travel
plans. People like to buy from companies with which
they have a relationship; they also find it hard to
reject or criticise a company once a relationship
has been formed. Using a blog we can start to build
that relationship even before they have picked up
the phone or sent for a brochure.
Improve press coverage
Most travel journalists are online. In fact, it is
estimated that 92% of journalists are online
researching stories on a daily basis. Fifty per
cent of them read blogs. I was a travel writer for
17 years and during that time, I hardly ever wanted
a press release. I wanted story ideas instead; and a
blog is a very effective way of creating a steady
stream of story ideas for media consumption. Blogs
are also great for telling the back story to your
new product or preparing the ground for a new
service in a way which is seldom delivered by a
press release.
Incorporate rich media
Words are fine but there is nothing quite like
showing people what you do or sell. With a blog we
can have new photos, sound files, even video up
within a few minutes. No expensive media production
company involvement. Shoot some footage of your new
hotel in Egypt or the latest cruise liner and we
can post it with commentary on the blog and then
use YouTube to help customers find the new content. Remember, with the rise of
universal search, Google is increasingly returning
video stills within the main search results. As well as
creating original video content, we can also
incorporate your customers' photos and video to
encourage loyalty and inspire new business.
Crisis management
It is not enough to touch wood. We all need to plan
for a crisis and communications must be part of that
plan. Whether you set up a separate crisis blog,
moth-balled until it is needed or plan to use an
existing blog, the advantages the platform offers
include easy and fast updates - give people the
latest news and it can be published within two
minutes - and a personal authentic voice.
Generate fast and flexible updates
Do you have special late deals on offer? Added a new
property to your inventory? A blog allows you to
post the news immediately and deliver it directly
to clients and the internet using web feeds - such
as the news items on MyYahoo and on Google Reader -
as well as by email. We can also create
category-specific feeds for the specialist press,
singling out items relevant to business travel
writers, for example, or spa specialists.
Inspire your staff
Blogs can be used internally as well as externally
to boost staff morale, involve them in future
plans, allow them to convey their passion for what
they do, back-up the latest training and share
knowledge within the company and with colleagues,
contacts and suppliers around the world.
Many famous travel brands have already discovered the benefits of blogging. For example, Starwood, Marriott, British Airways, Boeing, Expedia, Eurostar, SouthWest, Delta Airlines. Here are some examples:
Contact me today to discuss how a blog could help you market your brand more effectively, attract more customers and increase your organic presence on the search engines.