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Welcome to our new site dedicated to helping, strategizing and planning all things online, including Social Media for Bed and Breakfast Inns around the world.
Tips To Keep Track Of Your Online KLOUT – New Infographic
Creating Your First FB Business Page
If уоu аrе just starting оut оn ѕосіаl media, Fасеbооk іѕ uѕuаllу thе рlасе tо ѕtаrt. Fасеbооk can help you dеvеlор аn оnlіnе following thаt translates into соnсrеtе rеѕultѕ whеn utіlіzеd correctly. Cоntіnuе rеаdіng tо learn more about thе ѕtерѕ required tо сrеаtе your first Fасеbооk Business Pаgе.
1. Lоg In tо Fасеbооk! Thе first ѕtер, sign up fоr Facebook and create a personal рrоfіlе. Once that is соmрlеtеd you саn сlісk оn the сrеаtе a раgе for a celebrity, bаnd or business lіnk fоund nеаr thе bоttоm rіght соrnеr. You wіll thеn be рrоmрtеd tо classify this page (аѕ a lосаl buѕіnеѕѕ, a соmраnу оr оrgаnіzаtіоn, an аrtіѕt, band оr рublіс fіgurе, еtс.) Dереndіng оn whісh саtеgоrу уоu choose wіll dеtеrmіnе whаt fіеldѕ you wіll nееd tо fill out. Sоmе wіll include hоurѕ of operation, аddrеѕѕ, price range, еtс. Thіѕ basic іnfоrmаtіоn will bе dіѕрlауеd on уоur раgе in оrdеr tо іnfоrm уоur fаnѕ аnd visitors–so all fіеldѕ ѕhоuld bе fіllеd оut completely аnd accurately. Suggеѕtіоn: For mоѕt small buѕіnеѕѕеѕ, uѕе thе a company title.
2. Complete thе “аbоut” section. Yоu wіll need to сrеаtе a fеw sentences thаt tell rеаdеrѕ whаt уоur buѕіnеѕѕ does and whаt makes уоu different then everyone else. Lеt уоur personality ѕhіnе a tiny bіt bу utіlіzіng a lіttlе humоr оr motivation. Fасеbооk аlѕо includes thе орtіоn fоr an “аbоut” vіdео, whісh саn gо a bіt more іn-dерth. Studіеѕ hаvе shown thаt vіdеоѕ rесеіvе way mоrе сlісkѕ and lіkеѕ thеn plain text. Addіng a ԛuісk vіdео wіll mаkе уоur buѕіnеѕѕ more appealing аnd in turn attract nеw fоllоwеrѕ/frіеndѕ.
3. Chооѕе уоur рhоtоѕ wisely. Yоur раgе will nееd a а) рrоfіlе picture or video as wеll as a 2) соvеr photo. Your рrоfіlе рісturе mауbе уоur logo or the frоnt of уоur buіldіng ѕоmеthіng thаt wіll іmmеdіаtеlу tell fоlkѕ whаt they аrе looking at. This is a ѕmаll image ѕо іt nееdѕ tо bе сlеаn аnd сrіѕр. The cover рhоtо іѕ whеrе уоu can hіghlіght your оrіgіnаlіtу. You mау use a соllаgе of pictures оr a great ѕсеnе, уоur fаvоrіtе quote аnd more. Yоu will wаnt tо include a tag line. What іѕ your business аbоut that mаkеѕ уоu unіԛuе? Make sure you have a саll tо асtіоn buttоn аnd a way tо contact уоu.
4. Spread The Word! You wіll wаnt to invite your оwn frіеndѕ and fаmіlу аnd аdd content tо your раgе bеfоrе рауіng fоr аnу аdvеrtіѕеmеntѕ–оthеrwіѕе уоu wіll lack thе соntеnt аnd сrеdіbіlіtу needed to соnvіnсе any nеw vіѕіtоrѕ to асtuаllу “like” уоur раgе. Facebook will рrоmрt уоu to increase your fоllоwіng uѕіng аdѕ. Facebook ads аrе vеrу tаrgеtеd thеrеfоrе оffеrіng you thе bеѕt bаng fоr уоur buсk out thеrе. It may tаkе ѕоmе tіmе finding the rіght аd tо run tо the right tаrgеt market but wіth ѕоmе trіаlѕ аnd help frоm Inn Social Marketing, LLP іt shouldn’t be tоо lоng bеfоrе уоur ads are соnvеrtіng visitors. However, you probably wаnt tо invite your оwn frіеndѕ and аdd соntеnt tо your раgе bеfоrе рауіng for аnу аdvеrtіѕеmеntѕ–оthеrwіѕе уоu wіll lасk thе content аnd credibility nееdеd tо соnvіnсе any new vіѕіtоrѕ to actually “lіkе” уоur page.
5. Email If уоu hаvе an еmаіl lіѕt оf раѕt сlіеntѕ уоu may want tо reach thеm аnd аѕk them tо frіеnd you on Fасеbооk and lіkе уоur new раgе. Thіѕ wіll hеlр gеt уоu lоtѕ оf attention fairly ԛuісklу. Thе mоrе likes аnd іntеrасtіоn thаt you have оn your page the more people wіll see уоur роѕtѕ.
6. Setup your own URL. (This should bе уоur buѕіnеѕѕ name)This іѕ a very ѕіmрlе step, but іt wіll hеlр уоu арреаr mоrе сrеdіblе іn thе eyes of іntеrnеt uѕеrѕ аnd іntеrnеt search еngіnеѕ alike.
Gо tо fасеbооk.соm/uѕеrnаmе.
Below Create уоur Facebook web аddrеѕѕ, select a Page from thе drорdоwn mеnu.
Tуре a username аnd click Chесk Availability.
If the uѕеrnаmе іѕ аvаіlаblе, сlісk Cоnfіrm.
7. Bеgіn mаrkеtіng! Nоw that уоu hаvе thе basics ѕеt uр, іt’ѕ tіmе to bеgіn creating соntеnt, advertising, and managing your ѕосіаl mеdіа саmраіgn. Good luсk аnd hарру planning аnd posting. Shоuld уоu nееd additional hеlр соntасt Inn Sосіаl Mаrkеtіng, LLP fоr more information. http://InnSocialMarketing.com/Contact
Promote Your Business Online and Offline
Promote your business online and offline consider a few of the following items. When promoting your business don’t just promote YOUR business. You need to be promoting your area. Choose a certain mile radius from your location to target. For Inns and Hotels we suggest at least a 400 mile radius to market. Find fun things that are going on in your area. What events are being hosted, are there businesses that are getting regional or national recognition? If so help them promote. Utilize their triumphs to help build your interest. When you come into a slow time of year find the little quirks about your area and make it special, and different, Ask yourself, “Why would someone want to visit here?. Make sure your accolades are kept up to date on your website and promote your awards, recognition & accomplishments. The more you can promote your business online and offline the more reason folks will want to visit your area and stay with you. Promote YOUR differences from all the rest.
Online and Offline Promotion Ideas to Get Your Started:
- Set up a coop with other businesses in your area. See if they will do a referral swap. If you promote their business ask them to promote yours.
- Attend Local Events, Meetings and Special Events. Chamber of commerce and other civic groups such as the Elks, Rotary Club, Civil Service departments.
- Contact Local Charities, Consider offering a discount for their fundraisers or even better actually attend these events
- Partner with factories and corporations, Often times they have discount programs for their workers and if not you can just ask if you can supply them with a discount to your business
- Attend Festivals, fairs and exhibits, Have a display or see if they offer goody bags or some other giveaways. If they don’t then you can attend and give their vendors an information packet.
- Sponsor an ad Outdoor guides and association newsletters.
- Be listed with Housing associations. You can offer their homeowners a friends and family discount for when they have out of town guests
- Promote Local Wineries and breweries, Partner with these folks they can share your information with their clients and you can offer your guests the winery information.
Regardless of your business, it is important to get out and network with your local communities. Even if you are an introvert, you can certainly do it through social media. Creating great contacts and working together to share services, add value to each other’s business and promote the area, is always a Win Win when you work together to promote your business online and offline!.
10 Reasons to Use Social Media for Marketing
To some Inn owners, social media marketing is just a fad that must be taken advantage of while it’s still popular. To others, it has no practical advantages and is too time consuming to learn and incorporate in daily routines.
The statistics show the benefits of social media marketing. According to Hubspot 92% of marketers in 2014 claimed that social media marketing was important for their business. 80% indicated their efforts increased traffic to their websites, which in turn increases bookings. And according to Social Media Examiner, 97% of marketers are currently participating in social media—but 85% of participants aren’t sure how to manage their accounts.
If you find yourself intrigued about social media then continue reading these 10 Reasons to use Social Media for Marketing to help improve your guest list and room bookings.
Social Media is here to stay why not embrace it?
- Increased Inn Recognition.Every opportunity you have to syndicate your content to increase your visibility is valuable. Your social media networks are new channels for your Inn’s voice and content. This is important because it simultaneously makes your Inn more accessible for new guests, and makes you more familiar and recognizable for existing guests. For example, a frequent Twitter user could hear about your Inn for the first time only after stumbling upon it in a newsfeed. Or, an otherwise apathetic guest might become better acquainted with your Inn after seeing your presence on multiple networks.
- Improved Inn (Brands) loyalty.According to a report published by Texas Tech University, brands who engage on social media channels enjoy higher loyalty from their customers. The report concludes “Companies should take advantage of the tools social media gives them when it comes to connecting with their audience. A strategic and open social media plan could prove influential in morphing consumers into being brand loyal.” Another study published by Convince and Convert found that 53% of Americans who follow brands in social are more loyal to those brands.
Don’t be scared by the phrase social media plan. This is quite simple and we can help. Just contact us http://www.innsocialmarketing.com/contact/ and we can help get you started.
- More Opportunities to Convert.Every post you make on a social media platform is an opportunity for folks to become guests or refer someone to you. When you build a following on each social site, you’ll have access to new guests, recent guests, and old guests, and you’ll be able to interact with all of them. Every image, video, blog post, or comment you share is a chance for someone to interact with you, and every interaction could lead to a site visit, and eventually a booking. Not every interaction with your Inn results in a conversion, but every positive interaction increases the likelihood of an eventual booking. Even if your click-through rates are low, the sheer number of opportunities you have on social media is significant.
- Higher conversion rates.Social media marketing results in higher conversion rates in a few distinct ways. Your Inn becomes more humanized by interacting in social media channels. Social media is a place where Inns can act like people, and people like doing business with other people; not with companies.
Social media has proven a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than any other marketing option. The more social media followers you have tends to improve your trust and credibility, which is your online marketing goal! As such, simply building your audience and presence in social media can improve conversion rates of your existing traffic.
- Higher Brand Authority.Interacting with your customers regularly is a show of good faith for other guests. When people go to compliment or brag about a place to stay and service they have received they turn to social media. When they post your Inn’s name, new audience members will want to follow you for updates. The more people that are talking about you on social media, the more value and authority your Inn has. If you can interact with other MAJOR influencers on social networks, your visible authority and reach will skyrocket which in turn offers a chance for increased guest bookings.
- Increased Inbound Traffic.Without social media, your inbound traffic is limited to people already familiar with your Inn and individuals searching for keywords you currently rank for. Every social media profile you add is another path leading back to your site, and every piece of content you post on those profiles is another opportunity for new visitors. The more quality content you offer on social media, the more inbound traffic you’ll generate, and more traffic means more leads and more bookings
- Decreased Marketing Costs.It’s FREE to post on social media why not utilitze it to the best of its ability? Even paid advertising through Facebook and Twitter is relatively inexpensive (depending on your goals, of course)if you choose to go that route.
- Better Search Engine Rankings.SEO is still the best way to capture relevant traffic from search engines, but the requirements for success are always changing and now it incorporates your social media presence. The fact is that strong brands almost always use social media. Being active on social media could act as a “brand signal” to search engines that your brand is legitimate, credible, and trustworthy. That means, if you want to rank for a given set of keywords, having a strong social media presence could be almost mandatory.
- Richer Guest Experiences.Social media is a communication channel like email or phone calls. Every guest interaction you have on social media is an opportunity to publicly demonstrate your customer service level and enrich your relationship with your guests. You can immediately publicly thank your guests for their resent visit or entice them to join you for a return visit. It’s a personal experience that lets guests know you care about them.
- Improved Customer Insights.Social media also gives you an opportunity to gain valuable information about what your guests are interested in and how they behave. You can easily chart what guests are saying about your Inn and what advertising is working and what isn’t. You can see what content is giving you the best response and adjust your advertising to suit the results therefore not waisting any advertising dollars.
These were just 10 Reasons to use Social Media for Marketing. Social Media is a great tool and will offer some quick results but the best laid plans take time and will offer you even better results. If you’re still apprehensive about getting started, consider this:
- Your Competition Is Already on Social Media.Your competitors are already working social media, which means you are loosing out on potential traffic and conversions. Don’t let your competitors reap all the benefits of social media If for some reason your competition is not involved on social media yet, there’s even more of a reason to get started TODAY!
- The Sooner You Start, the Sooner You Reap the Benefits.Social media is all about relationship building. It takes time to build relationships but the good news is you already have a great following from your past guests. You just need to let them to know where to find you on social media. Once they friend or follow you their friends will start to connect with your Inn as well which increases your audience and your bookings, all with little or no money.
- Potential Losses Are Insignificant. There really is no downside to social media. The amount of time and money it takes to create your profiles and start posting is usually minimal, compared to other marketing channels. We can help you get started today. http://www.innsocialmarketing.com/contact/
Reasons for social media marketing
The longer you wait, the more you have to lose. Social media marketing, when done right, can lead to more guests, more traffic, and more conversions, and it’s here to stay. If you’re interested in getting started but aren’t sure where to begin contact us today- http://www.innsocialmarketing.com/contact/
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Do You Need A Social Media Manager?
What is a Social Media manager and do you need one?
A social media manager is the best person to hire when you are serious about developing your brand online and coming up with a focused overall social media strategy.
But….When is it time to Hire a Social Media Manager?
Here are some undeniable signs….
– You are spending hours upon hours on social media every day, neglecting money-making tasks that are just not getting done.
-You are unsure which social media platforms to be active on, or which types of content to post
-You don’t have time to create social media tasks to delegate
-You are already diligently maintaining a social media presence, but you are not connecting with many people or the right people. Maybe you’re not social and do not get joy from interacting with others online!
We work with you to develop a program you can take over and manage, on your terms or we can do everything for you. The choice is yours.
We can help you get started, optimize your profiles and lead you all the way or you can allow Inn Social Marketing, LLP to be your social media managers and do all the work for you.
Social Media isn’t going anywhere and is only going to get bigger and stronger why not harness the experience and professionalism from Inn Social Marketing, LLP, social media managers
