Blogging for Positive SEO Benefits

Blogs occupy a special place in the heart of search engines, where they get additional rankings benefit over and above just a static, boring brochure or a website. Because of the way that a blog is structured, you get a very search engine friendly site just right out of the gate. A blog typically has really good HTML coding and good internal linking structure, which offer positive SEO benefits.

Simple checklist to tell if your website is making you money

You are in a travel, accommodation and tourism business. How do you interact with consumers on their web-based journey:

• Dreaming
• Research
• Booking
• Experiencing
• Sharing

Dreaming- what makes your business attractive and unique? Do you have something people can dream about? Loud and proud.

Research- is your offer clear? What are you selling, what’s in it for me and how much does it cost? What does your site analytics tell you?

Booking- is your booking engine easy to use? Is it intuitive and step by step? How many people abandon their bookings with you at this stage?

Experiencing- virtual tours, educational and inspiring video, hi-res professional photos. Make it irresistible for people to book with you.

Sharing- you are so good people just have to tell their friends about you. Do you make it easy for people to brag about you?

This simple checklist should help you assess the way your customer engages with your website and what you should be looking for when building or updating your website. Ask your web company to go through this list with you and explain how you can meet your evolving customers expectations.

Then ask- if 20% of all hotel queries are already being conducted on mobile devices, how does your site deliver to this fast growing behaviour?

Photos vs. Virtual Tours on your website

Photos vs. Virtual Tours

Hi quality photos are great but even the best high quality photo can be a little deceiving, because the angle could be perfect in hiding a not so desirable aspect. What a virtual tour does allow the user to explore the destination in 360 degrees. It’s in high definition but the advantage is you can check out all the nooks and crannies, and it’s a better way to know what you’re getting.

Google has made everyone an expert. Shoppers have changed. They are heavily researching their accommodation options making the market more and more competitive. The savvy traveller has come to expect virtual tours on a website to show them what to expect and it really does make a difference to your business.

People will book with complete confidence knowing that when they get there they get what they expected and what they paid their money for. Would you risk disappointment on booking a room for your special holiday? A virtual tour completes the research. Look no further.

Put yourself in your customers state of mind because that is where your income is coming from. Improve your conversion rate by having a virtual tour on your website and impress the pants off them. Then give them a bed to sleep in. It’s a perfect fit wouldn’t you say?

PS- High quality photos are still a must in the accommodation market, but combined with a high quality virtual tour you greatly improve your chances of a confirmed booking. And that’s money in the bank.

_______________________

Spin360 are New Zealand’s leading virtual tour company with the history, the experience and the results to help you increase your revenue. Contact them today to get a fixed quote for a virtual tour you can bank on.

Dwayne Edward
Sales & Marketing Manager
Spin360 by Virtual360 Ltd
W: http://www.spin360.co.nz
P: 0274 943 586

E: spin

The First 360-degree View of Our Sun

The First 360-degree View of Our Sun

2 US spacecraft are taking pictures from opposing sides of our sun and now have unprecedented images for an new perspective on what the sun is hurling towards earth.

"These things stress to us that you can’t really study the Sun in great detail just by looking at a bit of it, any more than you could understand the brain by looking at a bit of it or study the Earth’s polar regions by looking at the equator. You need this global view to really piece the jigsaw puzzle together." – Professor Richard Harrison Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

At Spin360 we use the same approach by taking pictures that show hotel rooms in 360 degree detail, but on an incredibly miniscule budget compared to this space project. Back on earth we can make those same conclusions about still photos versus 360 virtual tours. You really need that global view to put it all together for your customers instead of trying to tell them a story with one or two still images. It really does make that big a difference and they will appreciate it and reward you by booking with you.

Why risk losing a future customer because you haven’t got a virtual tour to show them what they’re missing? Scientists are curious creatures, and so are tourists. If they weren’t they’d stay at home. Get the most from your website and your future clients. Call Spin360 today.

15 Business Telephone Etiquette Tips

Just been reviewing top ways to answer a business phone including message machines.

The first thing to say (and the winner is)…. Thank you!

SCRIPT:

Thank you for calling (Your Hotel). This is (Your name), how may I help you?

TIP: speak with a smile on your face physically, it shows in the sound of your voice. If you have an accent, speak even slower.

Create a Good First Impression

Try to answer the phone on the second ring. Answering the phone too quickly can catch the caller off guard, while waiting too long is inconsiderate of the caller’s time. There are a number of ways to identify yourself and your organization:

• FRONT DESK – “Thank you for calling (Hotel name). This is (your name). How may I help you?”
• DEPARTMENTS – “(dept name), (your name),” OR “(Your Name), how may I help you?”

There has been a lot of discussion of using “good morning” or “good afternoon.” This is unnecessary if you use the right tone.

1. Make sure you speak clearly, slowly, and are smiling as you answer the phone- Smile — it shows, even over the phone.
2. Ask permission before putting a caller on hold. "Would you mind holding while I get your file?" or "Can you please hold briefly while I see if Mr. Jones is available?"
3. When returning to your caller, remember to thank them for waiting.
4. Do not permit the phone to ring into the your or the departments office more than three times.
5. Always use a pleasant, congenial and friendly tone.
6. Never interrupt the person while he/she is talking to you.
7. Never engage in an argument with a caller.
8. Do not handle an unhappy caller’s concern openly at the check in/checkout desk.
9. Do not answer the phone if you are eating or chewing gum.
10. Do not give the impression that you are rushed
11. Learn how to handle several callers simultaneously with ease and grace.
12. Return calls promptly that have been left on voice mail or answer phones
13. Always offer to leave a message if a manager or another team member must return the call- and get the best number and the best time to have a call returned to the caller.

14. Always end with a pleasantry: "Thank you for your call" or "It was nice speaking with you".

15. Let the caller hang up first. This shows the caller that you aren’t in a hurry to get off the phone with them.

Are You Losing Business Because of Your Phone Message? How to Fix It

Are you losing business because of your phone message? How to fix it.

In this example, I will use a B&B as the example. Substitute your own business.

Would you like to partake in a ‘mystery shopping’ experiment?

Imagine

Put yourself in the shoes of a brand new customer looking to rent your beautiful holiday home or B&B for $350/night for 3 nights. You have looked all over the internet, and out of 5 possible locations you have narrowed it down and decided to make a booking at Zion Luxury Retreat. You see from the availability calendar the dates are open. You want to confirm your holiday dates because you have to book flights, connections, and other transport needs.

That’s your headspace- now please call yourself and listen to YOUR recorded message. Then ask yourself- After hearing that answer machine, what would YOU feel, think and do next?

· Do you feel confident that you are paying lots of money to a LUXURY venue?

· Are made to feel welcome?

· Who did you actually call?

· Will they call you back, because I’m in a hurry for some answers?

· Did you leave a message? If not why not?

· Even knowing it was yourself- did you feel like leaving a message?

Success in building a business from a phone is hard enough. But when it’s your only option then extreme care and attention to detail is vital if you want to succeed.

Respect. Identify. Inform. Request. Promise.

Here is an example of a phone message that will stand you in a professional light and give you a fighting chance of getting a new customer based on your second first impression- your answering machine.

Thank you for calling Greg & Beth at Zion Luxury Retreat. We are away from the phone at present so please leave your name, phone number and a detailed message and we will return your call promptly- usually within 2 hours. Thank you and we look forward to talking with you shortly.

Then- follow up as promised- within or before the time you promised.

Take a minute now and re-record your phone message. How do you feel now when you listen back to yourself on your machine?

Re-answer the questions above. Are your answers different than the first time?

Would YOU leave a message now with confidence?

I hope this helps you get that extra customer by showing that you do respect their time and their business.

How to write a super effective “ABOUT US” page to build trust

Here is some helpful prep in composing and creating ‘About Us’ content. Do not underestimate the power of this page in your website. It’s not a bragging or boasting page. Picture yourself in the territory of  “How To Win Friends & Influence People”.

Effectively explaining the company’s purpose and what it stands for provides essential support for all other website goals.

Your company’s story says a lot about your organisation’s capabilities and personality. Spotlight your company with a compelling story about how the company got its start.  The best “About Us” pages give your customers an inside look at the human side of your company. Focus on the background of the founder and what led him or her to launch the business. People can relate to struggles, challenges and success despite the odds against. We love heros.

Remind prospective customers that there are people behind your company’s success. Include photos of executives and other key managers along with their profiles.

When a prospective customer visits your site, chances are “About Us” (read “Who Are These People”) is one of the first links they will click on. What they read here can make or break a decision to give you their business. A primary question is, “Can I trust this company?” When you read your ‘About Us” page do you feel sincerity, or are you hearing a real person, and would you want to do business with you based on what you just read?

Here are 2 examples to give you an idea…

http://www.daveandbusters.com/About/?f=0

http://www.nikebiz.com/company_overview/

 

Customer testimonials carry more weight than praise that you heap on yourself. Video testimonials are even more powerful. Remember that a real name or even a celebrity for a testimonial is gold. For very little money your can buy a Flip or Bloggie video camera and quickly capture video testimonials on a regular basis. This is powerful and convincing content for your Facebook page or YouTube.

When composing your About Us page, we can start by answering these questions:

• Why do you do what you do?
• Who are the people behind the company?
• What kind of people will I be working with/buying from?
• What does your company stand for?

The complete guide to Facebook domination in your business niche

Facebook 'how to'

Lots of people have been asking me about Facebook, how to do this, why to do that, should I, could I, why would I… here’s an article I read today that sums it all up and gets to the point. These are the 1^st 13 tips- check out the whole Slideshare PowerPoint presentation. It only takes a couple minutes to go through this and might steer you on a new course in your search for Facebook domination in your business niche.

………………………………………..

The Basics

1. Find the best name for your Facebook page… and don’t change it.

Before you jump head first into the shallow end of the Facebook pool, take 30 minutes and a few co-workers to brainstorm the correct name for your Facebook Fan page.

The answer might be obvious, but you can ensure the correct name for your page.

Oh, and don’t change it! Sure, you can, but for the sake of your fans, SEO value and your reputation, we would highly recommend against it.

Actually, forget what we said. You can’t change it, the name is forever.

2. Create a custom URL.

Facebook allows you to avoid the difficult to understand fan page URL string, by using a custom name.

Again, why that name is so important. “fanpage191280920909″ just does not sound as good as “travelnewzealand”.

3. Find someone who knows what FBML is.

All of those cool features on the Nike or Red Bull site are not typical add-ons, you are looking at custom FBML…or Facebook Markup Language…like HTML.

While FBML is not difficult for the average programmer, i is tough for your communications manager, social media associate or intern to grasp quickly.

4. Create a custom landing page.

Guess what runs the custom landing page? Yep, FBML.

While you can use FBML to create a rather dynamic landing page, you can also create a simple one in about ten minutes.

Basic image, plus some Photoshop work…add in a link…and post. One Facebook Welcome page.

5. Keep your welcome page short and sweet.

Don’t make the welcome page difficult on the user. Keep it basic.

Tell them why you are on Facebook and why it would be beneficial for them to follow you. Done.

6. Engage the visitor.

Okay, you got them to click the Like button, now what?

Why should they return to your page in the future? Do you post regular (and Lord help you, exclusive) content?

How about a daily deal? Seriously, these people have hundreds of other companies to Like, so why should they come back to your page?

 

Communications

7. Encourage interaction and communication.

It is called social media for a reason. So get social already.

Stimulate your fans with meaningful, interesting and valuable content… which leads to a meaningful, interesting and valuable conversation.

WARNING: If you don’t really want to talk to your consumer, find out what they really thing about you, possibly hear negative comments or bad words, Facebook is not the place for you.

Move along, nothing to see here…

8. Ask questions, surveys, quizzes = free research!

Facebook is a virtual pot of gold for consumer research. And all you have to do is start asking questions.

Scientific? Probably not.

Honest feedback from your audience? Yes.

Free? Heck, Yes!

9. Surprise your new friends.

Okay, this one could go in a couple sections, but it works here.

Again, you have consumers with an affinity to your social presence…surprise them!

Keep it fun.  And not just by running contests.

10. Be available, all of the time!

Social media is a 24/7 monster. Consumers are expecting a response in two hours, instead of two days.

Starting a successful social presence means a commitment to be available to your fans.

11. Don’t hide during a disaster, have an emergency communication plan.

Your Facebook page is an outlet for communication, even during a disaster.  Say, a volcano eruption.

Simply ignoring your previously active social channel is not a well received strategy.

Create a disaster plan and include your social outlets.

 

Marketing:

For the next 13 slides view the whole Troy Thompson presentation

 

Question of the Week:

How do you answer this question? Does each member of your staff believe and spread the same message? Let’s say you have 10 key clients in the room- answer this question:

Our company provides the best experience for people who want to ______ ?

It’s possible that you may have multiple attributes. Put this question to your staff and maybe your own customers. You might be surprised at the answers…

 

Does the following graphic help put Facebook into perspective?

 

How does this impact or relate to what you’re trying to do in your business today?

Where does your future lie on this map?

 

Buy One Get One Free Offer

Which offer do you think would convert best:
(A) 50% off
(B) half off
(C) buy one get one free?

If you picked C—the famous BOGO—then you guessed right. Studies and tests conducted by dozens of direct marketers back up the superiority of ‘buy one get one free’ offers when compared to 50 percent off or half off deals. From a pure numbers basis, each deal offers the same thing. 50% off a purchase of 12 bottles of wine is the same as half off of 12 bottles of wine or getting 12 bottles of wine for the price of six. But there’s some kind of subconscious miscalculation occurring that tips the scale for a buyer more often when it’s a BOGO, rather than a discount.

If a buy one get one offer would logically switch with your current discount offer, give it a go and see what happens to your conversion rate.

7 Hot Tips for compelling subject line writing success

Do you send newsletters, offers, and blog posts to attract more business?

Your subject line is one of the most important parts of your email, yet you only have a split second to get your customers attention.

Here’s how to get their attention and make sure your email gets opened.

Tips to remember:

•    Keep it short – 40-50 characters
•    Don’t repeat your From Label
•    Don’t use all caps
•    Avoid excessive punctuation (i.e., !!!!)
•    Don’t abuse the word “Free” – Use the word “complimentary” or “no cost” instead
•    Place the most important information at the beginning
•    Give your recipients a reason to open your email

get the full white paper on this here