E-Marketing Associates

Plan Your Travel Itinerary with Trippy and TravelMuse

Golda Criddle by
on February 22nd, 2012

Yesterday’s travelers were limited to travel agencies, books, brochures and traditional word of mouth for travel advice. Now the entire world is available at your fingertips through websites, online travel agencies and social networks. New social travel sites are popping up every day with different approaches to help travelers plan their trips.

The latest entry in social trip planning is Trippy, a site that revolves around planning a trip based on recommendations from your friends. The site differs from Gogobot and Gtrot in that it aims to build your entire itinerary from your Facebook friends.

When you create a trip on Trippy, you are told right away which of your Facebook friends “know” your destination, having lived, studied or visited there in the past. You can also specify whether your trip is strictly business, budget, romance or even adventure, and tell your friends what you want to experience during your trip. You can then add places, restaurants and hotels you are considering visiting, eating in and staying at. At the end of the process, Trippy provides you with a customized trip URL that you can share on Facebook or Twitter to get your input from your social circle. When your friends click on this link, they will be able to view your proposed itinerary and make comments. You can plan your trip by the day, and when you’re ready, check rates and book your hotel within Trippy’s platform.

Another great site for planning your trip is TravelMuse. The site acts like a scrapbook for your trip, as you can save any web page into a folder so that all of your ideas are in one central place. TravelMuse offers its own Bookmarker to make this process as easy as accessing your bookmarks through a browser. You can also view your saved items on a map, on a calendar, and look for other things to do when you have a few extra hours.

A unique feature of TravelMuse is the “Get Inspired” tab, which allows you to build a customized trip based on your interests and preferences. You can select when you wish to travel, what airport you are flying out of, your favorite activities, maximum flight time and budget per person. From these parameters, TravelMuse will build an entire trip for you within seconds. Talk about making travel easy!

What social travel sites will you use to plan your next trip?

Categories: B2B & B2C,Blog,Clients,Facebook,Hotel Internet Marketing,Hotels & Resorts,Hotels & Resorts,Internet Marketing,Social Media,Social Media Marketing,Travel,Twitter — Tags: , , , , , , ;

How to Respond To a Negative Hotel Review

Golda Criddle by
on February 17th, 2012

Review sites and social media are tools that all travelers use when looking for hotels to stay in. They are becoming extremely important in today’s travel industry, especially now that OTAs like Kayak are starting to integrate TripAdvisor reviews directly into their searches. In this high-tech world we live in, it is best for general managers to interact with their customers on social media, especially when it comes to online customer reviews.

Sooner or later you’ll encounter a negative review on Yelp or TripAdvisor that isn’t a spammer or false claim. What do you do? In most cases, you should respond. Follow these simple steps in crafting your response.

  1. Respond in a timely fashion. Responding quickly shows the customer that you are monitoring your channels closely, and that someone cares about their con
    cerns. Other people are also more likely to read your response if it is put up quickly.
  2. Be polite, calm, and professional. Treat this review like any customer service request and be courteous.  Be sensitive to the customer’s feelings. Such professionalism will enhance your online reputation.
  3. Be honest. Perhaps the criticism was just a simple misunderstanding. Is there information on your website that addresses their complaints? Or if they had a problem with your staff, apologize if necessary and look forward without accusations.
  4. If the customer’s criticism is valid, acknowledge that there is a problem, and something is being done to fix it. This shows the customer that their opinions have been heard. Perhaps you should speak to your staff about the importance of friendly customer service.
  5. Thank the customer for his or her review.  This shows that you appreciate the customer’s feedback. It also encourages further (possibly positive!) feedback.
  6. Offer compensation if appropriate. Usually a discounted room or upgrade is enough to compensate the customer for any wrongdoing. In most cases, it will also damage your hotel less than a bad online reputation. Ask for the customer’s contact information so that you can contact them immediately upon offering the compensation. This also shows potential customers that you are willing to rectify your mistakes.

Your customers will appreciate that you cared enough to respond to their complaints, and your hotel will look great to other possible guests. Who knows, maybe your response will even get the customer to write a more positive review in the future!

 

 

Categories: Blog,Hotel Internet Marketing,Hotels & Resorts,Hotels & Resorts,HSMAI,Internet Marketing,Social Media,Social Media Marketing,Travel — Tags: , , , ;

What You Can Learn from Beverly Hilton’s Twitter Faux Pas

Renee Radia by
on February 15th, 2012

It was Twitter that first broke the news of Whitney Houston’s sudden and tragic death this past weekend. She was found unconscious and not breathing in a hotel room at Beverly Hills’ prestigious Beverly Hilton late Saturday afternoon. Many people turned to the hotel’s Twitter account hoping for insider photos, updates, etc. of the chaos surrounding the star’s passing. What did they find instead? Jovial photos and tweets about celebrities entering the hotel to attend a Pre-Grammy Gala being hosted there. While the hotel did post one tweet extending its sympathy for the passing of Houston, it continued on shortly thereafter with photo upon photo of smiling celebrities. Twitter users quickly became outraged by this apparent social media faux pas, posting such comments as “such poor taste,” “just plain stupid,” and “odd and IMO, completely disrespectful.”

So what is the best response if there is a crisis at your property? What is the best action to take in order to disseminate the appropriate information, keep people happy and calm, and most of all continue to be respectful? It depends on the circumstances surrounding the crisis. Regardless, people will be flocking to your hotel’s Twitter account to receive information about what’s going on at your property (Beverly Hilton’s Twitter account has gained over 1,000 followers since Houston’s passing!). You don’t need to be a news source providing up to the minute news on anything other than what’s happening on your grounds. Twitter has really changed the way hotels broadcast to their guests and followers, and while it’s great to take advantage of this channel, it’s also important to be respectful and not overdo it.

In some cases, it might be appropriate for a Twitter account to “go silent” in honor of someone’s passing. In Beverly Hilton’s case, where the hotel basically invoked a “the show must go on” approach, the Pre-Grammy Gala began and there was no mention of Houston for quite a while as the hotel began tweeting about arriving celebrities. Twitter users were upset to find updates about celebs instead of information about and respect for Houston. A better idea might have been to incorporate both events together. For example, “George Clooney arrives, appearing somber, and pauses quietly at Houston’s memorial.” This shows respect for Houston’s death but also announces the news of Clooney’s arrival.

Another tactic might be responding to select tweets and retweeting your concerned fans as well, to let them know that you are listening to their thoughts and that you too are concerned about the current events at your hotel. There are many options of how to react in the social media world, but acting as if everything is fine and moving on without showing your fans you actively care about the situation is not the best way to go and can appear discourteous to some. It is a great way to upset your followers and leave people with nothing but a sour taste in their mouths.

Categories: Blog,Hotels & Resorts,Social Media,Twitter — Tags: , , , , ;

Happy Valentine’s Day From EMA!

David Sotelo by
on February 14th, 2012

Categories: Blog,Social Media,Uncategorized — Tags: , , ;

Current Events Boost Facebook Engagement

Renee Radia by
on February 8th, 2012

Looking to increase fan engagement on your Facebook page? Who isn’t? A recent study by Buddy Media shows how incorporating current events into your posts can drive fan engagement to new levels. The study focused on 1,400 brands and used last weekend’s big game as a case study. It looked at brands’ Facebook engagement rates, which include interactions through Likes, comments, and shares. The result was that in the six weeks leading up to the Super Bowl and on Super Bowl Sunday itself, brands that posted content using the keywords “Super Bowl” saw a 60% increase in engagement!

EdgeRank, Facebook’s news feed algorithm, takes many characteristics into consideration when it decides where content shows up in users’ news feeds. If a post has a high level of engagement or the user that shared the post has a close relationship with another user, the post is displayed more prominently on someone’s news feed. This is another factor accounting for the high engagement rate – because these posts were getting many Likes, comments, and shares, they were getting placed higher in users’ news feeds, which only encouraged more Likes, comments, and shares. There is something to be said about using the keywords “Super Bowl” though, since this event is inherently one of the biggest events in the US all year– such a giant increase in engagement might not be realistic for every post about a current event.

A great way to find current, up-to-date news that you can post about is to see what is trending on Twitter. Twitter constantly refreshes its left-hand “Trends” tab with real-time topics that are garnering the most buzz at that moment. An important caveat to remember when considering posting about a current event is that you don’t want to force your brand into irrelevant conversations. It might reflect poorly if you seem to be posting just for the sake of getting more engagement. Try to find a unique way of joining the conversation by making the post relevant to your brand and its message. Be weary too that you might get lumped in with other people or brands who have posted about a similar event, as Facebook frequently aggregates posts about the same topic and it is easy to get lost in the shuffle.

Categories: Facebook,Hotel Internet Marketing,Internet Marketing,Social Media,Social Media Marketing,Twitter — Tags: , , , , ;

How SMBs Can Join In on the Google+ Hangout Trend

Golda Criddle by
on February 3rd, 2012

Google+ gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “hanging out” with its video Hangout feature. It takes chatting online to a whole new level by allowing for spontaneous face-to-face online gatherings. Any Google+ user can start a Hangout with up to 10 other users for any length of time for free.

Many businesses, public figures and celebrities have started using Google+ Hangouts to reach out to the public including the White House, David Beckham and The Muppets.  Most notably, President Obama used the social network’s video conferencing tool to create a virtual town hall meeting focusing on the economy. He took questions via Twitter and YouTube. Five Americans in citizens across the country also participated in the Google+ Hangout, and were able to ask follow-up questions in real time after the President spoke.

Further, NBC’s Darren Rovell will host a Google+ Hangout to discuss this year’s Super Bowl commercials on February 6. Users will be able to use a feature of Google + Hangout that allows users to share and watch YouTube videos simultaneously. Rovell explained the purpose of the hangout: “The day after the Super Bowl is when people head back to their office water coolers to discuss what they loved and what they didn’t. Our conversation is about taking all those water cooler conversations and bringing it to a national, digital stage.”

Both of these hangouts take advantage of the “Hangout on Air” feature that allows Hangout to act as a live broadcast to the public. Google+ Hangout combines some features from programs like Skype and GoToMeeting such as multi-people video conferencing, and screen-sharing for free. This is what makes Google+ Hangouts unique.

Google+ Hangouts can be useful for small and large businesses alike. Here are just a few ideas for using Google+ on a smaller scale:

  • Customer Service:  Personalize your customer service by helping out your customers face-to-face! Private hangouts can be a great way to offer excellent support and you’ll be able to get visual cues and live feedback from your customers.
  • Brainstorming: If your business operates remotely, Google+ Hangouts allows for weekly or monthly communication through virtual meetings. You know ideas flow freer in a group setting. You can also use Hangouts with Extras to watch inspiring YouTube videos to start or end sessions.
  • Instructional Classes/Webinar: Chef Lee Allison uses Hangouts to teach cooking classes. You can teach skills from software to social media through video with interactive chat. Hangouts make question and answer sessions easy, personal and informative!

Can you think of other ways to use Google Hangouts to promote your business? Please feel free to share your ideas in the comments below!

Categories: B2B & B2C,Blog,Clients,Google,Internet Marketing,Photo & Video,Social Media,Social Media Marketing — Tags: , , , , , , ;

Internet Censorship: Is This Just the Beginning?

Renee Radia by
on February 1st, 2012

Just a short while ago, the Internet was abuzz with discussions about SOPA and the drastic effect this bill could have. Not long after the bill was shelved, file-sharing site Megaupload was taken down. Next, Twitter announced that it would be censoring Tweets in specific countries. And most recently, Google has come out saying it too would be censoring its widely-used blogging platform, Blogger, on a country-by-country basis as well. While in the past, some Internet users could have gotten away without caring about or even being aware of such censorship, it is becoming more and more difficult for even the common day user to ignore the direction that the digital world is taking.

Twitter’s recent policy changes may be the most interesting. Late last week, the company posted on its blog saying that it would take a reactive approach to removing Tweets, meaning that it will censor content only after a request is made to have it taken down. The content will, however, still be “available to users in the rest of the world,” as the blog post reads. Doesn’t this almost guarantee an increase in site traffic for this flagged content? Who wouldn’t want to read or watch something that another country has deemed inappropriate? We as humans are inherently curious about this sort of thing!

Google’s popular blog-publishing service, Blogger, also announced recently that in the coming weeks it will begin rerouting Blogger’s blog pages to country-specific URLs. For example, if you are in France visiting a “blogspot.com” site, the servers will automatically detect your IP address and redirect you to “blogspot.fr”. Creating a localized domain will allow Google to be able to remove content in a specific country but still have it available for U.S. readers and potentially other countries’ as well.

While both Twitter and Google, as well as any other site that may follow, are simply doing their best to adhere to local laws, this is a clear step backwards in our current digital era. Despite this censorship being implemented mainly for non-U.S. countries, it does bring many questions to the table. Weren’t these social networks created so people can share their own opinions and express themselves freely? Where will these attacks on free speech end? And what can we do to make them stop?

Categories: Blog,Google,Social Media,Twitter,Websites — Tags: , , , , , ;

Introducing TripAdvisor, Gogobot and Foodspotting for Facebook Timeline

Golda Criddle by
on January 27th, 2012

Very soon Facebook users (which, let’s face it, is just about everyone) will no longer be able to ignore Facebook Timeline. The new format will be rolling out by February 1 to all users. And with it, comes around 60 new lifestyle applications, with three familiar names in the travel world: TripAdvisor, Gogobot and Foodspotting. It has never been easier to share your travels plans—past, present or future—with friends and share the foods you love.


TripAdvisor’s app is called Cities I’ve Visited. The app allows you to pin cities you’ve traveled to on your travel map, display it on your timeline and many other personal travel stats on Facebook Timeline. You can share with your family your trip to Morroco, and what monuments you visited and restaurants you dined at. It’s a great way to take advantage of the new storytelling aspect of Facebook Timeline through travel.

Gogobot’s app is similar, but turns users into travel experts rather than just telling stories. When you use the Gogobot app with Facebook Timeline, your records of where you’ve been, what restaurants you’ve ate at and what attractions you saw are compiled into a “Destination Guide.” You can not only share this guide with your friends and family, but also act as a travel guide to show them the best places to eat and play.  You can share upcoming trips and ask questions from friends, and display customized postcards made from Gogobot’s iPhone application. You can also express your dreams by listing the places you want to visit. The more interaction you post to Facebook Timeline, the more Gogobot Travel Expertise points you receive to make you a trustworthy source on travel.

Foodspotting’s app also focuses on sharing. What’s better than a tasty dish? Sharing your pleasure with all your friends, of course? Now it is very easy to share your Foodspotting activity on your Facebook Timeline. You can control who sees your Foodspotting activity, fortunately, and it is all contained in one little box so it won’t clutter your Timeline. Your friends can also view your Foodspotting page to see which dishes you’ve become an expert in.

The new Facebook Timeline is all about encourage users to share more, through check-ins, posts, and other activity. There’s not much word yet on how Facebook Timeline will affect business brand pages but Facebook is known for its cohesiveness, so they will likely experience similar changes in the future. Do you have ideas on how to use Facebook Timeline to promote your business? Please share your ideas in the comments below!

Categories: B2B & B2C,Blog,Facebook,Internet Marketing,Lifestyle,Social Media,Social Media Marketing,Travel — Tags: , , , , , , ;

Hotels Find Success with Social Media Contests

Renee Radia by
on January 25th, 2012

Now, more than ever before, hotels are taking things to the next level thanks to social media. Hotels are realizing that they can make their guest interactions fun and mix things up with unique contests that make their fans more passionate about their properties. The following are some examples of creative contests hotels have done using social media that will hopefully stir up some ideas of your own!

  • Hotel Palomar in San Diego recently completed a unique contest that took participants out into the city to explore. Instead of a simple “’Like’ us to win…” contest that we’ve all seen overdone, the Kimpton brand hotel utilized the mobile app “Scavenger Hunt with Friends” where participants submitted photos online as a way of checking off their scavenger hunt finds. Items on the list were designed to get users out and about in San Diego, taking creative photos and performing fun and local activities in order to do so.
  • W Hotels encouraged the use of location-based mobile apps by running a campaign that gave users incentive for checking-in to their hotels on Foursquare during the Summer DJ Series. The first person to check into a given event received a free 2-night weekend stay as well as free bottle service. Foursquare Mayors drank free on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The East coast properties also ran a timely video contest where participants had to commemorate the legendary Times Square kiss by reenacting and filming it.
  • Casa del Mar in Santa Monica ran a contest called “What’s Under the Sheets?” late 2009 where it posted a photo of 2 giant wrapped items in the hotel’s lobby. Throughout the contest, the hotel released clues about the identity of the items. People submitted their guesses through Twitter and the winner received a fun spa package stay at the property.
  • Jet Luxury ran a Twitter contest last year that was designed to encourage conversation on the microblogging site. Participants were entered into a drawing to win a package if they tweeted about their favorite of the brand’s hotels and why they liked it. Instead of a massive retweet or spam message, organic conversations about the hotels took place.
  • Le Parc Suites in West Hollywood has recently reached out to the dog-lovers to have them vote on the next “Director of Pet Relations.” Various pooches are on display on a Facebook landing page each with a short bio and cute photo. The winning pooch will be featured throughout the hotel and will receive many perks!

 

Categories: Blog,Facebook,Hotel Internet Marketing,Hotels & Resorts,Hotels & Resorts,Photo & Video,Social Media,Social Media Marketing,Twitter — Tags: , , , , ;
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