Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 20 – How to Easily Create Amazing Content
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Chances are, if you have a product or service to sell, you are producing content in some form or fashion. From text, photos and videos to interactive widgets and downloads, the Internet is essentially a great big web of content. In order for customers to learn about your hotels you need content that provides them with helpful information that answers their questions and that persuades them to part with their hard earned money in exchange for a trip to your property.
In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we look at content in its many forms and discuss techniques that hoteliers can implement to ensure that they are beating their competition in the battle for content supremacy.
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Show Notes:
What Is Content?
- The entire web is nothing but content
- Simply… content marketing is building up an information base to support your product or service
- Once created… tell everyone
Why Does Content Matter?
If everything on the web is content…
- Search engines ONLY index content
- People ONLY link to content on social networks
- Video is the ONLY content on YouTube
- ONLY content will persuade someone to stay at your property
- If you are not producing content, ONLY you will know about your company
IF YOUR CONTENT IS NOT GOOD, YOUR MARKETING IS NOT GOOD.
How Do I Know If I Am Producing Bad Content?
- Don’t phone it in… Deliver
- Will your audience feel the click was worth it?
- Did you go above and beyond to answer a question?
- Are you genuinely proud of what you did?
- Will people who don’t know you want to share your content? (This is when it “goes viral”)
The Goal is to make 10x Content
Make your content 10 Times more valuable than the next best thing.
Build content that competitors could never duplicate.
Don’t just answer a question or provide information, take the guest to the next step of their journey.
Provide Enlightenment by giving them information that they didn’t have before or helping the see things from a different perspective.
The term 10x Content was coined by Rand Fishkin, co-founder of MOZ.com
www.moz.com/blog/why-good-unique-content-needs-to-die-whiteboard-friday
How Can You Produce Great Content?
Just start with these simple steps.
- Make a list
- Calendar & Responsibility
- Produce
- Publish
- Promote (Repeatedly)
- Analyze
- Repeat Steps 1 -6
10 Content Mediums To Consider
Content extends way beyond the written word and different types of content can appeal to different audiences.
The Basics: Pebbles
- Site content – amenities, room descriptions, FAQs etc
- Blogs and articles – nearby attractions, things to do, differentiators, top 5 lists, etc.
- Video – standalone or supporting other content
- Photos – 90% of people said that quality of photography was an important factor when selecting a hotel in a recent Fuel study.
- User Generated – show people the experience through the eyes of past guests
More Advanced: Big Rocks
- Infographics
- Whitepapers and downloads
- Podcasts and audio
- Tools
- Presentations/How-Tos
Examples of Big Rock thinking:
- The Standard Hotels Cultural blog – www.standardculture.com
- Ritz Carlton – The Art of the Craft Video Campaign lifts the veil and shows guests how the memories are made from the perspective of staff members.
Does Big Rock Content Make Sense for your hotel?
- Leads to 10x content
- Point of reference for all content
- Creates opportunity for multiple pebbles
- Makes you the authority on the subject and adds credibility
- Brings the entire team together
Promoting Your Content
If content is produced and no one knows…
- Develop a plan to promote
- Remember, you are speaking to a parade, not a standing army. Promote often.
- Automation is your friend
Organic tips & tricks to reach your audience
- Make your headlines pop (there’s a reason it’s called click bait)
- Post and share often
- Match the content with the medium to ensure the right target audience
- Utilize your network and ask for shares
- Interact with your network BEFORE you need their help
- Follow the right people
Promoting Your Content
Paid exposure does work
- Promoted Tweets
- Boosted Facebook Posts
- PPC programs via AdWords (Google)
- Distribution Channels
- Content Discovery Platforms – Yahoo Gemini, OutBrain, etc.
Tracking Your Content
Before you promote, track
- Analytics such as Google Analytics,
Adobe Analytics, Bit.ly, etc. - Platform analytics such as Twitter,
Facebook, etc. - Use your analytics to determine
future content - Don’t forget your ultimate goal is heads in beds, not traffic.
Next steps for your hotel…
A content marketing starters guide
- Make a list of your FAQs
- Answer at least ONE question on your site
- Post to Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, Instagram, etc
- Brainstorm some Big Rocks
- Create a calendar, hold everyone accountable, and start
Biggest Reason for Failure: YOUR INNER CRITIC!!!
Just Do It. Start small and build on your successes.
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In the News
Aloft hotels debut voice-activated rooms
Hotel Guests Engaged During Stay 40% More Likely to Come Back
In a first, Expedia promotes a hotel’s loyalty rates and rewards program
https://www.tnooz.com/article/expedia-hotels-loyalty-rates/
Google drops “mobile-friendly” label from SERP
Google’s new penalty on pop-ups
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Related Links:
- Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 10 – Should My Hotel Have a Blog? https://www.travelboommarketing.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-10-hotel-blog/
- How To Create Kickass Content For Your Hotel Website https://www.travelboommarketing.com/blog/create-kickass-website-content/
- Download the Fuel Leisure Trravel Study at www.fueltravel.com/study
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Download the Fuel Leisure Trravel Study at www.fueltravel.com/study
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Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom
@stuartbutler
@pdimaio
Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to @_travelboom. Download our leisure travel study at www.fueltravel.com/study/.