The Next Hotel Marketing Wave - Publish or Perish

The tourism marketing and development work we did for Dominica has opened our eyes to the future. Almost as a sideline, we created the TravelersInsights.com magazine. It was a personal account, inspired by our need to understand and document the brand. When marketing the destination on the Internet, it provided a framework for the conversation we entered or created. This was a success. We managed to place the new central reservation system we had created BookingsDominica.com on top of search results for most of the important Dominica Travel search words and phrases.

The TravelersInsights Dominica however sat on the shelves and was largely ignored by the Discover Dominica Authority (DDA). Hotels loved it so much that every single copy of the draft run disappeared. We knew that it was a worthwhile endeavor, but it needed the DDA to use and distribute it. This did not happen!

Adversity is often the mother of invention, and in trying to find a better use for the TraveleresInsights Dominica publication, we discovered online publishing. 

There are thousands of online resources where you publish travel stories, articles and destination promotional pieces. They break down into blogs, ezines, Web 2.0 resources, bookmarking, dedicated interest channels, document storage, re-publishers and online magazine racks.

Online magazines were our first foray. They are are slowly taking over from the corner store. Here, you get full-colored magazines of very high quality. In may cases, they may be downloaded or delivered by courier. Services like Magcloud print runs are very reasonable, at only 15-20 cents US per page for small runs. Try to get a regular printer to do that and you'll see what I mean. This is a good and inexpensive outlet for destination marketing. Their are no expensive print runs and no inventory. Quality magazines can be ordered one at a time and delivered anywhere (Print on Demand -POD as in TravelersInsights.com).

Closely related are the document sharing systems, like Slideshare. Here, high quality documents are stored online in PDF format, ready for download.

Next, we looked at ezines and started with ezineartciles.com. The submission was rejected, as they thought it was too professional and suggested we had copied it. When this was cleared, up the piece went on to be featured in Travel Tips. We are still working our way through these ezines with a list of over 500 services and some paid help in submitting to them.

It was at this point that the thought struck: Hey! Digital Publishing is the new marketing!

What better way to get noticed than getting publicity: print coverage online. One that you can do yourself, or at least control yourself. It is a slightly new twist on an old and dying adage, replace print with the hybrid of digital marketing. Both in print and online, have it ready to download, ready to print on your own desktop, or have it shipped to your destination sales staff, travel agent or traveler.

What is most interesting, from an Internet Marketer's perspective, is the fact that your listing in these online services often allows backlinks to your website. This means that your website get seen and, as these sites are often very authoritative, it means that Google and the search engines pay attention. This will help you get listed on top search results and directly increase you bookings.

I think I see a fundamental shift in marketing coming - see my article on Bukisca - Publish or Perish. These sites are examples of the new Web 2.0 platforms that are rapidly becoming voices and influences. We have used HubPages, Squidoo, RedGage and many, many others. See our Tourism Marketing Platform in the arcRes-Publishing link below for a researched list.

In our business of tourism marketing, we will often drop in our clients' Special promotions, hotel deals, car rental offers and restaurant advertising. For an example, see Barbados Special HubPage on Smartphones.

It's what we at AXSES have been gearing up for for a decade! Those who are our clients will know how we have positioned AXSES products to serve direct business to hotels and tourism suppliers.

Our flagship product, arcRes.com, has changed from a simple booking engine to a full-fledged publishing system.

We even coined the name arcRes-Publishing before we fully understood the impact it might have. 

Jobs wants iPhone to dominate Travel

I wrote about Steve Jobs not doing the Good Job a week ago. I am not happy with the moves Steve is making to dominate the market and limit travelers' choices by exempting Flash and other travel apps from the iPhone store. See Jobs not done well

Today, CNet and Unwired revealed Apple's patent application for its travel-apps. The plans reveal more of this new face of Apple - A company more and more interested in going it alone.

I don't think it's wise. The internet is about sharing and being open. Consumers love Apple, but they also like free choice, and if Steve does not give them an iPhone that allows them access to the websites they want to see, it's just not going to cut it. No matter how great the technology, it has to be open to succeed.

Others, like Android and BlackBerry, are working hard to make the smartphone a universal product reaching all corners of the web. iPhone, already losing market shares to Android, will be a past piper, if Jobs and Co. fails to see the light. Apple iPhone revealed.

Related links see AXSES http://SmartPhoneTraveller.com

For Hotels and Tourism operators - Get arcRes Free Advertising and Marketing Trial - quickly advertising your brand and holiday specials, packages, deals on hundreds of travel marketing and shopping sites

smartphonetraveller.com

June 2010. AXSES SCI, Bridgetown Barbados, launches a unique travel shopping application for mobile market and smart phones.

This application combines arcRes Specials Marketing of http://BookingsCaribbean.com and the themes and moods describing each island from http://CaribbeanHopping.com.

It is currently number 1 on AndroLib Marketplace for a search of Travel Shopping .

AXSES Caribbean Travel Shopping is a FREE app. that can be downloaded to the mobile and used to find hotels and activities offering special deals and book them on the phone.

Caribbean Travel Shopping - Android 

For more info on this app see AXSES site http://SmartPhonetraveller.com and more about how the application can be used by Hotels and Tourism operators http://SmartPhonetravellapps.com

Other Resources: Google Android vs Apple iPhone HubPage| AXSES Squidoo Page
How to get your Hotel on smartphones hubPage 

Dominica Tourism Authority gets AXSES Arcres Travel Platform

The Dominica Tourism Authority (Discover Dominica Authority, DDA) selects the AXSES Travel Platform for the tourism industry in Dominica.

Colin Piper, CEO/Director of the Discover Dominica Authority, says, “We selected AXSES because its people have a deep understanding of the travel marketplace and the right suite of products and resources to help our travel marketing.”

The AXSES Travel Marketing and Bookings Platform is a unique marketing and bookings solution for destinations, hotels, tourism operators and car rental companies. It offers the full spectrum of advertising management, bookings, interactive branding and systems for direct marketing. It is ideal for destinations, as it plays by destination rules and promotes the destination product with direct to hotel and tourism owner sales and bookings.

AXSES, know for putting Barbados.org on the net, and owners of http://Barbados.org, is also a world leader in travel software. A team of Barbados programmers are now at work building what they call the next generation travel shopping platform. Many of AXSES' products are first of a kind. Its Facebook application, which allows Facebook Fans to get quotes and book direct from Facebook, published a year ago, is an example of AXSES leading edge innovative and adaptive thinking that caught the attention of Dominica.

AXSES has completed the first stage of the project which is to build the new e-commerce Dominica Marketing portal which is the Dominica Central Reservations Center http://Bookingsdominica.com. The sites have been Search Engine-Optimised (SEO) with dozens of 1st-page positions on strategic keywords.

A Dominica travelogue was completed as part of this project and it is being marketed with print and online Dominica magazine publications: TravelersInsights.com. TravelersInsights is a cloud publishing service for destinations developed by AXSES and part of the AXSES arcRes Travel Platform. The articles are being distributed to over 300 online ezines and are available on magazine and document services, like Slideshare, ArticlesBase, as well as TravelerInsights and BookingsDominica


The DDA and AXSES are jointly marketing the Dominica Reservations Center, which is being cross linked and marketed with http://dominica.dm the official website of the Dominica Tourism Authority.

AXSES is now installing booking engines on Dominica hotel websites using the arcRes bookings widgets http://BookingsWidgets.com.

As part of the project to create the Dominica Travel Platform, AXSES staged a 3-day seminar to the entire Tourism industry. The seminar was attended by over 50 tourism partners and enthusiastically supported.

AXSES key personnel Kathy-Lynn Ward and Kris Gooding delivered keynote addresses on web design, use of technology, branding & marketing in the interactive age. The seminar included interactive examples of AXSES Next Generation Shopping Platform, which is being installed as the Travel Platform for Dominica.

For more info on the AXSES Travel marketing platform, see http://TravelBookingsPlatform.com
Built on the arcRes e-commerce suites the travel platform combined advertising management with e-commerce marketing and publishing. arcRes Bookings-Expert the booking engine for hotel and tourism operator websites, allows hotels and activities, tours, car rental cos and tourism suppliers to advertise and publish their product and brand to smartphones (http://SmartphoneTraveller.com), Google Shopping, social media and hundreds of affiliated travel marketing sites.

Jobs not done well

JOBS not done well.

its interesting times with Apples latest iPhone 4 hitting a communications snag and Apple, the consumer favorite, saying "you have to buy the patch". Well Steve had to back down and weeks later made it Free. Suddenly is seems that the iPhone is not the darling of the consumer. Google android phone shipping at 1000 per day are outpacing Apple. A quiet backlash is taking place and for good reason read more at http://hubpages.com/t/16fdbb

smartphonetravelapps.comFor latest on smartphone apps for the travel mobile market see http://smartphonetravelapps.com


Interesting times ahead with Apple saying its our way or the highway and more and more taking the highway. By many account Android is outpreforming iPhone. Interesting for travel when both Apple and Google declair a travel focus.

Hotels, travel Agents, tourism operators and destinations await the outcomes.

We will keep you posted on the site linked above.

New Travel Marketing Platform for Hotels & Tourism

AXSES Travel Marketing and Bookings Platform launched.

we have published a 16 page color brochure to outline this unique travel marketing, bookings and publishing solution. This new arcRes tourism platform combines technology, services, automation tools, distribution services and application software for hotels and tourism operator, travel destinations, tourism association, chains and affiliate marketing.

Publish your travel products and travel bookings to mobile smartphone, social sites, facebook, google shopping and hundreds of travel sites.


AXSES arcRes Travel Platform Features
arcRes travel platformAXSES arcRes is a powerful travel marketing platform
It can be used for hotels, villas, condos, apartments, car rentals, tourism activities and destinations.

arcRes is a booking engine and a central reservation system
The booking engine comes with easy to install travel booking & shopping widgets for any website. The central reservation system can be a simple widget or a full destination website.

arcRes is a travel publishing system
Rates, specials, packages and destination content in arcRes can be published to channels such as mobile phones, social media and travel portals. Special promotions may be sent directly to travelers via email, RSS and special purpose applications developed by AXSES.

arcRes help you to organise, manage and market your travel business

InteractiveBrand

"A brand does not exist on a shelf — it exists in the hearts and minds of people"... Mahesh Murthy 2010

This blog is about the new age of the Interactive Brand. It will point you to a series of newsletters and web sites that explain the secrets of the Interactive Brand. The brand that connects!

To stand out from the crowd you need a purpose that defines your brand as different. This is the hook. It makes your brand news worthy and, if people like it, it may just enter the conversation.

Take a look at our Social network site - it has a great video about social media. Made a few years ago when facebook was still a baby, not the second most visited website in the world, it is very valid.

This social conversation is part of the interaction that successful marketers are engaging in. The Apple iPad and Google Buzz both have created a Buzz of conversation without a single ad.

The Social Media hotel in NY climbed to the top of the conversation using Twitter and facebook to get a message out that they were friendly, open, social and interested in things that are happening in NY. Their hook was connecting with special interest groups and building around events that interested them, like Craft Beer Week and hosting a party for a Mashable Social Media event.

In Barbados theCoconut Court Hotel has hired a Community Manager and moved into the community conversation announcing its social happy hours, breakfast specials and a full calendar of social events which is communicated using social media.

It's a crowded field but brands can take off "hook, line and sinker", via viral marketing, word of mouth, social media and the Internet.

Viral marketing does not need to be conducted through major advertising firms or tech savvy companies. It is managers and staff, real people that make the conversation. Well mostly, we note that Obama needs a social media aid to keep up with the conversation.

Obama's hook was "Yes we can" and his team turned that into a victory, it was clearly a purpose that was different.

Once you have your purpose you need a website that communicates this - see our 10 steps for good website design.

Your website is one of the most powerful communicators of your brand. Your website is where social media will go to discover more about you. If you do it right its where Internet searchers will find you. So make it special, make it have the best content and best process. Be wary of how your content is used on the net and be the guardian of your brand. In particular be wary of how other online channels and online travel agents can effect your brand.

Promoting your brand on the internet has a lot to do with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). All that you do in Social Media will help you get indexed and found on the major engines. Unlike Social Media Interaction, we don't suggest you do your own Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), this is a job for the pros. If done wrong it can wipe you off the Net. See our summary of the key points in Your Brand and SEO

As we note in "Your Brand and SEO", an important differentiation in communications and brand appeal as well as in Search engine Ranking is the Process. The process is about Interaction. The process refers to how the brand is deployed, the methods, form and function and all the ways that it is dynamic, changing with your use, tracking your experience and your interaction to give you what you want. It is, in a way, both the media and the message.

Rates and quotes are a simple example; if travelers perceive that your website rates are not clear and not fair rate, they will go elsewhere. We are in a buyers market and getting the best price is almost a way of life now. It's too easy to find great deals at Expedia and Priceline and if your website is not in line you will lose direct business and brand loyalty. Read about the fair rates perception and your brand Interactive fair rates and brand Integrity


The Hook

A Tourism website and product needs to have a purpose and be different - we can't all be the best luxury hotel or the best budget hotel, so some are opting for the best party hotel, with non stop improvised jazz, jam sessions, beach parties and picnics. Others cater to families, singles, couples, the getaway crowd and to sports tourism etc. Soon these differences are not enough and the hook has to be something more. The "best" is tired and better retired.

A hook is a hook only if it connects with the customer. It has to be more than a market segment; which is best described as travel and holidays theme marketing. The hook, by contrast is about differentiation across market segments or themes, it has to have a global purpose with real appeal. When Nike used "Just do it" it connected. It connected to the sports minded who wanted to just do it, and it connected because of its association with the "Best" athletes. Best is Ok if it's real and not just a tired word. You have to show it.

There is trend today to be more edgy. I am not sure I like it. I don't think a good cook has to use foul language to win customers but, Hey, It works. Even Mickey Mouse is showing his darker side in Disney's re-branding of Mickey.

Mickey's popularity in the United States has begun to wane with the growing competition from Nickelodeon, Pixar and Dreamworks characters that are more edgy. Mickey's personality has to grow with the times to remain relevant in the marketplace.

Travel writers are doping the flowers in their language and become more outlandish telling the good, the bad and ugly with character. So too the brand needs to be articulated with straight talk and frank conversation - see Mahesh Murthy on Interactive Branding.

AXSES Interactive Brand directory