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

SEOContent

SEO Content and your Brand in the age of interactive Brands

I like when Max Starkov (eHotelier) says "Creating
the best, deepest, most unique and relevant content (textual and visual) about your hotel on your own website, naturally optimised for the search engines (SEO), should become a top priority for any hotel in 2010.

A year ago we did a study to see where our hotels placed on searches for their own names. The results were not great, in some cases they were not even on the first page, falling behind TripAdisor, Expedia and a dozen other mega sites. After reading Max's article we did another study of hotels we host and surprise! they are tops.

Well we have been preaching the benefits of strategic content and putting it into practice for years. It has helped, but we cant be patting ourselves on the back to hard. Google and all are always tweaking their search systems to be more RELEVANT.

If you are looking for a brand name hotel you probably want to see the official website in the top results. The engines are getting it right at the same time as hotels have become more aware of managing their brand, mastering their own url and optimising their content, taking control of their intellectual property and product.

Max's insights are helpful - here is my annotated summary of his views relating to a hotels SEO for its brand:

- Keep your own website content unique (duplicate content will hurt your SEO)
- Use the Best content on your website
- Be very smart about sharing content - Don't give away your brand
- If the channel is not linking to your site, be sure their description is “different”
- Make sure your content is optimised for your USP and for the Search Engines (SEO)
- Offer live quotes and availability calendars
- Display available Rate Plans and seasonal Specials
- Dont Duplicate content - see the full report


Giving away your best content and best rates to other websites can be bad for business.

Search Engines send travelers to the BEST content।
If you want direct business, be sure your website is better that the rest.

The pressing question today is how will a brand get top billing, not only for its own name but for its target markets and keywords.

It is a good time to review the whole business of Search Engine Optimization. For those of you who care to look under the hood, here is my summary - for a summary of this summary see our newsletter. For more detail see our SEO hints page.

The 5 essential of SEO optimisation


1. Define key pages.

The first point is that we never optimise a site - we optimise
a page at a time. Each page must have its own distinct message and content. If you duplicate content it will hurt your SEO.
2. Establish key phrases.
The point is that you need to translate the message into a simple word or short phrase; for example, if you want to be on the top of searches for "Caribbean Romantic Holidays" then that might be your phrase. Check it out by doing a search - there are 2 million results- can you get to the top? Remember only 10 of 2 million will be on the first page. look at your top competition and be sure you can compete. Is your
site going to be as authentic, relevant and with great content?. If not try to refine your phrase to something you can be best in and that is relevant (ie has a market use https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal).


3. Tags. The phrase then must become the name of the page (eg caribbean-romantic-holidays.html)- it must be added to the search engine tags (meta tage in the page) and it must be the title of the page, it must appear thru the content and again in the end of the page.
4. Links. Of course there are 2 million pages vying for top spot for that phrase, so all this will not get you top billing. SEO choose the pages that are most relevant and have most authentic links. You need respected links. Links from the AXSES and barbados.org network are high valued links. Be sure to be linked from several of AXSES urls: BookingsBarbados.COM, realholidays.com, barbados.org, barbadosHolidayThemes.com, barbadosholidaypackages and barbardaosholidayspecials
are all excellent links.

Seek out similar directories and listing opportunities that have good Page Rank (popularity - over 5 is good Borg is 6 out of 10. Expedia is 8).

5. Social. A good place to start linking is on social media. Write comments
that link to your page. Find other sites that will link to your page and subscribe
to appropriate directories. Create a facebook page and use twitter to send out
invitation to vist your page. twitter about event in your area and of interest.
Twitter about your activities it all gets counted.


Dont loose site of the objective.
If a traveler gets to your site make sure they find what they want, have a reason to buy and an easy way to do it, right away.


Content is king. In the end it all comes down to content. Search engines
look for relevant and rich content. Use videos, sideshows , images, dynamic
content, quotes and calendars. The technology you use counts. Form, function and process is an important factor in determining relevance. Event the speed of your site will get it points or loose them. Optimise everything, make your site dynamic and interactive.

We are in the age of the interactive Brand

An honest interactive brand consultant

View more presentations from Henning von Vogelsang.

More on SEO see http://arcres.com/search-engine-optimisation-tourism-marketing.cfm

MediaMessage

The Medium and the Message

One has to marvel a bit at how on target Marshall McLuhan with his statement that "the medium is the meassge", meaning that the form of a medium embeds itself in the message. This is so true when we look at how the message and the brand is effected in the Online Travel Agents (OTA) channel. A medium of significant importance in the tourism industry.

Here we look at how aspects of brand integrity are influenced by this medium.


The Medium – Choice of channel often reflects on the Brand.
It is not always good to be seen as Expedia or as Kayak etc. In many cases a different drum attracts travelers to the small hotels. Many travelers are looking for a personal touch.

The Message – The message is much more than content.
It is also about form, function and process. You choose to buy at store X for many reasons but if there are no price tags and you have to go to the counter to get a price, would you bother? Creating a message that is not fully integrated with the product is similarly dissonant. The shopping experience should be fully fluid.

Promise & Expectation – A Brand is a promise.
It can say we are a small family hotel, we are local, we are friendly, we are different, we care. What is the Brand of an OTA? Expedia mission statement says: “We are on a mission to be the largest and most profitable reseller of travel in the world”.

Differentiation & Personality - Differentiation and personality are conveyed by the suppliers’ website, by its individual tastes, its use of colour, its layout and its processes. The OTA does not create a brand personality for its suppliers. Properties are compared on features and price and location, but the brand is the OTA, the hotels is its product, and they all look the same.

Relationship – Travelers build a relationship with their suppliers.
If you have bought from an OTA and you got what you wanted, you will most likely go there again to check out other options (properties, products, destinations). Creating the OTA relationship diminishes the hotel brand and can result in loss of repeat business

Loyalty – OTAs are building its own loyalty program.
Much like the airlines. Small hotels can and should reward repeat clients and clients that refer others to them. Loyalty programmes work. The visitor’s loyalty should be to the hotel . AXSES has loyalty solutions for the hotel brand. Appropriate use of branding and loyalty programmes can significantly increase repeat business.

Ownership – With AXSES arcRes booking engine, and arcres powered marketing systems, the database belongs to the supplier.
This database is unique in that it captures leads as well as committed shoppers. arcRes database marketing allows hotels to market directly to their leads and their guests. OTAs have their own marketing tools, aimed at promoting its own Brand.

Sustainability – if you don’t own the brand and don’t have the relationship and loyalty, your business will not be sustainable.

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related blog - building your tourism brands

For more information on how you can build and sustain your brand
contact iclayton 'at' axses.net


More about AXSES see
http://axses-travel.com | arcRes marketing