By allowing yourself to embrace truth and transparency in your content marketing, your messaging can change the way you see your business and how your guests view your business.
For those of you who attended the PAII Innkeeping Conference last month we were privileged to hear Marcus Sheridan speak. Marcus has carved out a niche for himself in the world of inbound and content marketing messaging, especially for small businesses.
“Creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience-with the objective of driving profitable customer action”.
It is all about teaching and communicating with our customers/guests on our websites, blogs, videos, emails. How does this work? Everyone wants their questions answered when they are searching for a product. In your world, a place to stay. When they go to your Inn’s website can they quickly click trough to your rooms, get a clear and concise price range and see a good wide selection of photos of your rooms? Are the room descriptions short and precise without frivolous irrelevant information? Are they able to click on any timely specials and see and read what you are offering? Quickly! Do your emails grab the reader with a clear and concise message which they can scan quickly to find out what you have to offer? Are your blogs informational, do they teach?
Great example of a recent blog from Hermann Hill Inn:
Hermann Missouri Road Conditions
We wanted to let guests staying at Hermann Hill this weekend know that the roads to Hermann are clear, but we advise them to take Hwy 19 or Hwy 100 and avoid the detour of Hwy B from Hwy 70. We look forward to seeing you all and drive safely!
This is a great short, clear and precise message, relieves guest’s concerns and answers their questions!
Approaching online marketing with the tools available to us today with fresh, positive and honest content marketing allows your guests to learn who and what you are and answers the questions that helps them make their booking decisions.
Back to Marcus Sheridan’s message. Truth and transparency in your content marketing. It is what customers want, it is what they need and may even crave. That is pretty powerful.
Lets’ go back a bit and get a perspective on what content marketing was. In the 1960’s advertising went through some dramatic changes. The new breed of advertising agencies brought energy, style, wit and youth to their ads. It was fresh and people responded. Maybe not very honest and transparent, especially the cigarette ads! In many ways advertisers thought being too transparent would bring negative results. The up and coming generation (boomers) were distrustful of ‘old school’ traditional advertising. We had to be convinced. That was a big challenge, to build trust. I believe it worked to a degree. But back then advertising was a one way communication. Then came the internet, social media and the challenge was on once again.
A great example of 60’s style advertising was from the car rental agencies.
Hertz puts you in the driver’s seat.” But Avis tried harder. So you go with the car rental agency that tried harder to give you what you wanted? At least that was their message. Did they deliver?
At The B&B Team we ‘try harder’ to deliver information that makes our clients more intelligent. In our aspiring innkeeping seminars we want to make sure attendees receive valuable knowledge to help them make intelligent decisions in the buying process. For sellers and buyers, our Inn valuations are thorough, transparent and deliver reasonable and defensible conclusions. We also guide our buyer clients to the ‘driver’s seat’. Once they are in the ‘driver’s seat’ we are always available to offer help and advise, we don’t leave them on the side of the road. We deliver.
As you know marketing is ongoing. Maybe it is time to look at your content in all of your media communique. See if you can change or add some content that delivers a more concise and clearer message. Ones that will empower your guests to make decisions about their lodging choice. Content that answers their questions quickly and of course honestly.
Another great recent article on content marketing. A must read.
Thanks for Listening,
Janet Wolf
