BLOGS

Remember to take advice on this forum for what it is worth.  Check it out, do your homework.  There are plenty of different ideas and opinions here that might not actually be copasetic for you or for me.

Just want to pop in here and comment on 2 things

JB, you obviously spend a lot of time on your blog and I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoy the way you work your local events, area history, happenings at the inn, into your posts.  I have google alerts setup for lots of things and have been meaning to tell you that I frequently get hits on your blog/inn.

444, your blog is also "charming."  The pics are gorgeous and everything ties together to give a feeling of serenity.  Just beautiful!

That article was posted before or similar.  It does not really pertain to what we use blogging for, it does pertain to plenty of other businesses.  

As far as I can tell there is nothing that is equal to blogging for a B&B.  For those who post images and articles on Facebook, not everyone is on facebook and wants to log in to read something that might be of no use to them.  I do not open any links in FB, for example.

Tweets can direct you to blogs, news articles, plenty of information that is useful, but is limited to a couple sentences, usually not even long enough for the URL to an article.  I tweet, I preset articles to post in the future multiple times - links to specials, articles, photos, etc. and it is very easy and simple.  I try to not tweet things that I myself find boring. When I follow someone who only posts "how they feel or what they are doing" I unfollow, that is of no use to me and bogs me down.  I only want things of interest.

Just saw this article on Blogging..  Has it peaked???

oh, and I should have left this yesterday... but if anyone wants to take a look at my blog you are MORE than welcome...

http://inspiredbycharm.blogspot.com

if you feel inclinded your welcome to comment on any posts. they is a little giveaway going on now too and anyone can enter. hope this helps.

i have a blog that is a really nice blend of 'me' and my business. i post everyday ... or try too...

i talk about whatever inspires me... recipes, design, other blogs, my favorite things from the new crate and barrel catalog... i take pictures....its a very happy place. don't talk about my guests or anything. it is in no way 'bed and breakfast' specific. though, you can access the blog through my b&b website.

i have a gift shoppe here too.. so i have giveaways as well.

i blog to give myself a voice. to share what i love. to see what people think about what i love. people comment and it's great. i love it.

has it drasticlly improved my business. i don't know? but it has helped me connect on a different level. meet new people. it does take time, but for me, its worth it.

Just posting something there once a month just isn't going to cut it.

I disagree.  One post a month is 12 new pages a year (that's 84 new pages in the course of an avg 7year stint as an innkeeper).  Now if that one post a month is nothing more than a long rant about going to the store and not finding the right kind of flour for baking and the right kind of toilet paper, then you are right, it is an utter waste of time. 

However, If it is a suggested itnerary for a seasonal visit to your area, or a restaurant review, or a description of an area attraction, or history of something in your area... then go for it.  In my opinion one really good post a month is much better than 20 posts about drivel. 

When you start casting a bigger and broader "fishing net," you never know what you're going to catch.  Over the past few years I've had 6 different people make reservations because they read the tale of my timberframe gazebo construction in a non-inn related blog and wanted to come see the results.  They were some of the most fun guests because they had interests in the same thing I did. 

We all know people don't even read the inn's web site!!!! So why would someone take time for a blog???

We all know that not everyone reads the website, but that is not the same thing as no one reads the website.  (they sound almost the same, but they aren't) 

There are lots of times when people will quote things that they read on our site, that I don't even recall writing, but sure enough, they're on their.  Some people read through everything, even though lots don't.

My wine blog (which I haven't updated in a year) brought in ~100 visitors in the past year and has a 5% conversion rate .... that is better than some directories.

They may not start on my site and go to my blog, more often than not they start on the blog and come to my site.

Is this only for search engine's sake??

Nope, its for the sake of all the paying guests that the search engines bring in. 

Now all that being said... I have seen some horendous blogs created by innkeepers who were told at some conference or by someone that they have to have a blog, and then go create useless posts or worse yet posts that would actually make people run the other way.  So they have to have some focus and some idea of what they are doing. ... The teacher in me thought about making a series of multiple choice questions for a test and based on the score would tell them whether they should have a blog or not.  You fail... no blog for you LOL

Your questions and concerns are all good and valid.  The scary thought of innkeepers being turned loose on a blog without any real direction  was why I wrote this bit on B&B Blogs a while back.

I get hits on my web site because of my Blog. I blogged about the wonderful living history program the museum did - about the woman represented - and I have have many hits on my site because of that. I posted about the descendents of the dounders of my City coming to visit the 1778 log house and other things in my City, classes, events, the $%^*&* snow, and about places i have visited and enjoyed. Just about every blog I have done has brought one or more visitors. And I an not consistent, but I blog when I have something to say.

My take on it, especially if it means less work for YOU as the web guru!

• Great place for the innkeeper to post specials and things to do in the area;
• Great place for the innkeeper to keep in touch with guests;
• Great place for the innkeeper to post PHOTOS of seasons;
• The list goes on...

As far as how it helps overall, the more pages the website has (and I'm considering my blog as an extension of my website even tho it is not connected), the more chances someone will use the search term the innkeeper has blogged about.

You can SEO your webpages to death and have each page shine as far as a certain term goes, but you can't make the guest use THAT term to find you.

If your innkeepers are sending newsletters, they can direct guests to the content on the blog. If they have FB and/or Twitter (and I'm guessing not), the blog can get out to those subscribers as well.

It's just an easy way for the innkeeper without coding skills to make new content and share it immediately. A webpage may take months to show in searches, a blog is there NOW.

You know these innkeepers well and you know what they will and won't do on their own. BUT, telling them to block out 20 minutes on a Monday morning to blog about something interesting coming up in the next month or so is something they CAN do. And once some guest books and says, 'I saw it on your blog,' they'll get hooked.

Don't know who they heard speak, but Blogger is the one I use because it's easy and free. If you can type, you can blog.

One thing to make sure they understand, tho, is that the blog may be the first thing the guest sees, so it had better be 'polished' and not filled with typos, grammar errors, etc.

If any of them want a 'second opinion' on blogging, feel free to tell them to call or email me. I will happily tell them how much time it takes in a week for me to blog and what's involved.