BLOGS
Submitted by catlady on Fri, 03/05/2010 - 8:44am
Ok, so I have had a half dozen innkeepers email me about wanting to do a blog for their inn. Of course, they all attended the same conference and heard "someone" say "it is REALLY important to have a blog."
So my statement to them was...."And what are you going to do with it??? What do you think it will do for you? Are you going to update it and put in pertinent information for your guests? Most of the ones I have seen are nothing more than a poor diary of an innkeepers daily routine. Who cares? Who will read this??
We all know people don't even read the inn's web site!!!! So why would someone take time for a blog??? Is this only for search engine's sake?? If so, many people need to be prepared for disappointment.
I point them to the 2 or 3 really well done innkeeping blogs I have seen and tell them...are you ready to do the work involved? Just posting something there once a month just isn't going to cut it.
SO, can someone please tell me...REALLY...what good does a blog do for an inn??? And why are folks telling them this is so important??
Found this link and thought this expressed well what I am thinking and trying to share with friends contacting me about blogs.
Thanks for you feedback.
Comments
4 at 44, your blog is not only lovely, it's truly the nicest inn blog I've seen yet. Seriously. And I look at a lot of them.
Yours is not only visually interesting, the topics are great, too, and the writing is effectively compeling. Readers get a great sense both of the professionalism you bring to your inn as well as your artistic nature.
It's all good. Thanks for sharing it with us!
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.
Lovely blog.
four at four, thanks for the link. Besides being an innkeeper, I'm a professional writer (all non-fiction) and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your blog! I had to tear myself away from it to get any work done. Not just the friendly style of writing, but the pics are so compelling. I want to do those fruit trees and I'm just a fledgling gardener. They are fantastic. I'll research this whole thread later to find out what program you use. I am truly inn-spired!
Just saw this article on Blogging.. Has it peaked???
It depends on what you use it for. If your whole blogging purpose is to sell, sell, sell, then you're missing opportunities to get people who only use Twitter or FB.
If your purpose is to expand your brand by connecting to different people, then it is, IMHO, still very viable.
The best bet is to have your blog talk to your FB fan page and then have that talk to Twitter.
Here's the problem that I see, expecially with your group- Twitter and FB REQUIRE that you talk back. You can't 'post and run' like you can with a blog. (Unless your blog gets serious comments, it's kind of just 'there.')
So, your crowd should determine who their target mkt is and then decide what to undertake. FB for the 40-65 yo women, Twitter for the 20 somethings and the blog for people who like to read.
If they go for FB and Twitter it is a serious commitment in time as Twitter changes by the second. FB a little slower, but not much. (An example is 'Taste of Home' on FB. They can post a question at 11 AM and have 200 responses by 11:01 AM.)
And there's the big difference...FB and Twitter allow instant comments (good and bad) on what you just posted. At least on a blog you can control what people say about you on your own page.
And there's the big difference...FB and Twitter allow instant comments (good and bad) on what you just posted. At least on a blog you can control what people say about you on your own page.
I am continually moving posts waiting for acceptance to the trash because they are saying inappropriate things or touting things to aid something that is not part of my anatomy.
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.
Yes I agree. A B & B blog is quite a bit different. However, for innkeepers who really can't commit to doing a blog..and they know who they are
I have suggested that they just do a business facebook page.
I guess some don't realize exactly what that means either...as this morning I was reading one and they complained about guests not showing up etc...which I thought was not the place to air that...I don't think they realize ANYONE can read this stuff.
Yes, I would tell them they shouldn't be making snide comments about guests on FB. I saw someone doing that last week and wondered if she thought she was on her personal account. And now there's a post about rating them on TA and if you haven't done so, now's the time, here's the link. Again, I don't think that's something I'd post.
Altho, I will say that every TV show, media outlet, etc broadcasts that anyone and everyone should follow them on FB or Twitter and rarely do they mention any more that anyone should 'read more on my blog.'
Good point about logging in to read stuff. But that's us. Lots of people have it on all day. And use it from their phone, too. (FB, I mean.)
My mother just read my blog for the first time last night. 4 years in the making...she has a lot of catching up to do! And what did she do? She called me to say, 'Hey, I found the recipe you were supposed to send me!' Oy vey!
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.
Agreed.
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!
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!
Thank you for the compliment.
Among the other guests-this weekend we have two younger couples here and both went hiking yesterday on Sharp Top which gives a 360 degree view, so that is my goal for the year - the market to the 20-30 crowd who want to hike,bike, explore, etc. It is always great when you see something from the efforts, most of the time you never know if anyone reads it. Appreciate it, thanks again!
I have to say that blogging is what I have really been enjoying. In a way, I am able to get out there, even if it is from my desk here.
Actually, it does gives me a reason to get out there.
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.