8 Content Marketing Tips Every Company Should Follow

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JBloggs

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[h3]
8 Content Marketing Tips Every Company Should Follow[/h3]
GREAT ARTICLE!
From JB-- As we read this, as always, through the innkeeping glasses, this is a great article. Those who only SELL on their social media marketing are missing the MARK!
Those who accept strangers into their homes/ie B&B's but do not share anything about themselves ahead of time are asking for trouble. That is my theory in a nutshell. We are in the people business. Share photos, stories, information about your area, events, places to see, don't just share ROOMS for sale.
All of this is at our fingertips, if you don't have a digital camera, buy one! Get onboard and bring in quality guests and expand your visibility in Google while doing so.
 
This, plus the "19 Ways to Make Your Website More Trustable and Credible" article, spurred me to add an About page to my website today. People expect that, and want to see a photo of the person they'll be trusting their family with. Makes it about people, as JB said, it's not just selling beds.
 
I work hard for my money, I want to know where it is going...that is the sort of thing people think about. Am I staying with nice people?
Around here, they want to actually meet me before they send someone here. I think that is so clever! I have a couple flying in today and a local DR in town came by to meet me first. He will be here with them at breakfast, so I suggested.
 
This, plus the "19 Ways to Make Your Website More Trustable and Credible" article, spurred me to add an About page to my website today. People expect that, and want to see a photo of the person they'll be trusting their family with. Makes it about people, as JB said, it's not just selling beds..
Heard that very thing this morning. We were explaining how online booking works and this woman said she didn't care how it worked she wanted to speak to the person on the phone first.
 
This, plus the "19 Ways to Make Your Website More Trustable and Credible" article, spurred me to add an About page to my website today. People expect that, and want to see a photo of the person they'll be trusting their family with. Makes it about people, as JB said, it's not just selling beds..
Heard that very thing this morning. We were explaining how online booking works and this woman said she didn't care how it worked she wanted to speak to the person on the phone first.
.
This is how I feel about taking reservations via internet. I WANT to feel the person that will be staying here. If they don't sound right, they don't fit in. I have whittled down my guests to a very comfortable personality. Young, middle aged, older, old. Formal education, affluent with a sense of responsibility to their surroundings, etc. If someone comes here that only stays here because they couldn't get in with their 1st choice, then I am very worried that they will upset the apple cart.
 
This, plus the "19 Ways to Make Your Website More Trustable and Credible" article, spurred me to add an About page to my website today. People expect that, and want to see a photo of the person they'll be trusting their family with. Makes it about people, as JB said, it's not just selling beds..
Heard that very thing this morning. We were explaining how online booking works and this woman said she didn't care how it worked she wanted to speak to the person on the phone first.
.
This is how I feel about taking reservations via internet. I WANT to feel the person that will be staying here. If they don't sound right, they don't fit in. I have whittled down my guests to a very comfortable personality. Young, middle aged, older, old. Formal education, affluent with a sense of responsibility to their surroundings, etc. If someone comes here that only stays here because they couldn't get in with their 1st choice, then I am very worried that they will upset the apple cart.
.
Sorry...old school. IF you are a business and they know what your policies are and agree to them on line, then you provide the easiest way for your potential guests.
Otherwise, if you are not comfortable doing that.....continue on the way your are :) It's your business.
 
I agree, not allowing "real time" reservations is old school and contrary to all the expert advice. But if Iris is busy enough to be choosy, good for her! It would be wonderful to know you're only hosting people with formal education, affluent with a sense of responsibility to their surroundings, etc.
Of course, even those people can be thoughtless, treat your property like it's nothing to them, etc., but I'd say your odds are better with the affluent crowd than with the average folks.
 
I agree, not allowing "real time" reservations is old school and contrary to all the expert advice. But if Iris is busy enough to be choosy, good for her! It would be wonderful to know you're only hosting people with formal education, affluent with a sense of responsibility to their surroundings, etc.
Of course, even those people can be thoughtless, treat your property like it's nothing to them, etc., but I'd say your odds are better with the affluent crowd than with the average folks..
Arkansawyer said:
but I'd say your odds are better with the affluent crowd than with the average folks.
I wouldn't. There is a definite attitude of entitlement that we have noticed with folks who can afford good stuff, have been to college but think this is a pissant little business and we are nothing more than glorified waitstaff. Those folks will take towels from other guest rooms, throw their trash on the floor and leave the waste baskets empty, clean their dirty golf shoes with the hand towels and expect to be able to order breakfast to their liking.
They will spray a bottle of red wine on the carpet and bedding and leave without saying a word.
They leave their kids alone while they go out for dinner because they're on vacation.
This doesn't always come thru on the phone.
(Right now we have a spot on one carpet where the color has been bleached out by something being spilled. Of course, the new guests see this and figure we don't care and so they care a little less. In the meantime we have to find a day where we can cut that discolored carpet out and replace it with another piece of carpet and hope it stays in place and doesn't get sucked up in the vacuum because damned if I'm replacing the entire room's carpet.)
 
Well just looked at all (12 in all) the B&B's in my region (not including big city) and there are only 2 of us with online booking, sadly even the other doesn't keep their availability up to date. Maybe I am the only one that needs that extra business? But then again I have had many who book that tell us we were the only professional looking site out there.
Regarding phone bookings, I must not have a clue based on some of my phone bookings!!!!
cry_smile.gif

And I will take plain Joe Blow any day over my last Mr Ivy League.
 
Well just looked at all (12 in all) the B&B's in my region (not including big city) and there are only 2 of us with online booking, sadly even the other doesn't keep their availability up to date. Maybe I am the only one that needs that extra business? But then again I have had many who book that tell us we were the only professional looking site out there.
Regarding phone bookings, I must not have a clue based on some of my phone bookings!!!!
cry_smile.gif

And I will take plain Joe Blow any day over my last Mr Ivy League..
copperhead said:
Well just looked at all (12 in all) the B&B's in my region (not including big city) and there are only 2 of us with online booking, sadly even the other doesn't keep their availability up to date. Maybe I am the only one that needs that extra business?
I think about this often. There are 79 B&B's in one little (population 2,000) Arkansas town, and not a single one is here. Not a single one in my whole state. There are HUGE states that, as far as I know, don't have a single place represented here.
You are unique, Copperhead.
I am too. We all are, so rare to care enough to take time out of a busy busy life to better ourselves, and our businesses, through Innspiring.
 
Well just looked at all (12 in all) the B&B's in my region (not including big city) and there are only 2 of us with online booking, sadly even the other doesn't keep their availability up to date. Maybe I am the only one that needs that extra business? But then again I have had many who book that tell us we were the only professional looking site out there.
Regarding phone bookings, I must not have a clue based on some of my phone bookings!!!!
cry_smile.gif

And I will take plain Joe Blow any day over my last Mr Ivy League..
copperhead said:
Well just looked at all (12 in all) the B&B's in my region (not including big city) and there are only 2 of us with online booking, sadly even the other doesn't keep their availability up to date. Maybe I am the only one that needs that extra business?
I think about this often. There are 79 B&B's in one little (population 2,000) Arkansas town, and not a single one is here. Not a single one in my whole state. There are HUGE states that, as far as I know, don't have a single place represented here.
You are unique, Copperhead.
I am too. We all are, so rare to care enough to take time out of a busy busy life to better ourselves, and our businesses, through Innspiring.
.
Maybe they have an association forum they use? Or they all use PAII? They are more respected than this bunch of hooligans...
shades_smile.gif

But like I say, you don't know who is here, we also have many different players in the B&B realm. And those who are not posting are reading, like the many directories who lurk.
 
I agree, not allowing "real time" reservations is old school and contrary to all the expert advice. But if Iris is busy enough to be choosy, good for her! It would be wonderful to know you're only hosting people with formal education, affluent with a sense of responsibility to their surroundings, etc.
Of course, even those people can be thoughtless, treat your property like it's nothing to them, etc., but I'd say your odds are better with the affluent crowd than with the average folks..
Arkansawyer said:
but I'd say your odds are better with the affluent crowd than with the average folks.
I wouldn't. There is a definite attitude of entitlement that we have noticed with folks who can afford good stuff, have been to college but think this is a pissant little business and we are nothing more than glorified waitstaff. Those folks will take towels from other guest rooms, throw their trash on the floor and leave the waste baskets empty, clean their dirty golf shoes with the hand towels and expect to be able to order breakfast to their liking.
They will spray a bottle of red wine on the carpet and bedding and leave without saying a word.
They leave their kids alone while they go out for dinner because they're on vacation.
This doesn't always come thru on the phone.
(Right now we have a spot on one carpet where the color has been bleached out by something being spilled. Of course, the new guests see this and figure we don't care and so they care a little less. In the meantime we have to find a day where we can cut that discolored carpet out and replace it with another piece of carpet and hope it stays in place and doesn't get sucked up in the vacuum because damned if I'm replacing the entire room's carpet.)
.
Madeleine said:
Arkansawyer said:
but I'd say your odds are better with the affluent crowd than with the average folks.
I wouldn't. There is a definite attitude of entitlement that we have noticed with folks ...think this is a pissant little business and we are nothing more than glorified waitstaff.
How do you welcome your guests? A lot of their expectations and attitude are based on their perception of where they think they're staying. If you act like a hotel, they are going to treat you like a hotel. If you emphasize that you are wecoming them not only to your B&B, but into YOUR home, then there is shift in attitude.
We endeavor, and apparently succeed in making our visitors feel like welcome guest in our home. Very rarely do we have problems with PITAS...no more than visiting family.
 
I agree, not allowing "real time" reservations is old school and contrary to all the expert advice. But if Iris is busy enough to be choosy, good for her! It would be wonderful to know you're only hosting people with formal education, affluent with a sense of responsibility to their surroundings, etc.
Of course, even those people can be thoughtless, treat your property like it's nothing to them, etc., but I'd say your odds are better with the affluent crowd than with the average folks..
Arkansawyer said:
but I'd say your odds are better with the affluent crowd than with the average folks.
I wouldn't. There is a definite attitude of entitlement that we have noticed with folks who can afford good stuff, have been to college but think this is a pissant little business and we are nothing more than glorified waitstaff. Those folks will take towels from other guest rooms, throw their trash on the floor and leave the waste baskets empty, clean their dirty golf shoes with the hand towels and expect to be able to order breakfast to their liking.
They will spray a bottle of red wine on the carpet and bedding and leave without saying a word.
They leave their kids alone while they go out for dinner because they're on vacation.
This doesn't always come thru on the phone.
(Right now we have a spot on one carpet where the color has been bleached out by something being spilled. Of course, the new guests see this and figure we don't care and so they care a little less. In the meantime we have to find a day where we can cut that discolored carpet out and replace it with another piece of carpet and hope it stays in place and doesn't get sucked up in the vacuum because damned if I'm replacing the entire room's carpet.)
.
Madeleine said:
Arkansawyer said:
but I'd say your odds are better with the affluent crowd than with the average folks.
I wouldn't. There is a definite attitude of entitlement that we have noticed with folks ...think this is a pissant little business and we are nothing more than glorified waitstaff.
How do you welcome your guests? A lot of their expectations and attitude are based on their perception of where they think they're staying. If you act like a hotel, they are going to treat you like a hotel. If you emphasize that you are wecoming them not only to your B&B, but into YOUR home, then there is shift in attitude.
We endeavor, and apparently succeed in making our visitors feel like welcome guest in our home. Very rarely do we have problems with PITAS...no more than visiting family.
.
Proud Texan said:
Madeleine said:
Arkansawyer said:
but I'd say your odds are better with the affluent crowd than with the average folks.
I wouldn't. There is a definite attitude of entitlement that we have noticed with folks ...think this is a pissant little business and we are nothing more than glorified waitstaff.
How do you welcome your guests? A lot of their expectations and attitude are based on their perception of where they think they're staying. If you act like a hotel, they are going to treat you like a hotel. If you emphasize that you are wecoming them not only to your B&B, but into YOUR home, then there is shift in attitude.
We endeavor, and apparently succeed in making our visitors feel like welcome guest in our home. Very rarely do we have problems with PITAS...no more than visiting family.
But we are in a different market PT. You and I are not close to the big cities where the "Entitled" live (or at least THINK they are entitled. I get the Beltway folks, and if they are willing to come this far, they are not the uppity folks. Of course they can see from our web site we are not the "upper crust". We mostly get the nice ones who do not destroy our place.
 
Well just looked at all (12 in all) the B&B's in my region (not including big city) and there are only 2 of us with online booking, sadly even the other doesn't keep their availability up to date. Maybe I am the only one that needs that extra business? But then again I have had many who book that tell us we were the only professional looking site out there.
Regarding phone bookings, I must not have a clue based on some of my phone bookings!!!!
cry_smile.gif

And I will take plain Joe Blow any day over my last Mr Ivy League..
copperhead said:
Well just looked at all (12 in all) the B&B's in my region (not including big city) and there are only 2 of us with online booking, sadly even the other doesn't keep their availability up to date. Maybe I am the only one that needs that extra business?
I think about this often. There are 79 B&B's in one little (population 2,000) Arkansas town, and not a single one is here. Not a single one in my whole state. There are HUGE states that, as far as I know, don't have a single place represented here.
You are unique, Copperhead.
I am too. We all are, so rare to care enough to take time out of a busy busy life to better ourselves, and our businesses, through Innspiring.
.
Maybe they have an association forum they use? Or they all use PAII? They are more respected than this bunch of hooligans...
shades_smile.gif

But like I say, you don't know who is here, we also have many different players in the B&B realm. And those who are not posting are reading, like the many directories who lurk.
.
Joey Bloggs said:
Maybe they have an association forum they use? Or they all use PAII? They are more respected than this bunch of hooligans...
shades_smile.gif

But like I say, you don't know who is here, we also have many different players in the B&B realm. And those who are not posting are reading, like the many directories who lurk.
You mean we're all a bunch of rebels!? Gasp!
tounge_smile.gif

 
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