Events Archives | Kristi Dement

Category Archives: Events

How To Ask for a Link Request

Posted on July 8, 2014 by kdement Leave a comment

Do you wonder how to ask for a link request? I am going to sum up the main points in the awesome book published by Entrepreneur Press called Ultimate Guide to Link Building: Build Backlinks, Earn a Higher Search Engine Rank, Increase the Authority and Popularity of Your Site by Eric Ward and Garrett French.

Steps:

Look over the website you want to have your link on to make sure it is relevant
Do not put the words “link request” in the email subject line
Start the e-mail off addressing the website owner by name
Introduce yourself, your website, and why you would like to the link
Identify the exact URL on their site where you think the link is a fit
List the exact URL from your site that you want them to link to
Give a valid email address and respond to any email requests they send
Provide your phone number–something a spammer would not do
Follow any link request instructions they give
If a reciprocal link, confirm that you have linked to their site and provide the URL
Be attentive, professional, courteous, and to the point

This book also lists Link Building Strategies written by Jon Cooper of Point Blank SEO:

Start blogging on your website
Have internal links to other content on your website
List resources and outside links
Build relationships with others
Find niche-specific directories
Write guest posts or have guests write posts for your blog
Provide educational content
Write compelling testimonials
Provide useful lists–there is power in making lists!
Be interviewed or interview someone in your industry
Offer timely/seasonal content
Use humor
Provide printable resources
Host contests
Cover news first
Give helpful infographics
Host online webinars
Promote National Days and Events
Survey people and post results
Debunk popular myths
Comment on relevant blogs
Do question and answer blog post
Ask customers what they want to see more of
Connect with industry associations and organizations
Attend relevant conferences
Call people
Host local group meetings
Retweet Twitter tweets
Provide email signature listing website & ways to connect with you via social media
and much more!

There are always things you can do to draw bigger audiences to your website. By taking the steps to ask for link requests and implementing the link building strategies, you will be well on your way to developing more a popular website.

Readers, I welcome your responses to this post as well as other ideas related to the topic of link requests and link building. I read every comment and respond when appropriate. Thanks! Kristi

Posted in Associations and Ratings, Blog and Social Media, Conferences, Events, Promotion

Mike’s Road Trip To B&B’s

Posted on July 4, 2014 by kdement Leave a comment

Mike Shubic of Mike’s Road Trip is an outgoing man of adventure. He has been traveling on the road since 2010. Mike hosts and produces high quality videos for hospitality businesses such as bed and breakfasts, inns, restaurants, and other “hidden gems of the road.” He has been featured in USA Today Travel, Rand McNally Best of the Road, The Travel Channel, and more.

Check out Mike’s Road Trip’s Intriguing Inns and Beautiful B&B’s videos from YouTube. I highly recommend him if you would like entertaining and professional videos made to highlight the unique strengths of your bed and breakfast. From his website, Mike gives several reasons why your bed and breakfast inn should have a video:

If a picture is worth a 1000 words, how many is video worth?
Video builds trust with your prospects. Trust equals paying guests.
Videos attract attention and help set you apart from your competition.
Video is important for SEO (search engine optimization). Google is ranking pages with video higher for the same search terms.
Video is not a fad. Four billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube alone.

Mike makes these suggestions to bed and breakfast owners:

Have a professional overview video of your B&B/Inn produced. Be sure to include the owner/innkeeper in front of the camera. Let prospective guests know what makes your inn special and memorable.
Guest testimonial videos can be very powerful. This allows the viewer to hear what the experience is like from varying viewpoints. Your guests may talk about things they liked that you never even thought about!
Informal videos for your social network can be a great way to showcase area events and/or activities at your inn while keeping in touch with past and future guests.
The visual impact of videos gives them a long shelf life. Trust and interest can be earned as long as the video is live on the Internet. You can be media friendly and share your videos with local media.

Professional and informal videos can be put on your website as well as shared on social media websites including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! Mike is a well-spoken promoter of bed and breakfasts on his road trips all across America. I recommend Mike Shubic of Mike’s Road Trip to all my Bed and Breakfast Blogging clients.

Posted in Activities, Blog and Social Media, Events, Promotion

Your Website Needs Pictures

Posted on March 28, 2014 by kdement Leave a comment

If this web page had no pictures, would it have caught your attention as well? You need to wow your potential guests with amazing professional photographs showing them the experience they will have if they stay at your bed and breakfast:

Outdoor pictures
Gardening & Landscaping
Breathtaking Views
Guest Bedrooms
Guest Bathrooms
Gourmet Kitchen
Your Breakfasts & other Delights
Common Areas
Grand Staircases & Fireplaces
Porch, Balcony & Deck
Your Antiques & Collections
Your Events such as Weddings & Concerts
Innkeepers/Owners
Area Attractions and Area Events

The old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words” is right! For search engine optimization purposes, be sure to label your images with the relevant keywords. Capture their love of what your inn and local community has to offer with awesome photos!

Posted in Decorating, Events, Food, Gardening and Lawns, Guests, Promotion

Yoga Retreats

Posted on February 13, 2014 by kdement Leave a comment

Does your bed and breakfast offer yoga retreats? The bed and breakfast owners who do, emphasize the peacefulness of their quiet location, the beauty of their scenic nature, and the transformation in body and mind that can come with yoga.

You can encourage guests of all experience levels to challenge themselves in your safe and comfortable setting. Highlight the benefits of their coming: a place for them to strengthen and relax their body, free themselves from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and grow in creativity.

You may designate specific times of the year for these retreats. Some B&B owners offer weekend yoga retreats. You can put together a yoga retreat package for your guests.

If no one on staff is an expert yoga instructor, you could find a yoga professional in your local area who is willing to conduct these retreats and pay them a reasonable fee per participant.

Be sure to promote your yoga retreats on your website, in your blog, and through social media. You may be attracting a whole new clientele of guests to your inn.

Posted in Activities, Blog and Social Media, Events, Guests, Promotion

Murder Mysteries

Posted on February 6, 2014 by kdement Leave a comment

Do you know that you could host a murder at your bed and breakfast? Not a real one of course! Many bed and breakfasts invite guests to participate in a who-did-it type murder mystery.

The variety of murder mystery options include any of the following:

Using written kits with script booklets.
Assigning roles ahead of time and provide each guest with lines.
Some of the murders occur in previous eras such as the 1920′s.
Providing wardrobe options including outfits, hats, and scarves.
Hosting a meal during the mystery.
Having participants look for clues in pairs.
Encouraging guests to take pictures to prove their alibis.
Having your staff act as characters in the mystery.
Spreading the scenes of the mystery out over the weekend.
Solving the mystery in one evening.

Advise your guests:

Arrive in plenty of time to settle in and participate.
If applicable, to bring their scripts.
They can bring clothes and props for their roles (if they know it ahead of time).
Inspire your guests to question or point to others with motive and opportunity.
Assure your guests that you will not let them fall out of character.

You can market your murder mystery weekend(s) on your website, in your blog, on social media, and through your associations. Some bed and breakfast owners even offer a promotion code for guests to get a discount on their room. Your bed and breakfast does not necessarily have to be historical or haunted in order to offer this type of event. The bottom line is that your guests thoroughly enjoy themselves in the process of solving the murder mystery!

Posted in Activities, Blog and Social Media, Events, Promotion

Bed and Breakfast Restaurants

Posted on February 1, 2014 by kdement Leave a comment

Many bed and breakfasts also have restaurants. They may offer the following important and useful information about their restaurant on their website:

If open to the public or just to the guests staying there
Pictures of the restaurant, cuisine, beautiful views from restaurant
Pictures of guests dining (taken with permission)
Awards won, press page, celebrities visited
Information about the chefs (including their culinary training and cultural heritage)
Hours (may be subject to change)
Menu (may vary seasonally)
House specialties (could be based on chef’s expertise or location of restaurant)
Specials (could be fresh from their own garden or holiday related)
Wine list and/or microbrewery
Catering options possible
Local delivery options
Group dining and private party rooms
Weddings (may offer a customized menu)
Making reservations (especially for large groups or holidays)
Cooking classes offered
Cookbooks for sale
Ways to contact the restaurant

They may even feature written reviews from people who have dined there. If your bed and breakfast does not have a restaurant, do you have the time and resources to add one? If you do have a restaurant, consider having blog posts written about different events or restaurant specials or musical guests coming. Continue to post new pictures to your website and blog throughout the seasons, as you add new menu items, and after you host various events such as weddings.

Posted in Blog and Social Media, Events, Food, Promotion

B&B Guests: Sight Seers

Posted on January 24, 2014 by kdement Leave a comment

If your bed and breakfast is near a major tourist attraction like the Grand Canyon or even a college campus, you will have guests who want to visit them. You can find out from local college campus when certain events, like Parents Weekend, are being held.

Knowing , for example, that Grand Canyon National Park may have some free dates of admission (or more importantly, the facts about the attractions near you) can help you plan and promote your bed and breakfast marketing.

Remember that your website, blog, and social media presence are a big part of getting the word out to potential guests and will lead to more booked rooms!

Posted in Activities, Events, Guests, Promotion

B&B Guests: Shoppers and Antique Lovers

Posted on January 23, 2014 by kdement Leave a comment

Group of female shoppers Royalty Free Stock Photo Shopping mall Stock Image Stamps Royalty Free Stock Photos

Some guests visit your bed and breakfast because of the terrific shopping available in your area. Whether it is special boutiques, retail outlets, flea markets, or antique dealers, their mission is to find some great buys. Some come as collectors to attend conventions for valuable items such as stamps, dolls, and cars. Whatever their reason, your website and blog can promote these opportunities and events.

Posted in Activities, Events, Guests, Promotion

Hosting Group Meetings

Posted on December 20, 2013 by kdement

Red chairs Royalty Free Stock Photography Mixed group in business meeting Stock Image American Building Royalty Free Stock Photos

Have you ever thought about facilitating a local event? Depending upon the size of your bed and breakfast, you may be able to accommodate hosting a group meeting. These could be chamber of commerce meetings, book groups, business leads groups, or some kind of club with a particular interest.

These are opportunities for local people who are not familiar with your bed and breakfast to be introduced via their group meeting. You may decide to be available to give tours before and/or after the meeting to attendees.

This is also a way to make money because the groups will be compensating you for using your space to hold their meetings. Word of mouth will spread quickly that your facility hosts meetings and other events such as weddings or music performances.

When people come to your bed and breakfast for a local event, they may be reminded that this would be a great place to spend the night. Your bed and breakfast could be the perfect place for them to send their out of town relatives who are visiting.

Bed and breakfast blogging can devote blog posts promoting your events on your website. The events will draw more people to your bed and breakfast as they visit your B&B or read about your events in your blog. It is a win-win situation!

Posted in Events