Kristi Dement

Would you like to attract more travelers to your bed and breakfast? One key element is to emphasize the unique local attractions you have in your own community through blogging and social media as well as on your website and in conversation.  This blog post focuses on a way to promote your local area using a specific strategy on Twitter.

Most people choose the area they want to visit before they choose which bed and breakfast to stay at. If you have a Twitter presence, you can make a Twitter list of great places in your local area that also have a Twitter account:

• Amusement parks
• Antique shops
• Arenas
• Art galleries
• Beach
• Bookstores
• Bowling alleys
• Castles
• Concert halls
• Farms
• Game rooms
• Gardens
• Golf courses
• Historical places
• Libraries
• Miniature golf
• Movie theaters
• Museums
• Pottery shop
• Pools
• Restaurants
• Salons
• Shopping malls
• Spas
• Sports events
• Stadiums
• Tea rooms
• Tennis courts
• Theatres
• Tourist attractions
• Universities
• Vineyards
• Water parks

Bed and breakfast owners and innkeepers, it is fairly easy to create Twitter lists.  In your Twitter profile at the top of the screen, click on your icon to the immediate right of the search area.  This will pull up a column.  Right under “view your profile”, click “Lists”.  Select, “Create New List.”  Name your list (in 25 characters or less) and then describe your less (in 100 characters or less). This list can be private (only you can access the list) or public (anyone can access the list).  To promote your area, you want to make the list “public” so others can follow it.  Make it clear what your list is about so that it will attract subscribers.

For Morehead Manor Bed and Breakfast of Durham, North Carolina, we created, “Durham, NC Hot Spots.”  Twitter may limit how many you can add to a list in one day.  Once we had a little over 100 put on our list, it did not letting us add more that first day.  We can come always back.

Bed and Breakfast Blogging created a Twitter list called, “B&B’s on Twitter.”  Any bed and breakfast inn who follows @bandbblogging on Twitter, will be added to this list.  This list is also public, so anyone searching for a bed and breakfasts on a Twitter list can access this list.  Any bed and breakfast inn is welcome to follow us on Twitter!

Another cool feature of using Twitter lists is that you can just look at the tweets made only by the people on the list.  In addition to people being able to subscribe to your list, they can also choose to follow any member on your list.

If your bed and breakfast is looking to start or improve upon your social media practices, then consider Bed and Breakfast Blogging for your solution.  Feel free to post questions and comments below, e-mail us, or contact us through our social media channels.  Putting together Twitter lists is a great way to encourage visitors to come to your local area!