Kristi Dement

Your inn will profit from blogging.  If you are not already consistently offering quality blog posts, now is the time to do so.  Let’s examine the benefits of bed and breakfast blogging as well as learn what qualities to look for in a bed and breakfast blogger.

First of all, search engines like Google absolutely love and reward fresh content.  They give preference to websites which continually add new information.  A blog post is one more indexed page on your website. It signals to the search engine spiders that your website is active.

Bed and breakfasts with blogs establish themselves as being an authority on hospitality and their local community.  By offering helpful, travel-friendly advice, bed and breakfasts can get the attention of those wanting to know more about your local area while also telling others what makes your inn an ideal accommodations choice.

The more information you provide on your website and the more questions you answer, the more likely web visitors are to take action like contacting you, reading more of your website, following you on social media, and booking a room.

You can share the following information in blog posts:

• Behind the scenes: feature your employees backgrounds and give fun facts about them
• Events: let potential guests know about upcoming local events
• Packages: people are willing to pay more for something that is already planned and included (such as flowers and tickets)
• Recommendations: promote local businesses in your area and let them know you do (they might return the favor)
• Reviews: share rave reviews from your previous guests
• Rooms: show pictures of your guest rooms, tell each one’s amenities, reveal why the room has its particular name
• Specials: offer discounts to mid-week stays or specific groups of people like senior citizens, veterans, and emergency workers

The effort you put it now will pay off well into the future because people will be able to view your blog posts years from now.  Providing valuable content means your content will spread. Blog posts can be shared in social media to expose yourself to a whole new audience.

Be sure to attract more guests with calls to action.  Encourage them to contact you, connect on social media, and book now.

Write for your ideal guest.   Know who you are trying to attract.  Pick a diverse range of keywords related to that topic.  For example, “eco-friendly inns” can also be described as “green”, “environmentally friendly” and use related keywords like “electric car charging”, “energy efficient lighting”, “rain water saving”, and so on.

List out relevant keywords describing your guest, your local area, what makes your inn so unique, and different seasons of the year.

Keywords to describe the type of guest you cater to:

• adventure seeking
• antique lovers
• beach lovers
• bird watchers
• business travelers
• celebrating birthdays and anniversaries
• engaged couples and newlyweds
• girlfriend getaways
• mystery solvers
• romantic couples
• scrap-bookers
• shopping lovers
• sports enthusiasts
• wine connoisseurs
• winter sports participants
• yoga exercisers

Keywords to describe your local area:

• amazing views
• amusement park
• annual conferences
• art galleries
• breweries
• business conferences
• college campuses
• concerts
• sports games
• theatre
• tourist attractions
• trade shows

Keywords to describe the uniqueness of your inn:

• amenities
• B&B inn association membership
• awards
• catering
• diamond rating
• eco-friendly
• gardens
• handicap accessible
• historic
• kid friendly
• pet-friendly
• press coverage
• restaurant
• retreats
• Select Registry membership
• spa
• tea room
• Trip Advisor reviews
• vegetarian or vegan
• waterfront property
• weddings
• wine tours

Keywords regarding different times of the year:

• Christmas
• Fall foliage
• New Years
• Patriotic holidays
• Valentine’s Day

Does this seem overwhelming?  Why not do what you do best as an owner/innkeeper and have a professional like me do your online marketing (blogging and social media)?  These are some qualifications you should look for from hospitality marketing professionals:

• What is their education background?
• What experience do they have?
• Do they seem easy to work with?
• Will they be dedicated to your bottom line and getting you the results you need?
• Are they active in blogging and social media for their own business?
• Do they have client testimonials?

Contact Kristi Dement of Bed and Breakfast Blogging for a free consultation today.  Feel free to add comments or questions below.

Images by Marcus Berg of Unique Angles Photography