Tag Archives: conversations

Visual Storytelling: Twitter

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visual-storytelling-Twitter

The Power of Visual Storytelling: How To Use Visuals, Videos, and Social Media to Market Your Brand is a fantastic online marketing book for businesses.  Authors Ekaterina Walter (@Ekaterina) and Jessica Gioglio (@savvybostonian) do an excellent job of giving practical advice that businesses can apply to better market themselves online.  This particular blog post focuses on what the authors tell us about Twitter.

Twitter is an innovative marketing tool as well as a keen way for businesses to connect with their audiences and provide quality customer service.  In fact, of all the social media platforms, Twitter is currently the most popular with Fortune Global 100 Companies.

Super Twitter Statistics:

  • More than half of all links shared on Twitter are images
  • Over 460,000 accounts are created every day
  • 20.6 million adults in the United States access Twitter at least once a month
  • 177 million tweets are sent every day
  • 24% of Twitter users check Twitter at least once a day
  • 54% of Twitter users are male and 46% are female
  • 46% of users are aged 18-34, so a high percentage of young people
  • 67% of users more likely to buy products from brands they follow on Twitter

Smart Twitter Capabilities:

  • Companies that use Twitter gain twice the number of leads each month that their non-tweeting counterparts
  • Twitter cards make it possible to attached media experiences to tweet that link to your content
  • Tweets that link to participating websites can be expanded by users to show a whole range of media
  • If you add the code on your own site, you can determine what sort of content will be shown by a Twitter link
  • Users interested in a particular offer or promotion will be able to fill out a field on the card
  • That field links their existing information, allowing them to quickly register

Savvy Twitter Strategies:

  • Develop your company’s voice
  • Tweet around several key passion points
  • Provide company news and updates
  • Offer unique deals to your Twitter followers
  • Give your clients (and potential clients) excellent customer service
  • Know what you want your followers to associate with your brand
  • Give them reasons to follow your company
  • The photos and videos you share should integrate with your overall strategy
  • Show a more relaxed side to your brand
  • Each tweet should be able to be understood on its own
  • Mix up your content
  • Ask questions to spark conversations
  • Use links to articles, photos, videos, and blog posts
  • Retweet your followers
  • Find out what your followers are interested in and share that
  • Use hashtags (#) to join in bigger conversations on a topic or start your own (#)
  • Use calls to action including RT (retweet)
  • Consider the locations and time zones of your audience
  • Use Promoted Tweet or Trend features to support your key messages

Given the popularity of Twitter and its capabilities, it makes sense for businesses to follow these social media strategies in order to promote their business and provide excellent customer service.  A special thank you to authors Ekaterina Walter and Jessica Gioglio for letting me share some of the content in their book.

 

Image by Marcus Berg of Unique Angles Photography

Posted in Blog and Social Media, Marketing, Promotion

The Art of Social Selling

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the-art-of-social-selling

I highly recommend Shannon Belew’s book called The Art of Social Selling: Finding and Engaging Customers on Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, and Other Social Networks. Belew says the power has shifted from the brand to the consumer.  Marketing has become a two-way conversation with the customer.  The art of social selling is based entirely on your ability to build relationships.

Did you know that over one BILLION people are active on social networks? Thus, it is extremely important that you know where your customers are hanging out.

Shannon Belew defines “social selling” as the identification, targeting, and reaching out to prospective and existing customers through social media channels and social communities in an effort to engage them in conversations that result in a potentially mutually beneficial relationship.  This means being more social (listening and conversing about the customer’s needs) and less traditional selling.  The heart of social selling is relationship building.

This book reveals Belew’s ten most important rules for online social interactions:

1) Be genuine: your social networking persona should be an extension of your real persona

2) Listen, listen, listen: to truly hear what the customer is saying so you can present a viable solution you must find and monitor conversations that relate to your prospective customer’s needs, concerns, and interests with the goal of remaining relevant to your customers

3) Be responsive: to customer-related complaints and concerns voiced across social media channels

4) Follow the leader: follow group guidelines, watch how members participate and interact with one another

5) Tailor the conversation: find common ground and share information relevant to your audience

6) Be helpful: offer educational opportunities, general support, and even inspiration

7) Identify the enter and exit signs: know if it is polite to enter the online interaction and make sure to exit gracefully

8) Maintain separation of professional and personal: make sure what you share is suitable for both audiences

9) Be consistent: give people a clear expectation of who you are and what your area of expertise is

10) Admit when you are wrong: be willing to apologize, it is a sign of strength and goodwill

Shannon Belew’s concept of “unselling“:

  • Unselling is a process that occurs over time
  • Requires consistent interaction with your prospects via social media
  • This establishes your credibility as a good resource
  • Identify and interact with industry influencers
  • Be a thought leader to build social influence
  • Embrace consultative sales in which you are developing conversations that educate and assist the prospect through the buying process
  • This opens the door to an increased amount of sharing
  • This increases the comfort level of prospects as well as puts you in the role of expert

Belew talks about word of mouth marketing.  Social shoppers are not only influenced by their friends and family, but by perfect strangers, too.  Encourage your happy and satisfied customers to provide online testimonials.  Include your links on thank-you pages and emails. Respond to negative reviews quickly.  Thank customers publicly for their positive reviews.

In this book, Shannon Belew cites a 2013 Technorati Report that stated that blogs are the third-most influential digital or online resource and the fifth most trusted resource on the internet.  Blogs are great for sharing on social media.  Plus, points made in a blog post can be posted or tweeted on social media.  Later in the book, Belew gives specific tips about using each of the major social media channels.  This is an incredible resource for business owners.

*Please note: I am not being compensated for this review.  I just really love this book and think it will help others wanting to grow their business!

 

Image by Marcus Berg of Unique Angles Photography

Posted in Blog and Social Media, Marketing, Promotion, Success

Autumn Colors and Fall Foliage

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New England Fall Foliage

(photo above courtesy BedandBreakfast.com)

The autumn colors and fall foliage at bed and breakfasts can be remarkably beautiful to take in this time of year.  We would like to feature one B&B known for this season’s splendor, the appropriately named The Maple Leaf Inn of Barnard, Vermont.  They are ten miles north of Woodstock, Vermont on a beautiful lake.  It is an elegant Victorian style farmhouse nestled within sixteen acres of maple and birch trees.

The friendly owners, Nancy and Mike Boyle, welcome you to come anytime of the year since they are open year round.  In fact, four of their bedrooms are named after the four seasons: Autumn Woods, Winter Haven, Spring Hollow, and Summer Retreat.  They have seven guest bedrooms (six are pictured below) that are spacious and luxurious with all of the mattresses recently upgraded to king-size pillow top mattresses.  Five of the rooms have wood-burning fireplaces and four of the rooms have whirlpool tubs.

Autumn Woods Room                                                 Winter Haven Room

Spring Hollow Room                                                   Summer Retreat Room

Country Garden Room                                                 Morning Glory Room

Guests love the special and delicious three-course gourmet breakfasts at The Maple Leaf Inn.

A breakfast pizza on a white plate topped with fresh tomatoes, ham and an egg.Blueberry scones on a white plate with sliced strawberries and small jar of jam.

After enjoying a hearty breakfast each morning, guests can just relax or enjoy a variety of fun activities in their local area:

  • driving tours and hiking tours (especially beautiful in the fall)
  • golfing
  • biking
  • horseback riding
  • fishing
  • boating
  • winter activities like cross country skiing, ice skating, downhill skiing, and snowmobile riding

The anniversary package with yellow roses, chocolates, champagne and flutes.Romance package with red roses, champagne and flutes and Vermont chocolates.

The Maple Leaf Inn offers Special Occasion Packages for romance, birthdays, and anniversaries.  The packages include some of the following:

  • choice of champagne, wine, or sparkling cider in your room upon arrival
  • two Maple Leaf Inn keepsake glasses
  • a single rose bud, a bouquet of fresh flowers in a vase, or long-stemmed roses
  • a box of Vermont chocolates
  • a personalized Maple Leaf Inn birthday cake

Between the two of them, Nancy and Mike speak the following languages: English, Russian, German, and Italian. They enjoy conversations with guests from all over the world. Now is the perfect time to enjoy a fall vacation.  If you need to hire an interim innkeeper for your bed and breakfast, you should.  Nancy and Mike welcome everyone to their lovely and quiet inn set in a scenic area with lots of fun activities.  See them talk about The Maple Leaf Inn in the video below.

Posted in Activities, Guests

The Tao of Twitter (Part 2)

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tao of twitterBed and Breakfast Blogging has been sharing some highlights from the excellent social media marketing book about Twitter called The Tao of Twitter. If you remember, one of the three essentials to achieving Twitter Tao is called, “authentic helpfulness.”  The author, Mark W. Schaefer, refering to this concept:

  • Friendships are built on trust and that trust must be earned
  • Treat people like friends and not like targets
  • Ask questions and answer them or refer them to someone who can
  • Read people’s profiles, visit their websites, and write a comment
  • Retweet other people’s useful or entertaining tweets
  • Look in your notifications for @mentions where they refer to you by your @twittername
  • Be genuine, stay honest, and show your personality
  • Take extended conversations to direct messages or going offline
  • Never have a public argument on Twitter
  • Congratulate others publicly for achieving milestones
  • Look for opportunities to help people and answer questions with links to your helpful content or others
  • @HiltonSuggests answers ANY traveler questions whether or not they are staying at a Hilton (by showing this goodwill they are earning others’ trust and possibly their business the day on the tweet or some time in the future)

Schaeffer has a chapter called “Unraveling Twitter” where he explains the language of Twitter:

  • @reply is visible to everyone
  • “Avatar” = personal image
  • “BFN” = “bye for now”
  • Choose “block” to prevent someone from following you or your tweets
  • Report anything offensive or illegal
  • “DM” refers to direct messages only sent between people following each other
  • “EM” = “email me”
  • Everyone can see what people “favorite“
  • “Feed” refers to your posts on your Twitter feed or timeline
  • “Follow” means subscribing to another’s tweets
  • “#FF” = Follow Friday
  • “HT” = Hat Tip, acknowledging who gave you the idea for the content
  • “ICYMI” = “in case you missed it”
  • “IDK” = “I don’t know”
  • “IMO” = “in my opinion”
  • “Locking” means only your friends can see your updates which is not good if you want to network, gain more awareness, and host more guests
  • Mention @Twitterhandle to engage with people you are talking about in your tweets
  • “MT” = modified tweet (put the MT before the tweet)
  • “RT” = retweet (via @username) credits others for their work
  • Search tool helps find people, links, and the latest real-time news
  • “TFTF” = “thanks for the follow”
  • “TMB” = “tweet me back”
  • Trends or trending topics list the most popular topics in real time
  • Tweeps or tweeples is a cluster of friends on Twitter
  • A “tweetup” is an arrangement to meet up in real life, this can be formally scheduled or spur of the moment

Mark writes in his book that hashtags (#) make tweets more meaningful and discoverable. They connect people at conferences or events.  Hashtags are the key to making sense of Twitter, an easy way to group tweets, and the key to making money on Twitter.  Eleven percent of tweets now contain hashtags.

  • #’s can group together messages from an extended conversation
  • # to discover topics in the search box and to help others find your content
  • # trending topics
  • # news and emergencies
  • # contests and promotions
  • # TV and live events
  • # research to get news and conversations happening now
  • # to create buzz or raise curiosity
  • # to be funny
  • sometimes #’s can be “news-jacked” and refer to a different meaning than originally intended

In Part Three of The Tao of Twitter we will discuss Mark W. Schaeffer’s suggestions for ways to attract Twitter followers and how to find your tribe.  Twitter is a great social media channel to attract more guests and earn more business.  Bed and Breakfast Blogging helps bed and breakfasts get more business through our blogging and social media services.

Posted in Blog and Social Media, Conferences, Events, Guests, Marketing, Promotion

What Innkeepers Like Most

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what-innkeepers-like-most

I wanted to see if there were some common responses to the question I asked bed and breakfast innkeepers in an online Linked In group. The question was, “What do you like most about being an innkeeper?” Answers to what innkeepers like most included:

  • Welcoming guests from all over the world
  • Meeting people from all walks of life
  • Showing hospitality by making others feel at home
  • Conversations that flow naturally with guests
  • Feeding our guests well
  • Being my own boss
  • Satisfaction from making others happy
  • Having guests return again and again and forming long-term bonds with them

So what do YOU like best about being owning a bed and breakfast?  I can think of several responses, depending upon what activities you like to do at your B&B:

  • Greeting and speaking with guests
  • Cooking delicious breakfasts, desserts, and more
  • Hosting events such as weddings and group meetings
  • Tending to our beautiful garden
  • Renovating and restoring our home
  • Decorating the rooms
  • Designing several different packages for guests to choose from
  • Updating guests with a regular newsletter or blog
  • Using social media to promote our bed and breakfast

Everyday keep in mind what you love about being an innkeeper. Keep track of memorable moments with guests. Stay in touch with former guests and reach out to potential new guests. Join an innkeeping association for support from fellow innkeepers.  Now it is easier than ever to keep in contact with others in our connected world.

 

Image by Marcus Berg of Unique Angles Photography

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

Phone Communication with Your B&B Guests

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phone-communication

As bed and breakfast innkeepers, it is likely that you will speak to your guests and potential guests over the phone.  We are going to look at ways you can make the most positive impression on guests during your phone conversations.

When speaking to your guests over the phone, it is important to clearly and cheerfully pronounce the name of your bed and breakfast as well as your name when you answer the phone. This way they know they have reached the right number and answering with a pleasant voice is your first way to extend your hospitality to them.

If you receive a call during the time you are with your current guests and/or making breakfast, it is best to let your callers leave a message so that you can respond at a time when you can give them your full attention.  If you sound distracted or like you are busy (which you can often be) they may not think they will receive the care and attention they expect when visiting your bed and breakfast.

Be sure to take notes of every phone call.  Including the following information:

  • Caller’s name and contact information
  • The purpose of their call
  • Any questions they asked you
  • Their reservation information (if applicable)
  • Comments about their interests and reason for staying
  • Other relevant information you do not want to forget

Having this phone log will save you precious time.  This can let any other innkeepers and/or staff become aware of the phone conversations you had without you having to take the time to verbally provide the details to every phone conversation to other employees.  It also helps remind you of previous conversations with the guest(s).

You should have a list of things to do in your area–including recommended restaurants, tourist attractions, community activities, and so forth.  This will be your quick reference guide so you can answer questions without having to hunt for the information during your time on the phone.  Guests will appreciate how organized you are.

Make sure that guests know a phone number to reach you at during every moment of their stay.  This is vital to providing them with a pleasant experience, answering their questions, exchanging important information, and for safety in case of emergencies.

Be sure to ask, “Is anything else we can help you with?” before ending every call. They will appreciate this courtesy and it shows that you care about their experience at your bed and breakfast. This goes a long way towards establishing repeat business as well as gaining referrals!

Posted in Guests

5 Sources of Good Ideas

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We all love good ideas and we want to know where and how to find them.  Good ideas come from many different sources.  Here is a list of five:

1. Conversations with others–you never know what someone will say that will spark a light bulb to shine in your head. This could even happen when you overhear others talking in a public place. They could be discussing the latest news story or anything that triggers you to think of a good idea.

2. What you read–this could be from a book, a magazine, a newspaper, an online article, a chat room discussion, a web page, etc. You would be amazed where people find sources of inspiration. It could even be from an advertisement!  You just never know!

3. What you watch–on the television or in the movies.  On the television, you could be watching the news, a documentary, or a funny sitcom.  It could be any kind of movie, too.  It could be a concept that is being discussed or watching the plot of a story that gives you an idea.  Even watching people you know interact in person and do things can help you come up with an idea.

4.What you do–when you are working or exercising or having fun, your body can focus on a new way to go about solving your problem or answering a need.  There is something to be said for concentration, whether it is from organizing or looking for information, taking a leisurely walk, or even singing the lyrics in a karaoke song.

5.When you sleep–Albert Einstein kept a pencil and notepad next to him so that, if his dream gave him an idea, he would write it down before he forgot the idea.  Some times your brain works on a problem for you overnight (or during a nap) and you wake up with new insight.

The important thing is to keep an awareness of your goals in the back of your mind, so that your brain can be working on a solution or answer.  Ideas can come from anywhere.  It does not matter how you thought of the idea or the source that sparked the idea, it just matters that the idea be something that will help you reach your goals.

Posted in Success