Dave Serino Blogs

e-Mail Marketing is Still Alive

I received a call from a prospective client today and, as usual, the conversation was crammed with questions.  One of the last questions, which followed about nine different queries based on a combination of search and social media, was about e-mail.   “Are tourism organizations still effectively using e-mail marketing for promotions?”  My answer, blurted out quite quickly was “Yes they are!”

We’ve seen some new studies and plenty of recent blog posts that validate the use of e-mail.  The statistics and the ROI are positive – when done right.    But the key words are “when done right”.  It needs to be consistent, informative and have value for the consumer.    And, e-mail is a perfect fit for the travel industry in terms of informing consumers about your product on a timely basis and building relationships.  It is also very cost effective.

The recent challenge with e-mail marketing for the travel industry has been resources, as organizations are becoming bogged-down in the glut of social media marketing.  The focus has shifted to the development of content  like podcasts, blog posts, and fresh web copy.  During this period, some organizations have been so focused on the creation of content, they have overlooked the distribution tactics.

The main outlet for social media content distribution within the travel industry has been through RSS feeds.   However, we are still seeing consumers struggle with the technology.  Once they know how to operate and populate their RSS reader, they still need to remember to read it.

When looking at e-mail use, we know it is a conditioned behavior for consumers.    The messages comes to the inbox, they open it and take action – simple enough.     One of the big obstacles organizations struggle with is the content of the e-mail message.   So, here are a few suggestions:

• Include a warm introduction.  Always greet the recipient with some sort of personalization, like their first name.
• Only include three to five items within the e-mail.  Our research shows that is all the consumer can digest in one single message.
• Think about what inspires or drives travel to your location.  Include a few short sentences as a tease.  Maybe something about golf, an attraction, or a family beach vacation.  Be sure to link back to an appropriate landing page with more of the same content.
• Inspire them with details about a package or an e-Special that has a significant value.  Again, the landing page is important in this case and it should be a page where a reservation can be made.
• Detail the last three or four blog posts from your site and add some information about your latest podcasts.   You may even consider linking to a few consumer posted videos on YouTube or picture posts from Flickr.  If the content is good and it sells – use it.

Distribution is, or maybe more important than content creation.  And, e-mail marketing is still the most affordable and reliable tool to deliver that content to consumers.

Earthquake in Michigan?

I was at my desk early this morning, around 5:15 a.m., banging out some e-mails and getting a jump on the day’s tasks.

At about 5:40 a.m. or so, I noticed the French doors to my office rattle a bit and my chair – which is on rollers – shake back and forth while I was seated in it.  It was a very light rumble that lasted about five seconds or so.  I actually got up from my desk to see if any windows were open, which sometimes creates a rattle of my office doors when the wind kicks up.  Nothing.  I very briefly thought, “That is probably what an earthquake might feel like. But, I’m in Michigan, not California.  That just doesn’t happen here.”  I shook it off as one of those “whatever” moments and went about my work.

At around 7:15 a.m., I tuned in to my local radio news fix on WWJ-950 AM and what do you know? A 5.4 magnitude earthquake was reported six miles from West Salem, IL. – about 450 miles away from my desk. 

TGIF.

Social Media with Josh Hallett at the Michigan Tourism Conference

Josh Hallett - an internationally recognized thought leader in the convergence of social media and corporate public relations & marketing – joined the largest contingent ever to attend Michigan’s Driving Tourism Conference to deliver his presentation entitled “Promoting Your Destination in the Age of YouTube, MySpace and Facebook”.

Here are few interesting points from Josh’s keynote on social media, delivered Tuesday morning from the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids:

• The audience now has control of your brand and can change its perception at will.
• 60% of journalists are using blogs and social media to find story leads.
• In today’s online environment, it is as easy to deliver content, as it is to consume it.
• “Marketing and advertising is the result of having a lame product.” (My personal favorite.)
• There are 8,000 Disney related photos loaded onto Flickr each day.
• 60% of online teens are contributing content and they are setting a very high bar in terms of future online expectations.
• For the tourism industry, everyday is a FAM Tour online. (Another favorite.)
• Use as much user-generated content as you can to support your current site content.

Following his very well received presentation, Josh was kind enough to catch up with me and answer a few questions. Here they are:

Q:  There is so much content available online right now.  Where is the saturation point for consumers?
JH: There is never going to be a saturation point because there is so much out there for an audience with multiple interests.  If it is relevant, they will find it and refer it someone else with a similar interest.    The referral networks are the key to sharing information; it is the power of peer-to-peer.

Q: State and local DMO’s have always been content distributors for their specific areas.  How do you see the role of travel DMO’s changing because of social media?
JH:  I see two things happening. First, they have to begin connecting with consumers who are passionate about the travel destination.    Then they have to realize that it is o.k. if the content is coming from 3,000 miles away rather than a local source.    When that happens, the sources will amplify the message.   We know that peer-to-peer content resonates more.

Q: Where would you recommend that a DMO, hotel, resort, attraction, etc. start if they have not explored any social media options?
JH: They really need to play off their specific product offering.  If they have a photogenic destination, Flickr would be a great place to start.   If they have a niche product that is engaging, creates interest and discussion, maybe a forum would be a good place.

Q: There is plenty of discussion about Facebook/My Space pages.  How can a DMO take advantage of this?
JH: It all comes down to staffing and time to be successful.   They need to leverage the existing communities and content that is already there.  MySpace has not been used real well in terms of destinations.   What they just need to remember is to contribute meaningful content.   They have to remember that everything must be interesting, engaging and compelling.

Thank you again, Josh.  Everyone in attendance appreciated your insight and time!

Conference Notebook: 
Fresh Message Matters – Trips to Michigan from a cluster of three traditional feeder markets increased 109% from 2006 to 2007.  The budget/adverting spend in each year were very similar.  The difference was the marketing message – the new, award winning Pure Michigan campaign.   IMO, the campaign radio and tv spots can only be described as “kick-ass” and they make me proud to live and work in the state of Michigan.  But, 109% is HUGE.  Lesson learned, it pays to keep things fresh.   Kudos to McCann Erickson and Travel Michigan. 

More Content Ideas – Echoing Josh Hallett’s mantra on content, the Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor Convention and Visitors Bureaus are syndicating content through the Issue Media Group of Detroit.  During the “Panel on Urban e-Marketing”, both organizations explained how they are spreading good news about their cities in the form of special interest stories and online video.   Not only are these groups using engaging content to inspire potential visitors to their destinations, but they are also driving search traffic to their web sites with algorithm favorites – fresh, keyword dense copy.

Go Gov! – Governor Jennifer Granholm was on-hand to fire everyone up about some additional tourism funding that is making its way through the legislature.   I know these speeches look like some typical political spinning, but she is, and always was, a big fan of tourism.  The Gov got it from day one.  Now, thanks to the hard work and lobbying efforts of TICOM, MACVB, and MLTA, the industry is gaining some respect in the house and senate.  I guess it doesn’t hurt when each travel ad dollar spent puts $2.82 back into the state treasury.

And More - Thanks to Rick Hert of the West Michigan Tourist Association for leading, and Dave Lorenz of Travel Michigan for organizing, a 5-mile running tour through the neighborhood streets of Grand Rapids early Tuesday morning.  It was a great way to start the day!

Spring Football??!!

Nothing ushers in spring like football.  I was really excited to get my first dose of Michigan football under new Coach Rich Rodriguez on Saturday. The Michigan Football Spring Scrimmage was held at Saline High School. (The Big House is in disrepair due to the renovations.)

The weather was perfect for a mid-November game - windy, 43-degrees and periodic down pours. It was an offense vs. defense format – rather than a split squad scrimmage.  Throughout the day, the ball was spotted at various locations on the field with different game scenarios.   For example: ball on the 25, overtime, defense up by 8 and the offense takes over.

Here are some of my observations:

• Overall things were a bit sloppy.   Dropped passes and penalties.  There was only one or two series that  I could recall that the offense looking kind of sharp. Threet may be better than Sheridan in terms of overall skills, but I think Sheridan was more comfortable in the offensive scheme.  I like the way Sheridan handles the ball.  He is a more mobile than Threet, but his arm strength is weaker.
• The running backs looked very solid.   Brandon Minor hit the line quickly, made some nice cuts and looked chiseled.  Kevin Grady had a strong comeback following a season-ending knee injury last year.  One name that you will hear plenty of in the future, Avery Horn.  Can you say roadrunner fast?
• The O-Line still needs plenty of work and the receiving corps – being lead by Greg Matthews - is in need of a few more good men.
• The defensive front was messing with the O-Line for a majority of the day.  Terrance Taylor looked larger than ever.   I liked the way the defense moved to the ball, it appeared as if they picked up a step or two.   Troy Wolfolk contributed to the defensive effort with a nifty INT run for a pick-6.

The entire scrimmage was run with a very fast pace, which is the way Coach RichRod likes to run his offense.  There will be plenty of surprises in Ann Arbor this fall – some good and some not so good, as these guys learn a new scheme and system. One thing that will not be so surprising –seeing the best-conditioned team in modern day Michigan football.

TravelCom '08: Wrap Up

I attended TravelCom this Wednesday and Thursday in Chicago.  Here are a few of my thoughts regarding the conference:

- To kick things off, Henry Harteveldt of Forrester did a great job wooing the crowd with his research, data and trend analysis.    Big note - the online travel consumer is not as happy as we thought.

What I coined as the conference buzz-phrase – “contextual advertising” - was first mentioned in this session.   Wikipedia defines it as – “the term applied to advertisements appearing on websites or other media, such as content displayed in mobile phones, where the advertisements are selected and served by automated systems based on the content displayed by the user.” 

Now, call me old school or even Blue, but isn’t that just a fancy catch phrase for targeting?

- Travelocity’s Michelle Peluso  believes in customer service – she has taken a phone call from a customer at 3:30 am on her home phone.   Impressive!  She stressed the importance of service for the OTA’s and believes the call center and support lines are the foundation of loyalty for these groups.

- I couldn’t get into either of the the User Conference lunches.   I was a few minutes late getting to the Yahoo sponsored session and all the seats in the room were taken.  The rooms were very small and I think they only had 6 to 8 tables set up.   People then lined the walls.  I checked out the other session by Acxiom and it was also very crowded.     Looks like these lunch and learn sessions generated some interest, maybe next year they could be a bit bigger or have additional choices.

Once those two options were exhausted,  I retreated to the main luncheon hosted by IBM.   They ran a short video entitled “A Day in the Life of a Traveler”.     It showcased a biz-traveling, family guy utilizing every  IBM e-business tool known to mankind in his planning and traveling adventure.   It was wrapped into one giant process:  from booking travel, to walking around the hotel web site as an avatar, to the TSA screening his name to be sure he wasn’t on the no-fly database. There was even a call center conversation that was translated from English to Chinese on the fly.   I know some of this is applicable today and I loved the concept.  But, I’m pretty sure we are more than just a few years away from it all working together.

BTW – the food - baked chicken, rice, and asparagus followed by a coffee tasting kind of dessert dressed with fresh berries- black, blue and rasp. Mmmm.

- The afternoon began with Jeff Boyd, CEO of Priceline, explaining some advertising models for the OTA.  Good take away – can’t afford to buy an expensive  network  television spot during Lost in prime time? How about buying spots on ABC.com where people download the archived programs.    Same audience, better price.   The whole off-beat William Shatner campaign is perfect for use on the web and his persona translates well into entertaining widgets for desktops, Facebook and MySpace.  Also, Jeff did drop in some "contextual advertising" references and sourced it back to Henry.

- Susan Black did a fine job moderating the session Monetizing Social Media and Consumer Generated Content.   A couple of notes of interest on this one .   The panel included a replacement from one of the original program speakers - the women who developed Hyatt’s Yatt’it joined the mix.  (I must first apologize, I can not locate her name anywhere since she was a late addition, but her first name was Renee.)   See my post from the day prior for my Yatt’it thoughts.  I didn’t have the courage to question her during the session and my attempt to find her at the cocktail reception was not successful.  Anyway, I got the impression they spent a few nickels on the whole site, not including all the time involved for personnel training, management, etc.   Per my post, you know my take.

- Then came a big  “Who knew?” for me.   A travel social networking site for disabled individuals – www.disaboom.com.    Apparently their network is as strong as their voice, as they review cities, hotels and restaurants, etc. that are accessible, or not so accessible.   Eric Lipp stated that "85% of disabled travelers share their experiences".   Very cool.    He also sourced a new Chicago accessibility guide.  With sites like Disaboom and other forums emerging, it will only be a matter of time before additional cities and states give more attention to this niche.

BTW – “contextual  advertising”  emerged once again.   I think it was third time in a session today, but who’s counting.

- I thought Thursday got off to a slow start – maybe everyone had too much fun the night before in the city of Chicago.   I enjoyed the third presentation/interview with Suzie Reider, Director of Advertising for YouTube.  The big nugget - YouTube has just released a dashboard of analytic tools to help you measure who is watching your videos.   Log in and check the tabs on your page for more details.  Those guys at Google, and their tools, continue to amaze me.  One other interesting tidbit on YouTube - how about using it to test some video creative?  Now there is an idea.

- The conference education closed out with an interesting debate on paid search terms and affiliates.  Eric Pearson from InterContential Hotel Group moderated a discussion that was focused around affiliate organization’s buying branded keywords, developing bogus landing pages, and then deceptively capturing traffic from OTA’s and hotels.   It looks like there is still some work to be done in this area, but the major consensus from the panel was focused on end-user education.

- At that point, I grabbed a chicken wrap to go and headed out  – just prior to Sir Richard Branson’s address.    My destination was Navy Pier to visit a few old friends and clients at the Affordable Meetings Tradeshow.   

Sorry, Sir.   I took a lesson from Michele Peluso - loyalty before royalty in my business.

Social Networking Site #1,269

Last week, Hyatt Hotels announced the debut of their social networking site – Yatt’it.  The blurb in Travel Weekly’s Technology e-Newsletter said Hyatt figured out a way to “increase the credibility of user-generated raves and rants, and decrease the prevalence of fake postings.”  Okay, glad to know there is a new sheriff in town.

The site only allows concierges and member of the Hyatt’s Gold Passport program to post reviews.  Officials at Hyatt are doing this to “ensure that the content is coming from road warriors.”  Now, isn’t that who does most of the posting anyway?  And, If you are defining road warriors as “business travels” or “card carriers”, than let’s just say it.  But IMO, anyone who travels frequently can be classified as a road warrior.  This is a very selective process which will most likely hinder the site’s future success.

Now, before I’m accused of being a “Hyatt Basher”, let me say that I’m a card carrying Gold Passport member myself. I even stayed in a Hyatt in late January and I’ll be visiting another one this week at TravelCom in Chicago.  To me, Hyatt conveys the image of an older and expansive convention hotel in a major metropolitan market.   Maybe the reason for a flashy new web portal with a quirky name?

That old image of Hyatt is evolving.  Especially with the launch of brands like Hyatt Place - a retro-type lodging property designed to meet current travel and technology trends.   

But, creating a social networking site for a chain like Hyatt wouldn’t be listed in my 2008 marketing goals. 

Social network site postings are driven by passion and excitement, along with the need for users to tell a story.  That story is usually told to a community of others with similar interests.  What will drive other travelers to only tell their story to members of Yatt’it, rather than larger flourishing communities like Trip Advisor or IgoUgo?  I’m not sure being Gold Passport member is a big enough incentive to drive users to the site and keep them engaged. 

One effect that makes social networks exciting is how quickly they can grow and how the potential of the network increases with the growth of content.

I would have to presume that Marriot Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guests, Hilton Honors and Holiday Inn’s Priority Club would each have a much larger number of active members then Gold Passport.  So while Yatt’it beigns to grow, the larger social networks – and even sites like Sheraton’s Share Your Story - will be growing at a much quicker pace, making them more attractive users.

It will be interesting to see how things develop and if this was one of those “everyone else is doing it” decisions.  We’ll keep you posted as it progresses.

Welcome to the party Hyatt! And, we hope you enjoy your stay!

Don't Let The Economy Crunch Air Travel

There was an excellent segment on NPR’s Talk of the Nation today regarding  the economy and its effects on travel.   It featured Rick Steves – who spoke mostly about European travel – and Rick Seany, co-founder and CEO of FareCompare.com.

A few trends that Seany confirmed were that the average air traveler researches a fare four to six times before purchasing and many consumers are using meta search engines like Kayak.com and FareCompare.com to find the best rate.

One interesting feature with FareCompare.com is the site will e-mail you updates regarding price changes on a specific itinerary immediately after the airline takes action.  Some of these e-mails will be generated within 15-minutes after the price change and they can be sent several times in a 24-hour period.  A great benefit when compared to the airline web sites which usually only send out one update a day and it is traditionally done around 2:00 a.m. or 3:00 a.m.

Visit this link to see the comments shared by Seany on the NPR blog and be sure to listen to the audio podcast.

If your hotel or resort is located in a fly-in destination or you promote a destination that is primarily dependent on fly-in traffic, it may be worthwhile posting Seany’s tips on your web site, blog or in your consumer e-newsletter.