Social search! And what it means for the hospitality and travel sector

It's a good thing I was planning on writing this article. Or Google’s recent announcement would have forced my hand. The search giant had embraced social search in 2009 and very recently, as recently as last week, they have taken it even further. But first, what is social search? Every time people search on Google, it throws up results according to several parameters that keep evolving.

Social search is part of Google’s parameters and show up results from what's being talked of on social platforms right now. So if someone is tweeting about a hotel or about a particular destination while you are searching for the same, it will show up as well along with the other websites and news articles about the place. Now the latest change in social search from Google means that if someone is connected to you on social media, what they have to say about things that you are searching for will be thrown up as results. They were earlier tucked away at the bottom, but now they will be right up with the best ones.

As Google says, relevance is also about relationships. Now how does it affect us in the travel trade? Search plays a crucial role in helping people make decisions. And travel related queries are among the most searched for. While we have been banking on most review sites and our own websites to help people make the right choice, with social search it becomes more personal. Almost like a person asking about a destination or a hotel or an airline in a room full of friends and anyone who has experienced any of these shouting out suggestions. This supports my theory of half-experts, which is that people are more likely to seek advice from someone who is known to them, even if he or she knows far less than an expert.

Rather than from an expert, who they would only know in a professional capacity, Social Media allows them to be connected to these known 'half-experts'. And social search allows them to know what they have to say. So what does that mean for us? It means that every single satisfied person becomes a spokesperson for us as our brand ambassador among their own little group. It's true that it's not going to be easy. But the travel and hotel industry has always worked hard on giving a great experience to its customers. And it just needs to keep doing that now more than ever and as far as your online marketing goes, well yes it does mean a shift in strategy for the same.

Most popular categories of Online Advertising

Online advertising has a great potential and the sphere is going to balloon to $50 billion. According to the Morgan Stanley’s latest presentation, people spend 28% of their time on internet but there is only 13% of relevant advertising. According to the presentation made in Web 2.0 summit held in San Francisco, online advertising is yet to see its golden days with an eye pooping growth of $50 billion. Now it is simple to understand where should, the merchants head for showcasing their products.

Many business sectors have already pulled up their socks to beat the competition. Hospitality industry leads other with many popular hotels opting for companies offering Hotel Internet Marketing strategies. It is a known fact that people spend a great deal of time surfing internet, and it is quite understandable that web is the place to be in the eyes of your customer. Now, when you chose to advertise online, you have four options by which you can buy space for your advertisement. Usually when asked about different form of internet advertising, people think of popup ads, banner ads, floaters etc but all these actually fall under four categories. And these categories are cost per click, cost per impression, cost per action and cost per lead.

Cost per click ---- CPC online advertising model invites users to show interest in a product or a service. Clicking on these ads specifies that visitor wants to get information about the specified product. When purchasing a cost per click ad, the advertiser agrees to pay every time a visitor clicks the advertisement. Now the cost of these ads is determined by either flat rate or bid based purchasing. In the flat rate agreement the advertiser and space seller agree for a predetermined rate per click. But in the bid based model prices are sold in a private auction with bid being placed by competing buyers. If your ad is full of high worth keywords then the cost of bidding will also go up. It is most popular and chosen form of online advertising. But it has its own share of woes. Cost per click programs have become the breeding ground of fraud. Space selling websites in connivance with people by luring them with good percentage keep the click ratio up and make profits while the advertiser pay for fake visitors.

Cost per impression ---- this type of advertisement campaign is based on the assumption that a higher a traffic to advertisements generates a high volume of sales. The cost of each impression is fixed as low as fraction of a cent. However depending on the value of traffic the cost sometimes can even go up.

Cost per action ---- in this type of advertisement campaign the buyer of the space pays only when the visitor performs a specified action say filling up a registration form or subscribing free newsletters. This kind of ad program is based on the assumption that by educating the visitor about a specified product he/she can be turned into a buyer. Cost per action ads are generally a first step towards a more strategic and expensive marketing campaign. These are often started to make a data base of prospective clients who by signing up for permission advertising give the advertiser a green pasture. This type of ad campaign is started with the aim of getting visitors attention towards the product only.

Cost per lead ----- these types of advertisements are best for the space buyer as he has to pay the money only if a lead is generated. Such ads are often used to promote high end services for example investment or real estate purchases. Leads are qualified on a range of factors including age, financial standing, and medical history etc. advertisers hoping to initiate contact with customers such as health insurance companies frequently use CPL ad campaigns.

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New Age Online Marketing Strategies for Hotel Industry

A lot has been said and written about how technology changed our lives and preferences. The web and internet has changed the methods of business also. Now things are changing so fast that it becomes at times troublesome to keep your pace matched up. But if you are in hotel business then it is worthwhile to keep an eye on ever changing trends in hospitality industry. In this cut throat competition, it is imperative to know where your potential customer is and how he can be indulged. For this you need a marvelous mix of marketing strategy. According to a recent study on the trends in hospitality industry done by Merrill Lynch of all the bookings in 2010 a whopping 45% share is to come through internet bookings.

According to a research, the share of internet booking for hotels is on rise since 2006. In the year 2006 an estimated 30% of bookings made were online. This percentage rose to 33% in the year 2007 and in the year 2008, 40% of total hotel workings were done online. This gives a fair idea that more and more people are now using online services when it comes to book a hotel. First because of its cost effective nature and second tourists do a lot of online research while choosing a hotel at their preferred holiday destination. So it is important for all the hoteliers to understand the psyche of your customer and follow the trend.

Internet is clearly exercising a growing influence on consumer’s decision making. And this presents a whole new range of opportunities and possibilities, where selling of your product and services is concerned. Understanding the target market and its internet or digital activities is crucial for developing an effective online marketing plan. The total number of internet users worldwide in the year 2008 was 1.57 billion which equals to the 23.5% of the total world population, according to the Internet World Statistic web directory. Thus internet is an efficient way for all the companies to gain customers across the world through the medium of online marketing. It specially gives the hotel business an edge as the customers are tourists coming from distant places. The number of customers using internet to book their stay at chosen hotels is also going to shoot up this year according to the expectations of the industry.

Apart from that there are other facts also which hoteliers should keep in mind while promoting their business online.

· Search engines continue to play a crucial role, as people like exploring new opportunities and ideas. The number of people who get travel information by searching on various engines is 85% as against the 69% people who access the travel site by typing in web address. The inference is simple that instead of going directly to known site visitors like to have a fair idea of what is happening and what is new? So as a travel website owner you cannot afford to stop wooing search engines.

· The other new trend in the offing is the ability of a video to capture the imagination of your visitor. In new Google algorithm a due share has been given to the video section. Websites linked to a video are able to enjoy a better rank in search results. So while working on your website, always pay attention to get some good videos to do the magic for visitors as well as search engines.

· Also thrust emphasis on customer engagement through the inclusion of blogs and social media. As these are also indexed by search engines and impact the search results favorably.

· There is a growing popularity and utilization of mobile and on the go marketing. In the era of blackberries and 3G services net surfing is not as static as it was before. So always keep this in your mind while planning online marketing strategy that your customer will be one on the go. If your site is not compatible for mobile apps then you can probably miss out a large number of potential clients.

Outsourcing the marketing

This is the newest and one of the fastest growing trends in hotel industry. With the technology changing at a breath taking fast pace that it is becoming difficult for the businessmen to keep running their business and looking after the marketing. If we talk about only online marketing then also there are n number of options, and when you face such a wide variety of choice it becomes all the more difficult to chose. According to a survey done on the hotel industry by Quill Advertising 54% of hoteliers say that marketing outsourcing, whether partial or complete, is on their future planning agenda. So it is a known fact that now with the change in needs and interest of the customers, the planning and strategy of business and advertising is also changing. So you also brace up for a better tomorrow by planning your strategy right.

Is your travel website serving its purpose?

Travel and tourism is already a saturated industry. New entrants have to face tough resistance and challenge. But if you offer right thing to the right people in a right manner then you can turn the tide.

Travel and tourism is already a saturated industry. New entrants have to face tough resistance and challenge. But if you offer right thing to the right people in a right manner then you can turn the tide. On the onset it looks easy, launch a site, reach customers across the globe, book tours and make money. But it is not a cakewalk. After sometime you may find that your website receives few hits and a nominal conversion. When everything was planned then what went wrong? Well the answer is that your website is not optimized to attract the potential customers.

First a travel company has a lot of services to offer, you should pay attention to those areas which can bring you success.

Incoming tours --- if you think that incoming tourist can bring you more sales then optimize your site accordingly. Here the first thing that has to be kept in mind is that you are building your site for international search engines. Choose the right keywords to achieve a good page rank in search engine results. Then to woo your international clients work hard on content. Informational and interesting literature, stories and articles about the places, historical monuments and other sources of attraction should be included. Though words have power to make you imagine, a picture gives shape to that imagination. So enrich your content with mesmerizing pictures that can bind every visitor. Also try getting your site listed in international tour operator directories. Also pay attention to the choice of language. For example if German tourist are more frequent visitor to your country then apart from English which is indispensable get some articles published in German language. It adds to feel at home factor which can bring out more conversions.

Outgoing tours --- if you also provide services for the fellow natives planning to visit abroad then you should optimize some pages of your site keeping in mind the local search engines. To ensure a flow of hits and conversion get links from local travel magazine sites, local directories etc to enhance your rank in search results. As you know the sand and gravel of your country, so take advantage of that. Speak to your people in your own language; get some articles customized for native travelers. Also create links to social networking sites and leave informational stories about the places you promise your native customers to show.

Internal tours --- and if you provide packages for tours within the country itself then look for the destinations less traveled. Organize tours with special facilities for example nowadays more and more people are turning into pet lovers. Offer services where there is an arrangement for their pets. Different offers can only make you different among the pack. Also always keep you site updated about the upcoming events in various parts of the country like fairs, local festivals etc. apart from giving information this adds to the fun part of the site. There by you get visitors staying on your site and you can have time to get conversions.

MICE ---- if you are in travel business you can’t afford to ignore mice. This is meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions. These days, more and more business is coming from this type of tourism. People visit to forge business partnerships, exhibiting their products, convening conferences. This is that class of tourist that specifically depends on web information. To attract these visitors you need to offer services customized for their needs. For example if a delegation want to come for a conference then apart from transportation and lodging you should have arrangement for the conference itself. You need to have access to hotels with special business facilities.

Apart from this there are thumb rules of website optimization which you should take notice

· Conduct careful keyword research

· Use the language your target customers speak

· Add audio, video and multimedia support for your content

· Keep your site updated

· Start a travel blog

· Client testimonials

· Above all keep on adding fresh content in form of a newsletter

All this will slowly but surely add to the list of satisfied customers.