Promoting The Industry

Recent BedandBreakfast.com Media Coverage

BedandBreakfast.com stories reached more than 22.1 million readers/viewers in July and August. If this coverage had been purchased as advertising, it would have a value of almost $53,000. Some recent articles:

Best of BedandBreakfast.com Awards: The award winners continue to get media coverage, with the current total in excess of 7,000,000 impressions. For example, The Star Tribune recognized the Casa de la Paz for their award as the most romantic B&B, while the Orlando Sun Sentinel acknowledged all the winners.

For 2005, we want to double or triple the number of award-winning inns, but can do so only if you encourage guests to vote by adding the voting badge to your website, and by distributing voting forms. Voting for the 2005 awards is well underway, and over 5000 votes have already been tallied. Don't miss out on this great B&B marketing opportunity!

Seniors Specials for September: Country-wide pick-up included a syndicated article by Tom Parsons which appeared in South Florida’s Sun Sentinel and the Dallas Morning News among many others. The Philadelphia Inquirer recommended BedandBreakfast.com as a “fantastically well-presented source of information, claiming listings of about 27,000 B&Bs around the world; it's well-organized enough that you can target specific areas in just a few clicks. Maps are built into each Web page, pinpointing locations with precision. Going to www.bedandbreakfast.com/specials.aspx  will get you to Seniors Are Special, a rundown of inns that welcome seniors with discounts.”  In her Newsday column, Rhonda Amon specifically mentioned the senior specials from Virginia’s Inn at the Crossroads and the Williamsburg White House, plus the Lakeshore Inn in Rockland, Maine.  See below for innkeeper comments about the value of this publicity.

Smart Money Magazine  included BedandBreakfast.com in their article entitled “10 Things B&Bs Won’t Tell You”, recommending BedandBreakfast.com as a source of information, especially for Hot Deals.

Upcoming publicity

Thank you to all those who responded to our request for information about the Christmas holidays  and wedding locations.  We’re working on landing some feature stories with holiday decorating tips from innkeepers.  We’ll also be publicizing the upcoming holiday inn-to-inn tours throughout the country, and will then focus on wedding locations.

How can I be included in BedandBreakfast.com press releases?Every month or two, BedandBreakfast.com sends publicity leads asking for input from innkeepers.  From the responses, we compile press releases that are sent to the media on a wide range of themes. If you are not sure whether you are receiving these emails, log in to your Home Base  with your password & property ID, then click “Innkeeper’s Inbox” to see all emails sent to you from BedandBreakfast.com in the past few months. (Please be patient; this takes a few minutes to load.)

The number of responses ranges from a trickle to a flood; sometimes answers are not relevant to the press release theme.  While we do our best to include as many as possible, please understand that posting your special on the website and/or answering our publicity leads does not automatically qualify you for inclusion in BedandBreakfast.com's press releases. 

Publicity Leads Posted on Message Boards: You can get the inside track on writers doing B&B-related articles via BedandBreakfast.com publicity leads. Access these leads by clicking through from your home base, or read them on our Message Boards. Sign up to receive new postings by email, and the publicity leads will be delivered right to your email box.

The Value of Publicity

Take it from your fellow innkeepers:

“Just wanted to let you know that I just booked a couple from New York for two nights in September, because they saw the story about senior travel  in Newsday.” ­ -- Pat & Jim Masson, The Lakeshore Inn, Rockland, ME.

“Using your tips and guidelines, we created a press release and fact sheet.  In addition to the copy that we mailed you, we sent out another 20 copies to local television outlets, newspapers, etc.  Within 48 hours, we were contacted by the local ABC affiliate; they ran a two-minute spot based on our press release on the 11:00 p.m. nightly news.  We were also contacted by the public relations director of the local performing arts center. She visited to see if our B&B could be a lodging option for guest performers, and had a copy of our press release in hand. We learned  that effective press releases get attention, and can also translate directly into revenue.”

---Dorian & Laurie Desmarais, The Painted Lady B&B, Elmira, NY

Why bother with B-roll?

In August, 2004, we were contacted by the producers of Fox 5 Good Day New York, a morning TV news show.  They were planning a segment about great B&B getaways to escape from the Republican Convention in New York, but needed B-roll for the show.  BedandBreakfast.com contacted many B&Bs within driving distance of NYC, couldn’t find any with taped footage, so the segment was cancelled.  Here’s how to be ready when B-roll is requested:

What is B-roll? B-roll is television film footage shot in Beta SP format.  Considered "broadcast quality" television footage, it is used by TV stations throughout the country.  VHS footage, or copies of shows that have been taped in VHS are not considered broadcast quality footage (a.k.a. B-roll).

How can I get B-roll? Most communities have videographers who can be hired to shoot Beta SP footage.  They are usually freelance cameramen for local TV stations.  If your television station does a story on your B&B, be sure to ask them for a copy of the B-roll. You may have to pay for them to duplicate the footage, at a cost of about $50 per tape, but it will be well worth it.  The typical cost for a videographer to shoot B-roll is about $1,000 a day.

If I decide to have B-roll shot, what should the tape include? Be sure to include both interior and exterior shots of the inn. Think of all the stories where your footage might be included, and plan ahead so that you can have the videographer shoot scenes for those stories.  For example, at Valentine’s Day, TV stations do stories on romantic getaways.  Be sure to include shots of your most romantic rooms, accessorized with wine, chocolates, and roses, and include guests (or actors) walking hand in hand or enjoying conversation. (Be sure to have signed consent forms from guests).

Why bother with B-roll? We get a number of requests for B-roll from producers each year.  Although very few B&Bs have made the investment, those who have done so have an excellent chance of getting TV coverage when they submit their Beta SP footage.  BedandBreakfast.com regularly works with producers from at the Today Show and the Travel Channel to supply B-roll for segments, netting national coverage for the participating B&Bs.  We are compiling a list of all B&Bs that have B-roll available, so when the call comes for TV coverage for B&Bs, we can act swiftly.   Please contact Marti Mayne at Marti.Mayne@BedandBreakfast.com if you have B-roll of your inn or B&B.

This Month's Sponsor

Online Trade Show

Click to visit our newest vendor members:

• Association Management Services
• DVTour.com
• Earthly Delight Soap
• Big Kahuna Hawaiian Coffee
• Northwest B&B Inn Consulting
• B&B Team Realtors
• Innkeeping Specialists
• New England Inn Brokers

More vendor info...

Gift Certificates

BedandBreakfast.com Gift Certificates have changed to an electronic format. Funds for redeemed certificates will be transferred directly into your bank account within four business days! No more certificates to mail! Don't miss out! To join the 3500 participating inns, just log in to your home base with your property ID and password, or click here for more information.

Traffic statistics

Log in with your property ID and password for details on the number of page impressions and click-throughs your B&B has received as a result of all BedandBreakfast.com online marketing, including property listings, Featured Property, and Inn of the Month advertising. More information

Member Information

To update your entry, post specials, and renew your membership, please log in with your property ID and password. Can't remember your password? Click here, then enter your property ID and we'll email it to you. Don't like your password? Once you're logged in to Home Base, just click "Membership," select "change password" (#7 in dropdown menu), and choose another that's easier to remember. More information

Inns for Sale

"We advertised our B&B in your Inns for Sale section in January, and started getting inquires a week later. In February, a couple came from Florida to visit us in Cat Spring, Texas. We made a deal, and they begin officially on April the 5th as the new owners. What you are doing really works." Sunny and John Snyder. Email us today and we'll put you on our special offer mailing list. Read more

Online Bookings

Taking real-time, online reservations is the most effective way to transform your Internet presence from an informational resource into a 24/7 sales engine.  Read more

Innkeepers Information Center

Need more info? You’ll find lots of educational articles on our site for your convenience.

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