Promoting The Industry

Our goal is to generate great publicity for BedandBreakfast.com members specifically, and for the B&B industry as a whole. In this issue we cover:

Ask the Pros

Let’s Hear It From Innkeepers

Recent Media Coverage

Announcement from TIA

Ask the Pros

New! Each month, innkeepers ask for our help in promoting their properties, so we decided to make “Ask the Pros” a regular event.  If you would like your PR question answered, please email Marti.Mayne@BedandBreakfast.com. Each issue will feature one question and our response.   

Question:  Do you know if any state or local B&B associations are doing TV or radio advertising on a regular basis?  What works and what doesn’t? -- Kris Ulmer, Wisconsin B&B Association

Answer: A number of inn associations, B&B consortiums and individual inns have participated in television and radio advertising campaigns.  The campaigns vary from supplying prizes for PBS auctions to large-scale network TV ad buys.  Success has varied, and has been dependent upon a number of key factors:

• Targeted messages
• Strong call to action
• Enticing offer or event
• Time-sensitive offer
• Effective visual images for TV
• Clear tracking mechanisms                                      

Successful TV and radio campaigns include announcements of a timely offer or special event.  Viewers are asked to respond by calling a central phone number to make reservations or visit a web page that can be clearly tracked.  Productive ads give the impression that space is limited, prompting the viewer to respond without delay.  These ads clearly communicate the benefit to the customer, whether it is a savings or added value.  Additionally, attractive TV footage conveys the beauty of the inns being promoted. With these key elements included, the inns involved will reap the benefits in either event ticket sales or room bookings.

Recently, Kristie Rosset of the Lookout Point Inn in Hot Springs, AR ran 54 thirty-second ads on the local ABC affiliate over a nine-week period in the first quarter of 2005, offering a 15% discount on midweek stays.  According to Kristie, “I was impressed with the immediate response, immediate reservations, and appreciated our increased visibility.”  She attributed doubled occupancy to the ads, and got valuable B-roll for use later on.  Additionally, with the frequency of her ads, she was able to brand the inn, and has continued to receive calls well after the ad campaign ended, along with referrals from locals who’d seen the inn on TV.

TV Tips:

• Be sure your message includes a timely offer or event, rather than a general concept.

• Tie your offer to a specific time period, prompting potential guests to call soon to take advantage of limited availability.

• Include character graphics (CG’s in TV-talk) for your website and phone number, so potential guests not only hear it but see it too.

• Ask about promotions and sponsorship opportunities where rooms can be traded for TV time.

• Network TV nets better results, but can be expensive in many markets.  Think about the audience you wish to reach, and consider buying at times throughout the day, not just during prime time. You’ll find morning news shows, soap operas, and game shows often attractively priced.  Cable and public TV can be considerably less expensive, but your audience is much smaller.

• Depending upon the complexity of your offer, consider ten-second       “billboards,” offering enough time for a succinct offer, toll-free phone number and website. Be sure to negotiate for copies of the B-roll footage shot when creating your TV ad.

Radio Tips

• Be sure to sync your choice of stations with your target audience. The number one station isn’t always the best, if its listeners don’t fit your demographics.

• Tie in with “Loyal Listener” programs that offer points to those who visit your website or book stays with you.

• Ask about other advertisers who might want to co-op with your inn or association.

• Be sure to ask about cash/trade payment schedules

Let us know how your inn, consortium or B&B association does with their TV or radio campaigns; email comments to Marti.Mayne@BedandBreakfast.com. 

Let’s Hear It From Innkeepers
 

It pays to respond to media leads!  In February, we sent out a request for information on waterfall packages; in March, we used the information received to create a press release. In April, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution printed the material on southeastern inns in an article entitled “Fall in love with waterfalls of Southeast.” Here’s what we heard from one of the inns included:

The first message from the Red Horse Inn read:  “Just wanted to thank you for getting the Atlanta paper to print the article about the waterfalls.
Hurray! Many, many thanks.”
Two weeks later, the second message arrived: “I'm still getting calls from guests about the waterfall package from all over! The article must have run in a few papers because they aren't just from one location.  Thank you so much!”   -- Mary & Roger Wolters, The Red Horse Inn, Landrum, SC

Recent BedandBreakfast.com Media Coverage
 

BedandBreakfast.com stories resulted in over 5.47 million media impressions in March. If this coverage had been purchased as advertising, the value would exceed $5,500. Here are some recent articles: 

We sent a press release promoting all the “Tanks a Lot!” offers from innkeepers across the country.   It was picked up online by the Rocky Mountain News, Dallas News, Ventura County Star, and Forbes.com, and was syndicated by Tom Parsons of BestFares.com in newspapers throughout the U.S.

The Allergy Free B&Bs press release was featured in the Rochester, NY Democrat and Chronicle, and prompted a 10-minute interview on the Travel with Terry Spence show, aired on C-FAX Radio of Vancouver, BC.  Additionally, the release prompted an article in Health Magazine scheduled for July, 2005.   

Announcement from TIA

This Month's Sponsor

Online Trade Show

Click to visit our vendor members:

• BB-4-sale.com
• Bath Plus Inc
• B&B Team Realtors
• Big Kahuna Hawaiian Coffee
• Clawfoot Supply
• Deneen Pottery
• DVTour.com
• Earthly Delight Soap
• Inn Broker, Inc.
• Inn Connections, LLC
• Innkeeping Specialists
• Innstyle
• InSPAration
• New England Inn Brokers
• Northwest B&B Inn Consulting
• RusticDecorating.com
• B&B Team Realtors
• Topica

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 3600 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. Read more...

Online Bookings

Taking real-time, online reservations is the most effective way to transform your BedandBreakfast.com listing into a 24/7 sales engine.  For details, log in to your home base with your property ID and password, and click “Online Reservations.”

Innkeepers Information Center

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

•  Resource Library
•  Member Checklist