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:
Upcoming Publicity for BedandBreakfast.com
members
Ask the Pros
Recent Media Coverage
Current and Upcoming
Publicity: May and June
We’re presently working on the following
press releases for distribution in May and June:
Experiential Culinary Travel: Recent studies from Travel Industries
of America reveal that 27 million Americans took food- or wine-related trips
in the last three years. This press release will offer a compilation of
food-related getaways that go beyond the traditional cooking school
experience, and allow travelers to participate in the creation of culinary
masterpieces.
Tanks a Lot re-release: With gas prices reaching an all-time high,
the media is once again clamoring for information about gas-saving
vacations. While we sent the initial release about BedandBreakfast.com’s
Tanks a Lot program in March, we’re going to re-release it in time for
Memorial Day travel, so post your Tanks a Lot special now. Both the media
and B&B travelers will be looking for packages that offer help at the pump
this summer and fall.
A Guy’s Guide to B&Bs: Men have many misconceptions about B&Bs; this
release will define what’s great about B&Bs for guys, and will highlight a
few examples of packages and/or amenities (like fishing, geo-caching,
kayaking, mountain biking, sports cars for guests’ use, etc.) that appeal to
both men and women. Any inns that qualify will be required to offer
uncluttered frou-frou free décor that appeal to both sexes. If you feel you
have a package and/or property that qualifies, please send details to
Marti@BedandBreakfast.com.
Over-the-Top packages: We are doing a round-up of B&B packages where
money is no object, and the list of inclusions will wow both inngoers and
the media. We are not looking for standard romance or adventure packages; we
want packages that are unusual and unique. If you have an offering that
qualifies, please send it to
Marti@BedandBreakfast.com with all details, rates, and validity dates.
Grand Travel: BedandBreakfast.com will send a release covering
Grandparent-Grandchild travel, just in time for Grandparents’ Day on
September 9. If you offer a package geared toward grandparents or
multi-generational travel, please send the details including everything
offered, the rate and the date(s) the package is available to
Marti@BedandBreakfast.com.
Carefree Car-less Getaways: In keeping with consumer and media
interest in green travel, we’re working on a release that covers carefree
car-less getaways. If you are a property that can be reached by public
transportation and where all activities are available by foot or ground
transportation, we’d love to hear from you. Send information about your
packages and how travelers can reach you (by public transit) to
Marti@BedandBreakfast.com.
Silver-level members and above may post specials; simply
log in with your Property
ID and password. Select Specials from
the table in your Home Base. Enter appropriate offers for Free Gas Promotion
and summer packages. Bronze member? Please
click here to upgrade.
Important Reminder: While we include as many members as possible in
BedandBreakfast.com press releases, limited space makes it impossible to
include everyone. Offers that
include a small discount, or are too restrictive or unimaginative will not pique the media’s
attention. Please remember to be as creative as possible when designing your
specials and packages. Take some time to review other specials on the site,
and see which ones appeal to you. Like the media, the editors at
BedandBreakfast.com are drawn to creative offers.
Ask
the Pros:
Can you describe the best
time to send a press release to the media?
A: Great question! Understanding the
timing of a news story is an important factor in assuring coverage. Follow
these timelines, and you’ll have a better chance of getting coverage.
Long lead magazines (such as Woman’s Day, Outside,
Real Simple, etc): These magazines are working no less than six months
out. Send information now on late fall, Halloween, Veterans Day and even
Thanksgiving. It’s not too early to send Christmas holiday information, too.
Short lead magazines (such as Newsweek, Time): These
weekly magazines work on a shorter lead time and are now focusing on summer
travel, green travel, and July 4th.
Newspapers work with anything from no lead time to six weeks ahead.
If you have breaking news, call the assignment or news desk today and if
reporters are available, they’ll be there. For feature, food, home, garden
and travel stories, four to six weeks lead time works well. Send recipes for
summer picnics to food editors, tips on successful gardens to garden
columnists, and family-friendly summer travel packages to travel editors.
Television works on anything from an immediate lead time for breaking
news to four to six weeks out for feature stories. If you have breaking
news, call the assignment or news desk today and if cameras are available,
they’ll be there.
Online publications, blogs and websites all have an immediate
deadline, as updates can occur quickly. For newsletters like Budget Travel
Online or SmartTravel.com, send information with two to four weeks lead
time.
Here are some fun seasonal events and celebrations that can be tied into
your media efforts:
May
June
-
World Environment Day (June 5) – great for green travel stories
-
National Boating and Fishing Week (June 2-10)
-
Kitchen Klutzes of America Day – June 13
-
National Dairy Month
-
Eat Your Vegetables Day – June 17
Recent BedandBreakfast.com Media Coverage
A recent compilation of BedandBreakfast.com coverage revealed that from
November 2006, to February 2007, more than 110 million impressions were
garnered for the site and its members from BedandBreakfast.com’s publicity
campaign. If this coverage were purchased as advertising, it would have a
value of more than $186,100.
In April and May, stories mentioning BedandBreakfast.com and its members
have appeared both online and in print. Both
SmarterTravel.com and AARP’s Magazine -- with the highest circulation of
any magazine in the country -- highlighted the 4th year of Tanks a Lot
offers. Additionally, the Flint Journal and Boston Globe also mentioned
Tanks a Lot in their Sunday Travel columns. Other stories mentioning
BedandBreakfast.com included pieces in Bottom Line Personal, a popular
self-help newsletter, the Ottawa Citizen and the Santa Fe New Mexican.
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This Month's Sponsor
Internet Intensives
BedandBreakfast.com, RezOvation and Expedia, Inc.
are hitting the road to bring you current and comprehensive information
about Internet marketing, online reservations, yield management, and
property management software.
Click here to see upcoming Intensives and
more information.
Have you updated the photos in your BedandBreakfast.com listing lately?
Summer is approaching, so take down the winter pictures and upload images of
green trees, flowers, and chairs on the water!
Online Trade Show
Visit our newest vendor members!
Click here to view our Online Trade Show. Are you a vendor?
Click here to get featured!
Advertising Auctions
Featured Property and
Inn of the Month auctions are easy, affordable and effective ways to drive
traffic to your website.
Member Information
To update your entry, check your traffic statistics, and renew your membership,
please log in
with your property ID and password. Don't like your password? Once you're
logged in, click "Membership," select "Change Password," and choose another that's easier to remember.
More information
"I just wanted to express my sincere appreciation to one of your support
staff. She was very friendly, helpful, accommodating and provided EXCELLENT
customer service. I thanked her for all of her help but also wanted to thank
your company for providing a friendly voice and helpful person." --
Danielle Q.
Inns for Sale
Innkeepers' Info Center
Need more
info? You’ll find lots of educational
articles on our site for your convenience.
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