Give your B&B a Marketing Tune-up: A Five-Step Action Plan

1. Review your presence on the Internet. The home page you launched so proudly three years is stale. Update the photos, adding IPIX if possible, and make sure they show your property at its best. Test the search engines to make sure that someone looking for your inn will find it. Check your listings on the major Internet directories to be sure the information and photos are accurate, up-to-date, and appealing. Maximize your marketing dollars by making sure you are taking advantage of all membership benefits for posting packages, and participating in special promotions. Make sure your listings with local, state, and regional CVBs and B&B associations don’t contain such outdated information as old area codes or incorrect rates.



2. Re-evaluate print spending. If more than half of your reservations come from the Internet – as is the case for most B&Bs – it’s time to re-allocate your marketing funds to reflect this new reality. Instead of a color brochure, a color rack card may give you the same results at a fraction of the price. Reducing or even eliminating a print ad may free up money for more effective pay-per-view or pay-per-click advertising.



3. Use the Internet for niche marketing. It’s easy to research and reach special interest groups via the Internet, from birders to bikers, quilters to kayakers, railfans to fly fishermen. Fill rooms during your slow periods by reaching out to these folks. Don’t forget families, business travelers, and pet owners. If you have a cottage and/or suite that’s more private than your other guest rooms, remove any delicate antiques, and replace them with simpler furnishings, a well-lit desk, telephone with dataport, and TV to pick up extra reservations from these travelers who would otherwise go to an area motel.



4. Watch the competition. The Internet has made it easier than ever for both you and your potential guests to compare value, pricing, and availability. Keep up with area B&Bs, motels, and other lodging choices, or lose your competitive edge. Take a look at your competitors’ marketing efforts; learn from their mistakes and copy their successes.



5. Don’t be left behind by the Internet. According to Travelclick.net, “there will be an estimated 320 million Web users by the end of 2002 -- nearly five times more than there were in 1997 -- and travel is the largest revenue category on the Internet.” Lodging is the fastest growing segment in this category. Bring your computer skills up to speed now, so you can offer online availability and real-time booking on your own home page, plus the huge distribution offered through the WorldRes.com booking engine to travel agents (GDS), and through such websites at AOL, Verizon’s SuperPages.com, and thousands more. Travelers looking for online bookings will look elsewhere if you don’t offer the functionality they seek.