Singles - the ones to market to in the future? Is your marketing strategy up to it? - Wilna

Faith Popcorn has made the following predictions regarding singles and the future  It is a long read - but well worth it.... 

It's official. The nuclear family has had a meltdown. 

In the last decade Single households have increased by 30% worldwide. By 2020 there will be 331 million single households globally. The US will lead with 36.3 million followed by Japan, 31.6 million, and China, 18.2 million. Singles come from every nationality, age demographic, religion, sexual orientation and gender. But they have one thing in common. Living uncomfortable and ignored in a married person’s world. In 2013, it’s changing on every level.

Read the whole fascinating article here...

True service really comes from the heart - here are some great tips to help you and your staff deliver service excellence with love! - Wilna   

  By feature writer Bryan K. Williams

“If I have no other qualities, I can succeed with love alone. Without it, I will fail though I possess all the knowledge and skills of the world. I will greet each day with love in my heart.” –Og Mandino

It’s about your heart. With all I’ve written about touchpoints, anticipating needs and steps of service, none of them can compare with your heart. Your heart is what connects with people. Your heart is what allows you to listen empathetically. Your heart is what causes you to give a genuine smile to acomplete stranger, who you find yourself now serving. Yes, the heart is what pushes you to love. Love IS service, and service IS love. To create consistent, world-class service on your team, there must be a regular discussion about the heart and its role in driving service excellence.

S.I.F.I. (Superficially interesting, but fundamentally insignificant)There are those who will mentally fast-forward through any discussion (or article) about the heart. They view this topic as superficially interesting, but fundamentally insignificant. In their minds, they believe that tactics and strategy, alone, will enable them to accomplish their service objectives. Tactics and strategy are not bad things. In fact, they are a necessity. But tactics and strategy are incomplete without a discussion about the heart. Imagine a beautiful car with no driver, or a sleek jet with no pilot. Without the heart, tactics and strategy are simply shiny hunks of metal with no soul.
If you look at some of the world’s most iconic service companies like Disney and Four Seasons, you will notice  that they are blatantly open about their hearts and how much they care about who they serve. They don’t look at service excellence solely as a competitive advantage, but rather as their sacred duty.

So, how do we make the heart our central focus in delivering great service?

1. Be thankful for the opportunity to serve people who actually want the service/product you provide. Not only do they want it, but they want it from YOU! Don’t take that for granted.
2. Challenge yourself to WOW somebody everyday.
3. Before asking for anything, offer to give something first. Remember: Give-Share-Teach.
4. Learn at least one preference about one customer everyday (preferred name, hobby, pet peeves, favorite food/beverage, preferred mode of communication, line of work, birthday, anniversary date, favorite TV show, favorite music genre, etc). The list can go on and on.
5. Tell your customers how much you appreciate them (and mean it!)

“But I’m too busy! There’s no possible way I can make each customer feel taken care of.” Do what you can with what you have. Regardless if you have 30 seconds or 30 minutes, approach each customer with kindness in your heart. Always ask yourself, “how can I do more than the bare minimum with this customer?” By asking that question of yourself everyday, you will actually be forming a very powerful thing known as a habit. And since it is a good habit, allow it to take root and flourish.

More than the fancy furniture, expensive equipment, chandeliers, and manicured lawns, every customer is saying, “I want you to know me, pay attention to me, and care about me!” Love is service. Service is love. Use your heart to reach other hearts and success will surely follow.

Are the images you publish for your lodge aligned with what your guests are posting on Pinterest? If not - you have a problem....Wilna 

It’s All About Image: Instagram, Pinterest, and Hotels
By Alan Young

Instagram and Pinterest are fundamentally about creating image. Or better put, helping people imagine. Where they've been, where they're going, where they want to go, how they'll feel when they get there. They are seemingly perfect spaces for hotels to communicate experiences, yet many hotels overlook creating a real strategy for the "image" sites and end up falling flat.

It's understandable. These social sites haven't historically had the pull of Facebook and Twitter, but that's changing. According to Pew Research, Pinterest caught up with Twitter in 2012 for percentage of users, and Instagram is only a couple of points behind Pinterest.

Today, I suggest that if you haven't already, take a nice long look at Instagram and Pinterest. See how they overlap and how they are different. 

What does this have to do with reputation management, you might ask. A couple of things. First, it's worth looking at what your guests' photos are saying about you. It could be a different picture than you're get from their written feedback, or perhaps it's a visual reflection of exactly what's being said.

Second, the image you're putting out there online should be in harmony with what your guests are saying about you and the photos they are posting. If there's discord, it will not only be noticed, but it will surely be pointed out. So think about that when you're choosing photos to post. Are your photoshopped images serving you? Is your hotel much much less new in reality than it appears in your images? Be sure your images are truly reflective of your property.

One final note, if you're still struggling to respond to TripAdvisor feedback or barely staying afloat on Facebook, shelve Instagram and Pinterest strategies. We've all only got so many resources.

Source: TrustYou