A good read, I particularly agree with point 4 and 5. Happy reading! - Wilna 

Much has been said about the volume and quality of backlinks to your B2B or corporate website, determining your SEO success. 

But what about the importance of SEO on your website? This is what you have immediate control over and when optimized appropriately, will drive the most immediate returns (in SEO page 1 Google visibility). But the ongoing Google changes, sometimes at a whim and seemingly meant to penalize B2B sites, are making it harder for B2B marketers to stay in top.

Here are 5 ways B2B or corporate websites can evaluate their on-site SEO program to have 2014 success in SEO:

1. Does your user experience suck or is your conversion at the top of its game? Google and other major search engines are placing heavy emphasis on on-site user experience. It is important that your site is not only gaining qualified target leads; but also that those leads then stay on your site, follow their intended user path and convert into customers for Google to give you a thumbs up in the world of SEO.

2. Are your site visitors sharing your site content? One major factor of how well your site is optimized for SEO is shareable on-site content. Are your PDFs being downloaded and shared? Have you performed appropriate SMO (Social Media Optimization) of your site content? Do you have a Blog that provides real value to your target audience? Is the Blog set up for subscriptions and social sharing? Are you contributing original content weekly? There are many ways you can drive attention to your site through good content. That content being shared gives yet another thumbs up to Google.

3. Do you analyze and update your keyword strategy frequently? Consistent analysis of your keywords and related Meta data, alt tags and the like to determine and enhance your online market position in SEO will help you to stay in the game. If you set a keyword plan with a one-time on -site optimization on your site and keep the same old Meta data, you are doing your SEO program a disservice.

4. Is there duplicate content on your site? If so, you better take action or Google will!With the aggressive world of SEO, your B2B site cannot afford to be penalized if even for a week. Your rankings will drop fast and so will your new business development. Duplicate on-site content on page or even in Meta data is a no no for SEO. Make sure to check your B2B site for such issues via Google Webmaster Tools easily and make the appropriate changes.

5. Is your site speed load optimal? If not, Google will ignore you.With the wide array of open-source development programs available these days, many B2B sites find themselves with problems with site load times because of plug-in issues. Don't be one of these sites. There are plenty of sophisticated web hosting companies out there who can make sure you have the right hosting solution for your platform and development needs, whether that means VPS or Dedicated server if you have lots of on-site functionalities.

There are, of course, more ways you can improve your on-site SEO performance and more I can get into on each point above. However, these 5 ways to evaluate will certainly get you going quickly to where you need to go for SEO rank in 2014.

Don't underestimate the importance of your website in 2014, whether you are driving content from other webpages or simply on your site. Your website is and should be your B2B marketing machine for driving consistent new business. Make it work for you.

Image: Mashable composite. iStock, alashi

• Denny’s and Atari Appeal to Gen X With Mobile Games
• A Big Data Hype Filter for B2B Marketers
• The Second Screen Is Secondary No More – Are You Making the Most of Mobile?
• 4 Digital Tools for Trend Scouting and Ideation

This article originally published at ClickZ here

Some more info on Millennials - the little video is also great. Wilna 


The Key Facts:
written by Jeff Fromm

• Millennials are people born between 1977 and 2000. Although, there is not a universal agreement on this definition.
• There are more than 80 million of them. This makes their generation larger than Baby Boomers and 20 percent bigger than Generation X.
• Millennials make up 25 percent of the U.S. population.
• Currently, Millennials has 21% of consumer discretionary purchases, which is estimated over a trillion dollars in direct buying power and a huge influence on older generations . Their influence in some categories on other generations is far greater and cannot be ignored
• Millennials are not a homogenous cohort.
• Millennials often seek peer affirmation before making decisions — even small ones.

Barkley has been a part of publishing five major reports on millennials. We published our first report in 2011, “American Millennials: Deciphering the Enigma Generation,” a comprehensive study of the attitudes and habits of this consumer group.  Our most recent report,  The Millennial Generation Becomes New Parents, was published in October 2013.  This study focuses on a new wave of American pragmatism and the trends that follow.

Based on our research we know that: 

• Millennials include some of the earliest digital natives.
• Millennials are interested in participating in your marketing.
• Millennials are known as content creators and users.
• Millennials crave adventure- often “safer” adventures.
• Millennials strive for a healthy lifestyle.
• Millennials seek peer affirmation.
• Millennials are “hooked” on social media in much the same way older. generations are “hooked” on email at work.
• Millennials are not a homogeneous cohort.
• Millennials embrace authentic cause marketing and align to brands with a purpose.
• Millennials are in many ways similar to older generations.

For more information on any of the five major reports on millennials, contact Jeff Fromm atjfromm@barkleyus.com. To purchase the Millennials As New Parents report click here. 

If you’d rather learn about the findings another way, you can watch this handy video:

... I am fascinated about how to communicate to Millennials -and here are some trends to look out for. - Wilna 




Top 10 Hospitality Industry Trends in 2014
By Robert Rauch, CHA

1. Millennials will become the core customer within the hospitality and travel industries over the next five to ten years. The majority of airlines, hotels and travel companies will benefit from this sector as they enter into their peak earning, spending and travel years. Within this group of GenY travelers, there are many different markets considering the fact that exploration, interaction and experience are the major focus of Millennials. Willing to pay more for a greater experience, "foodies" are a prevalent subset of this market; looking for an overall gourmet experience for a reasonable price will cause the industry to revamp their lobby bars, restaurants and food service. Internet bloggers, culture buffs, LGBT and Multi-generational travelers all looking for a unique, novel experience will command change within the market.
2. Speed and precision will be a requirement when it comes to accommodating Millennials in upcoming years according to Hotels.com's latest Hotel Price Index report. Fast booking, fast check-in, fast WiFi and fast responses to customer service needs will need to be implemented within hotels. Considering Millennials have no problems speaking up, if what they are seeking is not quick enough, they will turn to Twitter, Facebook, Yelp or TripAdvisor to voice their complaints.
3. WOW customer service will become even more influential this year. Service today consists of four levels: basic, expected, desired and WOW. Basic service can be found at the post office whereas expected service can be found at most fast food restaurants and many businesses. Desired service is often found at good hotels and restaurants but WOW Service is the only way to ensure repeat business. By creating an impressive, unique guest experience that exceeds all expectations, you are able to capture the customer.
4. Leadership is modeling the way and showing your management team how critical it is to "walk the talk." Each and every employee, including myself, all have something we can work on. Forming a connection with guests can improve dramatically with genuine, individual interaction. It is my goal as a leader to instill the value of building relationships by sharing the knowledge I have and learning from them as well. For instance, I run with our guests staying at the Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites San Diego/Del Mar and offer personal training sessions for others.
5. Expectation of more international visitors. Average rates and occupancy levels in the U.S. are likely to increase over the next few years, influenced by a very new market. "Leisure demand from abroad, fueled in part by the new Discover America campaign, will stimulate a new demand" according to Arne Sorenson, President and CEO of Marriott Hotels & Resorts. China is preparing to send about 100 million leisure tourists into the international market every year. If the U.S. gets its typical share, that will mean an additional 10 million visitors from China alone. Considering the average Chinese traveler spends a week in the U.S., demand is created for an additional 70 million room nights in a market where prices are steadily rising. The globalization of travel will prove to be a massive force.
6. Social media and mobile will be inseparable. Social media and mobile already live in symbiosis and we will only continue to see them merge over the course of this year. Mobile activity has allowed social media to live in real time by allowing users to create updates, tag friends and check in on their mobile devices. Smartphones represent 50 percent of new mobile devices being purchased and the growth of connected devices will only continue to rise. Ericsson estimates that there will be over 50 billion connected devices in circulation by 2020, including laptops, tablets and smartphones. In North America, 2014 will mark the first year that online access is greater from mobile devices than a desktop or laptop. Keeping an eye out for authentic ways to make use of emerging social/mobile applications will be of great value to those in hotel marketing.
7. Content marketing will replace traditional advertising. Traditional advertising is rapidly losing value as hotel marketing professionals begin to take advantage of effective content marketing. Marketing's new mantra, "Brands must now act as publishers," has come about due to social media and its potential to engage in meaningful conversations with loyal fans and clients alike. You will be able to drastically reduce investments in traditional paid media by implementing media tools such as blogs, social media, newsletters, webinars, eBooks, photo or video sharing and shared media. If brands begin to "opt out" of being a producer, SEO efforts will be affected. Google is now weighing current content, social proof and author scores in their results ranking. Simply put, you need to create and share content while engaging people if you want to be recognized moving forward.
8. Renewed focus on property websites. Finding ways of encouraging direct bookings will be one of the most important parts of a marketing director's job in 2014. Considering travelers are increasingly taking their transactions online, the hotel's own website needs to become the most important avenue for bookings to gain the highest ROI. After American hotels spent an estimated $2.7 billion on OTA commissions, the rates rose and restrictions tightened. Hotels are looking at any and all ways to increase direct bookings in 2014. This means that hotel websites will need to create incentives through booking with them directly rather than via the OTAs. Fresh content, consistent updates of promotions and rich media will draw in the guests.
9. Review site tactics. According to The Wall Street Journal, Yelp reports 50 million users across its web and mobile platforms. TripAdvisor has become the world's most popular travel website with 34 million unique users each month. Google Places is the Yellow Pages of the digital age meaning that business listings also show up on iPhone searches as well as on Google Maps. In 2014 there is a need to:
   • Monitor Yelp, TripAdvisor and Google Places reviews and alert management of any low reviews twice a week
   • Comment on glowing reviews to thank them
   • Comment on low reviews and how the property intends to handle future situations
   • Feature Yelp deals
10. Reputation Management. There is much anticipation that reputation management will begin to dictate the hotel industry in upcoming years. Considering there are millions of reviews written each day across a plethora of different platforms, the world wide web has the power of influencing one's decision making process; being able to manage your businesses reputation will determine success or failure. TrustYou had made it their mission to influence travel decisions in a positive way, developing a technology and software making it simple to monitor, manage and market a businesses reputation. Another company, Flip.to, has been making strides to tap into the market of potential travelers' family and friends considering 70% of customers take recommendations from their family or friends when choosing a product, brand or business.

ROBERT A. RAUCH, CHA
Robert Rauch serves as President of R. A. Rauch & Associates, Inc. He is a nationally recognized hotelier serving clients in all facets of the industry. Rauch has over 35 years of hospitality-related management experience. Widely recognized as the "hotel guru," Mr. Rauch maintains a blog where he expounds upon insights and trends in the hospitality industry at www.hotelguru.com.

Just when I think I am getting to grips with Facebook - I realise I am behind again! This is a long article but well worth the read if you want to understand this social media giant - Wilna 

EdgeRank Is Dead: Facebook’s News Feed Algorithm Now Has Close To 100K Weight Factors  by Matt McGee (Edited my me)

EdgeRank, Facebook’s original News Feed ranking system, is dead.

Facebook hasn’t used the word internally for about two-and-a-half years. That’s when the company began employing a more complex ranking algorithm based on machine learning. The current News Feed algorithm doesn’t have a catchy name, but it’s clear from talking to the company’s engineers that EdgeRank is a thing of the past.

During a phone call this week, Lars Backstrom, Engineering Manager for News Feed Ranking at Facebook, estimated that there are as many as “100,000 individual weights in the model that produces News Feed.” The three original EdgeRank elements — Affinity, Weight and Time Decay — are still factors in News Feed ranking, but “other things are equally important,” he says.

In other words, the News Feed algorithm of today is much more sophisticated than just a couple years ago.

“The easiest analogy is to search engines and how they rank web pages,” Backstrom says. “It’s like comparing the Google of today with Alta Vista. Both Google and Bing have a lot of new signals, like personalization, that they use. It’s more sophisticated than the early days of search, when the words on a page were the most important thing.”

This has implications for marketers and business owners far beyond the wording used to describe News Feed rankings. It’s a reflection — and a cause, too — of today’s complex battle to reach Facebook users organically.

The winners? They’ll be the ones who understand how Facebook has moved past Affinity, Weight and Time Decay, and move past it themselves. 

But now that job is a lot more complicated than ever.

Consider that there are more than a billion people using Facebook each month. And 128 million in the U.S. that use Facebook every day. They’re using dozens of different mobile devices with different capabilities for displaying content. There are 18 million Pages, many of which are actively looking for attention and a way to show up the News Feed as often as possible. And that number doesn’t include the numerous businesses that are using Facebook via regular accounts rather than Pages.

With all of that going on, Facebook says that the typical user has about 1,500 stories that couldshow in the News Feed on every visit.

So how does Facebook decide what users see, and what content from Facebook Pages make it into the News Feed? As you can imagine, Facebook isn’t about to give away all the details, but Backstrom did talk openly about several ways that the algorithm has grown up in recent years.

Affinity, Weight & Time Decay - These are “still important,” Backstrom says, but there are now multiple weight levels. “There are a lot of different facets. We have categories and sub-categories of affinity.”

Facebook is attempting to measure how close each user is to friends and Pages, but that measurement isn’t just based on personal interactions. Backstrom says Facebook looks at global interactions, too, and those can outweigh personal interactions if the signal is strong enough.

“For example, if we show an update to 100 users, but only a couple of them interact with it, we may not show it in your News Feed. But if a lot of people are interacting with it, we might decide to show it to you, too.”

Relationship Settings Another factor is the relationship settings that Facebook users can apply. With each friend, you can go a step further and label the person a “close friend” or “acquaintance.” With liked Pages, users can choose to “Get notifications” or “Receive updates,” and there are deeper settings to control what kind of content the user wants to see.

“We try to extract affinity naturally,” Backstrom says, “but if you go to the trouble to tell us more about your relationships, we will factor that in.”

Post Types The News Feed algorithm takes into account the type of posts that each user tends to like. Users that often interact with photo posts are more likely to see more photo posts in the News Feed, and users that tend to click more on links will see more posts with links.

Backstrom says this is also applied on a deeper level. “It’s not just about global interactions. We also look at what types of posts you interact with the most from each friend.”

In other words, Facebook Page owners that continually publish one type of post are likely not having those posts seen by fans that interact with other types of posts.

Hide Post / Spam Reporting News Feed visibility can also be impacted by users’ ability to hide posts or mark them as spam. But it’s not as simple as having a set threshold that will cause posts to stop showing in users’ News Feeds.

“For every story, we do the same computation,” Backstrom explains. “Given this story, and given the user’s history, what’s the probability that you’ll like this story? What’s the probably that you’ll hide it? We’re looking at this and trying to decide, is it a net positive to show this story in the News Feed?”

Further, Backstrom says there’s an element of decay when considering posts that have been hidden. Recent “hides” may carry more weight when deciding if a post shows in the News Feed, but those “hides” will have less impact as they decay over time.

Clicking On Ads, Viewing Other Timelines The News Feed algorithm is completely separate from the algorithm that decides what ads to show, when to show ads, and where to show them. But how a user interacts with Facebook ads can influence what shows in the News Feed.

“Nothing is off the table when we’re looking at what we should show users,” Backstrom says. “It can be clicking on ads or looking at other timelines. It doesn’t have to be just what the user interacts with in the News Feed.”

Device & Technical Considerations Yep, the News Feed algorithm even considers what device is being used and things like the speed of a user’s internet connection when deciding what to show.

“The technical limitations of some old feature phones make it impossible to show some content,” Backstrom. “We also know that some content doesn’t perform as well with Facebook users on certain devices. And if the user has a slow internet connection, we may show more text updates. We’re trying to show users content that they’ll find interesting and want to interact with.”

Story Bumping & Last Actor
Don’t forget these two changes that Facebook just announced last week. Story Bumping bends the “decay” rules by giving older, unseen posts a second chance at News Feed visibility if they’re still getting interaction.

Last Actor puts a premium on recency. Facebook is tracking a user’s most recent 50 interactions and giving them more weight when deciding what to show in the News Feed. This works on a rolling basis, so the value of an interaction will decline after the user has made 50 more recent interactions.

Final Thoughts
It should be clear that Facebook’s News Feed algorithm has developed significantly over the past few years. EdgeRank is a thing of the past, and it’s been replaced by a machine learning-based algorithm that, as Backstrom says, “only ever gets more complicated.”

That poses new challenges for brands and marketers hoping to get attention on Facebook, but the company says its advice to Page owners and others is the same: Create and publish and a variety of interesting content that will attract shares, comments, likes and clicks. That requires understanding your Facebook fans — from the types of posts they interact with to the different devices they might be using when they’re on Facebook.

I love reading about new trends and this article by Robert Rauch was particularly  insightful. Millennials rule and service levels increase! - Wilna 


Top 10 Hospitality Industry Trends in 2014
By Robert Rauch, CHA

1. Millennials will become the core customer within the hospitality and travel industries over the next five to ten years. The majority of airlines, hotels and travel companies will benefit from this sector as they enter into their peak earning, spending and travel years. Within this group of GenY travelers, there are many different markets considering the fact that exploration, interaction and experience are the major focus of Millennials. Willing to pay more for a greater experience, "foodies" are a prevalent subset of this market; looking for an overall gourmet experience for a reasonable price will cause the industry to revamp their lobby bars, restaurants and food service. Internet bloggers, culture buffs, LGBT and Multi-generational travelers all looking for a unique, novel experience will command change within the market.
2. Speed and precision will be a requirement when it comes to accommodating Millennials in upcoming years according to Hotels.com's latest Hotel Price Index report. Fast booking, fast check-in, fast WiFi and fast responses to customer service needs will need to be implemented within hotels. Considering Millennials have no problems speaking up, if what they are seeking is not quick enough, they will turn to Twitter, Facebook, Yelp or TripAdvisor to voice their complaints.
3. WOW customer service will become even more influential this year. Service today consists of four levels: basic, expected, desired and WOW. Basic service can be found at the post office whereas expected service can be found at most fast food restaurants and many businesses. Desired service is often found at good hotels and restaurants but WOW Service is the only way to ensure repeat business. By creating an impressive, unique guest experience that exceeds all expectations, you are able to capture the customer.
4. Leadership is modeling the way and showing your management team how critical it is to "walk the talk." Each and every employee, including myself, all have something we can work on. Forming a connection with guests can improve dramatically with genuine, individual interaction. It is my goal as a leader to instill the value of building relationships by sharing the knowledge I have and learning from them as well. For instance, I run with our guests staying at the Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites San Diego/Del Mar and offer personal training sessions for others.
5. Expectation of more international visitors. Average rates and occupancy levels in the U.S. are likely to increase over the next few years, influenced by a very new market. "Leisure demand from abroad, fueled in part by the new Discover America campaign, will stimulate a new demand" according to Arne Sorenson, President and CEO of Marriott Hotels & Resorts. China is preparing to send about 100 million leisure tourists into the international market every year. If the U.S. gets its typical share, that will mean an additional 10 million visitors from China alone. Considering the average Chinese traveler spends a week in the U.S., demand is created for an additional 70 million room nights in a market where prices are steadily rising. The globalization of travel will prove to be a massive force.
6. Social media and mobile will be inseparable. Social media and mobile already live in symbiosis and we will only continue to see them merge over the course of this year. Mobile activity has allowed social media to live in real time by allowing users to create updates, tag friends and check in on their mobile devices. Smartphones represent 50 percent of new mobile devices being purchased and the growth of connected devices will only continue to rise. Ericsson estimates that there will be over 50 billion connected devices in circulation by 2020, including laptops, tablets and smartphones. In North America, 2014 will mark the first year that online access is greater from mobile devices than a desktop or laptop. Keeping an eye out for authentic ways to make use of emerging social/mobile applications will be of great value to those in hotel marketing.
7. Content marketing will replace traditional advertising. Traditional advertising is rapidly losing value as hotel marketing professionals begin to take advantage of effective content marketing. Marketing's new mantra, "Brands must now act as publishers," has come about due to social media and its potential to engage in meaningful conversations with loyal fans and clients alike. You will be able to drastically reduce investments in traditional paid media by implementing media tools such as blogs, social media, newsletters, webinars, eBooks, photo or video sharing and shared media. If brands begin to "opt out" of being a producer, SEO efforts will be affected. Google is now weighing current content, social proof and author scores in their results ranking. Simply put, you need to create and share content while engaging people if you want to be recognized moving forward.
8. Renewed focus on property websites. Finding ways of encouraging direct bookings will be one of the most important parts of a marketing director's job in 2014. Considering travelers are increasingly taking their transactions online, the hotel's own website needs to become the most important avenue for bookings to gain the highest ROI. After American hotels spent an estimated $2.7 billion on OTA commissions, the rates rose and restrictions tightened. Hotels are looking at any and all ways to increase direct bookings in 2014. This means that hotel websites will need to create incentives through booking with them directly rather than via the OTAs. Fresh content, consistent updates of promotions and rich media will draw in the guests.
9. Review site tactics. According to The Wall Street Journal, Yelp reports 50 million users across its web and mobile platforms. TripAdvisor has become the world's most popular travel website with 34 million unique users each month. Google Places is the Yellow Pages of the digital age meaning that business listings also show up on iPhone searches as well as on Google Maps. In 2014 there is a need to:
   • Monitor Yelp, TripAdvisor and Google Places reviews and alert management of any low reviews twice a week
   • Comment on glowing reviews to thank them
   • Comment on low reviews and how the property intends to handle future situations
   • Feature Yelp deals
10. Reputation Management. There is much anticipation that reputation management will begin to dictate the hotel industry in upcoming years. Considering there are millions of reviews written each day across a plethora of different platforms, the world wide web has the power of influencing one's decision making process; being able to manage your businesses reputation will determine success or failure. TrustYou had made it their mission to influence travel decisions in a positive way, developing a technology and software making it simple to monitor, manage and market a businesses reputation. Another company, Flip.to, has been making strides to tap into the market of potential travelers' family and friends considering 70% of customers take recommendations from their family or friends when choosing a product, brand or business.

ROBERT A. RAUCH, CHA
Robert Rauch serves as President of R. A. Rauch & Associates, Inc. He is a nationally recognized hotelier serving clients in all facets of the industry. Rauch has over 35 years of hospitality-related management experience. Widely recognized as the "hotel guru," Mr. Rauch maintains a blog where he expounds upon insights and trends in the hospitality industry at www.hotelguru.com.

I recently attended a seminar and a lot was said about Klout.com and how to use it to grow your social presence... so I thought I would find out some more  (My score is only 23, looks like there is some work to be done!)- Wilna 

Clout Vs. Klout: They're Not The Same, And Never Will Be
Guest post written by Tony Greenberg

Tony Greenberg is founder and CEO of RampRate Sourcing Advisors.

There’s been a lot of noise lately about Klout, which creates a single numerical value designed to encapsulate your online influence.

Marketers trying to connect with social-media “influencers” love this idea of One Number to Rule Them All. Klout explicitly tries to emulate for individuals what Google’s PageRank system does for website reach and reputation.

But lots of people complain vociferously about Klout, even as its corporate partners dish out “Klout Perks,” such as free entry to events and early peeks at hot products, based on its scores. Complaints include:

• The score algorithm is opaque. You know, kind of like Google’s PageRank system.
• The system can be gamed. One skeptic used Twitter bots to artificially generate a strong Klout score with a couple of months of “work.” You know, like what can happen with PageRank.
• The system doesn’t measure off-line influence (or even most blog services). As one writer put it, Klout can’t up Marc Andreessen’s score just because the dude helped found the modern Internet. Basically, Andreessen’s clout far outweighs his Klout. But again, the inability to factor in many sources of influence is hardly unique to Klout. In fact, PageRank faces many of the same challenges.

So, Klout already has attained one big goal: it is like PageRank, except nobody complains about Google for trying to rank them (Google whiners probably would be consigned to Eternal Search Limbo if they did, but that’s another story).

“I have as much authority as the Pope, I just don’t have as many people who believe it.” – Geroge Carlin

But I’m not here to slag Klout, whose CEO says the company is constantly trying to improve. The real issue is the true nature of influence, and what that means for marketers and others trying to leverage it.

Klout outrages some in ways Nielsen, comScore or other media-measurement services never have. Why? Because, in this era of self-created media/social networks, Klout isn’t measuring some distant and massive media corporation. Rather, it’s measuring you.

In The Search, John Battelle details the Google Dance, the Darwinian tech tango caused every time Google tweaks its ranking algorithms. For site owners, such algorithmic shifts can make the difference between living on a yacht and living on the street, fueling an endless evolutionary minuet of action and reaction between Google engineers and SEO gurus.

Klout makes this tango personal. In Your Brain at Work, David Rock describes how neural circuits and brain chemicals influence our capabilities for status, connection and fairness, resulting in inexplicable behaviors such as why people spend so much on designer items, or battle ferociously to be “mayor” of the corner coffee shop.

Mix the Google Dance with the hunt for status, and you can see why Klout conjures such strong opinions. As Cloudonomics founder Joe Weinman observes, Klout combustibly mixes rational economic decisions with “lazy, hazy, and crazy” behavioral economics.

“The history of American politics is littered with bodies of people who took so pure a position that they had no clout at all.” - Benjamin C. Bradlee

But why are we online, tweeting and posting and sharing? What’s ourmotivation? Are we trying to influence others when we post about our life, or products we like, or stuff we find interesting? Are we shilling when we’re sharing?

To put it another way, is the most influential and powerful person in a room the one with the most keys (or most widely shared social-media posts), or the one who can get the most doors opened for him/her?

At the heart of these rather cosmic questions is a really important truth that a Klout score can’t quite capture: other people grant power and influence toyou. You only have influence when someone else gives it to you.. cont. 

Article from Forbes...read more 

So, which guests respond to social media, and what do they use it for in our industry? - Wilna 

What is the impact of social media before, during and after a hotel stay?
by Kevin May

Perhaps more than any other sector of the industry, hotels are trying to understand how people and social networks affect bussiness so they can shape their marketing and, indeed, how they weave the original Four Ps into a wider strategy.

Place the blame squarely on the shoulders TripAdvisor or other social networks, but customers have a hell of a lot more power than they did just ten years ago.

Hotel chain Accor has been trying to get its head around some of these relatively new influences on its business, so commissioned a large study of consumers in Asia to understand more about how they use social media as part of their research and shopping for hotel stays, plus its role when they actually experience the product.

In a speech during WIT, director of hotel solutions in Asia-Pacific, Emilie Couton, outlined the results of the study which was carried out during July and August with 5,400 people from 11 countries in the region.

The survey was conducted with a combination of members of its loyalty programme (45%) and random guests at its hotels (55%).

Here are some of the results:

What types of travel brands do consumer follow or like on social media channels?

• Hotels – 46%
• Airlines – 40%
• Other travel-related (tourism boards, etc) – 39%

What motivates consumers to follow or like travel brands?

• Discounts and special offers – 77%
• Get information and updates – 64%
• Show affinity – 38%

In terms of purchasing decisions, what motivates consumers the most?

• Pricing – 60%
• Location – 58%
• User reviews and ratings – 28%

Where do consumers think is the most trustworthy place for reviews?

• Social networks – 40%
• Online travel agencies – 40%
• Hotel websites – 13%

Where are consumers looking for information about hotels?

• Hotel websites – 57%
• Online travel agencies – 54%
• Review websites – 26%
• Asking friends – 14%
• Travel blogs – 8%
• Hotel accounts on social media – 8%

Where are consumers most keen to give feedback on hotels located?

• China – 74%
• Philippines – 73%
• Indonesia – 72%
• Thailand – 69%
• India – 65%
• Singapore – 62%
• Australia – 59%
• New Zealand – 59%
• Hong Kong – 58%

What are the most popular methods for giving feedback about a hotel?

• Satisfaction survey – 29%
• Comment card – 19%
• Online review sites – 14%

What are the favourite methods for giving positive or negative feedback during a stay?

Positive:

• Tell staff directly – 28%
• Complete satisfaction survey – 16%
• Send an email/write a review – 14%

Negative:

• Tell staff directly – 34%
• Send an email – 18%
• Comment card/satisfaction survey – 12%

- See more at TOONZ

It would seem that Facebook likes and TripAdvisor reviews are still KING in the Luxury travel market! Here is a great article by  Karthick Prabu- Wilna 

TripAdvisor contributes about 61% of all reviews on luxury hotels in the US and 53% of all reviews on luxury hotels globally, reveals a survey by Brand Karma and International Luxury Travel Market.

The study was conducted among luxury travellers and their opinions on about 2,000+ hotels around the world.

Luxury is now defined as “Instagram-able”

For millennials, the ability to share a travel experience instantly via photos and videos has become an important requirement when selecting an experience. As Millennials become older and more affluent, they will seek luxury experiences that are so unique and visual that it is guaranteed to generate buzz amongst their social network.

Future of luxury hotspot

Luxury hotspots are shifting to the southern and eastern part of the world, particularly the Middle East, APAC and Latin America regions.

In the social media world, luxury travel hotspots are cities or destinations with an above-average quantity of luxury hotel reviews. While the well-known luxury hotspots like Paris or Las Vegas are still attracting travellers, newer and trendier destinations such as Abu Dhabi, Da nang, and Lima are attracting more attention, as indicated by sharp increases in luxury social postings.

Secret formula for a luxury hotel in social media

The study says that almost all luxury hotels at the top of its rankings had a common social presence pattern among them:

• Luxury hotels to have at least 5,000 Facebook Likes, a TripAdvisor average rating of at least 4.5, and a strong presence on one of the major photo or video sites like Instagram, YouTube, or Pinterest.

The study says above parameters are minimum essentials for luxury hotels to have an effective social media presence.

Opportunities in Latin America

In 2013, there will be 278 million internet users in Latin America, exceeding the number of internet users in both north America and Europe.

In June 2012, about 33% of internet users in some of the largest Latin American countries used online travel sites.

World’s top five socially engaged users are from Latin America: Argentina leads with 10.7 hours per month per visitor, followed by Chile (9.5 hours), Peru (8.7 hours), Colombia (7.6 hours) and Mexico (7.1 hours).

Latin American hotels have not leveraged media websites like YouTube and Pinterest. But, LATAM luxury hotels are starting to focus on photo and video-oriented apps like Vine and Instagram video, which have high engagement rates with consumers.

Difference between a North American and Latin American luxury traveller

• North American travellers seek experiential travel; whereas, Latin American travellers prioritise the functional product, namely a stunning room product and top-notch restaurants.
  
• North Americans are more verbose – their hotel reviews were nearly double the length of their Latin American counterparts.
  
• North Americans posted most often on Mondays, while Latin Americans posted most often on Tuesdays. Apart from below differences, Facebook and TripAdvisor are still the top social travel sites in both markets.
  
• Between January 2011 and June 2013, social postings by north American luxury travellers increased 130%, while social postings by Latin American luxury travellers increased 304%.
  
• However, the satisfaction levels among these travellers also steadily increased. Brand Karma’s Social Satisfaction metric saw an increase of 43% among travellers posting in Portuguese, an increase of 14% among travellers posting in Spanish, and an increase of 4% among travellers posting in English.
  

TripAdvisor leads in luxury hotel review segment, but Chinese travel sites catchup

TripAdvisor produces about 61% of all reviews on luxury hotels in the US and 53% of all reviews on luxury hotels globally. The site also continues to be the largest review site for luxury hotels. For hotels within the US, 
Hotels. com, Expedia and Orbitz remain as the key channels for online reviews.

However, several major Chinese booking and review web sites like Ctrip, Qunar and Dian Ping now encompass over 15% of all reviews on luxury hotels globally.

Though the Chinese sites share of hotel reviews in the US is small, it is expected that this will increase in the next 18 months given the fact that China is now the largest outbound tourism market globally.

Online reviews and social media engagement

According to the study, the social media health of a luxury travel brand is best indicated by the positivity and share- of-voice it attracts from two major sources: online review sites like TripAdvisor and social networking sites like Facebook.

And, when it comes to social networking sites, the average number of Facebook Likes for a luxury hotel is highest in the Middle East with 12,062 Likes. Higher review contribution in the US and Europe doesn’t really mean higher engagement in social channels.

Study methodology

• The study is based on Brand Karma’s research on comments, photos, and videos posted by luxury travellers both in the Americas and globally on social media and travel review sites between January 2010 and June 2013.
• Data in this report has been analysed from about 550K reviews written for more than 2,000 luxury hotels worldwide

Read the full article on Tnooz. See more ...

I was fortunate to spend a few days with Damian Cook - learning about maximizing online tools for the travel industry. Insightful and inspiring! - Wilna 

This article was taken from Tourism Update, 16 Sept: 

Tour operators globally have been hit hard by a combination of the recession of the past few years and soaring online travel sales that are expected to double this year, exceeding US$350bn (R3.4 trillion), says Damian Cook, CEO of E-Tourism Frontiers.

 Speaking at the recent E-Tourism Africa Summit in Cape Town, he said the traditional tour operator model was diminishing. “KPMG lists 49% of tour operators as in decline and 24 major tour operators bankrupted in 20011-12, including Thomas Cook. Online is regarded as the motivating factor, as well a lack of customised and dynamic travel bookings.”

 However, SA Tourism (SAT) Chief Marketing Officer, Jan Hutton, believes the rapid growth of e-tourism and online travel agents will not damage or replace the role of traditional tour operators, many of whom are getting involved in the digital environment. 

“It certainly is not a case of TripAdvisor and Expedia eating our lunch,” she said. “We can see a strong trend of most tour operators becoming quite digital in the way they market themselves, engage and communicate with their consumers. It is rather a case of the fast versus the slow. There are some leading tour operators that are taking the market by storm digitally and they are making a bigger dent and are getting a bigger piece of the market share because they are being proactive. The rest are in an adoption process.”

Cook agrees: “We live in an environment of constant change, which means the industry needs to adapt.” It faces the following challenges: 

- 59% of all travel is now researched, booked, bought and sold online. 
- 98% of people start their travel research online. 
- More than 200 000 people booked trips to South Africa through online booking engines last year.
- The number of flights booked to South Africa on Expedia grew by 32% to more than 109 000 in the six months ending June 2013.
- Reviews and referrals are the number-one driver behind people’s choice of destination.

 “For tourism businesses,” says Cook, “this means they need real-time bookability and e-commerce; have a strong social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube; must manage online relationships; manage and optimise conversion points; and know what they are selling and who they are selling to,” said Cook.” The online market is too crowded and too loud to be making bland generic statements. Your message needs to be unique and stand out. Sell an experience. Sell a story.”

He said customers and social media networks were driving travel, which is shaking up the industry. According to Google, only 18% of consumers use travel agents before they travel, whereas 66% consult family and friends, mostly on social media networks. Over 50% of all time online is spent on social networks; YouTube viewers consume over 3bn hours of video monthly; and Twitter gets 308 000 tweets per minute.

He said 70% of travellers posted photos while travelling, communicating to an average 200 people who know them, creating a great opportunity for the trade to reach an active audience that is constantly engaging, commenting and recommending. “Travel suppliers now need to be part of this constant engagement. The single most stupid thing you can do in the travel trade is to charge your customers for using the Internet! If it’s too expensive, put up your rates to include it!”

 With 4.8bn mobile users worldwide, he said future trends focused on mobile and location-based tools, apps and sites that find information and contacts around you, post, report and relate to your content.  In addition, the first wearable watch phone, Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, was launched recently, while Google is developing the first wearable spectacles with usable content.