Marketing & Social Media

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WH&LA Launches Sales Webinar Series in January

December 29, 2011 in Marketing & Social Media | 2 comments

WH&LA’s new Sales Webinar Series launches January 2012, and we’ve got our first educational webinar lined up – Social Media: A Roadmap to Bookings! The deadline to register is Friday, January 6, so sign up now!

Learn where lodging properties should market in social media, why social media is an integral park of any property’s marking mix, and key points about social media. Join Tracy Terry, President and founder of Trust eMedia as she walks participants through the basics to mapping a social media journey.

The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, January 11 at 2:00 p.m. Cost is $25 per log-in for WH&LA members and $75 per log-in for non-members. Registrations received after the January 6 deadline will increase to $35 per log-in for WH&LA members and $85 per log-in for non-members.

Sponsored by Procter & Gamble

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Showcase Your Property – Add an Online Photo to your page at wisconsinlodging.org!

December 5, 2011 in Marketing & Social Media, WH&LA Membership Features | No comments

WH&LA offers all member properties a free listing on our website at wisconsinlodging.org. We encourage all member properties to get the most out of this free promotion on the site by adding a property photo, completely free of charge.

Properties can submit a digital photo of their choice to Dustin in the WH&LA office via email, and photos can be updated by WH&LA staff at any time of year. Hard-copy photographs can be mailed to the WH&LA office, c/o Dustin, at 1025 S. Moorland Road, Ste. 200, Brookfield, WI 53005.

Watch for an announcement in early 2012 regarding website enhancements to wisconsinlodging.org, including a feature to display multiple photos of each property on listing pages!

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2012 WH&LA Co-op Advertising Line-Up

November 23, 2011 in Marketing & Social Media | No comments

The 2012 WH&LA co-op advertising opportunities are now available here! There are more than 30 chances to promote your property and all that it has to offer – reach target markets without spending your budget in a limited venue.

New for 2012 – The Wisconsin Travel Guide, a suburban Chicago newspaper co-op. Advertisers would receive a color photo, 45-50 words of text, contact info, and distribution of 47,000 in Chicago suburbs for a cost of $299 per property.

Questions? Contact Jennifer in the WH&LA office or call 262/782-2851.

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WH&LA Member Benefit – No Cost Booking Solution

November 21, 2011 in Marketing & Social Media, WH&LA Membership Features | No comments

WH&LA is excited to announce that WisconsinLodging.org will soon feature an enhanced booking solution for the traveling public! Website visitors will be able to view property availability, amenities and rate information to match their Wisconsin lodging needs.

Currently, visitors to WisconsinLodging.org can use the BookDirect application to book a room by searching by city, type of property and dates of their stay. Properties had to opt-in to be included on this page and limited information was returned in search results. A fee was charged by the third-party operator of BookDirect for every reservation booked via this method.

Under our new arrangement, ALL WH&LA member lodging properties can participate in the program without opting in and there will be NO COST for any reservations made via BookDirect. All WH&LA member properties will be searchable in the application, with rates and availability listed where BookDirect has a compatible interface. When the guest is ready to book the room, they will be sent directly to the property’s booking page to complete the transaction.

What you need to do:

If your property has an online booking engine, you’re all set! The BookDirect application will automatically pull rates and availability from most lodging reservation systems on a daily basis.

If your property does not have an online booking engine, BookDirect can provide one for you, as a free service for WH&LA members. Properties can sign up for the service here, and instructions will be emailed outlining the setup and ongoing inventory management for compatibility with the BookDirect application at WisconsinLodging.org.

For hotels in the following chains, the BookDirect application’s parent company, JackRabbit, already has corporate agreements to access your chain’s reservation system: Accor, America’s Best Value Inns, AmericInn, Best Western, Choice, Carlson, Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental Hotels Group, La Quinta, Marriott, Red Roof Inn, Starwood and Wyndham. WH&LA’s service will simply provide new customers to your franchise system.

Questions? Contact the JackRabbit customer service center here.

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Property Listing Photos in 2012 Lodging Directory: available for a limited time!

October 18, 2011 in Marketing & Social Media, WH&LA Membership Features | No comments

Questions? Email Jennifer in the WH&LA office or call 262/782-2851.

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Adults’ Use of Social Media Soars

October 7, 2011 in Marketing & Social Media | No comments

From the Wall Street Journal “In Charge” blog:

If your small business doesn’t yet have a Facebook page, LinkedIn profile or Twitter feed, a recent study may persuade you to finally join the social-media bandwagon.

Sixty-five percent of all U.S. adults now use social-networking sites, up from 61% a year ago and just 5% in 2005, reports Pew Research Center. The findings are based on telephone interviews conducted in April and May by Princeton Survey Research Associates International.

Most of the growth over the past year came from Americans over the age of 30, with seniors accounting for the bulk of it. One-third of adults ages 65 and older say they now use social-networking sites, compared with 26% who said this a year ago. Still, young folks between 18 and 29 years old remain the overall biggest group tapping social networks today, accounting for 83% of the total.

On a typical day, 43% of U.S. adults said they visit sites like Facebook and Twitter, up from 38% a year ago, the survey finds. Among just Internet users ages 50 to 64, social-networking usage on a typical day increased to 32% from 20%. Compared with other online activities, respondents overall said they only use email and search engines more frequently than social networks.

Read more at the Wall Street Journal “In Charge” blog here.

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WH&LA Member Benefit: Constant Contact Email Marketing

October 5, 2011 in Marketing & Social Media | No comments

Has your property taken advantage of discounted rates for using Constant Contact for your e-mail marketing? While WH&LA does not endorse any product or service, we wanted to let you know about the availability of this discount, which, depending on your Constant Contact uses, could be as great as 25% off!

Get more information on WH&LA-member rates on Constant Contact e-mail marketing services here. The rates on the Constant Contact website do not reflect the discounted price.

If you are already a Constant Contact user, you can still take advantage of this discount! Just e-mail your Constant Contact username to Bill in the WH&LA office and we will arrange to have the discount applied to your Constant Contact subscription.

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Five Social Media Myths

July 25, 2011 in Marketing & Social Media | No comments

Article from frogloop.com, written by Allyson Kapin:

A new study by ComScore says that US Internet users spend 1 out of every 6 minutes online engaging with social networks.  This is a significant increase from 2007 when ComScore reported that Internet users spent 1 out of every 12 minutes online using social networks. As savvy marketers and nonprofit campaigners know, numbers can be sliced and diced. Unfortunately many of these studies never tell the entire story. For example, the latest ComScore study says “Facebook now reaches 73% of the total U.S. Internet population each month.”

As more marketers release their own social media studies and statistics, the more pressure organizations face to build and/or refine their own social media engagement. As you continue to plan and evaluate social media’s role in your organization, arm yourself with the right knowledge and memorize these five social media myths.

MYTH #1: A Facebook page can replace your website.

THAT IS THE WORST IDEA EVER, said Maggie McGarym, the Online Communications and Social Media Manager for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

“Lets be perfectly clear: while Facebook can certainly be useful as an outpost to your company’s website, it could not and should not ever replace it. Thinking Facebook could take the place of a company’s website is like saying your car is so great soon you can just live in it and get rid of your house,” said McGary.

The full text of this article from frogloop.com can be found here.

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What amenities are your guests searching for?

July 15, 2011 in Marketing & Social Media, WH&LA Membership Features | No comments

We’ve compiled the top 10 most frequently searched amenities on wisconsinlodging.org for the first six months of 2011 – do you know which ones are most often searched by travelers? Do you offer those amenities at your property?

TOP 10 AMENITIES AT WISCONSINLODGING.ORG
January – June, 2011

1. AAA Official Appointment (572 searches)
2. No Smoking Allowed (535 searches)
3. Horseback Riding (406 searches)
4. Whirlpool in Room (392 searches)
5. Cottages/Cabins (378 searches)
6. Outdoor Waterpark (373 searches)
7. Beach (305 searches)
8. Fireplaces in Room (295 searches)
9. Complimentary Full Breakfast (234 searches)
10. Meeting Rooms/Conventions (224 searches)

Make sure your property’s amenities are up-to-date on your listing page at wisconsinlodging.org. Making changes and sending updates is easy – just log into the members website (contact Michelle in the WH&LA office or call 262/782-2851 if you need help logging in) and click the Update/Edit Info link. A complete list of all available WH&LA amenities is available here.

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New ‘Weekly Getaway’ Facebook & Twitter promotions

June 27, 2011 in Marketing & Social Media | No comments

Do you have a good promotion that you would like to put in front of our more than 2,500 Facebook and Twitter followers? Every Wednesday we post an exclusive promo from one of our member properties, and we run Facebook ads to drive traffic. The cost is $125, and space is filling fast – there are only a handful of weeks left for the rest of the year. You can reserve the week of your choice by clicking here.

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