improving your b&b website to increase bookings

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How to Improve Your B&B Website and Drive More Bookings August 27, 2015

Darlene Rondeau, VP, Best Practices, Online Merchandising, LeonardoMark Hayward, Digital Marketing Consultant and Former InnkeeperCecilia Williams, Owner, Hillard House Inn

Technical Difficulties?Contact

Citrix GoToWebinar1-800-263-6317

support@citrixonline.com

Darlene RondeauVice-President, Best Practices, Online MerchandisingLeonardo

@darlenerondeau

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@VFMLeonardo

Tweets & Questions:

#LeoWebinar

Mark Hayward Digital Marketing Consultant and Former Innkeeper

@mark_hayward

Cecilia Williams OwnerHillard House Inn

Feature the benefits & debunk the myths

74% of leisure travelers use the internet as a travel planning source

Beat out your hotel competition with value

Why Your B&B’s Website is Critical

#LeoWebinar

Mark Hayward Digital Marketing Consultant and Former Innkeeper

@mark_hayward

Pursued my dream to own a B&B in the Caribbean

No marketing or hospitality experience

No bookings, no cash flow, and no real online presence

Nobody knew we existed (except my mom)

Needed to meet large monthly mortgage

My B&B Story

Top 5 Goals I Wanted to Achieve

Direct Bookings Guest Engagement

Revenue A Better Web Presence

Receive Great Reviews

My Marketing Strategy

Create my own website

Learn everything about web marketing

Start blogging

Respond to all reviews

Get active on social media

Website design and development Search engine optimization 24/7 technical support Optimization across all devices Security Copywriting Promotions, specials, TripAdvisor reviews Booking engine integration

What I Didn’t Know About Web Marketing

Search engine optimization Web & mobile experiences are the same Loads quickly Visual first to really grab attention Navigation easy to use and figure out Descriptive text Frictionless booking options Knowing your target guest

Website Best Practices

The Big Picture: My Results

Ranked on the front page of Google

Featured in travel magazines and newspapers

Direct bookings increased

exponentially

Maintained a Top TripAdvisor ranking

for five years

Key Takeaways

#LeoWebinar

You’re not out there alone

Tell your story visually

Establish goals and measure

Set guest expectations early

Ensure your website works on all devices

Encourage and promote reviews online

Don’t forget what people came for: Bookings!

Cecilia Williams OwnerHillard House Inn

We bought the property in 1999 Started operating it as a B&B in

2006 3 guestrooms and a suite Self-taught in digital marketing and

technology Online presence is our most

important marketing expenditure

History of Hillard House Inn

First website designed by a family member

Adequate for the time (2006) but very basic

Few pictures; no videos No maps No booking button

Free website template Added slide shows, thumbnails of

rooms, reviews and Google Maps Program was difficult to work with Customer support was non-

existent

Our 2nd Website Our 1st Website

Updated, clean, visually-oriented desktop and mobile websites

A method to easily update my information and make changes on social media sites and OTAs quickly

User-friendly system and personal support in a timely manner

3 Objectives to Improve My Website

Before

Updated, clean, visually-oriented desktop and mobile websites

A method to easily update my information and make changes on social media sites and OTAs quickly

User-friendly system and personal support in a timely manner

3 Objectives to Improve My Website

After

Our Biggest Challenges In the past two years, over

1,000 hotel rooms have been added to the area

Need to visually convey what we have to offer and why travelers should stay with us

Improve social media marketing

New visually-driven website that’s easy to use and update

Expanding our online marketing on Facebook

Using Vizlly, Leonardo’s Digital Marketing System

Absolutely love the professional and dedicated Success Coach

How We’re Solving These Challenges

“I remember this from your website”

Makes the unfamiliar, familiar

Virtual tours and videos establish a connection with travel shoppers

The Importance of Our Visual-First Website

Facebook Apps Increase social conversations

with guests

Book directly from Facebook

Everything managed in one place makes it quick and easy to keep up-to-date

Mobile to reach 1/3 of all U.S digital travel sales by 2017

83% of leisure travelers have had a poor experience on a mobile travel site

Only 23% of those who have encountered a mobile site that wasn't optimized actually pushed through

The Importance of Mobile

Results To Date Increase in online

bookings for business travelers during the week

Travel shoppers are better engaging with our content

Website Tips for B&B Innkeepers Your website is a travel shopper’s

first impression – make it as pleasant as your B&B

Use quality photos Look for a simple and clean web

design Booking button on every page Online marketing is getting more

complex – take advantage of professional expertise

Key Takeaways

#LeoWebinar

Commit to digital and stick with it to stay curre

Clean, visually dominant websites make a

difference

What’s in and around you is key

What your guests say about you matters

Leverage digital marketing to fill in the gaps

Support is available

About Leonardo

Invitations to upcoming webinars

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It’s a Wrap

Connect With Us!

leonardo.com1.877.593.6634@VFMLeonardo blog.leonardo.com

mark-hayward.commark.w.hayward@gmail.com @mark_hayward

hillardhouseinn.com hillardhouse@verizon.net

Mark Hayward

Cecilia Williams