George’s Observations | Review Friends

Lessons from the Travel Blog Project

June 19, 2011 in George's Observations by George

The Travel Blog Project was a 100 day marketing effort to increase travel agents online footprint through coordinated blogging, social media posting and web SEO techniques. Each weekday for 100 days I created and sent 230 travel agents “The Daily Post” email which contained the posting theme of the day along with a marketing concept and a practical how-to explanation. You can view each of the 100 Daily Post emails in the Travel Blog Project archive.

Posting themes were created to brand the agents as a knowledgeable specialist in their travel niche. We began each week by creating a Monday blog post that was re-purposed on their websites, Twitter and Facebook Fan pages throughout the week. The agents became Travel Evangelists creating posts about destinations, critiques of hotels, cruise ships, client case studies and all the great things about their travel niche.Much of the Travel Blog Project centered on the concept of researching and targeting keyword phrases. Typically, this is an area for search engine optimization (SEO) techniques however we expanded this to all online marketing efforts. We discussed how to research keyword phrases and what makes a good phrase. We discussed how to use targeted keyword phrases to increase online traffic.

We have examined Facebook business fan pages and how to create a professional looking site. We created a custom “welcome” tabs and loaded a branded image on the left column of the fan page.

Twitter was also a major effort of the Travel Blog Project. We discussed Tweeting techniques to get more followers.

Over a four week period we conducted a SWOT analysis examining our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The focus was to build on strengths and turn negatives into positives. We came to the conclusion that the main threat to travel agents is INACTION by not taking the initiative to use the free marketing opportunities available.

Enjoy the Journey,
George

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by George

The Travel Blog Project Reaches the Halfway Point

March 18, 2011 in George's Observations by George

Today marks the Travel Blog Project’s 50th edition of The Daily Post. The project has over 200 travel agents signed up to receive the daily marketing information. This is a global effort with travel agents from all over world are participating. We have agents from the U.S.A., Africa, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Europe and the United Kingdom.We have been creating blog posts around a weekly theme for 10 weeks. In the beginning of the project, the themes were mostly to establish you as a knowledgeable specialist in your travel niche. We started by creating posts about the great aspects of your favorite destination or mode of travel. We also created posts about how you help people plan their vacations with a few client case studies. We spent quite a bit of time on creating a library of blog critiques of hotels, cruise ships and destinations that are perfect content for re-purposing on your websites and Facebook Fan pages.

We have spent quite a bit of time on search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. We began our SEO education by focusing on keyword phrases. We discussed how to research keyword phrases and what makes a good phrase. We also discussed how to use targeted keyword phrases in the title and within the post to increase online traffic.

We have examined Facebook business fan pages and how to create a professional looking site. We created a custom “welcome” tab and loaded a sales image on the left column of the fan page.

Twitter has also been a major effort of the Travel Blog Project. We have discussed Tweeting techniques and how to use Hashtags (#) and Retweeting to get more followers.

We have focused on communicating the value that you as a travel agent provide to the vacation planning process. We have discussed submitting press releases, how to write them and I provided a number of websites to submit them for free.

For the last couple weeks we have been conducting a SWOT analysis examining your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Our focus has been to build on your strengths and turn negatives into positives. The main theme to the Travel Blog Project has been that positioning yourself as an expert in a travel niche is the main defense against threats and a way to build upon your strengths. We also made the point that the main threat to travel agents not making a commitment to use the marketing opportunities available to you to their fullest. Thus, the main threat is inaction.

We have had guest articles for The Daily Post from established travel celebrities like Richard Earls. We have also had some participants write some of the best articles with awesome ideas and a lot of enthusiasm for this industry.

One of the best aspects of the project has been the collaborative learning and sharing that participants have done by posting in the TBP Knowledge Center. We have posted some of the topics in The Daily Post.

We now close the first half of the Travel Blog Project and look forward to the second half. Hopefully, this has been a good learning experience for all.

Enjoy The Journey!
George

Tags: Social Media Marketing, Travel Agent Marketing, Travel Agent Social Media, Travel Agents, Travel Blogging
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by George

2011 Travel Predictions

December 30, 2010 in George's Observations by George

Once again we find ourselves reflecting upon the year that was and trying to anticipate the year in front of us. So my annual tradition of predicting new year travel trends continues. Maybe you agree or disagree with my predictions, but I saw a quote from the famous General George S. Patton that sets the scene; “Tell me everyone is thinking the same thing and I will tell you no one is thinking.”

2011 Travel Prediction #1:
The Travel Industry rebounds strongly as Americans feel more confident and reward themselves with one time splurges like vacations, but don’t take on long term commitments like buying cars or houses.

2011 Travel Prediction #2:
Mid-market Deluxe Travel Explodes as Hottest of all Categories.

2011 Travel Prediction #3:
Luxury Travel make a mild come back but travelers will seek value keeping pressure on prices.

2011 Travel Prediction #4:
More Upscale Tropical Resorts adopt All-Inclusive format as travelers continue to demand value.

2011 Travel Prediction #5:
TSA Security continues to be an issue for the traveling public.
(Not really difficult to predict)

2011 Travel Prediction #6:
Hawaii is the Hottest Beach Destination in 2011. New Hotels and Refurbished resorts create energy and attract travelers.

2011 Travel Prediction #7:
Travel Agents fully embrace Blogging and Social Media to brand themselves as specialists.

2011 Travel Prediction #8:
Travel Agents adopt a focused multi-channel off-line and online approach to marketing in the effort to communicate their knowledge and value.

2011 Travel Prediction #9:
Travel Agents gain significance as more travelers seek out travel specialists for complex and unique travel experiences.

2011 Travel Prediction #10:
Vacation Rentals will remain popular as Family Travel outpaces other industry segments.

2011 Travel Prediction #11:
Disney Parks, Resorts and Cruises have a banner year as family travel increases significantly.

2011 Travel Prediction #12:
Las Vegas attracts more travelers. Mostly people looking to party. Not as many gamblers because people remain cautious with their money.

2011 Travel Prediction #13:
New category of Deluxe RV Camping Resorts evolve to accommodate luxury land yachts. These new RV resorts will be complete with luxury amenities like fitness centers, spa facilities, poolside cocktail service, nightly entertainment and more.

2011 Travel Prediction #14:
Day Spas continue to evolve into mini-resorts. National franchise chains begin to appear.

2011 Travel Prediction #15:
Low Fare Airlines like Southwest and Jet Blue gain traffic and business traveler loyalty at the expense of larger legacy carriers like United and American.

2011 Travel Prediction #16:
Legacy Airlines continue to Alienate Travelers through multiple poor management decisions loosing market share to smaller low fare competition.

2011 Travel Prediction #17:
More Tropical Resorts add clothing optional beach areas. Clothing Optional Hotels and Resorts increase in popularity.

2011 Travel Prediction #18:
Business Meeting Planning has a huge year as meetings and conferences are needed more than ever to adjust to new business landscape.

2011 Travel Prediction #18:
#1 complaint about Mexico Beach Resorts will be pushy Time-Share sales reducing return visitors.

2011 Travel Prediction #19:
Cruise Industry has an OK year. But luster is off as the big ships are no longer news, cruisers have already cruised and the constant on board sales pitch reduces excitement.

2011 Travel Prediction #20:
Time-Share programs will face a tough year as travelers fail to take on long-term commitments.

Happy New Year!
George Oberle

Tags: , 2011 Predictions, 2011 Travel Predictions, Travel Agent Predictions
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by George

The Travel Blog Project Comes to Life

December 18, 2010 in George's Observations by George

The excitement is building about the Travel Blog Project. Travel Agents from all over the world have signed up. We have participants from Australia, Canada, Argentina, the UK and the USA.

The project now has 60 agents who will brand themselves professionally online through blogging, social media, email marketing and SEO on their websites. Travel Weekly is running a story about the Travel Blog Project in the December 20th edition. The Home Based Travel Agent Community website featured the project in their monthly newsletter. With all this energy about the project, we expect to clearly exceed the original 100 agent minimum.

This is an exciting time for Travel Agents. We get to help them tell their story of what they do, how they do it and the value they bring to the traveling public.

If you are a travel agent and need any motivation that you need to brand yourself online read this article commenting about the Travel Blog Project: www.SocialTimes.com

Onward.

Tags: Online Marketing, Travel Agent Branding, Travel Agent Marketing, Travel Blog Project
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by George

The Travel Blog Project is now live and looking for 100 or more travel agents to participate.

December 5, 2010 in George's Observations by George

100 TRAVEL AGENTS BLOGGING & SOCIAL MEDIA
MARKETING FOR 100 DAYS

The Travel Blog Project is a Collaborative Online Marketing Effort for Travel Agents.

The Travel Blog Project is now live and looking for 100 or more travel agents to participate in a 100 day blogging and social media marketing effort. Agents that participate in the Travel Blog Project will brand themselves online as travel experts in their niche through blogging, social media posting, email campaigns and search engine optimization of their websites.Each weekday participating agents will receive “The Daily Post” which will provide the theme of the day to create four or five sentences around and then post on their Blog, Facebook or Twitter. We will individually and collectively develop travel agent best practices to generate sales using the Internet and social media. Success will be measured by number of leads, new email addresses and web traffic to the agent’s blog and website. George Oberle, founder of the Travel Blog Project stated “The travel agent industry is once again at a turning point. Suppliers are questioning the power of travel agents to adapt to new online marketing channels in the effort to generate sales. Yet, travel agents have an incredible opportunity to sell ‘better travel’ simply by telling their story consistently through posting on their blogs, social media sites and sending bi-monthly email campaigns.”

Many travel agents are either unsure how to get started branding themselves online or lack the discipline or creativity to post on a regular basis. The Travel Blog Project will provide the structure, consistency, posting ideas and themes to help travel agents become better online marketers.

Oberle further said “Travel Agents are not insignificant! They are the most powerful marketing force in travel. Yet, the game has changed and agents know it. Marketing travel is now a multi-channel online effort including blogging, social media posting, websites and email. The key to building a thriving travel practice is communicating the unique value YOU provide on a consistent basis to as many people as you can by methodically increasing your online footprint.”

Participation in the Travel Agent Blog Project is FREE! Travel Agents must have or be willing to create a Blog, Facebook business fan page, Twitter account and spend at least 15 minutes per day posting to them. To sign up for the Travel Blog Project, visit www.TravelBlogProject.com

Tags: blogging, Travel Agent Marketing, Travel Agents, travel blogs, Travel Marketing
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by George

Luxury RV Resort Concept

November 5, 2010 in George's Observations by George

RV Resorting now has a new standard for luxury. A new RV Luxury Resort has just listed on ReviewResorts. Heritage Motor Coach Resort located on the Alabama coast takes RV resorting to an unbelievable new level of luxury living. Cobble stone streets, private marina, infintiy pool and more.

Heritage RV Resort Alabama

Take a look at the review and description: Heritage Motor Coach Resort. It won’t take long for the luxury RV resort concept to gain popularity.

George

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by George

Travel Agents Under Fire Again?

October 29, 2010 in George's Observations by George

Like most of you I have been reading where cruise and tour wholesaler executives are complaining about Travel Agents again. It seems to me every time they need to express their frustrations with the slow pace of the economy, they blame the usual suspect. The blame travel agents for everything wrong with their balance sheet. However, I see another window into what could be a different relationship. How about where the suppliers work together with agents to help tell the travel story? The story of experiencing different lands, people, food, music, customs, architecture, weather, ideas, ways of thinking and historical significant ruins.

What really strikes me is if the Travel Agents actually took advantage of the marketing power available to them via the Internet, the suppliers would be crying foul. They wouldn’t like all that power in the hands of the Travel Agents!

Maybe what is needed is a platform for Travel Agents to use the available online marketing opportunities to the fullest extent.

George

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by George

Google’s Travel Plan is Becoming Clear

July 21, 2010 in George's Observations by George

The travel industry is consumed trying to figure out Google’s master travel plan after their recent acquisition of ITA Software. However, if you go back a couple months and look at another less publicized acquisition by Google of the social travel guide www.Ruba.com the plan begins to take shape. Ruba is a user-generated travel guide and trip planning website that integrated with ITA’s direct-connect booking engine provides a huge opportunity to change the game in travel.

I stumbled upon Dean Horvath’s blog post about this topic. He is pretty much right on target in my view. Read it for yourself: www.ReinventingTheAgent.com

While social media sites like Ruba and other user-generated review sites are nothing new, the combination of social travel planning and direct connect is. With ITA’s direct connect and social travel planning the future is becoming more in focus.

George

Tags: Future of Travel, Google Travel, Travel, Travel Agents
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by George

Google, ITA Travel & You

July 6, 2010 in George's Observations by George

Much is being written about Google’s recent purchase of ITA Software. ITA created the travel booking engine many corporations and online travel websites use. The thing that makes ITA different is that it uses direct connections to suppliers rather than going through the GDS systems like Sabre and Apollo. The GDS systems are extremely expensive for the suppliers and are quite limiting because the software was written 20 or so years ago.

While Google getting into the travel business is indeed a big deal, there is another aspect to consider. I stumbled upon an article on CNN written by Mashable’s Pete Cashmore that really caught my eye. Cashmore says Google is also working on a creating a social networking site similar to Facebook. Wow! Combining a Google booking engine with a Facebook style social network has huge ramifications. Think about the combination of a social network, online user-reviews and a direct link booking engine that could be adapted to book anything from airline flights to vacation rentals to restaurant reservations and ski passes. Now consider if this was integrated in a social network setting that embraced the Google Wave where people comment in a live, shared space on the web discussing and working together with each able to add richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, each and more. This is the future my friends.

Is there a spot for outside entities to play too? Consider that Google’s main source of revenue is Adwords pay-per-click advertising. The Wall Street Journal posted an article that said 10% of all Google search queries are travel related. My guess is that they will definitely create an environment to maximize AdWords pay-per-click revenue. But the playing field will be very different than simply search. George

Tags: Google, Google Travel, Social Media, Social Nertworking, Travel, Travel Agents
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by George

Is Luxury Travel Dead?

March 26, 2010 in George's Observations by George

Maui

I read this week that the Four Seasons Maui is now in default. Wow. This popular Maui resort has a very loyal following. Yet, even with the big name a great reputation and the beautiful beaches of Maui, it was unable to avoid bankruptcy. Does this event and other high-end hotel defaults indicate that luxury travel is dead?

Dead no, but changing yes. People want nice, but are looking for value. The Four Seasons Maui averages $425 per night plus taxes. You can feed a family of four for almost a month for the same amount as one night at the Four Seasons Maui. Stay for seven nights and throw in airfare for four at $500 a ticket and you have spent over $5k before buying food and optional tours.

People will always want the nicest they can afford. However, there has been a paradigm shift in how people view opulence and luxury.

Deluxe is in.

Opulence is out.

Best value is in.

Extravagance is out.

Big spenders? Not anymore. Consider that the average amount of money people gambled with in Las Vegas was a mere $580.
Purveyors of leisure escapes that recognize value for the dollar is the key to success will prosper. People who cling to the belief that people will blow money on opulence will continue to dwindle.

George

Tags: Hawaii, Hawaii Vacations, Luxury Travel, Maui, Maui Hotels
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