Digital Marketing

Final Exam Aude de Poulpiquet MBA2-A

Lisa Craig 08/02/2011

1. Read the entire article linked below – then choose one Resolution that

you think you would have the most + positive impact on a hotel’s

internet success.

http://www.hospitalityebusiness.com/blog/wp-

content/uploads/2011/01/HeBS-Best-Practices-2011-Social-Media-

Resolutions1.pdf

Resolution: CREATE A SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN

In this article, all the resolutions are important but in my opinion, the first resolution

that retained my attention and the first which appears is obviously the most important

and the basis to begin: “To create a social media plan”.

Provide your analysis:

Why do you feel this particular Resolution is most important – for what types of

hotels?

We have to create a social media plan in order to recruit prospects and to secure

the loyalty of our guests.

To make this strategy efficient, it is important to plan and set up goals.

Some hotels have created Facebook pages and Twitter account without follow up. If

there is no goal, no animation, in other words no way behind, there won’t have a

return on investment.

Before looking for having fans and followers, we have to put in place a strategy

proper to the establishment, to the brand and to the actual clients. It is a priority.

What additional actions would give that Resolution even greater impact –

drive more impressive results?

To plan

To set up goals

To organize some internal trainings

To create a Social Media Chart

To be accompanied by a professional (Marketing agencies, consultants…)

Understand social media and their impact

Research 3 examples of hotels (or other businesses) that are

successfully executing this Resolution online.

Take screenshots of each example

Comment below the screenshot how the examples you have chosen

supports the selected Resolution

For these 3 following examples, there’s coherence between their social Medias and

their official website.

Roger Smith Manhattan

The hotel Roger Smith has followed this strategy by being on several social Medias

well determined before. (Foursquare, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Facebook)

Mon Hotel

Again, the strategy of “Mon Hotel” is logical as they are present on the main social

Medias.

Aloft hotel

Aloft hotel created several account on Twitter for its different hotels

Official Website

Facebook page

Aloft Hotels is only present on few social Medias, but the most important.

2. From the article, what role does technology play in a hotel’s internet

strategy success? If you are an independent, limited budget hotel (or

business) what steps would you take to compete effectively online?

We have to be on the networks where our customers are waiting for us to be.

Rather than aim 50 bases, it is better to aim only 4 and doing a regular and dynamic

animation.

For instance, to chose Twitter as a micro-blogging site, a blog on the establishment,

a Facebook page and eventually a geo-localization social network according to the

country (in France, Foursquare for example).

A few times ago, pointing a certain elite was pretty complicated. We had to do some

mailing much targeted. The traditional marketing didn’t permit it.

Nowadays, thanks to mobiles and Internet, we are able to touch a more important

target. We have the possibility to address them more directly. Moreover, most of the

tools are free for professionals.

Research 2 hotels or businesses that are creatively reaching customers,

without expending large resources - as the large chains are capable of

doing

La Quinta Manhattan

The Palm Hôtel & Spa

Take screenshots of those examples, include in your answer

La Quinta Manhattan / Foursquare Mayor drinks for free

On Foursquare, the hotel La Quinta offers an umbrella when a guest checks in for a

first time and show this special offer

The Palm Hôtel & Spa / Jeux concours on Facebook

The Palm Hôtel &

Spa, Ile de la

Réunion organized a

competition and the

prize is a gift box at

the Spa.

3. From the Build your Own Brand video series – what are the KEY

elements to online branding, according to Loïc Le Meur?

Like Loïc Le Meur said “It is all about being sharable”

To build your brand in social networks:

Create an account in the most important networks, where you could share texts, full

page, image, video, location, and links.

- A Facebook account but also a Facebook page on which fans are unlimited

- Twitter for being public

- Professional social network as Link in

- Other type of sites: Flickr to share photos, YouTube to share videos (video

and features are powerful, and indeed social networks)

- Question and answer site: Formspring, Quora

- Location sites: Foursquare, Gowalla

- Google Buzz

TRY TO BE TOP OF ALL OF THOSE

Here are some advices:

Do not talk like a press release, talk in a friendly way

Talk on Facebook in a different way than on Twitter

Do not post the same on Facebook and Twitter for instance, as people who

use Twitter are not the same as on Facebook

Be careful on what you share and where. Sometimes, it could be noisy.

Share frequently, as often as possible

Do not talk about yourself all the time, share your expertise (for example, your

passion)

Do not be obsess about the number of fans and followers

Then, you need to update them all and be attentive to all the feedbacks:

- Comments, read and answer

- @reply on Twitter

- Like on Facebook

- reTweet

- private emails

If you do that, your community will grow and you will get a lot of feedback

Be interesting, generous, and help people to get more fans and followers

Research 2 hotels or businesses that are using the KEY elements

successfully, in your view

Take screenshots, include in your answer comments on why you have

chosen these 2 examples

Riad Olema & Spa

The Riad Olema shares photos on its Facebook page. Fans are posting comments

and The Riad answers and “likes”.

On their page, they talk in a friendly way and try to interest people by organizing a

competition in order to reward the most beautiful picture posted by a fan.

The Riad is friendly and generous by taking care of its clients by wishing the birthday

of their guests. It is a simple attention but notable.

Numericable

Numericable follows its account on Facebook and answers to the comments of fans.

4. From the Build Your Own Brand video series – choose any 2 online tools

that were mentioned:

I chose to study Facebook & Twitter

Include a text link to each tool

Link to Facebook

Link to Twitter

Describe how a hotel could use these tool to effectively engage their

customers

Facebook and Twitter can definitely engage their customers.

On Facebook, there is a plenty of way to interest customers:

- Organize some competition and reward the winner

- Post special offers exclusively dedicated to fans

- Encourage customers to share their medias: video, pictures etc

- Encourage them to comment the content of the page and the hotel

- An easy way to communicate with customers: facilitate booking, answer

questions, thanks them after their stay

- Make the customer feel they are part of a community, of a group of people like

them

On Twitter, to attract customers, it is possible to:

- Promote the hotel lifestyle with short sentences: events, offers

- Good tool to answer quickly to questions from customers

- Influence by broadcasting information regarding tourism, cultural events, Art

- Share with customers (medias, articles)

What actions would be needed to put the tools in place, in a hotel?

- Open an account on each social networks

- Embellish with illustrations to make the page more dynamic and customize the

profiles

How could the selected tools be utilized across channels?

- To share press article and certain media on social networks

- We could also talk of advices on press paper or other media

What problems would the use of the selected tools solve?

To reduce the distance between the brand and the internet user

What problems would the selected tools create?

- Availability: updates, answer to comments,

- The brand is more exposed to opinions, criticisms, comments, and sometimes

could engenders some drifts due to a bad utilization by internet users if there

is no moderation

Why did you select these specific tools?

To maximize the visibility, we have to seek customers where they are. Facebook and

Twitter are the most important social networks. They are also the most used by

Smartphone’s.

Audience is possible via PC but also via Mobile.

5. Select 5 of the following terms. Define in your own words – include a

screenshot example of each term.

Social Media

Social Media = Technologies + Interactions + Contents

PPC

PPC means Pay Per Click. It is an advertising internet model. The concept is simple:

Once you click on the advertising, the advertiser pays its host.

Tweets

Users talk about “tweet” to design the 140 characters messages sent on Twitter.

Rate parity

Rate parity means having the same rate across all channels accessible to the

customer.

On the official website and on booking.com, rates still the same

Location based services

It is a service that permits you to share with your friends, the place where you are

and indeed knowing where your friends are. Thanks to this service, you could learn

things, get some recommendations on the place where you are, and why not

organize a meet up. Foursquare is a good example.

Places where I was

People who were at the Salon E-marketing at the same time