How many times did you complain about your hotel website traffic? You are still waiting that someone will find you on internet and book a room… but nobody does that. You are having a nice and shiny web page and that’s it.
Websites are a continued effort. The content of your hotel website needs to be dynamic. Where does the traffic come from?
This is where a blog comes into play. It must be part of your communication strategy to your guests as well as potential guests. Moreover, it is also a tool to build a network of connections with your local community.
So you want to start a blog?
You’re in the right place at the right time.
It seems there is some sort of distrust or apathy towards social media. Reality is that you might spend a lot of money on your hotel website, but if you don’t have a blog, your website traffic is stalling.
If you are reading this article and you don’t have a blog – Start blogging now!
But what to write? How to blog?
In this article, you will find out the top 2016 tips for starting a blog that will be a hit in the future.
When choosing a topic, there should be no shortage of what you could write about. There surely are interesting events or trade shows in your destination that your guests want to visit or attend.
Lists like “Top 5, Top 10, Top 20” work really well for blogs.
Instead of focusing only on main attractions and points of interest, highlight personal recommendations, unknown and hidden secrets of your destination. Bars, restaurants, and shops within walking distance of the hotel are always well appreciated.
Make it personal. You may try some humor and fun. Don’t be afraid of what people think. The mission is to be noticed.
Our objectives with integrating blogs into hotel websites are many.
- First we provide valuable tourist and destination information to our guests.
- Second we offer original content to share on social media websites.
- Third we engage with local business and attractions on social media websites. We write about them, and they love getting the exposure on our hotel blog, Facebook page, and Twitter.
Write it the way you would explain it to a friend. Treating your guests less like a technical marketing object and more like a ‘guest’ works amazingly well.
Put your staff members in the spotlight. Have them explain what they like working at the hotel, and what their favorite places in town are.
Find some other blogs and follow them. Search for inspiration online. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. But make sure you add your personal touch to it.
So you decided already? Do you want to start a blog? Here are the steps you should follow:
1. Add your own blog URL to your own website, don’t host it elsewhere “www.yourwebsite.com/blog”
2. Research your target guest
What are their interests? What attracts them to your area? Why does tourism thrive in your area? What activities are they most interested in? These are just a few question you must answer and figure out who is your target.
3. Plan
4. Create a list of keywords
5. Include your location; your type of hotel eg. bed & breakfast; activities you offer
6. Use a catchy title
A short, catchy title that will grab your potential guest’s attention and that relates to your blog post.
- Approximately 6-8 words
- Use at least one keyword eg. Holiday
- Use interesting adjectives eg. Incredible
- Use steps or numbers eg. 10 Incredible Ideas for a Romantic Holiday in London
7. Captivate your guest in the first sentence
The first sentence should draw your audience in immediately. Make it short and to the point!
8. Encourage bookings on every blog post
OK, OK. You have the tips but how to do it technically? It’s very simple, just follow my steps:
Starting with WordPress
If you want to build out your blog or another platform, just use WordPress. Yes, there are free alternatives, but WordPress is the best system out there and it’s used by the majority of bloggers for a reason. If you’re serious about creating a site or a long-term web presence, WordPress is really the only option worth considering.
Don’t you have a name or a website? No panic.
Free services like LeanDomainSearch or Bust A Name can help you generate domain ideas and see if they’re available. If you can, get a .com, .net, or .org. A .com is obviously preferred.
Don’t be afraid that you can’t find “.com” domain. Two of the biggest blogs on the internet (ZenHabits.net and GetRichSlowly.org) both have non-dot-com domains and they’re some of the most popular in the world, so it’s not a tragedy if you can’t get a .com. It’s more important to find a domain name that’s memorable and catchy.
The WordPress install can be done in a few different ways, depending on your hosting provider. We recommend you to use Bluehost.
Install WordPress In Less Than 5 Minutes (with Bluehost Hosting)
Installing WordPress is really simple. However, if you really don’t want to deal with any of this, you can call up your hosting support with Bluehost and have them install it for you.
Install The Genesis Framework for WordPress
Genesis is the solid basic framework and the foundation for a blogger. It also comes with a solid SEO codebase and a responsive theme (one that displays well on mobiles, tablets and desktops right out of the box). With the influx of new devices on the market, this is a necessity for anyone who starts a blog.
Start An Email List
If you’re learning how to start a blog, you need to get an email list.
Other than simply starting to blog, this is the most important thing you must do.
You can find from a single search tens of applications and we know there are lots of options like Mailchimp, Aweber, Infusionsoft and a whole lot more, but if you’re a blogger, you should be using ConvertKit.
Top 3 reasons why you need ConvertKit
- Super fast development time. They build that feature you need in short time.
- Automatic resend to unopened emails
- Simple. Clean. Fast.
Now you have all set. How to blog? Where you find the content?
You have to WRITE
Well, I’m sorry but you have to create the content. Shocker, right? This is the part where most of the people fail. They don’t blog! They’ll create and set up a dozen half-baked ideas, but when it comes down to writing, they never do it.
Write, write and write. Don’t worry, the content will not be perfect in the begging. It will be the worst article you ever wrote. That’s not a problem Blogging is a matter of practice. As you write more you get better at it.
Create a schedule and stick to it.
Now you are trying to cope with writing but this is not all. Once, twice, or 3 times a week. It doesn’t matter. Just pick a schedule and stick to it.
People are saying it’s not that important to follow the schedule, but it does. If you want to form a new habit, you need to set a schedule and follow it.
Yes, you will have zero readers then maybe 3 or 4. But having a schedule will make you commit to focus on executing, which in turn will help you get better, which in turn will help you gain more readers.
You look scared. Bear with me.
The first mistake that most people make when they are writing a blog is that they’re terribly boring. Don’t write boring things.
If you want to write interesting things, be interesting yourself. I’m pretty sure you have a nice story with a guest or you have something funny to write about.
Try to Solve Problems
Write about stuff that other people care about as well. Find out what problems people have and figure out how you can help them solve their problems.
You have to give people a good reason to stay on your site and read your thoughts, and the best way to do that is to answer a specific question that they are asking. Once you do that, you start to become trusted and your readers might even come back to read more!
Tell us the Story
You have a great hotel, I’m sure you have a great story behind.
People love a good story. Stories have the ability to connect with people and relay truth like nothing else. Either you’re going to tell stories that spread, or you will become irrelevant… People believe stories because they are compelling.
Be Honest
Make sure to be honest. A great story is true. Not true because it’s factual, but true because it’s consistent and authentic. You don’t want to build a reputation based on deceiving people. People can spot a liar from a mile away. Get this right when you first start your blog.
Don’t Give Up
If you like to quit things as soon as they get hard, just go find something else to do because blogging takes a long time. The main differentiator between those who start a blog and succeed eventually and those who don’t is whether or not they keep going. Keep in mind that blogging isn’t for quitters.
Get Quality Photos
If you want to start a blog and do one thing to make you blog really stand out, you need to get good quality photos.
So many people neglect this area, but putting a little effort into nailing this can be huge in setting your site and you apart as you learn how to start a blog.
I can never understand how people are willing to spend $3,000 on a custom site design and unwilling to spend a couple hundred bucks getting a decent photo of their mug. Get good photos – people will notice.
If you can’t get your own photos taken, check out some of the free photo sites below.
Make Sure You’re On Every Social Networking Site Known To Man
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest. These are all promotion outlets, not creation outlets. Create content first then move on to worrying about promoting it later
Focus All Your Effort on SEO
SEO is powerful, but if you spend all your time focusing on writing SEO content, your content will probably suck, and no one will want to read it. If you’re first learning how to start a blog, it’s best not to focus too much on this and simply focus on writing.
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