Internet Marketing in a Nutshell

Q: I will be opening a new inn in the fall and need to know how to get started on Internet Marketing - web site, online directories, search engine inclusion. Please help me know where to start.

A: There are three essential elements to internet marketing for B&B’s. They are: Design, Hosting and Promotion. Your first order of business is to find a professional web designer who knows the B&B industry. There are several companies who specialize in the hospitality market and it’s tough to go wrong with any of them. Plan on spending several thousand to obtain a professional web design as this is one area you don’t want to skimp on. Once you have a web site you’ll need a place to host it and again, these same marketing companies can help you and are reasonably priced. The next and probably most neglected step is Promotion which is simply attracting potential guests to your web site. Essentially there are three types of promotion which are: traditional advertising such as business cards, leaving your web address on your answering machine, word of mouth, etc., links from other web sites such as your local chamber web site and online lodging guides such as: BedandBreakfast.com, BBOnline.com and BBExplorer.com and the search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Overture. Promotion can take years to master and should be the most expensive category in your marketing budget. Within reason the more you "wisely" spend on promotion the greater your occupancy will be. Plan on spending 8% of your projected gross annual revenue on internet marketing (Promotion) every year. This should get you started on the road to filling those rooms. Good luck!