Which Should I Sign Up For First?

By Scott Crumpton of INNtelligent.com Q: I am stunned at how overwhelmed I am with the task of marketing my B&B. Where I am stuck is which websites to join? How many B&B books do I have to be in? How many registries/organizations should I associate with? Some are very costly and I feel I could spend my days just joining one site/book/organization/registry after another. Any suggestions? A: Don't let it overwhelm you -- it's actually not as difficult as it seems. The greatest problem is all the misinformation out there. We try to only talk about things which are proven to work but there are so many people touting themselves as experts and giving false information that the message gets lost. The result is confused and skeptical innkeepers and I personally don't blame them. I understand how you feel about the hype surrounding signing up for absolutely everything. Don't submit to it. First, read through our online articles as it will answer many of your questions.. Next, start asking other innkeepers which associations to join. Generally your state association would be the first and a local association a close second. These are fantastic resources and a link from their website to yours will usually be worth at least $200/year. As for print guides, there are so few these days which still work. The exception is any guide which is free to the public as the internet has replaced most paid books. Generally your state association will have a printed guide and there are often regional guides like our own available in your region. Ask about 20 innkeepers which they think before signing on though. I don't mean to burst bubbles but there are a lot of wrong ways to go in marketing and only a few right ones. My job is to direct innkeepers to the correct choices the first time. Be sure to also read our Lodging Guide Shootout to see which guides have the greatest potential of bringing your Bed and Breakfast new reservations.