Monthly Archives: August 2024

Advanced SMM – Self-Publishing

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After you have mastered the process (and the art – but mainly it’s a process) of regularly posting content online to highlight your business and offers, bring your game to the next level by writing a book related to your business. 

Later in this article we’ll highlight some good reasons for doing this, but to start, let’s dive straight into the process, starting from scratch.

There are several angles you could take

If you’re staring at a blank sheet of paper, that’s great.  You’ve started.  To be fair, you get nothing for starting, but at least you’ve gone that far, compared to the millions of people with a business to advertise, but who have not even taken that step. 

So what’s the next step?  Are you committed or just dabbling in the idea?  For now, it doesn’t matter.  Let’s get started.

As the header above says, there are a few angles you can take.  Be less concerned at this stage about what you think will sell, and more focused on what it will take for you to see the project to completion.  Look inside your mind, what do you have to say to your audience?  What do you want them to know?  Here are some possible approaches:

A How-to book:  Whatever you sell, if it’s a product or service, customers will get the maximum benefit if they know how to use it.  Let’s take an example:  if you are selling drones, it would be helpful to your customers if you could bring together a manual (and there are plenty of examples already to follow) on drone flying.  You may cover topics such as regulatory/licensing for industrial applications, as well as getting started as a first-time hobbyist.  What are the steps to get started?  What are the expense considerations?  How do drones work, and what are the different types of aircraft that can be purchased?  These topics are bullseye for a “how-to” manual on drone piloting.

Let’s take another example, something not so inuitively linked to the drone market, such as art.  Do you sell art online?  What would be the purpose of a how-to manual?  There are many different angles to cover.  We only need to expand on one thought and narrow another – exand on the idea of what goes into a “how-to” book, and narrow the focus on the type of audience.  Here are two examples:  1) how to enter the market of art collecting as a hobbyist, and 2) how to appreciate the world of art as a beginner. 

You could write about more advanced topics such as starting a business as an online art trader, but that would put you into the “training” or “coaching” category.  The goal here would be to bring in more customers, and to do that by expanding the universe of possibilities to early-stage hobbyists and potentially future collectors.  In this way, the content of the book is well-aligned to the goals of online marketing – ie., drive more sales.

Personal account of your experience:  Rather than writing on the ways and processes of trading art online, you can give your customers a personal account of your work and experience.  You are still aligned to your busines goals of increasing online sales, but with this approach, the aim is to convey passion and fun (or whatever emotions you choose) by using your own story as an example.  Similarly with the drone example above, you can provide some background about the industry, how you got involved, and what are the possibilities for the future of the industry and its growth.  As a personal account of your journey, you can tell your customers where you plan to take the business in the future, and use that to describe the many ways that drone technology can help different businesses or industries. 

Customer stories and how someone can add value:  Opposite to writing a personal account, a third-person account of the industry itself and how companies are using drone technology to add value would give you an ideal platform to further sell your products and to establish credibility with prospective customers.  From an art trader’s view, describing different categories of art, and which are growing or falling in popularity would establish you as an authority on the topic. 

Start with a process

Is your page still blank?  At this point, you begin to develop a list of bullet points about the topic you choose, and most importantly, areas of this topic which fascinate you.  As mentioned earlier, the key to success is to leverage what interests you.  Writing about your own fascination and passion will keep the keys clicking over the long haul.

But you may already have some content in the form of blogs and other social media channels.  Start with these:

Take an inventory of your existing content:  What blogs have been the most popular so far?  What content is open for further disussion?  Which content pieces can you expand upon and write further? 

Organize it into an outline, and fill in the gaps:  Start with a draft outline of what you think a comprehensive book on the topic should cover.  There will be time to revise the outline later, but start with your first impression.  More ideas will come to mind.  Use this outline as the basis of further work (and of future social media content).  The key here is to begin identifying the gaps – areas where you do not yet have content, and areas where you may need to research further to supplement your current knowledge base. 

Dual-use blogs and book content:  As mentioned above, based on the gaps you have identified, you can begin to generate content for a book from the periodic content you publish on social media.  As your repertoire of writings/videos/images/postings expands, you also have the dual benefit of getting online engagement over this content, which can direct your future efforts – ie., focus more on what people what, and at the same time, drum up some interest among your followers on the topic.  See what your audience reacts to.  When your book is complete, these will be your most likely first customers.

Focus on the process

The previous heading was about starting with a process.  Any process will be sufficient if it helps to push along the creative development process.

Now you can focus on the process of production until completion.

How much content can you write?  A “book” can be whatever you want it to be, but make it minimally credible.  Few books are shorter than 50 pages (and in this range, we see short stories, novelettes, white papers, reference books and feature articles).  A good minimal target is 60,000 words or 100 pages.  That’s around 40 good quality blogs on the topics of your outline.  How long does it take you to write a blog of 1,500 words?  Do you write fast, maybe two hours’ worth?  How much research will you have to undertake?  How quickly would you be able to finish the first draft of the project?  How much time each week can you set aside for writing?

With these numbers at hand, you can extrapolate a reasonable expectation of the time it will take you to complete the journey (at least the first draft).

Will the book generate income for you, or serve as an advertisement?  This question is less about the writing process and more about the marketing efforts.  If you are confident of your timeline projection and the ability to finish the work according to schedule, tease your audience.  Let them know that a book is on the way, and offer a discount for pre-sales. 

Difference between blogging and book writing

While you can overlap the efforts of book writing and blogging, there are some difference to keep in mind, which will impact the style of writing, and the modifications needed to turn blogs into books.

Format and Length:  Blogs are typically 10-minute reads, and should stand on their own.  Blogs converted to book format will need editing, to fit into the context of the book.  Capturing the reader’s attention is key to maintaining their interest.  Foreshadowing of future topics as they relate to the current chapter of the book is a style that will require some adjustment to the individual blogs.

Purpose and Audience:  Ensure consistency in your audience profile.  Blogs are often written for a general online audience, but your book will need to be consistent in the type of readers (and their assumed level of knowledge on the topic). 

Monetization:  Bloggers can monetize content through advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and direct sales.  Book monetization can come directly from book sales, but can also be written as an advertising piece for more sophisticated customers.  A book can also be a springboard for more intensive engagements with an extended audience, e.g., speaking engagements, interviews as a subject matter expert, or further advancement of your resume as an industry authority.

Writing Style and Structure:  While blogs are typically more conversational in style, they can both take on whatever tone in which you feel more comfortable writing.  For a blog, you can keep the content engaging, with short paragraphs and more frequent use of images, links, and subheadings for easy scanning.  Books require a more formal and structured writing style, with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Blogging and book may have typical differences in terms of format, purpose, audience, publishing, frequency, monetization, and writing style, but the core content – the part that takes the most time to write – can and should be used for both channels. 

Why undertake this effort?

As noted above, the value-added benefit to this effort is leveraging your existing content.  A book can also increase your credibility among customers and establish you as a leader in your line of work. 

Along with that benefit, a book can help you to reach a wider audience, giving you more leverage in your existing social media marketing strategy.  You can reach readers who prefer printed or e-book formats and who may not have discovered your blog otherwise, and who are seeking to increase their knowledge of the topic or industry at a deeper level.  Knowing who these people are improves your lead generation. 

When it comes to sales, in all honesty, there are few people who make a living writing books.  This market is highly competitive.  That is why this article does not focus on book writing as a money-making opportunity.  Of course it is possible to make a living writing books, but that is a topic for another day.  The key to this effort is to leverage your existing content, toward a product (a book) that can generate some income, but which mainly supplements your existing marketing efforts and provides your customers with additional value.  Which leads us to another key benefit…

Personal Branding: A book can be a powerful tool for personal branding. It positions you as an expert and can open up opportunities for speaking engagements, interviews, and collaborations.  If the content is well-received in a niche community, pursue awards and recognition from related organizations, to further enhancing your reputation and visibility.  A well-written book leaves signals a legacy of achievement.  Furthermore, from a personal standpoint, it can be a source of pride and accomplishment.

Finally the fun part

For how much are you going to sell the book?

This is where the rubber hits the road in terms of your objectives for writing the book.  If you want to maximize the audience via sales, a token amount can do the trick.  What if your book was priced at zero?  Who would “buy” it? 

Alternatively – and more-so if your product or service has a niche audience – you can place it on the premium shelf, at $50 vs. $5 per copy.  First, you may get some buyers.  Second, you have a high-value offer you can tag onto other promotions, giving your loyal customers a greater sense of value with their purchases.

In Conclusion

The guide above aims to help you get started.  Writing a book is a long and laborious journey, but one which can be made manageable over time with the application of a steady, consistent process.  This process can be made to leverage and complement existing marketing efforts, thus improving the overall return on your social media marketing time and efforts.

9 Basic Steps to Increasing Hotel Occupancy – and 10 Unique Opportunities for Hotel Marketing

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Increasing hotel guests using social media requires a strategic approach that leverages the power of these platforms to attract and engage potential guests. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it. This article is focused specifically around small to medium-sized hotel owners

If the steps described below sound similar to the other articles on this site, that’s because these steps are effective for promoting nearly any type of business.  As with anything in social media promotion, consistency is key.  Having said that, there are a few areas where hotel promotions stand out from the rest, and these will be highlighted below.

Basics of Online Hotel Marketing

First, without the basics in place, an advanced campaign targeted at high-value customers would not succeed. 

  1. State the Objective:  While the end-goal is most likely profitability and a higher income, identifying an intermediate objective can help to refine and enhance the marketing strategy.  For example, are you looking to increase bookings, raise brand awareness, or promote special offers? Your intermediate objectives will shape your social media strategy.
  2. Define Your Audience:  Understand your target audience’s demographics, interests, and behaviors.  This information will help align your content to your marketing strategy.
  3. Create Compelling Content:  Share high-quality photos and videos of your hotel’s rooms, facilities, and amenities.  Showcase what makes your property unique and appealing. Use professional photography if possible.  Having more photos gives your audience a sense of familiarity.  Familiarity develops comfort, and comfort enables openness to the offer, which leads to sales.  Otherwise, what type of content can be posted? Share Local Attractions:  Highlight nearby attractions, restaurants, and activities. This can make your hotel more appealing to travelers who want to explore the area. Make it Personal:  Share stories of local people who are successful, or who benefit from the tourism that has grown in their community, or who have special tours/experiences to offer your guest. Special Offers and Promotions:  Promote special offers and packages exclusively on social media. Limited-time deals can create a sense of urgency and drive bookings.
  4. Run Contests and Giveaways:  Host social media contests or giveaways to encourage engagement and attract new followers. Offer prizes like a free stay or a discount.
  5. Post Consistently:  Develop a content calendar to plan and schedule posts in advance. Consistency is key in maintaining an active social media presence.  Be active on platforms that are most relevant to your target audience.  For hotels, platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest are highly effective due to their visual orientation of content.
  6. Engage with Your Audience:  Unless you are marketing for a global hotel chain, your time spent with individual customers can effectively move the needle in your favor – especially if you are aiming to scrape market share away from the major players.  This is an area where small or medium-sized hotels and resorts can win out over the highest-value global brands, ie., adding the personal touch.  An effective audience engagement approach requires consistent attention and responsiveness over the long run.  While few hotel owners have the personal bandwidth and energy to carry out this strategy, the point remains that those who do can earn a high investment on the time they spend, picking up one customer or one booking at a time, sometimes for as little as a few minutes of chat.  At the minimum, appointing a marketing person to respond to comments, messages, and reviews promptly and professionally will be necessary as a means of engaging with your audience, to build trust and loyalty.
  7. Use Hashtags Strategically:  Research and use relevant hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts.  Create a branded hashtag for your hotel to encourage user-generated content.
  8. Promote User-Generated Content:  Encourage guests to share their experiences on social media and tag your hotel.  Share their posts with proper credit.  Focus on providing a good customer experience to ensure that reviews are positive.  Subtly encourage guests to post reviews – a personal approach is best, as people generally find it difficult to say no.  Furthermore, if a guest has a complaint, hearing their complaint first-hand – before they post it on social media – reduces the chance that they will post a negative review, because they feel that their complaint was addressed and heard already.
  9. Plan a Budget:  Using paid advertising on social media platforms is expensive, but it allows you to target specific demographics and reach a larger audience.  Another variation on budgeted promotions is collaboration with Influencers.  Partner with social media influencers in the travel and hospitality niche, or with a local presence in a specific market you are targeting.  Promote special offers and packages exclusively on social media, and use limited-time deals to create a sense of urgency and drive bookings.

Throughout these steps, the most important point is to continue learning and improving. Regularly analyze your social media analytics to understand what’s working and what’s not.  Continuously assess the return on investment (ROI) of your promotional strategy, including tracking of direct bookings from social media links or monitoring followers and engagement.

Building a strong social media presence takes time and effort.  Consistency, creativity, and genuine engagement are essential for success.

Marketing Opportunities Unique to Hotel Businesses

Hotel marketing should include focus areas that are unique to the business. 

  • Visual Appeal: Hotels are inherently visual businesses. They can showcase stunning visuals of their rooms, facilities, pool areas, dining options, and surrounding landscapes. This visual appeal makes it easier to create engaging content that can captivate potential guests.
  • Emotion and Experience: Staying in a hotel often involves emotions and experiences that are different from buying a product or service. Travelers seek to create memories, relaxation, and adventure, making it important for hotels to tap into these emotions through their storytelling.
  • Seasonality and Events: Hotels often have seasonal promotions and special events (e.g., weddings, conferences, holidays). Social media allows hotels to promote these time-bound offers effectively and reach the right audience at the right time.
  • User-Generated Content: Hotels can benefit greatly from user-generated content (guests sharing their experiences). Guests often post pictures and reviews on social media, providing authentic endorsements that can influence others to book. This opportunity is often overlooked by hotel owners and marketers who seek full editorial control over content. 
  • Influencer Collaborations: Hotels can collaborate with travel influencers and bloggers who can share their experiences with a wide audience. This can be more impactful than traditional influencer marketing for other businesses.
  • Local Attractions: Many hotel guests are interested in exploring the local area. Hotels can use social media to promote nearby attractions, restaurants, and activities.
  • Booking and Reservations: Hotels can directly benefit from social media bookings and reservations. Travelers can click through from a social media post to the hotel’s booking page and make reservations, which is more direct and immediate than many other businesses’ conversion processes.
  • Trust and Reputation: Social media reviews and responses play a crucial role in managing and enhancing a hotel’s reputation.
  • Customer Support and Engagement: Hotels often use social media for real-time customer support, answering queries, addressing concerns, and providing information about amenities and services.
  • Local and International Audience: Hotels have the potential to attract both local and international guests, making their social media strategies more diverse and complex compared to businesses that primarily serve a local market.

In summary, promoting a hotel on social media is unique because it combines visual appeal, emotions, experiences, user-generated content, influencer collaborations, local attractions, and direct booking opportunities. Additionally, the hospitality industry places a strong emphasis on reputation management and customer engagement through social media. These factors make the social media strategy for hotels distinct from that of many other businesses, thereby posing both a unique challenge for marketers, as well as a broad spectrum of creative opportunities.

Don’t let the Holiday Opportunities Slip Away

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Now is the time to think about holiday promotions.

Special holiday promotions can provide a range of benefits for businesses, making them a valuable strategy for driving sales, increasing brand awareness, and fostering customer loyalty.  Most importantly, they can help increase sales and provide a boost in annual revenue.  Shoppers are in a buying mood during holidays, and special deals and discounts can draw their attention and bring them into your community.  With well-crafted and strategically-placed promotions, you can realize the double benefit of increasing sales while at the same time attracting new engagement from a wider audience. 

The holiday approach to promotion exists in its own category, although much of the promotional and content development processes are the same as for any other time of the year.  With a keen focus on prior or existing customers, the holiday promotion strategy will enable you to attract them again to return to your business.  Loyalty can and should be rewarded.  Customers who have had a positive shopping experience in the past can be enticed with targeted messaging. 

When it comes to branding and building a positive association in the mind of your audience, holidays offer an optimal opportunity to increase your visibility and exposure.  People are actively searching for holiday-related products and services, and your promotions can put your business in front of a larger audience.

As always, keep track of what your competitors are doing.  If you’re lucky enough to catch them sleeping (or otherwise, taking their own time off during the holidays), holiday promotions can give your business an edge. 

Planning ahead is key.  Special holiday promotions can help you clear out excess inventory, especially if you have seasonal or limited-time items, but otherwise, supply chain planning and ensuring that sufficient inventory is available is essential.  Holidays provide a clear calendar for planning promotions well in advance, which allows you to coordinate marketing efforts, prepare inventory, and align your team’s focus.

Holiday Promotions on Social Media

That said, the list of possibilities for social media marketing during the holidays is longer than a child’s letter to Santa Claus.  Holiday promotions provide you with unique content to share on your website, social media, and email marketing campaigns. This content can engage your audience and keep them interested in your brand, and of course, drive a spike in sales at the time of the year when profit is most useful.

  • Tailor Content to the Holiday:  Craft content that is specific to the holiday, whether it’s Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or a cultural holiday. Use holiday-themed visuals, colors, and messaging to make your content relevant.
  • Promotions and Discounts:  Offer holiday-themed promotions, discounts, or special offers to incentivize customers to make a purchase. You can create special coupon codes or limited-time offers exclusive to the holiday period.
  • Contests and Giveaways:  Run holiday-themed contests, giveaways, or sweepstakes.
  • Generate engagement:  Encourage user-generated content by asking followers to share their holiday-related photos or stories related to your products or services.
  • Share Stories:  Use storytelling to connect with your audience emotionally. Share anecdotes or narratives that resonate with the holiday spirit, values, or traditions.
  • Create Holiday Hashtags:  Develop unique hashtags for your holiday campaigns to make it easier for users to discover and engage with your content. Encourage your followers to use these hashtags in their posts as well.
  • Festive Visuals:  Design your social media profiles and posts with holiday-themed visuals, such as customized profile and cover images.  High-quality images, graphics, and videos that capture the holiday spirit are essential.  A temporary holiday facelift to your own avatar offers a nice touch.
  • Engage with Your Audience:  As always, respond promptly to comments, messages, and mentions during the holiday season.  Particularly during holiday periods, time is of the essence.  Engage effectively and show appreciation for your followers’ participation.
  • Countdowns and Reminders:  Build anticipation by creating countdown posts leading up to the holiday.
  • Charitable Initiatives:  Consider tying your holiday marketing efforts to a charitable cause or community involvement.  Show your business’s commitment to social responsibility during the holiday season.
  • Cross-Promotions:  Partner with complementary businesses for cross-promotions.  Collaborate on joint campaigns or giveaways to expand your reach and tap into each other’s audiences.
  • Email Marketing Integration:  Sync your holiday social media marketing efforts with your email marketing campaigns for a cohesive and consistent message across all channels.

Each year, aim to expand your marketing activity based on the success of the previous year.  Monitor the performance of your holiday campaigns using social media analytics tools.  Track metrics such as engagement, click-through rates, conversion rates, and sales generated during the holiday period.

It’s not over when the holiday is over.  Leverage your audience and continue to engage after the holiday. The key to successful holiday social media marketing is to strike a balance between promoting your products or services and genuinely celebrating the holiday spirit.  Authenticity and creativity are crucial.

While holiday promotions offer great potential, it is essential to plan them carefully to align with your business goals and ensure they are financially sustainable. Striking the right balance between attracting customers and maintaining profitability is key to reaping the full benefits of holiday promotions.

Case Study – Grooming and Pet Services

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Content Savants has had the privilege of working with a wide range of clients and business types, from hotels and restaurants, to specialty manufacturing and services.  One of our more unique clients is with a small pet boarding establishment situated in Kuala Lumpur’s charming Sri Petaling neighborhood. 

Through the generation of mainly graphical social media content and strategic implementation of a consistent meme-based campaign on Facebook and Instagram, the pet services salon has experienced a remarkable turnaround in customer queries and social reach.  What was once a fledgling business, frequently grappling with days of no customers, transitioned into into a thriving enterprise that saw a steady stream of clients. This initial surge in positivity paved the way for sustained growth, culminating in profitability just four months down the line.

This transitional phase marked a significant operational improvement and served as a catalyst for the business’s success.  Content Savants continued to collaborate closely with the business owners, as they expanded their set of services from only pet boarding to also include a specialty retail shop, and in partnership with a local free agent groomer, grooming services for dogs and cats.  As a result of the social media campaign support, the initial results boasted a monthly Return on Investment (RoI) exceeding a remarkable 100% for their social media marketing expenditures.

Content Savants’ content services empowered the pet boarding business to engage in frequent and consistent social media posting, a strategy that drew the attention of their existing following (over 3,000 followers already on Facebook), which had grown organically over the business’s three-year history. The number of followers also showed steady growth, increasing by approximately 5% each month. While this metric hinted at further optimization opportunities, the immediate focus for the business was to enhance their appeal to existing customers, with other metrics taking a backseat to the bottom line. Content Savants aligned their approach with this priority during initial discussions with the business, devising a cost-effective strategy to generate early, positive results.

The social media theme was built upon two fundamental principles:

  • Branding:  Fostering a positive association between the business and its customers over time.  The implementation strategy also involved creating content featuring quotes about dogs and cats from renowned authors, actors, and other celebrities, which were then transformed into engaging memes and shared on Facebook and Instagram.  This content not only supported the goal of forging positive associations but also positioned the business alongside influential figures, leaving a favorable impression on customers who recognized these beloved personalities sharing their love for animals.
  • Personal Attention:  highlighting the personalized nature of the boarding services, and contrasting these to many of its competitors, which often confined their overnight guests in cages. This theme was brought to life through the inclusion of original photographs taken within the shop, depicting animals in playful and enjoyable settings. A diverse array of images showcased dogs and cats of various breeds, along with the occasional appearance of unique pets that the establishment accommodated from time to time.

While the initial phase of the pet shop’s online presence proved sufficient to propel the business to profitability and achieve a social media RoI that exceeded expectations, a second phase called for a more sophisticated approach, which included management of a marketing campaign that seamlessly blended online social media engagement with regular blog updates on the business’s website.

This more holistic and comprehensive approach is made possible thanks to the foundational efforts of its initial strategy, which relied on simple content development and consistent publishing to its growing audience.  This strategy is available to any business with an online presence.

The key to success with this approach has been proven over and again in the context of nearly every business venture.  Getting started requires the following (easy) steps:

  • Pick a Platform:  Deciding on a preferred social media platform as the initial focus of communication and building a mass audience.  Facebook… Instagram… Youtube… these and many others are fully suitable for a beginning campaign.  Start with whichever is most familiar to you. 
  • Use it Effectively:  Learn more and more over time about what the platform offers and how to use it effectively. 
  • Develop a Theme:  Or rather, an online personality, or a voice through which you will express your thoughts.  This is really about thinking of what to say, then how to say it.  Search similar businesses online for inspiration (not copying!  Remember, search engines are very harsh on copied content).
  • Focus on Consistency:  Finding the time and pushing away the distractions to start writing, developing graphics, videos and any other format that will engage your audience and capture their eyeballs.
  • Up your game:  Once you have a foundation of content in place, published consistently over an extended period of time, your skills will gradually improve and you will begin to seek out additional, more sophisticated ways to engage your audience. 

The early success of the pet board business and its social media marketing strategy serves as a testament to the immense potential of this medium in elevating business profiles and captivating the attention of online customers.