Brown Bag Lunch & Learn
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BROWN BAG LUNCH & LEARN
Transcript of Brown Bag Lunch & Learn
BROWN BAGLUNCH & LEARN
Visit Natchez Staff
Executive DirectorJennifer [email protected]
Director of SalesLynsey [email protected]
Culture and Heritage TourismDarrell [email protected]
Administrative Assistant & ReceptionistJawana [email protected]
Director of Community & Public RelationsStratton W. [email protected]
Social Media, Marketing & Digital AssistantKatie [email protected]
Monday - Friday 8:30AM to 5PM at 1-800-647-6724640 S. Canal Street, Natchez
Tourism Partners Resources
Join the Facebook group “Visit Natchez Tourism Partners”
Visit Natchez monthly Tourism Partner Newsletter
Events/Live Music Calendar on visitnatchez.org
Resources page on visitnatchez.org
Learn from Our Locals
www.visitnatchez.org
Weekly Events Newsletter
What can I find under the Resources Page?
Simpleview CRM Partner Login
Tour Guide Notes
Marketing Assistance, Co-Op Ads
Licensing & Public Records Request
Strategic Partners
NCPC & TMAC Members
Visit Natchez Staff Directory
Natchez Tourism Partner Newsletter Signup
Submit an Event
Submit a Special/Deal
Submit a Special/Deal or Event
Submit an Event
Once events are reviewed they will appear in the Calendar of Events or Live Music Calendar
Please fill out as much of the information as you can – especially an image or flyer for your event.
Submit a Special/Deal
You can promote a special or deal that your business is offering,
Accommodations Specials
Drink & Dining Specials
Once the specials are reviewed they will appear in your business page on the visitnatchez.org website.
Please fill out as much of the information as you can.
www.visitnatchez.org
Troy Bickford
Clermont Bluffs B&B, Natchez
[email protected]| PHONE: 601.653.1120 | WWW.CLERMONTBLUFFS.COM
Google & SEO Basics for your business
QUICK DEFINITIONS
• Google – the primary Search Engine used to find things on the
internet. Google has expanded far beyond this to include
Advertising, Data Services and business tools such as Google My
Business.
• SEO – Search Engine Optimization; the art/science of maximizing
the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring that the
site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine.
WHY IS GOOGLE IMPORTANT FOR BUSINESSES
• It’s Free
• Gives you a presence online
• Can function like a website (place to list info about your business)
• Your location will appear on Google
• Get reviews
• Engage with your customers
• GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS !!!
GOOGLE – PAGE 1
“OPTIMIZE” YOUR WEBPAGE
• New “Relevant” content
• New Photos
• Link listed on Google My Business page
• Performance indicators
• Google Speed Tests
• “Responsive” vs. mobile friendly – may impact your ranking
YOU CAN’T OUTSMART GOOGLE
• Things that don’t work
• Write Keyword Rich Content for Better Ranking
• Get More Links to Rank Higher
• Build More Pages to Get More Traffic
• Neglect new image content
GOOGLE MY BUSINESS
• Google My Business is a free tool that allows you to promote your
Business Profile and business website on Google Search and Maps. With your Google My Business account, you can see and connect with your customers, post updates to your Business Profile, and see how customers are interacting with your business on Google
• The tool google uses to establish a profile on the web for your business
• Allows you access to Google Analytics
GOOGLE ANALYTICS
GOOGLE ANALYTICS
GOOGLE HELP!
• A website is an investment of time, energy and money
• Talk to…peers, other locals, others in industry
• Don’t settle for first recommendation
• Set up a Google My Business account and…
• Use Google Analytics daily!
• You can’t hurt anything!
Visit Natchez @visitnatchez #visitnatchez
and Social Platforms
Doug Mauro, Historic Oak Hill Inn, Natchez, MS
Angela D. Smith, ADsmith Marketing & Advertising, Springfield, MO
March 11, 2019
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The Stats: (as of 3/07/19)
• #9 in the United States for 2019
• 1,142 reviews
– 1,130 of which are “excellent”
– 98.9% top rating
• #1 of 44 B&Bs in Natchez
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Why This MattersHow Midwesterners make travel decisions: Springfield, MO Survey on Travel Selection Habits
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Survey conducted 3/06/19 with 19% response rate in 6 hours
Who are they?
• All live in or around Springfield, Missouri
• All have opted into ADsmith’s database and like to be surveyed
• Database skews female
• Database skews 50+
• Accustomed to providing quick, honest feedback on a variety of topics
Income Range
– Less than $25k: 4%
– $25k-$49,999: 22%
– $50k-$74,999: 26%
– $75k-$99,999: 21%
– $100,000+: 27%
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About the respondents
Gender
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– 67% Female
Age
62.67%
30 - 59
Interests influencing travel choices in the continental US
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67.94% would drive 8+ hours to the right destination
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1-2 Hours0%
2-4 Hours9%
4-6 Hours10%
6-8 Hours13%
8-10 Hours
21%
10-15 Hours
19%
15-20 Hours
14%
20+ Hours
14%
1-2 Hours 2-4 Hours 4-6 Hours 6-8 Hours 8-10 Hours 10-15 Hours 15-20 Hours 20+ Hours
If you could only select ONE final deciding factor regarding vacation destinations, what would it be?
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• When asked if they research travel destinations or accommodations online, 97.67% said yes.
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• When asked if they read reviews when choosing accommodations, 96.55% said yes.
• When asked if they have used 76.74% said yes.
TrendsMaking the Connection with Consumers
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Connecting in today’s environment
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• It’s a HUGE pond
– As of February 2019 there are over 1.9 billion websites.
• You must be relevant to be found
– Owning search terms is critical
– A strong digital footprint is Queen
– Content is King
In order to stand out in today’s digital world you must be available at as many “trigger moments” as possible.
http://www.internetlivestats.com/total-number-of-websites/
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Online and Mobile Optimization is Critical
34http://www.digitalcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/2017-Digital-Future-Report.pdf
Time spent with digital media, specifically mobile, continues to grow
Smartphone addicts:
The proportion of people accessing
the internet from mobile devices has
risen from 23 percent in 2010 to 84 percent now. Smartphone e-mail use
jumped from 21 to 79 percent, and music streaming on phones soared
from 13 to 67 percent. We love them
smartphones.
Nearly always on:
Since 2000, time spent online every
week by an average American has
risen from 9.4 hours to 23.6. Of that,
time spent ogling the internet at
home has risen from 3.3 to 17.6 hours a week over the same period.
Video and video ads are critical for success
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Studies expect video to account for a whopping 85% of
total internet traffic by 2019.
54% of internet users already watch video on a social
media platform monthly, and that number will only grow
over the coming years.
65% of ad impressions on Instagram were the result of
video content.
https://www.socialreport.com/insights/article/360000663006-7-Digital-Marketing-Trends-That-Will-Own-2019
Studies reveal that marketers
have just 10 seconds to grab an
audience and call them to
action. After these 10 seconds,
the engagement drops off
significantly. The axe falls, and the
audience will continue to scroll
down or click away.
https://sociable.co/social-media/video-audiences-engagement/
Video Content on Oak Hill’s Website
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Tips
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Social Media Tips for Hospitality Businesses
1. Don’t be intimidated by all the available platforms • Identify your target tourists; know the social networks they use most often
• Pick one or two that you understand, and work them to your advantage
2. Establish what you want to accomplish with social media and who you want to reach• Establish a tone and content plan – to ensure consistency
3. Set measurable, relevant goals• Could be number of positive reviews
• Might be number of likes or shares
4. Find the best person in your business or organization to manage your social platforms
Social Media Tips for Hospitality Businesses
5. Always have content ready to go (new photos, new menu items, new video content, etc.)
6. Involve your fans or followers
7. Embrace your brand personality
8. Encourage interaction. Ask questions, ask opinions, ask them to post their images of events with a set hashtag
9. Monitor your analytics – top performing content will have greater reach and levels of interaction
10.Keep your website current for maximum user experience
Questions?
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1736 E. Sunshine, Suite 801 | Springfield, MO 65804P. 417.881.7722 | www.ADsmith.biz | www.ADsmithStudio.com
Angela Smith
Owner
THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING
Stay tuned for the date of the next Brown Bag Lunch & Learn!
