Alberta Business Marketing

Latest trends in mobile:

• over a third of folks are using Facebook with their handheld device. (that’s over 200 Million people!)
• Travelport reports more than half of business customers now use mobile technology for researching and booking hotels.
• 80% of these folks said mobile applications offering suggested restaurants and bars around the hotel location and a similar number want suggestions for recreational activities.
• 71% think Wi-Fi should be standard in hotel rooms.  (Just who are the other 29% hotel bookkeepers?)
• EMarketer estimates that 31% of mobile Internet users / 34% of smartphone users (nearly 25 million US mobile users) will research travel information on their mobile devices before making a trip this year. Nearly 12 million will use the mobile channel to book their plans.

I have answers to the most common reasons why many tourism folks haven’t started working on a handheld version of their website.

• You don’t know where to start. You hesitating because you don’t know what to do or how to do it.   Ask your guests what kind of info would be helpful.  Think like a traveler.  That’s a good start. Then see this little video.
  • Start with a map
  • Your phone number
  • Your SMS text number (if you don’t have one, get one.  Simple solution is a dedicated cell phone, but there are other options – Google Voice, Toktumi.)

• You can’t afford another website. You can’t afford NOT to have a mobile site.  Your traditional website will be gathering dust and be all but forgotten once you see the responses to your mobile efforts grow.  Check out Onbile.com and try their mobile website creation tool.  We used it to create our site.  Makes it easy to make changes anytime online and opens in a browser for those with mobile devices instead of our main site.  Oh, btw, it’s Free.
• You think your site looks just fine on the tiny screens. Get real.  Even with those fancy phones that zoom in are poor substitute to a well designed mobile website.  Take care of simple things for your traveler with a clean minimalist site.
• You don’t have the time to get working on your mobile site. You will soon have lots of time.   When all the business is going to those who make the time to create their mobile site.
• You think this accelerating growth trend is temporary and that folks will soon abandon their mobile devices? Your website is probably still a free geocities website and you still use a  hotmail address.  How did you ever find yourself on this page discussing mobile websites and tourism?

What are your thoughts on mobile websites? Any tips or resources to share?  Do you use a mobile service, a web or app designer that could help others get their mobile site up and running?

Tags: do's and don'ts, mobile web, mobile website, tourism
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In designing marketing materials it’s best to think like the prospect your business wants to be marketing to; anticipate their needs and deliver benefits which match them.

In the case of producing digital marketing materials it’s helpful to know the size and type of screen your content is being viewed on.  It’s equally important to consider where your prospect is when they are accessing your message.  A third consideration is not only knowing how far away the prospect is geographically, but understanding the time frame that exists between the prospect viewing your content and making a purchase.

As little as a few years ago the time span between online inquiry and purchasing a travel experience averaged five weeks and numerous Internet searches.  The time between purchase and actually going on the trip was a few more weeks still.

Today, with the advent of handheld devices and 3G access to the Internet many travelers are waiting until they arrive at their destination before making a commitment with a service provider, shortening both the geographic distance and the time frame between being a prospect and making a purchase.

How does the graphic above change the way you promote and market your business?  As with traditional Web based marketing, focus on the four basics and practice getting your message accross in as few words as possible.

• headline
• great image or short video
• bulleted list of benefits you offer your ideal guest
• call to action

Social Media can provide Local Leads

Finally, be an actively engaged listener, paying attention to what travelers are asking and talking about on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.  For example, listen in on conversations using Twitter Search.  Be ready to engage with the last minute traveler who is walking around your city and you may be able to get them to enjoy your bed, your restaurant, or your travel experience.

How are you adapting to meet last minute, in-market travelers’ needs?

Tags: mobile web, tourism marketing, Twitter
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Telecommuting takes on a whole new meaning, thanks to my Telus Mobile Internet Stick and my iPhone.

What does my Telus Mobile Internet Stick give me – Freedom to work from whereever and whenever.  That is totally cool especially for this digital nomad!

Some of my peers escape to the mountains for hiking, mountain biking, rafting and other outdoor activities.  My perfect escape is chilling in the lounge of my favourite mountain park hotels and coffee shops – and yes it includes my laptop and cell phone.  I get my best work done when on the road travelling and being actually away from the day-to-day office distractions.

Some folks ideas of a mountain getaway includes their RV, Camping equipment or hiking boots. My Mountain escape equipment includes my hotel rewards card, MacBook and iPhone.  Having the freedom and the flexibility to escape the city is something I cherish as a Calgary Social Media Consultant and Search Engine Optimization professional.  Whenever the opportunity presents itself I pack up my MacBook, iPhone, Creative Juices and my mobile Internet and off to the Mountain Parks or Alberta badlands I go.

The mountain air is the perfect seed for creativity.

Having the tools to escape and remain connected provides this opportunity to get out of the city for the day.  I can enjoy time in the Mountains to plan and really strategize about the direction of our business and at the same time, keep in touch with my clients and continue to serve their needs when the need arises without them even knowing where I am.

What does it take to escape from the office on the perfect Canadian summer day?

Be open to an endless flow of ideas – Getting away from the rat race provides the perfect opportunity for you to escape the distractions of office life.  Leaving you completely free to focus on whatever you need to work on.  Need to tighten up your business plan, review last quarter’s sales figures or complete a project…getting away from the office facilitates the flow of great ideas and provides clarity.

Stop every once in while – Just stop and look out the window.  Be observant of everything going on around you.  Listen to the tourists speaking, the music playing in the background or the sounds of kids enjoying their family vacation.  You never know where your next great idea will come from.  Some times you need to get up and find a new spot or even just go for a walk.

Pack your own Telus Mobile Internet and Power – This is a must because you never know where you are going to set up camp.  Without your Internet  and your own power you may struggle to enjoy true freedom of working wherever you decide.  My mobile Internet stick and vehicle AC adapter provides the freedom to work from a picnic table, coffee shop or even the lobby of the hotel.  Whatever fits into your lifestyle. Don’t forget your power adapter and a spare battery as well.

What do I enjoy the most by having the ability to escape and my Telus Mobile Internet – FREEDOM!

Tags: Alberta Provincial Park, Business Success, Calgary, Calgary social media consultant, canada, Hospitality/Recreation, Internet, Internet Service, Internet stick, iphone, Mobile, mobile Internet, mobile Internet stick, mobile web, S&P/TSX 60 Index, search engine, technology, Technology/Internet, telecommuting, Telus, TELUS Corporation
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Tags: handheld, iphone, mobile web, multimedia, Web 3.0
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My conversation with David Janes @dpjanes (Discover Anywhere Mobile) asks the question:

Are a you Destination Marketing Organization or a Destination Make-them-spend-more-money-in-your-region Organization?

Download Podcast

In this 40 minute conversation, David and I cover a number of interesting content ideas for destination apps including:

• underestimating the growth of mobile
• understanding the needs of digital traveler
• the importance of finding the right partners
• marketing Web apps in a destination
• the importance of GPS location relevant data for the traveler
• the irrelevance of regional boundaries
• how Discover Anywhere Mobile does the work of integrating destination content into the app including: remapping the themes of experiences, events calendar, tracking changes (adding, modifying and deleting content for the host dmo) – so there is no need to upload your content to a content management system.
• why an app living on a device is more valuable than a Web app and why hosting data on the app is vital for minimizing data pull (roaming charges) for out of country users
• augmented reality
• integration of social media with real time communication from twitter users in the destination
• direct communication with the dmo from the app
• the importance of having Web Savvy staff at your DMO and partners in your community.
• issues and opportunities with making handheld payments from within an app.

Check out apps discussed in this podcast:

• Discover St. John’s app on the iTunes store
• Near Me BC app on the iTunes store

What do you think are the obstacles and opportunities of handheld applications for regional destination marketing organizations?

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Tags: apps, blackberry, dmo, iphone, mobile web, podcasts
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