Posts Tagged ‘social media PR’

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Fake Twitter accounts to increase followers?

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Stay tuned for the new look of Didi Lutz PR! 

Meanwhile, I received an interesting email from one of the loyal readers to my blog who was asking what I thought about opening fake Twitter accounts for companies just to increase the number of followers.  Even though something like a fake account can be more or less harmless, where does it weigh in on the ethics scale?

As a rule of thumb in my practice, I believe that if you have to question something it means there’s a reason to do so.  Just like with false reviews on TripAdvisor and such sites, fake accounts on social media networks are supposedly created to increase stats and numbers to influence the public perception of a company.  I have emphasized several times in my posts that the quality of followers on Twitter/FB outweigh the quantity.   Specifically, I think that Twitter is what you make of it, and how you can find a way to make it work for you.  I don’t see how fake accounts help in any way other than for stats, but if marketing/PR strategists are smart they will look beyond the number of followers per month, and look at the quality of the dialogue, posts and communication on the Twitter page to determine success instead.

Twitter’s popularity has already decreased, so going through the process of creating false accounts to show higher numbers in followers doesn’t make much sense anyway.

Follow me on www.twitter.com/dd300

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »

The future of online content

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Nearly 90% of my work involves some form of writing to service my clients’ business needs.  PR requires a solid writing ability and a very specific skill set of intuitively knowing who will be interested in reading your content and why.

Part of my work also involves monitoring the news environment, which has almost completely moved to online from the traditional print pubs.  It used to be where online content would supplement print.  The publishing crisis changed all of that, and now I would safely say that it’s the other way around.  In today’s world, print articles are outdated the minute they are published, and therefore they have become pretty showpieces of a nostalgic past where flipping pages was more satisfying than scrolling down to “read more” on a screen.  The need and the capability to immediately comment on articles sealed the deal for print pubs.  Period.

Clearly, the publishing crisis has impacted all of the IMC components, with a particular emphasis on PR.   Nowadays, I scan so many websites for content, I’m baffled with how many “experts” there are posting articles such as, “5 key points to…,” or ”7 trends to monitor…” and so on.  Everyone has become a reporter of some kind, but the ability and the skill to write is absent in too many of these mainstream, mislabeled, yet keyword-rich articles.  There’s so much to sift through, and absorb, it makes me wonder: what will content look like by 2020?

In 2010, we know that social media will drive content, and social networks are likely to continue dictating what is actually being read and absorbed, versus simply skimmed and shared. 

Big questions to ask:

1) Is quality of content gradually becoming more important in the face of the infinite amount of regurgitated content that just reads a little differently than the previous post?   

2) If content is closely tied to social media, what does that say about the future of the fickle three: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn?  Can we get enough quality content through these social networks so that they continue to be credible sources of information, as much as they have become marketing tools? 

3)  What is the next step once we reach the point of content saturation?  We all love informative articles that can help us shape opinions, and start conversations.  What happens when the online content world becomes too cluttered to make a real impact? 

I think that one of the issues is that too much content is free.   We’re noticing that some news sites are planning to start charging for readership in the next year or so.  If charging for content becomes mainstream, then it will be interesting to see how that will change the content world as we know it today.

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 3 Comments »

Hotels: when innovative PR becomes over-the-top

Monday, January 25th, 2010

As PR practitioners, our focus is to communicate strategic messages by developing sharp, quirky, innovative, and, above all, newsworthy story angles.

We all sometimes get carried away with becoming overly eager to stand out in a message-cluttered environment.  Is there danger to developing news items that are just too innovative… to the point of disgust?

I came across this article about strange jobsin hotels on Consumerist, and there  are apparently Holiday Inns in the UK that employ professional snugglers to pre-warm a guest’s bed!  Just take a look at all the negative comments to taking such a bold step of doing PR around such an invasive amenity!  While I don’t know, I am assuming Holiday Inn was looking for a quirky, personalized amenity to satisfy guests while obtaining PR in the process.

Who wants pre-warmed beds with a strangers’ smell or hair on their pillow?  

I have not verified this odd amenity with Holiday Inn, but this article has gone viral - I found it through a friend on Facebook. 

I guess this raises the question… when does innovative become just too much?  And do you really think that there is no such thing as bad publicity??

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »

Hotels: does Facebook increase reservations?

Monday, October 26th, 2009

Let’s think about this for a minute.  Finally, hotels have stepped up their social networking efforts.  We applaud those who have taken that step.  But, with what mindset and expectations do hotel create their fan page? 

Like all things new, Facebook is still growing and evolving, albeit at a much slower pace than the past couple of years.  In 2009, more and more businesses are determining that a presence on Facebook is a “must” for their mainstream marketing.  I have to agree with that approach.  However, defining the space around the Facebook page and what it can actually do is a different story. 

It’s necessary to make your Facebook page engaging, with photos, comments, updates, fun specials, interesting facts that relate to your hotel, and make it welcoming enough for fans to participate.  I doubt that a ton of reservations will come out of Facebook just because a page has a lot of fans.  But, I do think that the viral component of Facebook is very effective and gets the hotel’s name and message out there faster, and with the credibility of the network of people who are fans.

Does the fact that a boutique hotel has a Facebook page influence my decision to book?  Not much.  Am I impressed that the boutique hotel has a Facebook page?  Absolutely!

Nourish the page.  You have nothing to lose and fans to gain.

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »

PR and destination marketing

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Inspired by the recent “36 Hours Copenhagen” in the global edition of the New York Times, I was reminded how important it is for hospitality PR to broaden its efforts to include destination marketing.

While practicing PR for a hotel, resort, spa, or a small B&B, from traditional media relations to tweeting messages, there is not much you can do without casting a wider net to provide spotlight on the destination.  For instance, the Hotel Heritageis a 24-room four star hotel in Bruges.  As a PR person, I have to raise awareness about the destination itself through strategic tactics, and also partnering on efforts with the local tourism offices.  Doing PR just focused on the hotel isn’t enough or effective.   Otherwise, the media might not know where Bruges is, or that it is the best preserved medieval city in Europe (well… unless you saw the movie In Bruges, of course!)

The point is, so many times I see great hotel packages and renovations announced and other quirky angles, yet little effort in generating awareness about the destination the hotel is in!  A good travel PR person knows that the first responsibility is to generate sharp angles for a property that lend themselves to providing exposure to the destination as a whole.  While often complex, that communications strategy nearly never misses, and you will be adding PR value not only to your property, but travel value to the location it is in.

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 1 Comment »

Hotels on Twitter? Indeed!

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

So, I’m finally understanding Twitter better and feel more positive about its impact.  While in some ways similar to other social networks, Twitter is all about news and updates in real time.  Forget the fluff, the smiling faces and the photo albums.  It’s about pushing information and news to the public = your followers.  I’ve been reading threads by hotel GMs if they should invest time in social media and opinions vary.  The answer is: you have to do it right.

There’s no use being on Twitter, for instance, if you write an update once a week or once a month.  You have to keep the news flow going with information.  But, it’s so easy to become annoying by inundating your followers with useless updates just to Tweet something.  The key is to strike a balance with generous, yet real information that can be useful.  And adding tiny links are great in reinforcing the Tweet.

I’ve been fascinated with Twitter lately because what it is evolving into, and there is no end in sight.  What’s equally interesting is that it’s still one of those social networks where the majority of people have either already mastered using, or have no idea how to use yet.  Hotels appear to be in the segment of those who are undecided.  I was particularly excited that the Hotel Heritage joined Twitter today (www.twitter.com/heritagebruges).  Less than six months ago, the award winning Bruges hotel was interested in expanding its PR efforts to reflect new trends, and is now incorporating social media into its campaign.  Already, the hotel has a fan base on Facebook that keeps growing.  It takes time to build a good base on social networks.  But, it works; past guests have reconnected, and the hotel has now found additional and more immediate ways to get messages delivered to members of its audience.  And this is only the beginning.

I vote YES to Twitter when used efficiently by hotels!

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, PR, Top Accommodations | 2 Comments »

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