Archive for the ‘European Destinations’ Category
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
Hotels are increasingly securing a healthy presence on Facebook and Twitter - the two main social networks that make sense to be on… today (this post may be completely outdated in a month, that is how fickle social media are).
Assuming you have someone in-house, or an independent PR pro who is dedicated to monitoring, updating and overseeing your social media accounts, you should ask yourself: is that enough?
Posting one update a day may be consistent, but probably not enough to start truly engaging conversations. Determine what your goals are from your presence on social media. Then, find what makes your guests talk… if it is your restaurant’s specials, talk about them. If it is a seasonal drink at the bar, or an exciting amenity (yoga comes to mind!) reach out and get some feedback. The more you think in terms of your fans and followers, the higher the post quality on your pages.
Good pages inspire fans to create new social media groups to continue and carry on the conversation, to make it as viral as possible. Invest in the right professional to oversee your social media campaign, and have your finger on the pulse to evaluate its success.
Share on Facebook
Tags: facebook and hotels, hospitality pr, hotel pr, pr professionals, social media pr 2010, social media trends 2010, Twitter and hotels, yoga in hotels
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
If you had asked me as little as six months ago, I’d tell you that yoga is not for me, that I can find other ways to relax my mind and seek physical and emotional discipline. Fast forward to today, and I can’t imagine not including yoga practice in my life, even if I’m traveling.
Enter Michelle Higgins’ fabulous New York Times article on hotels offering yoga as an amenity for guests. First, it was wi-fi, then free DVD libraries, and fitness salons. Now, yoga is a sought-after amenity in hotels. Most of us who travel look up places near where we are staying so we can plan our yoga practice. However, that’s not always very conducive, so hotels have picked up on that need and are offering classes on property as part of their spa services. Of course, you can’t be particularly picky about the style of yoga offered (I can’t expect to find the hot yoga I practice in hotels), so a typical flow yoga class would fulfill the guests’ need.
There’s a big PR opportunity here for hotels to act on this emerging amenity trend. Whether it’s the frequency of the yoga classes, or the type of yoga, or even if its offered complimentary for the business traveler (I’d take yoga over free breakfast!), there is a conversation going on that hotels can successfully moderate to their advantage.
Share on Facebook
Tags: hospitality pr, hotel trends 2010, hotels and PR, luxury amenities, spa and yoga in hotels, yoga and travel, yoga hotel amenity, yoga in hotels
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 4 Comments »
Monday, February 8th, 2010
Last year, I wrote a post about how social media had become a part of our daily lives as PR people, and why embracing the dynamic would be crucial to our success and our clients’ success.
Just under a year later, I’m finding that social media take about 50% of my time, on average, versus traditional media relations. Since social media are so versatile they are used for other functions of IMC, such as advertising, online marketing, and other marcomm areas. Depending on the client, monitoring and working on social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs) have become more than just part of my checklist. They are a priority since social media networks make messages viral, and it has come to PR pros to not only understand the functions of various social media, but how to work with them effectively. But, the spectrum is evolving daily. What worked a couple of months ago, won’t be as popular soon on FB. Discussions grow or are quickly abandoned on Twitter. Driving good website traffic is challenging with so much “garbage” posted out there. And now I’ve been reading more and more about Ning, www.ning.com. Hold that thought for a couple of months… perhaps this will be the new network to be on. Though I’ve been reading that Ning is not competing with FB at all.
Regardless, all of these networks are tireless monsters that must be fed often several times a day. As PR people, we constantly need to be alert and on our toes and keeping up with social media chew up a lot of time. In that effort, we’re also learning when to shy from information, and when to share it.
Sometimes I just miss writing a press release… and I fondly think of my BU professors, who kept reminding us of how many spaces we should have between the sub-headline and the main body. Wait, that was less than decade ago…so much in PR and publishing has changed since then.
Share on Facebook
Tags: ning emerging social network, ning pr, online writing PR, pr checklist social networking, social media and PR, social media writing
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »
Saturday, January 30th, 2010
Thinking back about a year ago, or so, most of us (including myself) didn’t understand how to use Twitter and what its purpose was. I started a Twitter account sometime in January 2009, but kept it idle for the longest time because I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to tweet about. Plus, I was unsure of who I should be following, and more importantly, why.
After following some experienced tweeters, mostly media like the WSJ, NYTimes, CNN, some self-proclaimed experts, and other business publications, I gradually figured out that Twitter is what you make of it. Just like at a party or at work, the quality the conversation you follow or engage in is really up to you. But on Twitter, you can choose to follow these conversations, or walk away from them without feeling embarrassed.
A year later, I still come across the annoying tweets about who had what for breakfast and why someone chose cinnamon coffee over hazelnut. That’s not why I stay current on Twitter. I’m noticing that the garbage tweets (as I call them) are still out there, but deteriorating. I also think the network has become more of a news forum, or, at the very least least, it provides an opportunity to share info quickly and efficiently. I find out about many headlines on Twitter before I open www.nytimes.com some days. It’s fascinating.
On the other hand, there is etiquette that users should follow… For instance, those who link to other Twitter pages and not the actual article is just mean. It’s an instant reason to unfollow or never retweet anything by that user. Other etiquette includes friendly DMs without the constant sales push. Saying “thanks for the RT” is also very polite.
My prediction is that Twitter may start becoming a little more personal in 2010, as it continues to evolve. I’m not sure how much more Twitter can grow, but perhaps growing should not be the focus right now, but instead evaluating the quality of its content should be what’s important this year. And to make Twitter credible and full of accurate, interesting information will depend on how its users share it.
Share on Facebook
Tags: quality tweets, tweets, tweets and good information, twitter 2010, twitter and PR, twitter evolution, will twitter survive
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »
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??
Share on Facebook
Tags: bad pr, holiday inn pre-warm beds, innovative pr, social media PR, viral messages
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
Ah, yes, my quest to examine why PR people are generally considered hacks and flacks and trying to shift that perception continues into 2010!
Sometimes I am asked what makes a PR person good. As in, really, really good? The truth is, I’m still trying to figure that out myself. I can, however, spot the difference between PR people who have a sales personality and don’t have a clue about messaging, and those who can write razon sharp pitches that end up fantastic placements. PR is a process that requires true skill.
The guru wears the smile and shakes hands and talks, talks, talks your head off about their client whether or not the reporter cares. Gurus go to nearly every event there is just to make their presence known. They have mastered the art of working a room like you don’t believe and as soon as they are done bombarding guests about their clients of the month, they are out! Don’t get me wrong, there is value in that form of PR and working a room is certainly a skill. Their personality comes out in the writing, overusing those poor exclamation points, and choosing words that offer an unnecessary sense of tremendous urgency in the pitch.
Pros are more reserved and choose carefully which events to attend, and strategically think through the message. If attending events, they are not concerned as much with the message, because they are already strong writers (a skill which many gurus lack). They are preoccupied with how to communicate the message so it has impact. This earns them source credibility because they truly value their relationships with the press. In fact, there’s tremendous psychology involved within PR, and pros understand that. Most importantly, pros’ powerful writing skills create newsworthy stories.
So, where gurus master the art of presence, pros have mastered the art of anticipation.
There’s a lot to argue here, but it boils down to developing the right skill set that will influence trends and subsequently news cycles: Good PR people know when to pitch and how to answer media questions well. Great PR people have already anticipated those questions, so reporters don’t even have to ask.
Gurus fit in somewhere, too, I guess. Actually, I don’t like the word guru at all.
Share on Facebook
Tags: ethics in pr, hacks and flacks, pr gurus, pr misconceptions, pr myths, pr professionals, pr skills, pr writing, public relations strategic function, spinning and pr
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »
Friday, January 15th, 2010
I seized the opportunity and started working for myself around this time in 2005. Five years later, I’m happy to be practicing in a field I believe in, and specialize in an industry that is dear to my heart. I feel lucky to have supportive colleagues, clients, friends and family, who have stuck by me through the challenging cycles of business. The experience I have gained the past years is invaluable; especially now with the changing media environment, and how it affects the PR process.
Five years later, I find that staying true to yourself in business, and, in life, for that matter, is the most challenging and rewarding process of all.
Share on Facebook
Tags: didi lutz pr, hospitality pr, public relations
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Hmmm… I somewhat disagree with Joel Stein’s article in TIME, and I generally enjoy reading his columns (TIME remains one of the few pubs I just refuse to read online).
While I agree that we’re not always eager to look at each other when we talk on the phone, I have found that Skype has remarkable call quality and you easily have the option not to video call. You can just IM if you want. Or just talk as you are working. With Skype, you have distinct communication options that allow for much discretion. I use Skype to talk to clients and reporters, but mainly I love to use it when I talk to my friends and family in Europe. For FREE! Hello? And I can see them if I want to.
I don’t think you can beat that by washing dishes when you talk on a regular phone just to save some time. It depends how you use Skype, and how you understand its dynamic. The article also raises the big question: why are we so innovative with communication technology, if in the end all we do is avoid direct communication as much as possible?
Share on Facebook
Tags: joel stein, skype, skype and pr, TIME, video calls, videoconferencing
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
With print in crisis, small online newspapers have become increasingly popular in the past couple of years and the trend keeps growing. Since most small online outlets don’t charge for subscriptions (unlike some large ones… I did shell out $100 for my annual Wall Street Journal access), as a PR professional it makes sense to understand the dynamic of boutique media outlets, follow their content and find a way to work with the editors.
The beauty on online newspapers+radio is that you achieve global reach with very short lead times. I just had the best experience; a good friend of mine and her husband have begun an online newspaper in Greece named ProtiEkdosi, which draws informational content from breaking news to lifestyle and travel. It also has a radio program. Within hours I was able to contact them and let them know of a special hotel package I am working on for Valentine’s Day! Friend them on Facebook at ProtiEkdosi.gr
Online newspapers and radio just like Proti Ekdosi and Enimerosi radio are growing and from a PR perspective it is important to include them in pitches, and press lists.
Share on Facebook
Tags: greek online news, online newspapers, PR and online newspapers, web media
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 1 Comment »
Friday, January 8th, 2010
I’ve been on Twitter for about a year now. There are still things I’d love to change about it, but there are some things I like about it, and one of them is its immediacy.
If there’s one thing about Twitter it is an impersonal social network. It’s actually better to share tweets and follow people you don’t know, rather than your friends on Facebook. There’s something about sharing news and tidbits with people who are interested in a conversation or topic.
So when someone follows you on Twitter, do you turn on the auto welcome response or not? I get those “thanks for the follow, we look forward to your tweets” all the time. I generally don’t mind those as much as other DM messages that self-promote garbage links and things I never asked for. But, just because Twitter is impersonal, isn’t it up to us to approach our network and value it from the start?
While I haven’t begun sending personalized thank you DMs to each of my new followers, I think it’s worth it to find the time and do it. If you can’t send a quick and personalized welcome that basically appreciates the follow, then don’t bother with auto responses. I’ve actually read some people automatically unfollow those who send general DMs like that.
Hotels: I would absolutely recommend sending a welcome message to your followers and make it personal. If you want to go the extra step, as we are doing at the Hotel Heritage for a limited time, we’re offering a comp drink at the bar for new followers. Whatever you do as a welcome response, personalize those 140 characters.
And perhaps someday Twitter might become less impersonal.
Share on Facebook
Tags: Hotels and Twitter, twitter and dms, twitter auto response, twitter welcome response, unfollow
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 1 Comment »