There’s never a bad time to take an honest look at what your Internet presence is doing for your hotel or other lodging. Here are 11 tips for a website refresh.

1. Check that your home page and your entire site’s focus is clear; your call to action is fresh, changing and relevant.

2. Avoid clutter. From page and blog navigation to Social Media icons, a simple, clean design keep visitors on site longer. People have brief attention spans and block text is rarely read. Avoid flash whenever possible. Most visitors don’t like it nor do some browsers.

3. Make it easy to reach you by the visitor’s choice of methods. Phone, email, online chat, even fax are all important. Can these be found quickly no matter which page your visitor is on?

4. Accessing your website-integrated booking engine should be easy and consistent from each page.

5. Assure visitors that they’re getting the best rate right here and now.  Risk avoidance is high in people’s minds these days.

6. Present up-sell opportunities from the outset to achieve additional revenue opportunities.

7. Prominently display awards, accolades, press releases, and other collateral.

8. Use an open-source standards based CMS that is easy for your staff to update. These include WordPress, Drupal and Joomla.

9. Visuals are a key. Include short videos together with prolific photos. Don’t forget to cross-post those to your Facebook and other Social Media presences as well.

10. Show your Social Media prominently on your website so visitors will know to join you there. Incorporate Facebook “Like” and Twitter Retweet functions, at least on your blog. Be sure you’re easily found in Google Places.

11. Make sure your site is ranking well in search. The easiest way to do that is to search for all the keywords that relate to your property. If you’re not coming up near the top, you’re missing much potential business, and it may be time to get help from Techspokes.

Hotel Website Refresh: Eleven Ideas is a post from: Techspokes

Many smaller businesses have asked for our help in setting up and using WordPress.org. In response, we’re offering a 4 hour beginning, hands-on WordPress class.

This will be useful not only to those smaller companies wanting to try using the technology themselves, but also to larger businesses who need to understand what’s possible in order to work with web programmers, developers and consultants.

If you’re on Kauai or need an excuse to be, we look forward to seeing you:

Your comments are welcomed.

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WordPress Training on Kauai is a post from: Techspokes

A recent article from The Atlantic (Stealth Mode: Making Yourself Nearly Invisible on Facebook by Nicholas Jackson) provides an instructional guide to hiding out on-line. I tell business clients to use caution on this and not always take such an extreme measure. It’s important to look accessible in social marketing to potential and current clients. You want people to see you engaged and not cloaked on your personal profile.

Here’s my best advice to business owners who have professional and personal acquaintances as friends: Use Facebook Lists. Keep your profile in the mainstream and then let the “list” feature guide your communication strategy. You can direct your personal updates to those closest to you while still looking engaged to your Facebook business friends.

The Atlantic article is a good reminder to check privacy settings and make sure they reflect your intent. I did the following tune-up yesterday on mine:

1. Reviewed how my personal profile looked to people searching. Everything checked out. My main goal was to see how I looked to the business community. It’s all about image.

2. Reviewed Apps and Websites I had allowed. I was surprised at what I found here and deleted many of them. Remember that Apps allow access to some of your Facebook information.

3. Stopped friends from posting on my Wall. I know it sounds tough but I think it’s good for damage control. What if someone wrote a personal update on your Wall that everyone saw? And it turned out to be something you wanted to keep private instead of distributed to your network. Better to encourage a one-on-one message instead.

4. Reviewed photos to see if any should be more private. This is all about your image. Sometimes you may want photos to be seen by friends and family and not business associates. Ask yourself how a business associate or client would react to that party photo and then decide if any privacy screen is appropriate.

How private are you on Facebook? If there are other privacy measures you recommend?

Your comments are welcomed.

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How Much Privacy Is Good On Facebook is a post from: Techspokes

It’s the reality. Participation is optional but it’s happening with or without us.

Suggestion: Don’t hold back or be left behind. Social is a key to successfully marketing for most every business.

2. Facebook vs. Google: And the Winner is Facebook.

Why? Because we trust our friends more than we trust machines. Information discovery is becoming more and more socially based (vs. search based), which is resulting in a shift in dominance and ad revenue from Google to Facebook. Google has seemingly all but given up on social, realizing finally that it doesn’t stand a chance of competing with Facebook. The problem is that in the long run, Google will have less and less to offer consumers.

Suggestion: The more you use and understand the nuances of Facebook, personally and professionally, the better position you’ll be in to make it an effective business tool.

3. Internet TV plus Streaming to TV and Mobile.

Check out Google TV or ROKU. The Internet as a delivery platform is shifting into high gear replacing television broadcasting. Are you streaming Netflix? These are about to get a lot more social too.

Suggestion: This is a hot and upcoming area to watch.

4. Contextual Awareness Based Applications.

Not only will Facebook Places and Foursquare continue to expand, but location awareness built into other apps will flourish. Awareness isn’t just about location, it’s also about relations. There will be more context included in search results, as well as in applications that gather information from your Facebook and Twitter accounts, such as TripAdvisor.

Suggestion: Start using contextual awareness applications so that you can understand them.

5. Mobile Devices.

Android (primarily) and iPhones are overtaking computers with more money soon expected to be spent on mobile than PC’s for the first time.

Suggestion: Do you have mobile strategies for your business?

6. Social Video Sharing.

User generated video news streamed from the Cloud. New destinations like Qlipso that let you watch any video, play any game or share any slideshow you find on the Internet while hanging out with your social relations.

Do you have a YouTube channel?

7. Group Buying: Boom or Bust.

In spite of the grossly inflated valuations, just how sustainable is the model established by Groupon, and its competitors LivingSocial, BuyWithMe, CoupMe, Tippr, etc.

On this one, I’m suggesting that most businesses avoid group buying at this time.

My Top 7 Technology Thoughts for 2011 is a post from: Techspokes

In 2010, Facebook surpassed Google to become the Internet’s most popular destination. This is a fundamental shift in where we find find utility on the Internet, which is moving from technology to friends. Both Comscore and Experian Hitwise determined that Facebook is number one in terms of pages viewed.

In addition, Neilsen had previously reported that Americans now spend nearly on-fourth of their time online using social networks.

Google remains relevant for now

There remains one key area where Facebook still has room to grow and that is revenue. Google led in 2010 by an estimated $24 billion to Facebook’s measly $1 Billion.

Yet, at the same time the real world value of algorithmically determined search results has been diminished. And Google appears to be throwing in the towel on Social Networking following multiple failed attempts.

Business’ Bottom Line: Time to Set your Facebook Goals for 2011

Mine include using the list function better on Facebook. I need to communicate more with my larger group of business associates. This means not only pushing out updates, but joining discussions.

What are your Facebook goals for the New Year?

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2010: Why Facebook Surpassed Google is a post from: Techspokes

A study from Pew Research indicates that the fastest-growing demographic of social networking is adults ages 65 and older, followed only by those in the 50 to 64 age group. In fact social media use in these groups has doubled in the past year.

Obviously there’s a long way to go. But when you consider spending habits and available time, the older market is one to tap into.

Older users are going to keep their Internet usage going well into retirement, and will likely become the demographic that makes the greatest use of all the Internet’s offerings.

Three ways your business can take advantage of this phenomenon.

1. Make your online content senior friendly.

Consider testing it out with a group and see how it performs across various age groups. Senior internet issues can include visions problems, lack of familiarity with internet jargon and unwillingness to explore what isn’t easily accessible.

2. Don’t be an agest.

Think of ways to leverage technology specifically for seniors users.

3. Remember email marketing.

While senior internet usage is exploding, they are still an email friendly group that may be more likely to subscribe to and follow your emails rather than your RSS or Twitter feeds.

Your comments are welcomed.

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Embrace Gray Hair: Three Strategies To Reach Seniors is a post from: Techspokes

1. Use a great title. I scan the titles in the feeds that I receive. You need to catch my eye so I’ll want to read more.

2. Get to your point immediately. If I make it past the title, I need to see what I’m looking for and what the title described right away.  I have about a 5 second attention span if I go beyond a title.

3.  Include images but be careful.  Make sure the photos work.  Check the HTML code before publishing to be sure there isn’t something wrapping around the photo like a bold statement or something that will only yield an error for your reader.

4. Don’t use 50 photos. I don’t have time for it and would rather visit your site if I want to see that many.

5. Include clever links.  Consider a link that allows people to comment on your article directly from the feed, rather than needing to visit your website.  Also consider a link to subscribe to your feed directly.  That way when someone forwards your content, a new person can subscribe on the spot.

Five Best Practices For RSS Feeds is a post from: Techspokes

1. Put the customer first.

Use Google Analytics to see what posts and topics have the most views on your website. Survey your readers to better understand their interests. Survey Monkey is free if you stay within ten questions and have up to 100 responses (otherwise pay $20 a month).

2.  Work the plan.

How much time it will take to achieve your goals?  Who will do what?  How many blog posts, tweets and Facebook updates will it take to deliver the results you require. If you’re not sure, read our post on time commitment.

3.  Follow your industry.

What are your competitors doing, and just how successfully.  What is their website traffic compared with yours and why? What is their social media participation and following. If you’re stuck I wrote about six ways to listen.

4.  Use free public media for exposure to new customers.

Become an industry spokesperson. Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is a media pitch marketplace where mainstream reporters’ queries are distributed in e-mail to subscribers. Anyone can participate.

5.  Keep blogging.

Writing posts (frequent updates) on your website is the most organic sure-fire way to increase your relevancy (getting found) in Google.  It also helps showcase your industry expertise, and is a great place to invite others to dialogue with you via comments.  Consider it your home turf, with your Facebook fan page a distant (yet important) second.

Don’t forget these simple yet important components.

• Consistent posting!
• Short and relevant titles.
• Incorporation of your most important keywords.
• Using Google Insights to compare keywords that you and your competitors are using and see which ones are searched for most.

6.  Participate with others.

Comment on other websites, especially those with good traffic.  Use Compete or Quantcast to quantify which might be most important to you. I have some great tips on “Back to Basics: Comment Strategy” for you to read.

If you have other suggestions, or more comments on my top six strategies, please join the conversation.

Six Tech Strategies for Small Business Success is a post from: Techspokes

For the original Paranormal Activity, Paramount Pictures spent only a fraction of the marketing budget normal for big releases. Rob Moore, Paramount vice chairman said, “this is an old-fashioned word-of-mouth movie.” The shoe-string film was shot by writer-director Oren Peli for a reported $15,000.

Buzz is created by fans and not marketeers

Relying on the audience to create its success, the original film was a huge hit on Facebook and Twitter.  The social media hype seemed to snowball with many reviewers reporting that it was the scariest movie they had ever seen.  While that may or may not have been true (I don’t personally think so), as a result, the horror flick succeeded in the unthinkable, gaining a $7.9 million weekend while playing in just 160 theaters.

In Paranormal Activity 2, producers are relying again on Social Media to create demand.  The film, which debuts in time for Halloween on October  22, has already been liked on Facebook over 155,000 times and has been tweeted nearly 5,000 times.  The more you like it on Facebook, the more likely your city will receive a free showing. In a slightly different twist this go around, Sony has left nothing to chance and has purchased paid trending spots on Twitter rather than relying on fans.

Next up: location aware mobile integration

It is a struggle to determine just how effective social media is at translating buzz into paid attendance.  In order to help in that determination, and to positively drive people into movie house seats, marketers are starting to take advantage of location-based games. These smart phone games are designed to promote a movie with an exclusive feature only usable inside a theater on opening weekend.

The fine line between push and pull

For movie marketers, creating the buzz is a fine line between push and pull marketing.  The whole idea is to incent fans to market your product for you.  Go over the line, and fans will sense your push and likely withdraw.

Conclusion: Entrepreneurs should pay close attention.  No matter what their industry, creating buzz and word-of-mouth is key to success.

Movies Gone Word of Mouth is a post from: Techspokes

Consider Priceline as one example. They just reported a two week sample of booking activity related to their new mobile phone application.

• 82% of mobile users booked hotels with one day of arrival vs. 45% of non-mobile users.
• 58% of mobile users were already at their destination (within 20 miles) when booking.

Mobile phone applications are ideal for consumer travel bookings that take place once visitors have arrived at their destinations. It’s another way to fill empty seats and offer a discount to users.

Another option is using a location aware application like Foursquare, Facebook Places and Shopkick to connect with potential customers. Your business can use these to connect with and/or provide last minute offers to people driving through your area.

If you’d like any assistance sorting through how mobile phone or location aware applications can benefit your business, we’re here to help. If you’re already using either or both, let us know how it’s working for you.

Mobile Apps Create Local Travel Business Opportunities is a post from: Techspokes