Well, I suppose some of you may have thought I vanished with no posts for such a long time. I spent a month in Germany visiting family and taking care of some personal business. Internet access was intermitent and frankly, I needed the break. Now, I'm re-energized and ready to roll. I should be back on track with regular posts next week (we're relocating to a new home this week...). So, stay tuned.

While I wasn't actively blogging last month, I was definitely busy. One of the projects I completed while away was my manifesto, Vanished. It was published last week by the wonderful folks over at Change This. Please take it for a spin and be sure to check-out the other great work on their site.

And, thanks to those who have already read the manifesto and offered feedback.

Please keep the comments coming.

I'm embarking on a fairly rigorous travel schedule over the next couple of weeks. I will be in Germany, Bavaria to be more specific, early next week. And, then on to Florida again. So, posting will be light due to limited internet access in small towns. Although, I just picked up a new iRiver for the purpose of mobile recording. So, look for some sound scene tours in an upcoming edition of indieHotelier.

While in Europe, I may have a few hours to spare. So, if you have an interesting project or problem you care to discuss, e-mail me. All I ask for is a good cup of coffee, or a fine beer. Neither should be hard to find.

Thanks to all of you (and your votes), my manifesto proposal was accepted by Change This. My deadline for the first draft is March 1st with a publishing date sometime in April.

So, over the next month and a half, I'm going to try yet another experiment...I'm going to exchange ideas with listeners of my podcast and incorporate some of that real-time thinking into the manifesto...at least that's the plan. We'll see if it works. So, if you're interested, listen in over at indieHotelier.

Thanks again to everyone for your support.

Thanks to you, I have 60 votes supporting my manifesto proposal at changethis. Not bad.

But, I think it's going to take two or three times that many to get to the next step in the process. So, if you haven't voted, please consider doing so...go to this link.

If you have voted, again, thank you. Please give me another vote of confidence and e-mail people you know who might be interested in spreading this particular idea. And, encourage them to do the same.

I appreciate your support.

Have a great week.

Just in time for Christmas...indieHotelier Podcast is on the air.

Well, actually it's been in beta since late November with now three programs released to date.

Before you go take a spin, let's get a few things straight.

1. I do this for fun. That 's it. I'm not hoping or looking for any sort of monetization. Call it my public service. And, it's the closest I'll probably come to my teenage dream of being a broadcaster/DJ.
2. It's and experiment...like most everything else I do. We'll all see where it leads.
3. It's constantly evolving...which requires lots and lots of feedback, and patience on both our parts.

The last two shows including the one released this evening are Christmas Shows...so, there's lots of Christmas music, and not much discussion. I hope you'll enjoy the variety and non-traditional nature of the independent music I play.

Enjoy the show!

Here’s the biggest problem I have with advertising…it’s not relevant, at least not the vast majority of the time.

During last week’s episode of Lost (I made the mistake of watching on ABC vs. downloading), I saw three coffee related ads (Senseo and Folgers both promoting imitation cappuccino machines…and someone else I can’t remember). Does coffee have anything to do with a bunch of castaways trying to solve mysteries and figure out personal problems? At least you could show coffee ads in the morning. Or, better yet, sell me coffee machines when I’m on-line buying coffee or some other directly related product.

The reason you’re not going to get that relevance on ABC or any other network is simple. They’re business model isn’t set-up to be relevant. It’s designed to shove things down your throat hoping a small percentage of you are paying attention…and that you swallow. Seems like an asinine way to do business, almost communistic. But, historically, it’s worked…at the customer’s expense.

There are two forces at work which are changing all of that. Choices…almost every product and service is now moving toward serving a niche vs. the masses. And, user initiated (and directed) media channels…the internet, blogs, podcasts, vcasts, etc. put the attentive power in the proper hands…the guests’ hands. The result is that every day more and more people are making their buying decisions based on something other than advertising, especially the “shove it down your throat when you’re not interested” variety. Instead, they seek-out and tune-in to people and places they believe are credible and have their best interest in mind…people like family, friends and travel agents…places like blogs, podcasts and newsletters. More and more, people are tuning out the interruptions and turning their attention to more objective and relevant sources of information.

As hoteliers, we notoriously lag behind other industries when it comes to embracing, accepting and utilizing new ways to do business. That needs to change, and rather quickly. If you’re Marriott, you can probably afford to be a bit slow. If you’re an independent or a small brand, you don’t have the time or money to see what everyone else is going to do.

The do’s…

Use advertising only in places where it’s relevant to the conversation already taking place…travel websites, travel blogs and travel newsletters come to mind first. A backseat, but sometimes effective, play is in newspaper/magazine travel sections. The key is to use advertising in places where the reader/listener has a high probability of being focused on you. And, use advertising to remind people about you…not to introduce yourself. Leave that to trusted sources, so they believe what they’re hearing.

Better yet, spend as much time and energy creating a remarkable experience for your guests. Then, the spreading the word part tends to take care of itself mainly through word of mouth and editorial campaigns.

If you’re going to advertise, I recommend a Google Adwords campaign. First, unless you’ve been living in a cave, you know Google is the leading on-line source for information. And, second, they’ve designed an approach which is completely based on the “relevance” factor. If you’re property is at all dependant on search engine traffic (not always the case…that’s another post), you need to give this a try.

The don’ts…

Don’t buy random ad campaigns…in glossy “A” pubs, on TV or in newspapers. It’s a waste of money and time. The only people who will try to convince you otherwise are the ad agencies, media sales people and the VP of Marketing who has half of his budget tied-up in advertising. Spend that money in more important and effective places, like your people.

Don’t try to be all things to all people, especially in advertising. Again, stay focused on a niche and communicate through relevant media.

Don’t try to convince people that they should like you through your advertising. If you’re great, you won’t need to. The word will get around.

If by the end of 2006 you’re still holding on to the old school tactics of interruption to spread the word about your place…2007 will be a long year.

Okay, I just got called out for my recent Ambassador post by a proud Akron citizen who just happens to be a writer for their local paper. Well, I didn't get the brunt of it, Seth did. I just got a mention.

Now, I really don't have a problem with debate, varying perspectives or disagreements...that's what makes the world a better place. But, here's what I do have a problem with...making me complete a stupid form, chock full of personal data which leads me to a newsletter and product sign-up list just to read the article I was mentioned in. Who in the heck cares that much about reading a story? On top of that, you load me up with so much advertising when I finally do get to the article, I can barely concentrate.

Organizations like this are missing the point! Seth does a better job of explaining why...please read his post.

As pilots, we’re taught (no, it’s drilled into our heads) to use as few words as possible to communicate. You say only what you need to say and specifically to whom you need to say it. There’s no room for idle chit chat, especially during sensitive operations like take-off and landing, and during peak periods in congested airspace. More words means more distractions which inevitably leads to mistakes, and sometimes worse.

The same concept should apply in marketing, especially as the “noise” factor has never been higher. Keep it simple, to the point and aimed at the right audience. All written communications (proposals, press releases, brochures, etc.) should incorporate more design and fewer words. Websites should have fewer pages and be clutter free with more images and less test. And, if you must speak, ask more questions…and listen.

Enough said.

I just received this from Network Solutions.

Our records indicate that you contacted Network Solutions customer service on 08/12/2005.

Network Solutions is fully committed to improving the service we provide to you. As part of our ongoing dedication to quality customer support, we are conducting a Customer Service Survey.

We want to know what you think - your opinion is extremely valuable to us! The survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete, and your input will provide us with insights into how we can improve our service to best meet your needs. The information collected from this survey will be reviewed and acted upon at every level of our company.

To access the survey, simply click on the link below or cut and paste it into the address field of your browser.

One simple question will do…Will you refer us to others? Or, better yet, have you referred us to others? If I say “no”, then ask me why. Otherwise, leave me alone, and focus your attention on the people I referred.

The true measurement of guest satisfaction is the willingness to refer you to other people. That’s it. Not much else matters. If the answer is “yes”, you’re doing well, probably really well. If the answer is “no”, dig deeper.

Spreading the word isn’t that difficult…if you have something interesting to spread. Telling the story about a great experience isn’t that hard because you don’t have to make things up to make it sound good. The part that’s remarkable stands on its own, strikes a chord with your audience which in turn compels them to give it a try. Ancillary hype is confusing, risks making the story boring and is pretty much meaningless.

The best products and services sell themselves because they are in and of themselves remarkable, and therefore make an emotional connection with a particular audience. We usually start the “spin” cycle and add ”fluff” when A.) we’re not good enough, and/or B.) we’re trying to get more customers without adding more experience, i.e., reach a bigger audience.

Here’s my point….

A.) Pick what you can be the best at, and put as many resources into that as possible.
B.) Make sure the story you tell (website, press releases, brochure, signage, etc.) is concise, interesting and targeted to your prospective guest.

Knowing what to say and how to say it is important. Knowing when to shut up is sometimes more important.

Here’s a non-hospitality angle on the subject (thanks to Seth Godin for the pointer):

Killer Features