Why Online B&B Promotional Videos Are a Terrible Idea

The gaudy music, cheesy voice over’s and awkward one-liners. All reasons why you shouldn’t let anyone talk you into a promotional video.

They are really awful aren’t they? I’ve seen countless promo videos, made by so-called ‘production companies’ (who actually charge to make these things!) and 95% of them are as dull as a ditch full of dull ditch water.  

A wooden voice reading a script, along with an IMovie music track and zooming in and out shots just don’t convey any kind of personality or distinctiveness to potential guests. As a B&B owner your USP is you, not the bricks and mortar.

So what to do? How does one present a video that will stand out in the online world without coming across like some kind of hotel chain B&B?

The answer is simple and will only cost a free night stay.

Get a friend to film their visit.

We all know someone who knows someone who is into film editing. Offer them a free night for a short video of their stay.  

Post the video stating that it ‘s a video one of your guests has made. This is completely true, it is a guest video.

I guarantee that something made by a guest will get more visits than a promo video. Viewers won’t expect anything of particularly high quality but will be looking for A) the quirky amateur feel and B) an unpolished view of your B&B.

We are so used to seeing professional productions on TV; that an amateur film makes for a refreshing change.

The secret to making these kind of videos work is to give them a focus. Something else of added value to fill the piece out a little and add more interest. The big local event would be perfect.

 

Here’s an example of a video sequence from my fictional B&B

Scene 1

Guest arriving at B&B and having a good look around before putting their bags in room.

Scene 2

Guest at Local cheese festival tasting lots of cheese and local beers.

Scene 3

Guest at B&B speaking to me about how and why I set up the B&B in an informal manner.

Scene 4

Guest sets up camera on tripod in dining room and films breakfast being served. Then makes lots of nice appreciative noises of beautiful breakfast and says he would recommend staying at my B&B.

Simple, fun and effective. 

Below is my video of a gothic B&B in Whitby. The owners weren’t keen to be on camera so I took the local sunset boat trip to add a little extra value, and also because I like sunsets. Admittedly it’s about as amateur as it gets and the sound is awful, but it sure beats a hotel promo video.

Paul@bedandbreakfastclub.co.uk

Get More Guests Through Facebook

My ultimate goal with this blog and the social networks is to build a global community of like-minded B&B owners.

However I'm as guilty as anyone for spending far too long on Facebook, and not always using the time to focus on my goal.

It's easy to get distracted on social networks and not stick to your goals. 

So, (if this is your goal) how can you get more customers through Facebook? Everyone raves that it's a fantastic tool but are the majority of marketeers using it to its full potential? I suspect not.

Here's just one suggestion that I'm confident will gain your B&B more bookings. 

Find as many groups (not pages because you can't contact the creator) as you can that your customer base will regularly see the updates from.

If you have a vegetarian B&B in Cornwall then find the groups relating to travel in Cornwall and vegetarians.

Then send the creator a message similar to the one below. 

Dear ____ ,

Would you please do me a huge favour and give your group members the opportunity of winning a stay in my B&B. It will give added value to your group members and will help us to gain exposure for our B&B, through your large and impressive community. 

I would like to give away a free stay for XXX nights for XXX amount of people. Could you please post the following into your update:

Paul's luxury Veggie B&B in Cornwall is offering a free stay to all XXXXX group members. To win simply answer this question and post the answer on Paul's Facebook page.

What is Paul's Veggie B&B's breakfast speciality? (This is the unique selling point of your B&B - make sure that is the focus of your question).

Is it;

a) 14 inch local veggie sausage

or b) muesli made with local raspberries

To find the answer visit www.paulsveggiebnb.com

I hope you can help, please let me know if I can help you in any way.

Thank you very much indeed etc etc

Ok, so my example is a bit naff but you get the idea. Do this same competition with as many groups as you can that have a large amount of visitors, who could be interested in what you have to offer. The groups will be constantly looking for content so will certainly be up for it.

 Unfortunately you will have to give away a bit of your time and a room, but I promise it will really build awareness if done properly. And if your guests have a good experience then, (because they won the stay) there's a great chance they'll come back.

Is that a more pro-active way to use Facebook? I think so.

Just a thought...

 

 

 

 

5 Simple Ways to Promote Your Hotel For Free After You Have Swept Up With a Broom Handle Up Your Ar**

 

Apologies to you if we’re telling you how to suck eggs. Those who do find this article helpful please comment.

 

1. Google Local 

If your business isn’t on Google Local then you really are missing out on the biggest trick on the internet. Go do it now and get on the first page of Google Results. www.google.com/local/

2. Take some pictures and put them on your social networking page (FB). 

Take or find some pictures of local attractions and the area around you and your hotel and put them online! The amount of pages I look at without pics is staggering.

3. Send an email 

Presumably you have a large amount of email addresses from previous bookings. Send them an email and remind them that you still exist!  Tell them what you are up to. Give them a special offer for previous customers and write a bit about what you are doing. If you are sending a mass email to all remember to put all addresses in the BCC box separated by commas. 

Send it to us for a quick free copywriting/proofing service first (paul@bedandbreakfastclub.co.uk)

4. Join Hotels Combined 

This is like a hotel version of Compare the Market. It’s free and looks like a really good deal. However, we haven’t done an independent review yet so please don’t shout at us if you have a bad experience: http://www.hotelscombined.com/Hotelier/Signup.aspx

5. Find Yourself Online and Ensure Your Presence is a Good One

Trip Advisor is a good place to start. People could be saying horrible things about your hotel all over the internet. If you do find something bad don’t get angr. Ask your favourite guests if they wouldn’t mind going and writing something nice about you. Easy. 

www.tripadvisor.com

 

Now go back to sweeping up!!