overview of format and topic -...

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Digital Marketing Webinar Series

Leveraging the Digital Tool Box to Reach More Meeting & Event Planners

March 12, 2013

Overview of Format and Topic

Fran BrasseuxExecutive Vice President, HSMAI

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About Digital AlchemyFull Service CRM Solutions for Hoteliers

Email, Mobile Web Sites and eSurvey Services

Multi-Lingual, platform-independent

Offices in:

Texas, Palm Springs, London

Clients:

• 650 hotels

• 53 countries

• 6 Languages

We are grateful to Digital Alchemy, our sponsor and partner in presenting this

digital marketing webinar series!

POLL QUESTION #1How many people are participating

in this webinar at your location today?

� 1� 2� 3� 4� 5� 6� 7� 8 or more

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Tim PeterManaging Director

Tim Peter & Associates

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Today’s Presenters: Panel Moderator: Tim Peter, Managing Director

Tim Peter & Associates

Panelists:

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Monty WhiteMarketing ManagerIrving Texas CVB

Sue FryPresident & CEOSynergy Meetings & Events

Gordon LiametzPartnerQuantum Leap Advertising

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Sue FryPresident & CEO

Synergy Meetings & Events

Primary Channels: Submitting the RFP

• Convention and Visitors Bureaus

– Via their website or directly to a rep we have a

relationship with

• National Sales Managers

• Industry Organization Websites

– MPI, HSMAI or ISES

• Cvent (on occasion)

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Secondary Channel: Submitting the RFP

If our RFP hasn’t responded in two days, we bypass the

convention and visitors bureaus and national sales and

begin contacting the properties and venues directly

Our Priorities

• Timeliness

• Finding the right fit for our client

• Budget

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What Not to Do

• NEVER require a meeting planner to transpose their meeting specs onto your electronic RFP form– This wastes a lot of our time and the forms rarely include the items

our specific meeting needs - we receive a lot of irrelevant bids

• Convention and Visitors Bureaus (and national sales) should not send the RFP everyone of their properties – Always carefully match our RFP with a property that meets our

requirements outlined in the RFP

What Not to Do (cont.)

• Don’t change your CVB’s name

– Orlando CVB should be Orlando CVB and San Francisco CVB should be

San Francisco CVB. “Visit Chicago” or “Sunny Tulsa” are too difficult

to find if you don’t know their latest name and 411 directory info

definitely can’t find them.

• Scuttle your national sales team

– A major brand recently did this and many of my colleagues have

stopped planning their meetings with that brand

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Opportunities

• Cut the digital clutter

– The RFP process has become too automated and our RFPs often are

funneled to properties who don’t match the client’s requirements and

the properties that we do need to hear from don’t respond because

they’re also inundated with RFPs - many of which may not be a good

fit

– Cvent sent my RFP only to venues that paid Cvent for an upgraded

account so all of the responses we received were a poor fit

– There is still a need for a person to review and assess each RFP and

match it to the right property or venue

Opportunities (cont.)

• Allow us to Negotiate

– Sometimes our dates are flexible and we need to have the opportunity to communicate that

• Make Information Available and Accessible

– Property/Area/Capacitates/Features/Distance to Airports etc. It is still very difficult to find this information for areas you’re not already familiar with

– Associations have an opportunity to help with this by listing area information, important contacts etc.

• Understand our needs first

– If you can meet all of our requirements, then

submit a bid, otherwise there’s no need to bid

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Monty WhiteMarketing ManagerIrving Texas CVB

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A Changing Landscape

The number of RFPs submitted directly through your website (property, venue, CVB, brand or vanity) are beginning to eclipse

those submitted through other channels.

For group sales leads, many of us have started to witness a shift from third party sources to our own websites as the primary RFP

channel for our organization.

This shift is making the role of the digital marketer much more important every year.

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Make It Easy To Do Business With You

• You should have a link or widget to submit an RFP in a prominent location on your home page

• There should also be an option to upload an RFP without utilizing a form

• It should be easy for the planner to how to submit their RFP though the website

Provide Complete Property/Venue Information

• Capacities, Floor Plans, Pre-function Space, & Room Counts

• Relevant Amenities & Key Selling Points

• Area Information, Distance to Airport, City Center, Dining

• Packages, Discounts or Offers that might be of interest

• Information about why you’re a good fit for your top markets and should be considered

Include as much information as you can think of. Meeting Planners use your website gather information to see if you should be considered

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Additional Channels

• Third party websites and applications (Cvent, EmpowerMint, OTAs)

• Your brand’s main website and national sales team if you have

one.

• Email Marketing

ServiceRemember that while digital channels are growing at a rapid pace and

are often our first point of contact, the meetings and events industry remains primarily a relationship business.

Your RFP process will need to continue to include sales and convention services professionals to make good judgments and continue developing lasting relationships with planners and their clients.

A fully automated process cannot replace these elements.

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Strategy

• Don’t silo your digital efforts and hope for the best

• Develop a digital strategy to promote your top group

markets

– Include relevant digital channels

– Integrate with your offline marketing and sales strategies

Eblasts• Stay in front of them (respectfully)

– You want them to remember you when they have something that you might be a good match for

• Stay Focused – Only utilize your email marketing when you have a substantial and

relevant offer that would be of interest to the planners in your contact list

– Don’t abuse email and become a spammer

• Use all of your database opportunities– Use the attendee lists provided to suppliers during tradeshows and

send a follow up email with an offer specific only to those at the tradeshow

– Use your free meeting planner list provided by HSMAI

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Search Engine Marketing/Paid Search

• Consider utilizing paid search terms for a few of

your top markets

Track Everything• Use analytics to track activity on your website

• Review all RFPs submitted (both won and lost) on a quarterly basis

• You should be able to easily identify the initial point of contact for every RFP and know which channels work best for you

• Use this data to improve your digital strategy, reach more planners, and obtain relevant RFPs that will convert with more frequency

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Join The Conversation• Join their conversation (but don’t crash it)

• Add to it if only if you really have something useful or interesting

to say

• Blog

– Expand your reach (visibility) while becoming a subject matter expert

and a trusted resource

Know What You Are Doing!It sounds like common sense, but there are a lot of components and

variables in the digital world that you will need to understand well in order to successfully achieve your objectives.

• The CHDM (Certified Hospitality Digital Marketer Certification) is currently THE BEST certification available for digital marketing in the hospitality industry.

• The course work and study guide is thorough and specific to the hospitality industry.

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Gordon LiametzPartner

Quantum Leap Advertisinggliametz@quantumleapagency.com

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Meeting PlannersSocial Media Usage

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32Source: February 2012 survey of 800 respondents, all readers of MeetingsNet magazines

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 Over 60

LinkedInFacebookTwitterYouTubeBlogs

Social Media Use by Platform

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Create an online existing network of my existing business contacts and meet new contacts

Keep up with industry news and events

Ask for advice or recommendations by posing questions to my groups

Look for job opportunities

Other

For which of the following activities/purposes do you use LinkedIn?

Source: February 2012 survey of 800 respondents, all readers of MeetingsNet magazines

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1 hour

28%

2-5 hours

13%

10+ hours1%

<1 hour56%

5-10 hours2%

Average amount of time each week spent on LinkedIn

Source: February 2012 survey of 800 respondents, all readers of MeetingsNet magazines

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YouTube and Meeting Planners

• 40% of the respondents have professional YouTube accounts

• 54% post video from an event

• 45% promote a special event or incentive trip

• 30% promote a meeting

Examples:

• Virtual Tours

• User Generated Video

35Source: February 2012 survey of 800 respondents, all readers of MeetingsNet magazines

Tailor Your Content• It’s easy to tell your customers what your brand is all about, but

that’s a one-sided conversation

• Review your analytics to provide information about your audience

so you can deliver content that is relevant and engaging to them.

• Understanding what your customers are interested in will enable

you to tailor your content stream and future promotions in ways

that are more relatable.

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Post Company Updates• Did you know that LinkedIn members are 50% more likely to

purchase from a company they interact with on LinkedIn?*

• Drive interaction by posting news, company information,

promotions and more from your Company Page.

• Best practices for posting successful status updates:

• Keep it brief: One or two sentences will do just fine

• Time matters: Morning & lunchtime updates perform best

• Don’t do it alone: Enlist coworkers to post too

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Questions?Panel Moderator: Tim Peter, Managing Director

Tim Peter & Associates

Panelists:

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Monty WhiteMarketing ManagerIrving Texas CVB

Sue FryPresident & CEOSynergy Meetings & Events

Gordon LiametzPartnerQuantum Leap Advertising

Upcoming Webinars:

#2 – Digital Marketing Webinar Series:Leveraging the Digital Tool Box to Increase Your Share of Unmanaged Business TravelMay 14, 2013 ♦ 2:00 - 3:00 pm Eastern

#1 – Revenue Management Webinar Series:Mobile: Taming the Wild West of Revenue ManagementMarch 26, 2013 ♦ 2:00-3:30 pm Eastern

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HSMAI’s Newest Certification:

The Certified Hospitality Digital

Marketer (CHDM)

Go to www.hsmaicertifications.org

For more information and

downloadable application!

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As the meeting and event-planning industry’s premier show, HSMAI's MEET Mid-America brings a new vision to the business of connecting planners with the right resources and suppliers to move their meetings and events forward.

The 2013 MEET Mid-America will attract 800 planning professionals from organizations of every size, plus 100 exhibitors, representing hotels, resorts, inns, convention and visitors bureaus, technology suppliers, food and equipment providers, and more.

Go to www.hsmaimeet.com for more information and to sign up!

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Evaluation

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Today’s webinar is copyright 2013 by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International with All Rights Reserved.

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