For “ lineage ” adverts – the small classified ads consisting of words only , without graphics or frames – the first word or two is vital . This will be printed in bold , and needs to attract the eye of your perfect prospective guest . Think this through , with a copy of the publication in front of you . If you are going in under “ Cornwall ”, don ’ t make “ Cornwall ” your first word – they know that already ! Make your town or village your first word , eg “ St Mawes ”, or make one of your USPs your first words , eg “ Sea Views ”. If you are going to be listed in a non-geographical heading like “ UK Short Breaks ”, then name your location your first word . Make your advert full of information , but concise , and with a telephone number and , ideally , your domain name too . An example is :
St Mawes – friendly thatched cottage B & B . Generous Cornish breakfasts . Lovely sea views . All rooms en-suite . Prices from £ 35pp . RoseCottage . co . uk . 01326 123456
This gives readers your main selling points and contact details . Don ’ t forget , the purpose of this kind of advert is not to tell the reader everything about you , but only to get them to telephone you or visit your website . They will find out the rest at that stage .
Public Relations You would not be best advised to engage a PR firm , but if you have the time and interest , you could do some PR work yourself . Write a Press Release about your “ third night free ” offer , and sent it to the travel editors of all the national newspapers . You might just get a paragraph in a travel section , worth many hundreds of pounds . PR is not a closed order – anyone can do it . If it costs little but might gain you a lot , it may be worth the time .
Online marketing
Online advertising is getting more and more important all the time , as everyone now realizes . If you are not interested in computers and are tempted to ignore online marketing because it is an unknown or baffling area , we have one word of advice : don ’ t ! The advantages and effectiveness of online advertising just cannot be ignored , and if you do things properly ( not as difficult as you might think , with our guidance ) you may , like us , find that most of your B & B business comes from your online advertising .
The great advantage of the internet is that it has levelled the playing field to some extent , between small businesses like B & Bs , and very large ones like international hotel chains . Just five to ten years ago , a small B & B would not have a hope of rivaling a hotel chain in its advertising efforts , particularly in international advertising . The big chains could afford to spend huge amounts of money on advertising campaigns in many different countries , which would generate them business from abroad and from within the UK , whereas a small B & B could not hope to do more than get a listing in the local tourist office brochure or ( at the cost of a large percentage of commission on every booking ) in a tour operator ’ s brochure .
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