The Twitter community is buzzing this morning with ground-breaking news - a new set-up for the timeline has rolled out to a limited audience.
This change is to a relevancy-based feed, as opposed to the time-based feed that we’re used to. An algorithm determines this on the back end of the platform. The “instant” feed made Twitter unique, gave voices equal weight (visibility) and helped establish the platform as a premier news source.
An algorithm feed will prioritise tweets with higher reactions and “better” content, similar to Facebook. This is good news for advertisers, allowing brands to compete for relevancy and followers. It may be a problem for small businesses to have a voice however, in an increasingly noisy space, when timely posts may no longer be visible to the...
Learn how to recapture visitors who have abandoned your website and turn them into bookings!
Introducing New and Returning Traffic
There are two types of traffic that comes to your website: “new” and “returning”. If you have the chance, login to Google Analytics and take a look under Audience > Behaviour. How does your new and returning traffic compare?
Commonly, you’ll find your returning traffic stays on your website longer, viewing more pages. This is because the people who have come back for another look are those who are more interested in your product or service. Hence, your chances of converting returning traffic into a lead or sale is higher than with new traffic.
Therefore it makes sense to increase your returning traffic by encouraging more visitors back...
Shoulder Season.Definition: Noun. The time of year right before and after high season when the weather is still favourable and tourism operators worldwide want more bookings. (Also: shoulder period)
With some forward planning and tactics before your shoulder season starts, there are tried and true strategies to stretch out the peak season and boost bookings.
1. Create a New Inclusive Package
Offering the ability to have an “easy to book in one click”, all-inclusive package motivates bookings. Create a multiple day stay with tickets to a local event, or negotiate a favourable rate with a local activity and/or restaurant.
Besides adding the package to your website and booking engine, add it to your business listing on TripAdvisor and be sure to promote on all online...
Gina's November presentation to the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand delves into the Big Question - will virtual reality help or hinder tourism business?
Virtual reality is the biggest game-changer in our lives since the launch of the iPhone.
The seemingly simple ability to see an image or video in 360 degrees is about to revolutionise the way we live.
Imagine being able to virtually travel anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. Fly over the Grand Canyon looking up, down and all around you as if you were really there, or “dive” underwater at the Great Barrier Reef and watch as a turtle swims past you.
Jaunt, a VR technology and content company, claims “You will feel transported directly into the middle of the action. Look anywhere. See...
As the world’s number-one tourism website, TripAdvisor is an audacious and powerful beast. For travellers sharing a review or researching a trip, it works a treat. For tourism operators it can prove a powerful marketing and distribution tool. But for all of these treats, this powerful beast can serve up a trick or two.
Handling Reviews
Since anyone can post a review on TripAdvisor, it can create some scary situations for a tourism operator. Travellers threatening a negative review as an attempt to get a discount, competitors purchasing fake reviews to boost their rankings, or a sinister traveller who is simply miserable about life and uses the platform to constantly complain.
Some operators believe fake or venomous reviews are...
Website hacking has become an increasingly common occurrence, with tens of thousands of sites and applications affected every day. It seems that no one is safe, including Ashley Madison, Apple’s iCloud, J.P. Morgan and Home Depot to name just a few. Last week Google announced they are cracking down on spam and hacked websites, not only removing more of them from search results but removing them faster.
Unfortunately, you will never be able to 100% safeguard yourself from being hacked by a determined and skilled individual or group. However, there are a number of things you can do to ensure you are less likely to be affected - and if you are affected, how you can minimise the effects on your business.
Shoulder Season. Definition: Noun. The time of year right before and after high season when the weather is still favourable and tourism operators worldwide want more bookings. (Also: shoulder period)
