Welcome to Boostly Podcast Season 8 Episode 42. This is a recap of my Marketing Review live for Jackie Robertsona and Lorena Duknic.
Here's the audio for this episode:
Timestamp
02:20 About Jackie Robinson
05:20 A look at Jackie's website
12:20 About Lorena Duknic
16:00 A look at Lorena's website
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Transcript from the Episode
Jackie Robertson is based in Scotland. Her business is Knoydard Hifd. She has been running the business for six years. It's a remote luxury property.
A look at Jackie's website
Instantly one of the first things that I noticed when the website comes up is this lovely little pop-up. So everybody should see this. These pop-ups are really handy. Because what we want to do and I say this a lot, what we want to really do with our website is we want to get people from the slow lane into the fast lane and the fast lane is email marketing. The slow lane is when somebody lands on your website. the slow lane is when somebody would be likes your Facebook post. slow lane is maybe someone who comments on an Instagram photo. The Fast Lane is when you get them onto your email list.
This is probably one of the reasons why Jackie's bookings are direct is because she has spent a considerable amount of time utilizing email marketing. If I was to do anything slightly different here, I would put here join our VIP list. Maybe give your brand a little bit of a unique name. There are some fantastic services free services that you can create really nice looking pop-ups, sumo.com.
I'm no SEO expert but Google does not punish you for that. They are more likely to punish you for having a pop up on your mobile. The booking button is highlighted in the top right-hand corner. Again if I was to do anything slightly different I would actually colour this in maybe a red colour which matches here so you've got booking or you could get book now which again is a is a more of an indication like an action button. And again here you've got the accommodation and availability and rates you've just got check availability rates and accommodation.
The pictures scrolling through are stunning. And again it really tells me everything that pretty much all I need to know i.e. it's by the beach. It's a romantic getaway. And again, I haven't I haven't seen this website before. I can see it's got a hot tub I can see the lake in the background. This is something I've taken Laura my wife it won't be a place I'll be bringing the kids from coming here is going to be you know the tour was on a getaway.
And again I'm getting these from the pictures really do sell it which is awesome. It wants me to find out more and again the more that I look at this website the more the stats that Jackie shared with us makes more sense
Accommodation romantic holiday hideaway with hot tub, unadulterated luxury honeymoon hideaway for two I would personally get rid of all of this is just a lot of proof that doesn't need to be there. I would be getting rid of this and I'd be moving this somewhere down to the bottom of the website or even putting it on on a separate page it just looks a little bit like a little bit messy just to get the point across kept these two here but obviously datum then it's more than enough.
You can easily use icons and pictures tell 1000 words here alright so you don't any longer need to have all of that text in. You could simply just put the highlights you know you can cater for pets you can cater for children or baby special requests. But again, I would be focusing at the first part on your target audience.
One of the best parts hot tub views in Scotland. Again, I love that. Again, I love all of this a little taste there, private spa, sauna, our accommodation, luxury accommodation, we're growing.
All of this is so cool. And again, have that social proof. So remember, I told you and showed you Repuso. Instead of having all of this here, I wouldn't In fact, maybe look at getting Repuso and social proof reviews, this is the hook. This drags me in. And then the more that I am scrolling down, I want to find out more about the business more about the accommodation if you put a bit of social proof in here, again, it's just knocking down more barriers, wants me to find out more when I found out about the hot tub and the views, all this bit here, etc.
And again, even though you've done so well at the top here to get people to go to the booking. You miss it at the bottom here. So people go down down down, down down Yep, I'm ready to book ready to book where's my book now button. Just get something like this and put it in at the bottom maybe right about here.
So there's nothing really about the owners, Ian Jackie and family, there's not that much. No, we want to picture people. People buy from people. Alright, so people buy from people to get in a little bit more about you in here. They want to know more you were talking about attracting the local market.
Now again, what I would be looking to do in and around a 300-mile radius of here. And particularly, I mean, the beauty of it is is that there's only one property All right, so you can go back and contact all of your previous guests. Anybody that stayed with you over the course of the last say six to 12 months prior to this anybody that's maybe got an anniversary coming up because you should be collecting this information.
If you are very heavy on the honeymoon from you can be collecting the information along the lines of When did they get married, if you've got anybody coming up in a group you know, maybe over the course of October, September and November, etc you know that that's when they got married, then you can be sending out messages to say hey, you know we've got accommodation, you know treat, treat your treat a loved one for an anniversary getaway.
About Lorena Duknic
Lorena's business is The Russell which is bases in Nashville, Tennessee. The property is a b&b and hotel. They're a technology-driven and concierge less boutique hotel in East Nashville. They are located in 115 plus-year-old building that used to be a local church. Their main mission is giving back to the community. So out of every state, they donate a generous amount of their profits to local national organizations who fight homelessness.
A look at Lorena's website
First of all, there is a little chatbot working in the bottom right-hand corner which is cool which means it's got you know a direct chat to her to your Facebook business page which is cool. One thing I want you to get rid of this here, get rid of these things right here because all these are doing they are benefiting two people hotels.com and TripAdvisor they are not benefiting you in any way shape or form.
What I would look to do would be to either get a background around this text stay here change lives or sort of manipulate the image a little bit I do love it really does show off this the church like feel instantly I do love that and I know you've got your book now button here. But what I want to do is I want to spread out this menu across the top and then get the book now button in the top right hand corner here in again in bright orange have the menu going across here with a book now button here and you've got this here instantly stay here change lives really does sort of speak out and I've got this here COVID-19 We're currently open. But again, it's kind of hidden, I'd be looking to put in another little button just under here maybe be a white background with black word insane COVID-19 information.
Okay, our technology-driven concierge less boutique hotel in the heart of East Nashville every stay helps to experience someone experiencing homelessness here in Nashville for our rooms for rooms program. I love that again, instantly talking about who you help book now. advantages in the new normal.
So again, COVID-19 cleaning prevention, small crowds, contactless checking, small venue, this is fantastic. I love this. And again, this is the crazy world that we live in. But straight away as I come on to the website, I am instantly told about the new normal, then we move on to our rooms and suites our story and explore Nashville again, I love that. So again, people can go and find out a little bit more.
And then we've got what looks like Instagram images here, free Nashville Guide, which is cool. And then we've got images, images, images. Alright, so if I was to do one thing, I would expand this a little bit.
If we just come down here a little bit, so what we offer, so you could put that in. So down here where it says for families. So separate out, have a section for our rooms and suites or have our story right here, take our rooms and suites and move it down to a next block. And then have explore Nashville in the next block and then start writing your blog, the blog, and is just your case where you can start putting more information in you can become that local knowledge person for East Nashville, you can start talking about things that are happening. And again, it's super simple to do. Everybody can get going with it. And it's super important. Also as well getting an FAQ page. Again, this is super easy to add-in. There's a WordPress plugin that will get you started. But for 2020 and Google SEO, having an FAQ is one of the best, best shortcode ways of getting visible very quicker by having an FAQ section to your to your website. I think you've got a fantastic set up and I love how you're talking about the new normal and the COVID practices that you are doing. It just needs expanding a little bit more.
I know that you have a question. contactless checking. And you've got no staff on-site from what I can gather. But again, talk a little bit more about you and your team. So again, people buy from people, even though you're not going to be greeting them on-site, talk a little bit more about the team. Talk a little bit more about the rooms for rooms program, again, not sort of, although you do mention it, change lives, have it on the homepage, because again, you'll be amazed at how many people won't go anywhere else on your website apart from the booking page.
So try and have it where 80% of your information is on that homepage. Yours is definitely one of the first websites that I've seen where they clearly state, the new normal, the covid-19 cleaning prevention processes and whatnot. So again, fantastic.
And also as well, don't forget, there are two things that people are worried about before making a booking Now, based on the recent surveys and stats and studies have been done. Number one is the cleaning and the safety aspect. Number two is the cancellation policy, just knock down any barriers that there may be, again, I know you haven't really got an on-site team. But again, it would be cool if not you there, get a picture of this.
So it looks like you've got your Instagram connected up to your Facebook, I would spend that little bit of extra time to put a little bit more text around and explain a little bit more about what you're doing here. But you know what you're posting regularly, I love how you're posting recipes. I mean, you've got really cool pictures here. So what I would do differently a little bit different. If I would, I would take this post the post here where you've got the advantages of the new normal, I would pin this post, which frees up your cover picture there to get in your six best pictures.
So again, it could be six really cool pictures to one of the stained glass windows, etc, etc. If you've got a really cool video, again, you can use your video here. And again, I'd be using this picture there. It's got the branding, it's somebody that is well known. And again, I think that'd be really effective. You've got a cool page, we can definitely get more people on there. It's just a couple of tweaks you using your email marketing, which is awesome. I again would be for yourself, go back and watch the video episode where we talked about the staycation where we talk about how to get in front of guests and what you can be doing. And again, you can go back to that and I'll make sure that you get the link to it because it's a couple of little tweaks, little things that you need to be doing and you'll be you'll be absolutely flying on this.
Again, you're going to be getting people travelling from the surrounding states. So you may be getting people from Memphis, you may be getting people from you know, from Arkansas from Alabama, you may be getting people coming from North Carolina, South Carolina or the surrounding states or even people in Tennessee, who are just wanting to come in and get away. You really push the message of what you're doing, like who you benefit and who you're helping. Again, it's just a couple of tweaks with the website, a couple of tweaks with the social media.
And again, go and watch the video on staycation and how to take advantage of that of who will be doing the staycation, which will definitely help you survive and thrive on the back end of this.
I love what you're doing. Keep going on the influencer route. I think that's going to be super powerful. Whatever tactics you've been doing, please keep doing on that. Because I think that's going to be the most cost-effective way. And the most effective way for you to get seen by a lot of people.
Know more about Jackie on her website and Lorena on her website as well.
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