Monthly Archives: February 2011

Going Green?

davek | February 28, 2011 - 1:17 PM

Save Money and Do Good!

There is a page three article in this week’s Pacific Coast Business Times (Feb 25-March 3, 2011) “Santa Maria hotel owner grabs Gas. Co. hardware”. It reports that Hardy Hearn, owner of 4 local hotels (Santa Maria’s Radisson, Santa Maria Inn, Big America-Best Western and the Edgewater in Pismo Beach) has one an award for putting in equipment to lower energy consumption and water usage.

Activities like this are a win-win. People like staying in properties that are ecologically responsible. Perhaps more importantly, activities like this can cut costs and water use. It would be nice if the local BID’s could work together to bring in speakers and organizations that would advise hotels on how to cut costs by going green(er).

I submit that some savings could be easily done. I remember staying at a premium hotel in Morro Bay that put their shampoo is a hard-shell vial. I probably wasted two gallon of water as the thick shampoo SLOWLYYYYYYYY dripped out into my hand, since I couldn’t squeeze it out. Assume 2+ extra gallons of heated water per person, per day, per room at this hotel that could have been saved by simply changing shampoo bottles. At NO extra cost!

I’m sure savings could be found if staff were asked, or management stayed in their hotel room periodically and experienced what really goes on. (Note: this hotel, which will go unnamed, committed several other sins as well.)

Another pet peeve of mine: I have stayed many times at hotels that have a sign in the bathroom saying that if you want to save water and don’t mind using towels two days in a row, hang them up, and they will not be changed. I do hang them up, come back to the room, and find they have been changed anyway! Are your maids being overzealous and defeating your own activities in this area?

So go green! Feel good about yourself and Save Money!

Posted in Santa Maria Tourism, SLO County Lodging, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Central Coast Wine Tourism: Good and Bad

davek | February 28, 2011 - 12:16 PM

Reality check from the most influential wine magazine

The last two monthly issues of the “Wine Spectator” magazine are a reality check regarding Central Coast Winery Tourism. I also need to mention in advance that a few years ago, I was able to attend a local winery luncheon when they were hosting the wine buyers for Costco. When I asked them what one magazine clearly impacted sales, I was told that it was definitely the Wine Spectator.

First the good news: The March 2011 issue of the Wine Spectator has a great cover story about the Paso Robles Wine Region “California Rhones Riding High ~ Paso Robles Sets the Pace with Big Red Blends.” There is a long favorable article, with great detail about several premium wineries, including Saxum Winery.

Now for the bad news. Consider the following sentences in the article “In the greater wine world, Paso may remain just a small dot on the map.” (page 52). Closing paragraph of the article begins with the sentence: “In the wine world’s consciousness, Paso Robles exists somewhere between obscure and emerging.” (page 57).

I then checked back at the February 2011 issue of “Wine Spectator”. This includes a tear-out “Vintage Chart” for wine lovers to use as a quick reference when shopping. In the large California section, there is no mention of either the Paso Robles or San Luis Obispo region, nor even of the Santa Maria Valley wineries per se. Napa, Sonoma and even the rather small Santa Barbara wine region ARE referenced.

This is a wake up call to all those that assume “everyone” knows what great wine regions we have. The number of wineries in SLO County has doubled in the past ten years, but as a tourism destination, a lot still needs ot be done. All it takes is time – AND money.

Posted in Santa Maria Tourism, SLO County Attractions, SLO County Wineries, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Social Media Promotion: Doing it Right… and not.

davek | February 25, 2011 - 11:07 AM

Videos Do Sell Product

Some organizations “get” social media, but so many don’t. That has become clear for a flurry of news articles in the past few days, and seeing what businesses are (not) doing.

Story Number One. The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011. “Beach Town on Campus: Wooing Spring Breakers” (Page D1). Panama City, FL had its tourism industry badly impacted by the Gulf Oil Spill last year. The beach city is now using Facebook and other means to get college students to return for the annual orgy of Sun, Sand sea and Sex. (Not necessarily in that order.) Among other methods, the city tourism promo group paid a student to encourage her many friends on Facebook and Twitter to attend an event in Ann Arbor, MI promoting the beach city.

Story Number two: This weeks newspaper for Cuesta College “The Cuestonian” had an article that the Cuesta Police department is now actively maintaining a Facebook page with timely info for students. In other words an organization that most people would not want to interact with (Police) feels it necessary to communicate to the 18-25 demographic via Facebook, then really almost every organization should have at least a basic presence there.

Story Number 3: The Tribune’s BizBuzz today (Feb. 25, 2011) has an article about how the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance (PRWCA) is using a professional video to promote their annual Zinfandel Festival. This humorous video – a clever riff on the popular Old Spice video clips that have gone viral) has already had over 37,000 views. This video should have cross demographic appeal – professional baby-boom era boomer actor on YouTube, hooking into the incredibly successful Allspice promo. (Note: the Old Spice ads have gone viral AND have sold a lot of cologne.) Kudos to the PRWCA, Juice Marketing, and the others involved. Hope to see more of these.

Story Number Four: Aqua Velva (another “tired” brand like Old Spice before its successful repositioning as “hip”), has now launched a TV commercial that can best be described on one word. That word is: BORING. To me, everything about the Aqua Velva commercial is bad (fathers and sons wanting to smell like each other) and Tag Line “Men Get it”. Worst of all, there is no Social media strategy to make the old Aqua Velva brand hip, interesting or relevant to the current generation. Believe me, Old Spice has nothing to worry about.

So which kind of advertising does your organization do? Hip like Old Spice, or still fuddy-duddy (and VERY 1970′s) like Aqua Velva?

Posted in SLO County Wineries, Tech Tip - Social Media | Comments Off

Facebook Marketing: Recent Upgrades Help Businesses Sell

davek | February 18, 2011 - 2:57 PM

Logo For Facebook

Internet Marketing Company “Hubspot” hosted a very good, hour -long webinar this week on marketing through Facebook. Transcript and “video” (voices only, actually) are available free at: http://www.hubspot.com/webinars/facebook-page-marketing-webinar

If I can possibly reduce the speakers main points in this long webinar:

Upgrades: Just last week, Facebook upgraded to be more friendly towards organization pages. These upgrades include:

• an easier ability to create dedicated pages,

• a cleaner way of administering the pages,

• the ability for these pages to “Fan / Like” other organization pages.

Tips on Marketing via Facebook:

• It is now used by about half the USA population.

• Users expect / want to receive special offers if they Fan / Like an organization.

• Users prefer to stay within Facebook and NOT click out onto website links.

• Facebook will partially suppress posts that have low numbers of comments.

• General rule is that businesses should post about every other day or so. Do NOT have an active twitter feed appear in Facebook – it will wear out your welcome.

• Organizations that have a strong “social” aspect can expect the best results. (It’s relatively easy to have an active page on a team sports activity. Insurance agencies have a much harder time of it.)

After the webinar, I checked out the Facebook ad network. One interesting option I discovered is that you can advertise directly to your existing Fans, or you can specifically exclude them. The “catch” is that at present, you must be the administrator for the fan page referenced. So, for example, a winery could not advertise to current fans of another winery, nor exclude them either.

As for advertising to your existing fans: this could be very helpful to make sure your special offer gets noticed, and not buried in the many status updates a person may receive.

The impact of the new Facebook opportunities could be revolutionary. Up to now, it has been difficult to create new pages in Facebook, though some organizations have done so. Now it will be much easier.

Also, it will make sense for affiliated businesses to fan / like each others’ pages, similar to back-link strategies used for websites. This will help them send business to each other. For example, a restaurant can fan the winery pages of the wines it offers, and vice versa. Hotels and restaurants near each other can fan each other. What are the new opportunities for your organization?

Posted in Tech Tip - Social Media | Comments Off

Website Mistakes

davek | February 14, 2011 - 8:51 PM

Last Monday, an associate and I paid sales calls on hotels in Big Sur. Before going, I checked out their websites. Oh, what a mixed bag I found.

Are You Missing the Mark?

Actually, two of the sites were very good: one for a premium property and one for a more moderately priced property. To me personally, the others shall we say, “Need Improvement”.

Several websites seemed to use the smallest, most difficult to read font sizes available. It wasn’t clear on many pages who was president of the USA when last updated – I saw lots of pages copyright 2004. Home pages referenced “upcoming” events that happened last year. There were obvious misspellings.

One premium hotel has a website entirely in flash, which hurts them with Google. They also had a beautiful background photo, which had its most interesting point covered up when you clicked on the buttons for more information.

Other sins: One had an email sign up form, into which I entered my personal data. I then promptly received a welcoming email from them – so far, so good. However, when I opened it, the text (no photos) was in five different colors (Orange, purple, green, blue and black??!!) in five different fonts. (And no, I am not making this up.) What sort of impression does this make on a potential visitor that has never seen your property? But at least they had a functioning subscription system in place – several had none at all.

Some (not all) properties were active in Facebook; others hadn’t done any postings in months. There seemed to be no correlation between quantity of Facebook postings and recentness of the website – it’s as if the people maintaining the two sites didn’t talk to each other.

Snicker all you want – when was the last time YOU checked out your website with the eyes of a new website visitor? What kind of “Thank You” email do your subscribers receive?

The Magazine Advertising Council used to run a print ad. It showed a tough looking businessman facing the reader with the ad copy: “I don’t know you, I don’t know your company, I don’t know your reputation. Now what is it you wanted to sell me?” Same applies to a new visitor to your website.

How much business is your property losing from visitors not finding you through Google? How much is it losing by not impressing visitors when they DO search your site?

Posted in Tech Tip - Email, Tech Tip - Social Media, Tech Tip - Website | Comments Off

One (Huge) Castle is not Enough

davek | February 12, 2011 - 7:54 PM

Historic Conrad Mansion in Kalispell, Montana

Old Buildings bring New Visitors

There is an interesting article in the Tribune of Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011 “Conrad Mansion in Kalispell, Mont.: Perfectly Preserved”. The article describes the wonders of a huge house/mansion (over 13,000 square feet!) in the small city (only 20,000 people or so) of Kalispell, Montana.

I have actually toured this house; it is indeed wonderful and beautiful. Incredibly enough, it is also completely filled with the original furnishings, furniture, clothing, toys etc. The daughter that inherited it was one of those true pack rats that never threw away or sold anything. (Despite the family having lost most of their money even before the Depression.) Not mentioned in the article, but the house has such wonderfully diverse possession as her father’s actual Confederate Civil War uniform, all her mothers beautiful dresses, and the family’s Southern Biscuit rolling machine.

There is something about huge old houses / museums / buildings that attracts visitors. I grew up near the Hudson River in New York, which is loaded with them, including: the Franklin Roosevelt mansion, Eleanor Roosevelt’s personal getaway, a huge Vanderbilt Mansion, and the very large Ogden Mills estate among others. (New York State was deeded so many huge mansions during the Depression that they passed a law that said the state would only accept them with prior approval.)

SLO County is indeed blessed by having Hearst Castle. However, after that, what is there to interest the visitor attracted to that sort of attraction? The South County Historical Society in Arroyo Grande has a collection of several small houses and buildings. Atascadero has the potential to create something, based on the wonderful cluster of Craftsmen / Mission style architecture they possess. Cambria has the restored Bianchini house. There are also the adobes: Rios Caledonia in San Miguel and the Dana Adobe in Nipomo.

But somehow, they have not yet formed a “critical mass”. It would be wonderful if some group could tie all these together (plus other architecture assets) into an overarching historical building / house trail of the county. Yes, SLO County has so many tourist attractions. But there is something about seeing how people used to really live that attracts visitors wanting an authentic view of the past.

Posted in Santa Maria Tourism, SLO County Attractions | Comments Off

Facebook Lessons from Taco Bell and the “Christmas Story”

davek | February 9, 2011 - 1:18 PM

Ralphie decoding secret message form Orphan Annie

Early example of Social Media gone wrong

Taco Bell is living the old adage “When Life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. They have been sued by a person claiming fraud, since alledgedly their taco had less beef than government regulations require.

Taco Bell has fought back very publicly. The have taken out full page ads “Thank you for suing us”. Their latest phase in this counter-attack is using Social Media – i.e. “like” them on Facebook, and get a free Taco. This offer is good for ”only” the first 10 million people that take them up on their offer.

At a food cost of just a few million dollars, Taco Bell will get massive publicity, massive numbers of people coming in for their free taco and buying something else as well, and a MASSIVE number of fans to communicate future special offers to on Facebook.

The Taco Bell response also employs an often overlooked factor. Like them and you’ll get free food. Lots of organizations ask people to “like” or “fan” them. But they give no reason why. It may be social media, but for most people, the thought is still “What’s in it for me?”

Give them a reason to “like” you!! Like us and get special offers. Like us and get news before any body else. (A TV Show I “like” updates their status with a funny preview clip of their upcoming new episode.) Like us and get special coupons. Like us and get to vote on what we do. Like us and get to vote people off the island.

But rememember -you need to follow through. Remember the scene in “The Christmas Story” when Ralphie decodes Little Orphan Annie’s secret message? To his great disgust, the message turned out to be merely “Eat more Ovaltine”! Once they like you, you’re in a 2-way relationship. Give them what they want.

Posted in Santa Maria Tourism, SLO County Attractions, SLO County Lodging, SLO County Restaurants, SLO County Wineries, Tech Tip - Social Media, Tech Tip - Website | Comments Off

Marketing to Boomers

davek | February 5, 2011 - 1:00 PM

To be Staying Alive , you must appeal to Boomers

There is a great article in today’s weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal. (Saturday, Feb. 5-6, 2011, Page 1) “How to Market to an Aging Boomer: Flattery, Subterfuge and Euphemism”.

This article points out that the same HUGE demographic that invented bell bottom pants, Disco music and pet rocks (among MANY other sins) is now surprise, surprise, refusing to grow old gracefully. Speaking as a boomer, I say: “Groovy, Man!”

The article points out several ways leading companies have revamped existing products and facilities so that they do not annoy boomers. These annoyances include my personal pet peeve of small, faint, hard to read fonts. I come across too many websites and emails that are practically unreadable due to small pale gray fonts on pale gray backgrounds.

Small hard to read fonts suck!

As Paco Underhill pointed out in his popular book on retailing: “Why We Buy”, many graphic designers of packages and signs (and websites) are young. They have great eyesight and computer monitors. A large portion of users don’t.

Luckily, according to the WSJ article, boomers and the later generations have similar tastes, so tweaking products so that they don’t annoy boomers does NOT necessarily turn off their appeal to Generations, X, Y, Millennials etc.

So review your products, advertising, website, facilities and consider what might need to be updated before too long. Are your menus readable? Your website and emails? Might you want to go over to carpeting (as CVS did) to make it easier to walk around without slipping? Are you providing the right amount of lighting?

If not, Boomers will turn their back to you, just like we eventually did to bell bottoms, Disco and pet rocks. You bet your bippy! (Popular expression ca. 1970, for those too young to know.)

Posted in Santa Maria Tourism, SLO County Attractions, SLO County Lodging, SLO County Restaurants, SLO County Wineries, Tech Tip - Email, Tech Tip - Social Media, Tech Tip - Website | Comments Off

New Pismo Beach Hotel in Price Canyon?

davek | February 5, 2011 - 12:42 PM

Got Wine Country Resort?

In case you missed it, this week’s New Times Cover Story (Feb. 3-10, 2011) is: “What’s developing in Price Canyon”. This article examines the (long) proposed housing, hotel, conference center and golf course along Price Canyon Road.

The article is subtly (and not so subtly) negative to the development. However, I would personally love to eventually see a large premium wine-country themed resort in SLO County. For me personally, the vineyards that have already been planted in Price Canyon as part of it are certainly more scenic than the cattle fields that were there before. While Napa and Sonoma have these kinds of premium resorts to attract big-spending visitors (e.g. Silverado in Napa), SLO County has no similar competitive “product”.

Should this resort be built, guests will have the easy option of both wine tasting in the next door Edna Valley Wine Region AND enjoying an evening dinner overlooking the sunset over the ocean. This is not something Napa can offer,and is hard in Sonoma as well.

Posted in SLO County Attractions, SLO County Lodging, SLO County Restaurants, SLO County Wineries | Comments Off

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Monthly Archives: February 2011

Going Green?

Central Coast Wine Tourism: Good and Bad

One (Huge) Castle is not Enough

New Pismo Beach Hotel in Price Canyon?

Helping Organizations Achieve On-Line Success

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