As one of the top NYC Boutique Travel PR Firms, we understand the importance of blogs to generate brand and consumer awareness and to ultimately, drive traffic to your website. While it is vital to post regularly, we also incorporate working with influential travel bloggers into our overall integrated public relations campaign which includes traditional media coverage and social media platforms.
We recommend a thorough keyword research study by a qualified SEO specialist in order to determine the best keywords. Then, you should incorporate the SEO terms into carefully crafted blogs at least once a week to build and maintain a hospitality client’s online presence.
We have found the consistent blog content helps to keep your brand top of mind with a hotel’s existing and potential clients.
Over the years, we have found the following five tips invaluable for working with top travel bloggers.
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Find Your Target Blog and Read Them
As with any media outlet, do your homework and read your target blog. Send only relevant content of interest to the blogger
As you can imagine, bloggers are bombarded with pitches and press releases from hundreds of other public relations folks daily. So it is vital to really become familiar with the blog and tailor your pitches accordingly.
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Become Familiar With The Submission Guides
Many bloggers have taken the time to develop guidelines about what they will and will not accept in terms of content. Pay careful attention since it could make the difference in becoming an invaluable source for the blogger.
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Press Trips
For many of our travel clients, press trips are an invaluable way for bloggers to gain first-hand experience with your property. For example, we work with only the influential blogger such as Destination Weddings Travel Blog, Rudy Maxa’s Savvy Travel Blog, Sher She Goes, who have a tried and proven track record for helping to moving the needle upwards.
Some bloggers are so influential that they can provide invaluable marketing data such as their audience reach and sometimes advertising revenue to show the traffic to their website.
As with any story, we find inbound links to our hotels websites invaluable for helping to raise their rankings in google searches.
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Bloggers Lounge
Bloggers lounge is another effective tool to assemble a group of influential bloggers either online or offline in one location to meet one-on-one with your company spokesperson, attend a conference or experience your product or service and then blog about this experience as it happens.
By partnering with the right influencers, you can enhance your brand awareness online and ultimately attract more customers.
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Special Events
Press breakfasts, press conferences, cocktail receptions are also invaluable to keep bloggers top of mind with what’s new with your hotel, product or service. In planning any event, it is vital to remember the venue and location are key elements for inspiring journalists and bloggers to attend your special event.
If your event is centrally located and easily accessible and one of the hot trendy must see venues, then you will increase your chances for having an influential media and bloggers attend your event.
Don’t take it personally if a blogger is unable to come to special event. It may be the blogger has another pressing deadline to attend to. Provide press kits for the bloggers to use for a later date.
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Inbound Links
Often, bloggers will embed links into their blog which will enhance your online visibility.
Sometimes, a simple act as posting a comment on an influential bloggers site can also help extend your brands reach through the natural links from posting on another site.
By implementing a blogger relations program, you will elevate your presence online and keep your brand top of mind ultimately, attract new customers.
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