JW Marriott Indianapolis Sweepstakes

The sweepstakes, which was designed, marketed and written by HeBS Digital, gives participants 45 chances to win a $50 American Express Gift Card and one Grand Prize: a two-night getaway to Indianapolis, including tickets to concerts, sporting events, museums or other attractions and an array of onsite perks at the JW Marriott, Downtown Indy’s premier hotel. The sweepstakes is perfect for anyone looking for an Indy escape – whether that entails sports, live music, family attractions or just relaxation at the JW Indy.

Participants can enter the Indy Dream Getaway Sweepstakes once each day through February 22 to have a chance at the Daily Prizes and Grand Prize. The contest also includes forward-to-a-friend functionality, which awards a $250 American Express Gift Card to the participant who sends the contest link to the most valid email addresses via the official sweepstakes website. The Indy Dream Getaway Sweepstakes gives participants multiple ways to win!

The sweepstakes will boost daily visits to the hotel website while growing the property’s opt-in email list and expanding its presence on Facebook and Twitter. The sweepstakes will be marketed through email marketing, social media, online newswires, the forward-to-a-friend functionality and more.

The JW Marriott Indianapolis is Downtown Indy’s newest landmark, boasting 1,005 elegantly appointed guest rooms and more than 100,000 square feet of event and meeting space in the middle of the city. The largest JW Marriott in the world and the tallest hotel in Indiana, the JW Marriott Indianapolis attracts distinguished guests and serves as the perfect destination for a dream vacation to Indy.

Enter the Indy Dream Getaway Sweepstakes at the JW Marriott Indianapolis!

Carriage House Las Vegas Sweepstakes

This sweepstakes, designed, marketed and written by HeBS Digital, allows participants to enter once a day for 30 days to win a free one-night stay in a spacious one-bedroom suite at the military-friendly hotel situated just off the famed Las Vegas Strip. Ten lucky grand prize winners will also enjoy a free 4-night stay in a one-bedroom suite! This Las Vegas hotel sweepstakes awards Military members and veterans with deserving vacations filled with quality amenities and comforts, plus the excitement of numerous nearby attractions that feature Military discounts.

Contestants can enter the Las Vegas Military Sweepstakes every day between July 7th, 2011 and August 5th, 2011 to win the Daily Prizes and be entered to win one of the 10 Grand Prizes. The contest also features a forward-to-a-friend functionality which awards a $250 cash card prize to the person who refers the most friends to enter the sweepstakes via the website. The Carriage House Las Vegas 30-Day Military Sweepstakes provides recognition for our country’s brave service men and women through free Las Vegas hotel stays for Military members and veterans and by encouraging friends and family to share their stories on Facebook and Twitter.

The Carriage House sweepstakes will encourage daily visits to the website, grow its opt-in email list and social media followings, and promote the property as a premier military Las Vegas hotel. Multi-channel marketing efforts to promote the sweepstakes include email marketing, Facebook & Twitter, strategic linking, online newswires, and the forward-to-a-friend functionality.

At The Carriage House, guests will experience a peaceful getaway in a comfortable atmosphere surrounded by all the attractions of Las Vegas. Onsite features include everything from spacious accommodations with thoughtful amenities and fully-equipped kitchens to an outdoor heated pool, whirlpool and tennis courts. The friendly staff looks forward to pampering winning guests with attentive service and recommendations for an unforgettable military vacation in Las Vegas.

Click here to enter The Carriage House Las Vegas 30-Day Military Sweepstakes!

Indian Wells - 30-Day Golf Giveaway

To inspire fans of the show to discover Indian Wells, the city is granting visitors the opportunity to make their own “big break” with a 30-Day Golf Giveaway offering a daily prize of a free night at a luxury resort and a round of golf for two. Winners will experience the best of both worlds as luxury awaits them off the course at the secluded enclave of Indian Wells encompassing some of the world’s finest resort accommodations, delectable restaurants, shimmering pools, and indulgent spas.

For the golf gurus longing for the green, sweepstakes registrants can become a fan of Indian Wells on Facebook and submit their favorite golf picture or video to the fan page wall. The photo or video with the most “likes” by the end of the contest at 11:59 p.m. on June 15th, 2011, will win a three-night stay at one of Indian Wells’ peerless resorts, a round of golf for two players at each championship course, a new set of clubs from Callaway, and a custom club fitting session to ensure the winner hits the links ready.

Indian Wells is also bringing more fan fun with a “Big Break” Trivia Challenge based on each week’s episode. Each week contestants can text “Bigbreak” and their answer to 55958 to immediately be entered in a drawing to win $100. The fun doesn’t stop there, Indian Wells let’s everyone in on the Top Ten Reasons to Golf Indian Wells, and exclusive show photos.

As we welcome 2011, it is safe to say that a presence on Facebook and Twitter with a well-developed social media strategy in place can no longer be ignored. With the beginning of a new year, it is important to outline metrics and goals for your social media strategy in 2011.  Understanding where your social media strategy has been in 2010 is one of the first steps in determining how your strategy needs to evolve in 2011 to build a stronger connection with fans and followers.

Before developing your strategy for the New Year, reflect on what has been successful and what has failed to make an impact in 2010.  What was your most successful social media campaign and how many fans or followers participated? What is your main demographic of fans and followers and what posts in 2010 engaged them the most? Like any good New Year’s resolution, it is important to understand the current story your social media strategy is telling to properly set goals and metrics of success that will take your social media to the next level in 2011.

Get a head start. HeBS social media specialists Senior Account Executive Margaret Mastrogiacomo and Account Executive Allison Sena have assessed the Facebook and Twitter strategies of HeBS’ client portfolio keeping in mind industry trends and predictions for 2011 to offer key initiatives, recommendations, and creative ideas to help your social media strategy soar.  We’ve even uncovered the top ten social media mistakes in 2010, so you can start fresh in the New Year and put your best foot forward.

What does the path to social media success in 2011 look like? It starts with a social media strategy and action plan.  Outline specific goals and objectives you wish to accomplish through your social media strategy and develop a set timeframe for completion. Prioritize your goals and specify metrics that will be used to measure performance and gauge growth. Analyzing determined metrics of success and benchmarking with competitors will provide insight into performance. Don’t forget to consider industry standards and typical results when deciding on measures for success. Organize your action plan into one central, easy to access checklist with main social media goals to prioritize, assign responsibility, and specify metrics and goals for tracking.

Click here to download our full article with Social Media tips for 2011: HeBS Best Practices – 2011 Social Media Resolutions. Here is a snapshot of what you’ll find in the article:

Resolution #1: Write interesting and engaging content.
There is no better time than 2011 to engage your customer segments and build a customer relationship. There are a million ways to ask a question, so get creative. Make posts interesting and incorporate engaging content to elicit a response and increase interaction. Social media content should not be a one-way source of information. Lead off posts with an open-ended question, utilize creative fill-in-the blank, post relevant trivia, or simply prompt fans and followers to “like” or @reply.  Additionally, including content that speaks to specific customer segments (such as business or leisure) better resonates with your fans and followers to increase engagement. Give your customers a voice and encourage users to interact, post pictures, and provide insight on the features and amenities that they look for in your brand.

Resolution #2: Incorporate unique offers into your social media strategy.
Your social media presence should have a unique value from your website presence. Avoid solely posting packages that are available on your website. Be sure to provide unique offers to fans and followers or create an exclusive deal available to the first ten fans or followers who book. Offering exclusive extras to fans and followers creates a unique value and increases page visits. Considering developing a “mystery special offer” where the promo code can only be found on your Facebook or Twitter, or post “Facebook Friday” or “Twitter Tuesday” deals every week exclusively on your social media presence.

Resolution #3: Give fans and followers a reason to keep coming back for more.
On Facebook, users have the option to keep you in their newsfeed or click “hide”.  Analyze your posts and put yourself in the consumer’s shoes. Do you make interesting and valuable posts? Or is your information boring and non-engaging? Thinking outside of the box will not only avoid the dreaded “hide” button and make your tweets stand out in the stream, but will  encourage more page visits and build brand loyalty. Consider posting printable coupons or provide exclusive deals or hotel packages on a private landing page that only fans or followers can access.

Also consider utilizing your social media presence to further develop your own branding by giving details about a new hotel amenity, dish at your restaurant, or cocktail at your bar and prompt website visitors, fans, and followers to post a suggested name for this new addition to your hotel or brand.

Resolution #4: Regularly post fresh content.
Leave outdated content behind in 2010. According to Best Practices, posts should be made at least three to five times per week. If you are unable to commit to your page, then it is important that you hire an employee or agency that can. According to the Social Media Examiner, there’s a direct correlation between frequency of posts and the number of fans a page acquires.

It is also important to monitor the time of day that fans and followers are most active. This usually occurs between mid-morning and late afternoon. Be sure to post during these times to maximize visibility of your marketing messages. Determine which content your fans and followers value most by monitoring which posts elicit the most engagement. Use this information to effectively reach your customer segments, maximize user engagement, and build a deeper connection. On Facebook, viewing your fan page analytics (particularly page views by date) is a great way to measure the success of your posts and monitor the activity of your page.

Resolution #5: Brand your social media presence.
Has your brand come to life on social media? Branding your social media presence is a vital component in making a stronger impact on fans and followers. On Facebook, you can create a customized tab to showcase your amenities and include rich imagery of your property to highlight your selling points and gain an edge over competitors. Since multi-channel initiatives are vital in any successful online strategy, include a reservation widget, email capture, and mobile capture on the custom tab to build your lists and increase conversions. Your custom Facebook tab can be used to draw attention to special offers, increase awareness of a major upcoming event, or include information about a contest or promotion. You can even consider rewarding fans with a free cocktail at your bar or exclusive promo code to receive a discount off their next stay. Utilize the reveal tab technology, where a certain portion of the tab is only exposed once a user becomes a fan of your page. This elicits interest and grows your fan base.

A customized Twitter background highlighting the most important hotel information is also vital in creating an official, branded presence on social media.

What’s next in 2011?

From measuring social media ROI to integrating mobile into your social media strategy, there’s a lot to conquer in 2011. Explore our social media guide to 2011, and determine which New Year resolutions work best for your social media presence.   We’ve even uncovered the top 10 social media mistakes in 2010 as well as offer case studies and key examples to give your 2011 social media strategy the boost that it needs to make a stronger impact into 2012.

Click here to download our full article with Social Media tips for 2011: HeBS Best Practices – 2011 Social Media Resolutions.

Indian Wells "Key to the City" Mobile Promotion

Mobile users who text to receive the “key to the city” can book up to 20% off a hotel stay, enjoy a complimentary glass of wine at a local restaurant, indulge in up to 15% off any spa treatment, save 20% off rack rates on a round of golf, and more.

Aiming to promote their local businesses, Indian Wells turned to HeBS to develop a promotion that not only incorporates all of the luxury accommodations and activities their destination has to offer, but engages travelers and patrons in real time to build buzz around the destination and drive sales to the city’s businesses.  As part of a comprehensive web 2.0 strategy, this multi-channel initiative was promoted via email marketing, social media, and the city website www.indianwells.com.

Pioneers in mobile marketing, HeBS has leveraged the mobile frontier with a deep understanding of mobile in travel and hospitality. Conducting our own industry research and case studies, HeBS has published many articles stressing the importance of mobile-ready websites, mobile marketing, and engaging customers in real time. One of the first in the industry to address mobile marketing in hospitality, HeBS analyzes the mobile market place in the article titled “Mobile Marketing and Distribution in Hospitality: The Future is Already Here”.

HeBS mobile services include Mobile-Ready Hotel Website Design and Development, Mobile-Ready Booking Engine Integration on the mobile site, Mobile Reservation Tracking and Conversion Reporting, Mobile Search Marketing (Google Mobile, Bing Mobile, Yahoo Mobile, etc) , Mobile SMS Text Marketing, Mobile Video MMS Text Marketing, Mobile Opt-in Marketing , Mobile Banner Advertising , Mobile Interactive Contests and Sweepstakes , Mobile Coupons, and Mobile Apps.

For more information on HeBS mobile services and consultation visit, http://www.hospitalityebusiness.com/services/mobile.php

2011 BNP Paribas Open 30 Day Free Ticket Giveaway!

The interactive sweepstakes, designed and marketed by HeBS, allows participants to enter once a day to win two free tickets to the most-attended tennis tournament in the world outside of the Grand Slams. The sweepstakes is open to entrants from November 3^rd to December 2^nd, 2010.

The promotion also features a forward-to-a-friend functionality to encourage entrants to share the sweepstakes with friends. The person who refers the most friends to enter the sweepstakes via the website will receive a $250 Visa Gift Card.

The BNP Paribas Open Sweepstakes will encourage daily visits to the site, appreciably grow its opt-in email list, and promote the event as a top tournament for the sport’s best athletes. Multi-channel marketing efforts to promote the sweepstakes include email marketing, Facebook & Twitter, banner advertising, strategic linking, online newswires, and the forward-to-a-friend functionality.

The BNP Paribas Open is a prestigious tournament that brings together the top men’s and women’s tennis players for a two week period on the ATP World Tour and WTA. Held annually at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, a state-of-the-art facility boasting a 16,100 seat stadium, the BNP Paribas Open takes place in one of most beautiful venues for watching the top professionals compete.

Click here to enter the BNP Paribas Open Free Ticket Giveaway!

Seralago Hotel & Suites sweepstakes by HeBS

This interactive sweepstakes, designed and marketed by HeBS, allows participants to enter once a day for thirty days to win a free room at this Kissimmee family-friendly hotel from September 15^th to October 14^th, 2010.

The promotion also features a forward-to-a-friend functionality to encourage entrants to share the sweepstakes with friends. The person who refers the most friends to enter the sweepstakes via the website will receive a Grand Prize Weekend Getaway package featuring two nights in a two-room suite and daily breakfast for two.

Seralago Hotel & Suites’ sweepstakes will encourage daily visits to the site, significantly grow its opt-in email list and promote the hotel as the ultimate family vacation destination in Kissimmee, FL. Multi-channel marketing efforts to promote the sweepstakes include email marketing, Facebook & Twitter, strategic linking, online newswires and the forward-to-a-friend functionality.

Seralago Hotel & Suites is a favorite family-friendly hotel in Kissimmee, FL. Part of the Walt Disney World Good Neighbor® Hotel Program, the hotel offers comfortable accommodations, two Olympic-sized swimming pools, a tennis court, onsite dining and more, just minutes away from the exciting Orlando theme parks.

Click here to enter the Seralago Hotel & Suites 30-Day Free Room Giveaway!

Over the span of ten days, entrants can register for the AmericInn Interactive Scavenger Hunt and collect four branded clues that will be revealed via Facebook, Twitter, Email and Text Message. To be officially registered, contestants must become a fan of AmericInn on Facebook and a follower of AmericInn on Twitter. Once registered, contestants can start collecting clues. After gathering all four clues, participants are entered in a drawing to win a free 7-day vacation package at any of the AmericInn locations in 22 states and a $500 VISA gift card. A second prize of 2 free nights and a $100 VISA gift card will also be awarded. Also, those those who share with the most friends have a chance of winning one free night at any location and a $50 VISA gift card.

This Interactive Scavenger Hunt is truly a unique, multi-channel marketing solution that engages contestants in AmericInn’s brand message. By utilizing social media and other marketing channels, this Interactive Scavenger Hunt is able to further establish a branded online presence. As contestants discover each clue, a word is revealed that is key to AmericInn’s brand message.

The AmericInn Interactive Scavenger Hunt ends on August 20^th when the grand prize winner of a 7-day vacation package and other winners will be announced.

HeBS President and CEO Max Starkov has been invited to lead the “Successful eMarketing” blog on HOTELS magazine’s website. The following is an excerpt from Part 3 of 4 of Starkov’s article: “Hoteliers’ Action Plan to Capitalize on Rising Travel Demand.”

Action Plan: Engage your customers with social marketing

Social Media has changed how travel consumers research and plan travel, access travel information, and perceive credibility of information. eMarketer reports that more than 70% of Internet users under age 35 browse social networks. That percentage decreases for older users but is still significant, with 43.1% of those ages 35 to 54 and 18.9% of users ages 55 and older visiting social networks.

There is no doubt that Internet users are increasingly influenced by social media sites and peer reviews. By utilizing a comprehensive social media strategy, hoteliers can create social media “buzz” around the hotel, target receptive audiences, and ultimately stimulate hotel website visits, interactions and bookings.

HeBS’ 2010 Benchmark Survey on Hotel Internet Marketing Budget Planning and Best Practices showed that half of hoteliers surveyed (50% exactly) responded that in 2010 they are planning to create profiles for their hotels on the social networks.

Social marketing should become an important component of any hotel’s marketing mix and part of the comprehensive Direct Online Channel Strategy for any hotel company. Naturally, it is important to use the right ROI metrics to measure the success of social marketing efforts of the hotel.

As discussed above, social media and social marketing initiatives should be reviewed with “sober eyes” and within the context of the impact of the multi-channel marketing strategy of the hotel.

Instead of only focusing on bookings and revenue when measuring results from social media marketing, remember that currently the best uses of social media are:

• Serving as one important component of hotel’s multi-channel marketing
• Buzz-building
• Brand-building
• Interacting with and engaging customers
• Keeping up with the times, making the hotel look current, cool and up-to-date
• Driving engaged and relevant traffic to the property’s own website

What are the initiatives hoteliers can deploy in 2010 and expand in 2011?

• Facebook Fan Page with reservation widget, email capture functionality, custom design tabs, photo albums, hotel blog feeds, etc.
• Twitter Profile with customized look and feel design, contests and sweepstakes, SEO-friendly posts, etc.
• LinkedIn profile to reach out business travelers and meeting planners
• Flickr with photo albums addressing your main business segments
• YouTube hotel profile: virtual tours are out, videos are in. Develop hotel videos presenting hotel services and amenities to your different customer segments and post them on the hotel website and YouTube.

A word of caution: if your hotel cannot allocate bandwidth and resources or cannot afford to hire an external social marketing firm, do not start with social media initiatives such as Facebook Fan page or Twitter profile. The social media battleground is full of “corpses” of abandoned hotel fan pages and profiles that do more harm than good to their owners. Social marketing is a very engaging process that requires skills and consistent engagement with the travel consumer.

Action Plan: Utilize mobile marketing to communicate in real time with your customers

Mobile travel bookings are projected to grow 700% in two short years. U.S. M-Commerce will reach a staggering $1 billion in 2010 (ABI Research). Sixty-seven percent of business travelers already use their mobile devices to view hotel locations via maps (Sabre Travel Network Survey). Mobile marketing must become a vital component of the marketing mix for any hotelier.

HeBS own research and other industry sources show that between 1% – 1.5% of visitors to hotel websites already come from travel consumers accessing the hotel site via mobile devices.

Hotel guests—past, current and potential—are increasingly becoming mobile-ready, and hoteliers have to respond adequately to this growing demand for mobile services. This is the reason why all major hotel brands, travel suppliers and OTAs have mobile Internet initiatives in place, including mobile brand websites and mobile applications including iPhone apps, m-CRM and mobile marketing. In order to meet the enormous growth in consumer demand for mobile services, hoteliers must start with a clear understanding of current best practices in mobile marketing.

As shown by HeBS’ 4th annual Benchmark Survey on Hotel Internet Marketing Budget Planning and Best Practices, while a number of hoteliers surveyed were not yet planning on mobile marketing initiatives for 2010 (32.8%), many are taking some very crucial first steps.

What can hoteliers do in the remaining months of 2010 and 2011? Mobile marketing must become a vital component of the marketing mix for any hotelier.

An excellent first step is to create a mobile site, which by default is the “gravitational” center for all future marketing efforts: from text messaging and Google mobile ads, to mobile sweepstakes and applications. Budget limitations are no longer an excuse for not launching a mobile-ready hotel site.

Imagine the user experience of trying to squeeze your wide-screen hotel website, designed to fit screen resolutions at 1280 x 1024 pixels and above, onto the tiny screen of a mobile device. Our analysis shows that more than 90% of mobile users access the hotel website via mobile devices with screen sizes of 320 x 480 pixels. Accessing a “conventional” website via a mobile device, even the latest iPhone, often results in an undesirable user experience: the inability to find information needed and a predictable outcome of abandoned websites and reservations.

What should hoteliers plan for 2010 and beyond? In addition to a mobile-ready website, launching mobile contests, quizzes and sweepstakes as part of the hotel multi-channel marketing initiatives will allow you to “test the waters” of mobile marketing. Adding  Google Mobile ads as part of a comprehensive search marketing strategy is another natural step. Also, start soliciting sign-ups to the mobile opt-in list (m-list) on the website via hotel email marketing campaigns, social media initiatives, interactive sweepstakes and contests.

Location-based services, m-CRM and mobile apps are initiatives in need of careful planning, sophisticated technology, and a better economic environment. Even so, hoteliers should start thinking about how to incorporate these initiatives in the upcoming years.

Read the full article, including case studies on the Hotels Magazine’s “Successful eMarketing” Blog. I look forward to our continued dialogue. Next week, we’ll conclude our eight-step action plan with metrics and achievable objectives for the rest of 2010 and 2011.

HeBS’ onsite social media specialist Margaret Mastrogiacomo was quoted in the article, stating: “Before hoteliers even consider a social media initiative, they should be aware that social media is a very engaged, hands-on marketing format. The social networks are a graveyard of abandoned hotel profiles and fan pages by hoteliers who did not realize the complexity of social marketing.”

Read the full article here. Click here to read about HeBS’ Social Media services for hoteliers.