I’ve identified the real culprit. My iPad.

Yep, that genius device that has so positively impacted my life has also been keeping me from sleeping. Because here’s the problem: I have been reading, social networking and watching videos from bed.

Sleep experts will say that this is a real no-no, and I have to agree. They say bed should be for sleeping (and a few other activities), but certainly not for Web surfing.

As a digital marketer, I tend to live much of my life on the Web. And sometimes my virtual world can creep in and overtake my real world. Sad, I know. But surely I’m not alone…am I?

It seems my recent sleep funk has reminded me that every so often, we need to take a step back from our e-lifestyles and tap into reality. Put the iPad down long enough to get some rest. Take a break from email, YouTube and Facebook, and get back to the basics of our everyday lives.

So as we begin this holiday season, it’s important to remember that social networking is not a replacement for face-to-face interactions. As marketers, for example, we need to acknowledge that it is equally important to train staff to exhibit your brand as it is to have a full-featured website.

This is the time of year to drop those gadgets and reestablish personal connections with loved ones, colleagues and customers. And how about sending a few handwritten cards this year instead of those of the email variety? I guarantee you’ll stand out from the crowd.

Happy Holidays!

• 90% of Americans state that companies should be mindful not only of their profitability, but also of their impact on the environment and society.
• More than 50% say they would be more likely to select an airline/rental car/hotel that uses more environmentally friendly products and processes.
• 54% assert they would be more likely to patronize hotels or resorts that they knew practice environmental responsibility.

With statistics like these, it would be a mistake to ignore the need for sustainable practices in your business. Check out some of the ways in which thinking green can boost your bottom line.

1. Distinguish yourself. Step out from the competition by showing travelers how your environmental concern is a step above the rest. By offering sustainability initiatives not offered by others in your competitive set, you can position your brand as a leader in this area.
2. Target ethical consumers. 35 million Americans are Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) consumers.* They tend to gravitate toward activities, products and services that are environmentally and socially conscious. By aligning your offerings with the values of these consumers, you can open up your target reach.
3. Consider carbon offsets. The consumption of natural resources and the generation of waste all cause carbon dioxide emissions and, ultimately, global warming. By offering carbon offsets (solutions for maximizing energy efficiency and reducing emissions), you can make your business a greener option for discerning consumers. Visit http://carbonoffsets.org for more information.
4. Tap into travel philanthropy. This movement comprises conscientious travelers and travel companies that donate time, money and patronage to protect the natural environments they visit. It also includes voluntourists, or travelers who visit a destination to take part in local volunteer projects. Think about partnering with some of these organizations to open up avenues for untapped market growth.
5. Get certified. A great way to market your brand is to advertise your accomplishments—especially with regard to sustainability efforts. Take the steps necessary to secure environmental certifications from respected organizations, so you can boast your credentials to the public.

”*Trends in Sustainable Travel and Tourism,” GreenMoney Journal, Winter 2011/2012

Saving Grace (for iPhone)
This packing checklist and reminder tool by Grace Hotels is designed to cut the stress of packing. It has pre-set lists for different types of trips, plus personalization features and an assortment of important things to do before you travel.

All My Baggage (for iPhone)
Keep track of the number of baggage items you bring to the airport or train station. During the rush to catch your flight or train, it can be chaotic with so many things to do. This app helps to remember all your belongings and prevent leaving anything behind.

AllSubway HD (for iPad)
This app takes the confusion out of confusing undergrounds, featuring subway maps for about 128 different cities around the world. Each map is available offline, which is perfect for navigating from the depths of the metro.

Foodspotting (for iPhone & Android)
The social website, Foodspotting, allows users to recommend specific dishes at restaurants and nominate the dishes they absolutely love. The app lets you do all this, plus see which restaurants are nearby and which dish to order when you get there, and share good food via photo snapshots.

SitOrSquat (for iPhone & Android)
Locating the nearest—and cleanest–toilet in a foreign city is no small feat. SitOrSquat simplifies the search. Its database contains the location of over 100,000 toilets around the world and growing. You can search by city, zip code or geolocation. Toilets also come with ratings, sometimes a photo and even a note if the location of the bathroom is currently closed.

Shameless promotion: Did you know that Dana develops apps and mobile websites? We work with budgets large and small to make sure your brand is everywhere your customers are. To learn more, drop Jeff a note today at jgurtman@danacommunications.com.

Customers like having control, and they want to know that they are important. So, for instance, when Starbucks introduced My Starbucks Idea , they empowered their customers to take an active role. On the site, users can submit suggestions that are then voted on by other Starbucks customers. In this way, Starbucks has gained greater insight into their customers’ needs and desires, while customers have gained a greater sense of control.

Another example is Graco. Using the photo-sharing program Flikr, in combination with a blog platform, Graco built a community around its baby products. The submitted photos showcased real people, thereby humanizing and promoting their brand. It boils down to this: people crave attention. Give them an opportunity to get their two seconds of fame, and they will promote the brand.

Successful marketing stems from the idea that you have to give a little to gain a little. In the case of Burger King’s “Sacrifice Ten Friends”  Facebook application, customers could give a little and gain a lot! Every person who sacrificed 10 of their friends by deleting them from their Facebook account received a free whopper. And let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want a free burger? The unique campaign, however strange it may have seemed, promoted Burger King through customers’ interaction with the brand on Facebook.

Overall, brands that have successfully integrated social media into their marketing campaigns have done so by allowing their customers to be involved. When you have a campaign that is as interactive as social media, there is a world of opportunities for capturing information and forming a strong relationship with your customers.

1. Use LinkedIn to support lead generation. For brand awareness or promoting an event, Facebook’s the place. If you want to increase website traffic, tweet. But for generating leads, go with LinkedIn’s professional network. As you become active in the LinkedIn community, you’ll find opportunities to offer up content as solutions to problems. Join groups (or start your own) and engage members with links to white papers and invitations to webinars. Everyone who responds becomes a lead to nurture.
2. Use LinkedIn to promote your most important asset: your employees. Your corporate presence on LinkedIn helps support your image as an employer of talented individuals. Encourage your employees to showcase their skills and industry knowledge on LinkedIn and as their professional network expands, so do sales leads.
3. Use LinkedIn to target a specific audience. LinkedIn’s base of 100+ million users may seem small compared to Facebook’s (estimated at 750 million), but if you want to reach business professionals, LinkedIn has no comparison or competition. With LinkedIn, you can place text ads in front of qualified prospects (CEOs, CFOs, Human Resources Executives, Fortune 500 Executives) and even target by industry.
4. Use LinkedIn to build trust. LinkedIn users tend to trust individuals within their base of contacts, even if the connection is distant. Get recommended—and that level of trust grows even more.
5. Use LinkedIn for Search Engine Reputation Management (SERM). If you want more control over your first page of Google search, it makes sense to take full advantage of your personal and company LinkedIn profiles. Google gives LinkedIn profiles high authority and generally ranks them well for searches that include a company name, brand or employee’s name.

*“Emerging Trends in B-to-B Social Media Marketing: Insights from the Field”

The show has terrific energy and is lots of fun.  Everyone seems to understand that we are in  the hospitality business and that it ought to be fun.  Lots of great food and wine and smiles and laughs.  But the backbone is that real business is being conducted.

I walked the floor nine different times and I decided to identify the five best messages (branding) put forth by Exhibitors.  I chose them for their attention-grabbing quality and positive portrayal.

Here they are:

The Estonia booth:  This Baltic State has created a stunning booth through the use of banners that float at seemingly random heights and make you feel like you are walking in a bucolic yet primeval forest.  Some of the banners are high in the air and expand the sense of space in the booth significantly.  Others are at ground level and thus create separate spaces – but not really.   The whole thing works and, in comparison to some of the more complex structures, is affordable.

The Brazil booth:  The backdrop of the booth is a very large – wide and tall – wooden matrix of square shelves.  Within the shelves are displayed Brazilian artifacts – anthropological art, sculpture and traditional tools and utensils.  Just beautiful in its simplicity.  And then cocktail hour arrives and the booth turns into a celebration of the sensuality and sexuality that is inherent to Brazil.  We all want to hang out there.

Congress Alliance’s “Orange Lady”:  This one you have to see to believe.  An attractive and stately woman is tinted orange from head to foot.  It’s like a Day-Glo orange that seamlessly covers every inch of her – hat, face, dress, legs, shoes, etc.  Weirdly appealing.

The Portugal booth:  The combination of high tech and old-time artisanal makes for a perfect combination of modern messaging and cultural heritage.  A large digital display that begins on the ground for five feet and then takes a vertical/right angle change of direction and goes six feet high shows graphic and photographic images and then announces the scheduling of various tastings of Portuguese products like olives, olive oil, bread and wine.  The tastings are fun and informative.

The foie grois served at the Paris booth for lunch:  Giant loaves of pate shaped exclusively from foie grois.  The real thing.  Absolutely delicious.  With the right, minimalistic accompaniments.  And Parisians hangin’ in the booth who acted like this is an everyday occurrence – no big deal.

In response to this new development, many hospitality businesses are questioning whether they should be getting in line to jump on the Google Boost wagon. In truth, Google Boost does make sense for some businesses, but it may not be the best option for hospitality and destination marketing.

The advantage of Google Boost is its ability to display an ad to local searchers on Google Maps (“local” as defined by 15-20 miles from the property). However, by using the Google AdWords interface instead, a business can advertise on Google Maps without local restrictions—and with greater control over the campaign, the cost per click and the ad copy.

Google AdWords provides more advertising options and finer controls. With AdWords, you can control keyword selection and bids, target both locally and nationally, get advanced reporting, take advantage of different ad formats (such as video), display on thousands of partner sites and more.

It is also important to note that visitors who click on an ad through the AdWords interface can be directed straight to the business’s website, as opposed to Google Boost, which sends users to the business’s Google Places listing first, thereby putting more steps between the visitor and the booking engine. As the connection from an ad to a business’s booking page should be as quick and smooth as possible, sending visitors to an in-between stage is unlikely to be beneficial to hospitality and destination marketing efforts.

Search advertising is an important component to any marketing campaign—although it is often overlooked or misunderstood by businesses that are not well informed on the medium. If you’d like more information about discovering the best options to “boost” your efforts in this area, contact our PPC Specialist at emcdonough@danacommunications.com.

For the 7^th year in a row, Travel + Leisure has gathered their collection of hotels, restaurants and more that they feel have pushed design boundaries to deliver products that are truly unique and innovative. Two forward-thinking cities—Abu Dhabi and Shanghai—both had many entrants to the awards, as they have quickly become synonymous with unparalleled design. In the US, they applauded the collaboration between boutique hotelier Ian Schrager and Marriott International, which produced The Waikiki edition, the first in a series of resorts and hotels from the freshly minted hybrid brand. And when it came to the best-designed resort, they gave that title to the Amangiri in Utah. The resort is “an ostensibly indigenous exercise in perfectly pitched Zen-like restraint and organic architecture—34 minimalist rooms that essentially cleanse the aesthetic palate by banishing the garish banalities of the kind of ho-hum luxury that this year struck no one as luxurious.”

Flip through the rest of the winners of Travel + Leisure’s 2011 Travel Design Awards—and don’t forget to take some notes for your inner interior designer.

Media outlets are rapidly changing. Therefore, clients—and, more importantly, their consumers—are asking questions.

One panel discussed the purchase of Huffington Post from AOL, and the value we place on new media companies as well as mergers with old(er) media companies. This got me thinking about how we value new media ideas. Let’s take a look at three examples.

1. Julie Powell started a blog, chronicling her attempts to recreate every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. When people caught onto the idea and decided it had value (entertainment that would then translate into profit), it was turned into a familiar medium to be presented to the public—through a book, and then later a movie. But the blog already had fans, so why was this idea translated to a different medium? Are blog readers not valued, or are people still just tied to the old media channels?
2. Justin Halpern turned things his dad said into a popular Twitter stream, S#*t my dad says. But seemingly, Twitter wasn’t enough. Instead of just having interested people meet him on Twitter, the idea and momentum were translated into a book, and then into a TV series starring William Shatner…yep, Captain Kirk. But Justin’s Dad was funny on Twitter, so why did it need to be translated into a book and then a TV show?
3. PostSecret is an ongoing collaboration project in which people share postcards containing their secrets. New secrets are posted to the blog each Sunday, curated by Frank Warren. PostSecret currently published its collection of secrets into four volumes available at your favorite retailer under different topic headings. Publishing these secrets in book form removes the interactivity of the site; the public can no longer comment on secrets or share their opinions on a controversial topic. Isn’t this why people fell in love with the Web anyway?

So what do these examples of translating ideas from a new format demonstrate? Do people value new media? Or are they just using new media “to go viral” and then waiting for publishers and producers to find them?

Perhaps I am just being a bit naïve. Maybe if I published a successful blog and was asked to make “The Emily McDonough Story” into a film starring Meryl Streep, I’d think differently. Who knows?

Well…meet Quora, an online tool meant to serve as a continually improving collection of questions and answers—all created, edited and organized by everyone who uses it. Is this just another phase in the evolutionizing of social media? Or can you, as a professional, put Quora to work for you? Here are a few of the highlights:

• Any person can pose any question.
• It’s a place where new stuff—that no one has written about yet—can get pulled onto the web.
• Over time, the database of knowledge grows and grows until almost everything that anyone wants to know is available.
• Any new knowledge can be added and is there forever to be shared with anyone in the future who is interested.
• People can write their own answers any time they think a question page could become a better resource with more information.
• Those who read question pages rate the answers so that the best ones rise to the top of the page. And people can comment on each other’s answers to help them make those better as well.

Users can also follow topics, enabling Quora to show them questions they are interested in and know about. Or, you can follow individual questions, which creates a waiting audience for anyone who wants to write an answer.

As for credibility? According to Quora, “Everything on Quora is tied back to a person. Each question and answer has a revision history associated with it, and each change in the log is associated with the person who made it. People use their real names and pictures on Quora and have a short bio describing who they are; this helps anyone reading things they write to understand why they should believe what is written and take into account the author’s perspective.”

So, what does this mean to you as a professional, and how might learning to use Quora benefit your business? Here are five helpful tips on how to utilize Quora, from Mario Sundar, a global social media expert of LinkedIn:

• Follow topics of professional interest
• Follow your colleagues
• Follow breaking news in your field of expertise
• Break news in your field of expertise
• Ask a question

For additional information about Quora, how it’s been received and how it works, check out the following references:

http://www.quora.com/about/
http://mariosundar.com/2011/01/10/quora-101-for-professionals/
http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/42630.aspx