turisme marketing blog, online og destination markedsføring for rejse og gæstfrihed, internet og digitale oplevelser

Design Will Save The World And Luxury Hotel Web Design

Ever since a Ukrainian designer friend of mine mentioned them I’ve always had a fascination with Art Lebedev Studio, a design company based out of Moscow.

Whether it’s their consitution, the impressive Optimus Maximus Keyboard or their diversity of work there is always something inspiring to browse at on their site.

Their less than common approach (”The only principle we follow is just two words: No bullshit.”) has not prevented them from being Russia’s leading design studio. With a team of over 200 they work with some of the country’s largest corporates (Yandex (big search engine) and Gazprom (energy giant)

Ever since a Ukrainian friend mentioned them I regularly drop in on the website of Art Lebedev Studio, Russia’s leading design studio.

Whether it’s their constitution, product design (see Optimus Maximus Keyboard, GLONASS Satnav) or their diversity of work there is always something inspiring to browse. Of particular interest is the process section that accompanies each project.

Their less than common approach (”The only principle we follow is just two words: No bullshit.”) has not hindered success or size. A team of +200 work with the country’s largest corporates including Yandex (largest portal and most popular search engine) and Gazprom (largest company in Russia).

Both sites proudly display Art Lebedev’s logo and link at the bottom of their pages. I like the way these projects sit equally alongside fridge magnets or an identity for a baby club in their portfolio.

The studio founder has clearly succeeded in passing down and maintaining his design ideals and approach to running a company. I’d like to know how they juggle their approach with client’s differing views on online marketing. The only interview I could find points to a negative attitude to SEO and marketing.

Most recently I was drawn to a website design for a luxury hotel, the Felix Zawojski. The site has been crafted with wonderful attention to detail.  Take a look at these sketches and renderings, view panoramas or watch footage of The Great Train Robbery in every room.

The identity creation points to guests feeling as though they belong to a royal family – the website design certainly serves up a luxurious experience. However, you won’t find an online booking facility, e-newsletter sign up or special offers.

Perhaps that lends itself to the exclusivity. Although, with such care taken to educate and pamper the visitor, surely these features would further help retain and convert site prospects?

(“Design Will Save the World” is the studio’s motto)

A / B-test For Email Marketing

Vi administrerer en lang række e-mail marketing kampagner for vores kunder, enten direkte eller arbejder tæt sammen med rejse PR og marketing agenturer.

Samt målrettet forbruger emails disse også omfatte en række kampagner at nå ud til medierne og handel. For sidstnævnte har vi fundet noveller med billeder og læse om links hjælpe med at opstille e-mails, bortset fra dem med masser af tekst og ukomprimerede billeder.

Jeg har før talt om betydningen af en emnelinje at stimulere interessen for at åbne e-mailen.

Noget, vi har været gennemførelsen af flere af sent er A / B-test for emnelinjen. To emnelinjer er skabt - en delmængde af abonnenten listen modtager Om Line A, en anden delmængde modtager Om Line B.

Den åbne for både derefter overvåges i en periode. Emnelinjen, der fører til den mest åbner er valgt som vinder og alle de øvrige modtagere får denne emnelinjen.

Det er en enkel og hurtig måde at give dit indhold en større chance for at blive læst. I stedet for at åbne satser, kan man bestemme den vindende emnelinjen af de højeste klik gennem satser.

Eller bruge A / B-test til at teste forskellige 'Fra' navne eller e-mail-indhold selv. Sørg for, at du linker din e-mail-kampagner til, hvad analytics software for at få det fulde billede.

Figur 1. x-aksen - tid, y-aksen - åben satser. Om linje A - rødt og emnelinjen B - blå

Ovenstående diagram viser fordelen ved gennemføre dette. Den røde emnelinjen var den første valgt en.

Efter at overbevise kunden om at prøve A / B-test, skabte de et andet emne linje, vist med blåt.

Den anden emnelinjen i høj grad ud udførte den første i form af åbne sats.

Læs mere om vores rejser e-mail marketing tjenester og tidligere arbejde.

A/B Testing For Email Marketing

We manage numerous email marketing campaigns for our clients, either directly or working closely with travel PR and marketing agencies.

As well as consumer targeted emails these also include a number of campaigns reaching out to the media and trade. For the latter we’ve found short stories with images and read on links help set the emails apart from ones with reams of text and uncompressed images.

I’ve talked before about the importance of a subject line to stimulate interest to open the email.

Something we’ve been implementing more of late is A/B testing for subject lines. Two subject lines are created – a subset of the subscriber list receives Subject Line A, another subset receives Subject Line B.

The open rates of both are then monitored for a period of time. The subject line that leads to the most opens is selected as the winner and all remaining recipients receive this subject line.

It’s a simple and quick way to give your content a greater chance of being read. Instead of open rates, one can determine the winning subject line by the highest click through rates.

Or use A/B testing to test different ‘From’ names or email content itself. Make sure you link your email campaigns to whatever analytics software to get the full picture.

Figure 1. x axis - time, y axis - open rates. Subject line A - red and Subject line B - blue

The above diagram demonstrates the benefit of carrying this out. The red subject line was the first one chosen.

After convincing the client to try A/B testing, they created a second subject line, shown in blue.

The second subject line greatly out performed the first in terms of open rate.

Read more about our travel email marketing services and past work.

Indhold er konge i Rejser og turisme?

Emnet "indhold" kommer op igen og igen i diskussioner om online tilstedeværelse. Jeg er ikke sikker, som opfandt udtrykket "indhold er kongen," men jeg har kunder fortsætter med at stille spørgsmålet: Er Content King i Rejser og turisme?

Svaret er, uden tvivl, ja - især for mindre tøj og organisationer med begrænsede online tilstedeværelse. Sure, der er masser af gratis indhold derude - og at dømme efter trafikken antallet af sider som Wikitravel og fora om Lonely Planet, gratis indhold er kommet for at blive. Men indholdet på dit websted er dit køretøj at præsentere dit budskab og skildre dit brand. Og hvis du giver muligheden for at booke online eller i det mindste direkte kunder til at kontakte info, kan indholdet være det sidste står mellem dig og en booking. Overvej:

• en frustreret mor kan ikke dechifrere, hvis din tur tilbud er egnet for børn, vil beslutte at bestille noget andet. Værre, hvis det er klarere på din konkurrents websted, kan de få salg i stedet for dig.
• i sidste øjeblik kunde, som ikke ser dine kontaktoplysninger, kan ikke kalde at se, om der er plads til en ekstra reservation.
• en henvisning kunde besøger dit fotogalleri og beslutter ikke at bogen, fordi billederne ikke afspejler de erfaringer, hans ven beskrevet.

Den værste del om hvert af disse scenarier er dobbelt: 1) at du aldrig vil vide, at det skete, og 2) de problemer, der var lette at lave.

Her er nogle nemme spørgsmål, du kan bede, mens du søger i dit indhold. Kan du lide de svar, du kommer tilbage?

• Er det nemt at finde alle tilgængelige medier for at kontakte dig (telefon, e-mail, post)?
• Er det nemt at se, hvilke typer af ydelser til rådighed, oplysninger om udbud og tilgængelighed / koste?
• Er billeder eller video professionel og afspejle virkeligheden i dit tilbud (I dette tilfælde, less is more.)
• Vil du vise vigtige certificering oplysninger?

Den europæiske online rejse markedet alene ventes at nå op på EUR 67 milliarder i 2009 (kilde: eMarketer.com), endsige den eksplosive succes i USA. Er din online tilstedeværelse sende det budskab, den skal? Indhold er konge i rejser og turisme, så jeg håber, at svaret er ja.

Andy Hayes er en professionel rejse forfatter og fotograf er baseret i Edinburgh, Skotland. Han hjælper små virksomheder i Travel & Tourism omfavne online-teknologier. Hvis du vil vide mere, kan du besøge hans hjemmeside, Udveksling af erfaringer, hvor du kan downloade en gratis kopi af hans nylige eBook, Klargøring til Takeoff: 7 Almindelige fejl virksomheder med at gøre, når de går på besøg.

Is Content King in Travel and Tourism?

The topic of “content” comes up time and time again in discussions about online presence. I’m not sure who coined the phrase “content is king,” but I have customers continuing to ask the question: Is Content King in Travel and Tourism?

The answer is, without a doubt, yes – especially for smaller outfits and organisations with limited online presence. Sure, there is plenty of free content out there – and judging by the traffic numbers of sites like Wikitravel and the forums on Lonely Planet, free content is here to stay. But the content on your site is your vehicle to present your message and portray your brand. And if you offer the ability to book online or at least direct customers to contact info, the content might be the last stand between you and a booking. Consider:

• a frustrated mother can’t decipher if your tour offering is suitable for children will decide to book something else. Worse, if it is clearer on your competitor’s site, they might get the sale instead of you.
• a last minute client who doesn’t see your contact information cannot call to see if there is space for an extra booking.
• a referral customer visits your photo gallery and decides not to book because the images don’t reflect the experience his friend described.

The worst part about each of these scenarios is two-fold: 1) you’ll never know that it happened, and 2) the problems were easy to fix.

Here are some easy questions you can ask while browsing your content. Do you like the answers you get back?

• Is it easy to find all the available mediums for contacting you (phone, email, post)?
• Is it easy to see the types of services available, the details on the offering, and availability/cost?
• Are images or video professional and reflect the reality of your offering (In this case, less is more.)
• Do you display important certification information?

The European online travel market alone is expected to reach EUR 67 billion in 2009 (source: eMarketer.com) , never mind the exploding success in the US. Is your online presence sending the message it should? Content is king in travel and tourism, so I hope the answer is yes.

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Photo courtesy of jenlight.

Andy Hayes is a professional travel writer and photographer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. He helps small businesses in travel & tourism embrace online technologies. To learn more, visit his website, Sharing Experiences where you can download a free copy of his recent eBook, Preparing for Takeoff: 7 Common Mistakes Businesses Make when Going Online.

Blog for Mahindra Homestays

Vi har lanceret en blog for Mahindra Homestays, der tilbyder høj kvalitet indiske Homestays.

Den blog handler om at fejre og opdage Indien - at tilskynde rejsende til at opleve noget anderledes.

Lad os vide hvad du mener - vi vil meget gerne feedback.

Højdepunkter kan nævnes:

• Series of Things To Do artikler. Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Wayanad, Cochin, Kewzing og Udaipur.
• Månedlig fotokonkurrence
• Video ture i Homestays
• Specialtilbud
• Previews af de nyeste homestays

Sammen med design og udvikling, vi også hjælpe med oprettelse af indhold og blog forfremmelse.

Blog for Mahindra Homestays

We’ve launched a blog for Mahindra Homestays, offering high quality Indian Homestays.

The blog is all about celebrating and discovering India – encouraging travellers to experience something different.

Let us know what you think – we’d love the feedback.

Highlights include:

• Series of Things To Do articles. Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Wayanad, Cochin, Kewzing and Udaipur.
• Monthly photo competition
• Video tours of the Homestays
• Special offers
• Previews of the latest homestays

Along with the design and development we’re also helping with content creation and blog promotion.

Hvad vi har været op til

Tydeligvis ikke skriver på vores blog!

Undskyldninger for, at - vi har været meget travlt, og at koncentrere vores energi på en hektisk seneste kundens projekter. Dette omfatter et websted til fremme af Eilat i Israel. Besøg www.Explore-Eilat.com - se screenshot nedenfor.

Vi har også indledt processen med at udvikle en ny Dot Turisme site - det er i wireframe etape, men vil stramme op på integrationen af vores blog med main site.

What we’ve been up to

Clearly not writing on our blog!

Apologies for that – we’ve been extremely busy and concentrating our energy on a flurry of recent client projects.  This includes a site to promote Eilat in Israel. Visit www.Explore-Eilat.com – see screenshot below.

We’ve also started the process of developing a new Dot Tourism site – it’s in the wireframe stage but will tighten up the integration of our blog with main site.

Links 07.11.08 & WTM

Det er den her igen! Jeg vil blive ved World Travel Market i næste uge - drop mig en linje, hvis du gerne vil møde op.

Vil også være til stede under Travel BlogCamp tirsdag aften.

• SEO vilkår og rigt indhold - kan de stadig være venner? Http://tinyurl.com/5mf85c med en rejse skriftligt fokus
• 50 + Skal Læs Web Design for ROI, brugervenlighed og SEO artikel http://tinyurl.com/64qvqx
• Kajak modtog 62% af stemmerne for bedste rejse-site for billige billetter over på det seneste Lifehacker meningsmåling http://tinyurl.com/6kfu2q
• Egentlig ikke overraskende i betragtning af ROI tracking af PPC & SEM - Fra IAB "SEO topprioritet for rejse-sektoren" http://tinyurl.com/6nay8j
• Applikationer til LinkedIn lanceret - TripIt synes at være den første rejse en http://tinyurl.com/5aux88
• Samfund råber ud til de bedste rejse hjemmesider om Lifehacker http://tinyurl.com/6kq3as
• Af interesse for UK'ers - Google Test Postnummer Søgefelter http://tinyurl.com/6jgfen
• Lige haft en go med Google Earth for iPhone, meget imponerende http://tinyurl.com/62 × 3ek
• Neville sammenligner meddelelse tilgang af JetBlue og BA og deres respektive terminal åbninger. Http://tinyurl.com/67llrr

Links 07.11.08 & WTM

It’s here again! I’ll be at the World Travel Market next week – drop me a line if you’d like to meet up.

Will also be attending the Travel BlogCamp on Tuesday evening.

• SEO terms and rich content – can they ever be friends? http://tinyurl.com/5mf85c with a travel writing focus
• 50+ Must Read Web Design for ROI, Usability and SEO Articles http://tinyurl.com/64qvqx
• Kayak received 62% of the vote for best travel site for cheap tickets over at the recent Lifehacker poll http://tinyurl.com/6kfu2q
• Not really surprising given ROI tracking of PPC & SEM – From the IAB “SEO top priority for travel sector” http://tinyurl.com/6nay8j
• Apps for LinkedIn launched – TripIt seems to be the first travel one http://tinyurl.com/5aux88
• Community shout out for the best travel web sites on Lifehacker http://tinyurl.com/6kq3as
• Of interest to UK’ers – Google Testing Post Code Search Boxes http://tinyurl.com/6jgfen
• Just had a go with Google Earth for the iPhone, very impressive http://tinyurl.com/62×3ek
• Neville compares the communication approach of JetBlue and BA and their respective terminal openings. http://tinyurl.com/67llrr

Nyheder og links 24.10.08

Flere kommentarer og links taget fra vores kvidre - undskyld manglen på blog-indlæg, vi oplever en stor kunde arbejdsbyrde i øjeblikket. Knæ dybt i SEO revisioner og PPC-kampagner. Men det er alle gode!

Check out Alex's blog eller gennemse den nye Travolution hjemmeside og blog for nylig online rejse indsigter.

• Gode tips og råd om interne webstedssøgninger http://tinyurl.com/44oxt8
• Neat kategorisering af fem Social Media kugler http://tinyurl.com/49j9cx
• "Tilføjelse sociale links til e-mails: hvad og hvor?" Http://tinyurl.com/6q5rz3
• Jeg var opmærksom på en væsentlig forskel i PPC vs SEO bruger, men var ikke klar over den kløft, var så stor http://tinyurl.com/56udo7
• Glæde! Big Google Analytics upgrade - få lowdown på TechCrunch http://tinyurl.com/5v8vu4
• Det er tid til rejser indhold 2,0 http://tinyurl.com/6xhedr
• Gode tips fra Kevin 'Travel SEO - Hvordan Target Searchers i højre etape af købscyklussen' http://tinyurl.com/6frzoj

News and Links 24.10.08

More commentary and links taken from our Twitter – excuse the lack of blog posts, we’re experiencing a large client workload at the moment. Knee deep in SEO audits and PPC campaigns. But it’s all good!

Check out Alex’s blog or browse the new Travolution site and blog for recent online travel insights.

• Good tips and advice on internal site searches http://tinyurl.com/44oxt8
• Neat categorisation of five Social Media spheres http://tinyurl.com/49j9cx
• ‘Adding social links to emails: what and where?’ http://tinyurl.com/6q5rz3
• I was aware of a significant difference in PPC vs SEO spend but didn’t realise the gulf was so great http://tinyurl.com/56udo7
• Joy! Big Google Analytics upgrade – get the lowdown at TechCrunch http://tinyurl.com/5v8vu4
• It’s time for travel content 2.0 http://tinyurl.com/6xhedr
• Great tips from Kevin ‘Travel SEO – How to Target Searchers at the Right Stage of the Buying Cycle’ http://tinyurl.com/6frzoj

Links 15.10.08

• Top 21 e-mail markedsføring informationskilder http://tinyurl.com/39ngzw
• Ti Hot Tips for Successful Online Travel Marketing - Del 1 http://tinyurl.com/4f6vt4 Del 2 http://tinyurl.com/3hnlqv
• Rejser PPC: 10 måder at forbedre din kampagne. Http://tinyurl.com/3jjo4x
• Google tilføjer flere annoncer http://tinyurl.com/49vcb2
• Hotel service ved iPhone eller iPod Touch http://tinyurl.com/3wkuqm
• Sociale medier Supremo Chris Brogan stillinger »turistbureauer og bloggere 'http://tinyurl.com/4tsofy

Links 15.10.08

• Top 21 email marketing information sources http://tinyurl.com/39ngzw
• Ten Hot Tips for Successful Online Travel Marketing – Part 1 http://tinyurl.com/4f6vt4 Part 2 http://tinyurl.com/3hnlqv
• Travel PPC: 10 Ways to Improve Your Campaign. http://tinyurl.com/3jjo4x
• Google adds more ads http://tinyurl.com/49vcb2
• Hotel service by iPhone or iPod Touch http://tinyurl.com/3wkuqm
• Social media supremo Chris Brogan posts ‘Tourism Bureaus and Bloggers’ http://tinyurl.com/4tsofy

Links 06.10.08

• Hele Travel lancerer miljøvenligt system for hoteller http://tinyurl.com/3ln93e
• Online Travel Booking: Hvad påvirker forbrugerne? Http://tinyurl.com/43abuv
• Den vidunderlige verden af flersprogede SEO http://tinyurl.com/47svg3
• Lige sluttet denne Ning powered netværk - »En Turisme 2,0 Professional Networking Group 'http://tourism2point0.ning.com/
• Ferierejsende stoler ikke på brugergenereret indhold

Links 06.10.08

• Whole Travel launches eco-friendly rating system for hotels http://tinyurl.com/3ln93e
• Online travel booking: What influences consumers? http://tinyurl.com/43abuv
• The wonderful world of multilingual SEO http://tinyurl.com/47svg3
• Just joined this Ning powered network – ‘A Tourism 2.0 Professional Networking Group’ http://tourism2point0.ning.com/
• Holidaymakers do not trust user generated content

Links 25.09.08

• God Q & As med Skyscanner CEO http://tinyurl.com/3jequd
• Længst skulle have været - www.thetrainline.com er blevet redesignet (UK togbillet detailhandler)
• Online PR'ers - Yotify, Google Alerts udskiftning? Http://tinyurl.com/4v6de5
• Handy forum for dem, der er involveret i rejserelaterede affiliate marketing http://tinyurl.com/45f782
• God idé - New Zealand hotel sætter scanninger af guest book online http://tinyurl.com/4p2cs2
• Sådan at sætte din hjemmeside på Google News - http://tinyurl.com/4yl96x
• Godt eksempel på udløst e-mail (velkommen beskeder eller tilmelding bekræftelser) fra moo.com http://tinyurl.com/4wz685
• Holiday industriens blues fra Marketing Week http://tinyurl.com/4j4qfd
• Google Maps Mobile Tilføjer Street View, Gåture Kørselsvejledning http://tinyurl.com/4dqztn

Links 25.09.08

• Good Q&As with Skyscanner CEO http://tinyurl.com/3jequd
• Long overdue – www.thetrainline.com has been redesigned (UK train ticket retailer)
• Online PR’ers – Yotify, Google alerts replacement? http://tinyurl.com/4v6de5
• Handy forum for those involved in travel related affiliate marketing http://tinyurl.com/45f782
• Good idea – New Zealand hotel puts scans of guest book online http://tinyurl.com/4p2cs2
• How to put your website on Google News – http://tinyurl.com/4yl96x
• Great example of triggered email (welcome messages or signup confirmations) from moo.com http://tinyurl.com/4wz685
• Holiday industry’s blues from Marketing Week http://tinyurl.com/4j4qfd
• Google Maps Mobile Adds Street View, Walking Directions http://tinyurl.com/4dqztn