| February 12, 2008 - In a recent interview with EyeforTravel
John Lee, VP Brand Marketing and Communications, Embassy Suites, explained
the fundamental differences between a UGC (user-generated content) retention
and acquisition strategy. With so many hotels launching UGC and social
networking initiatives, defining a key objective from the start is crucial
to success. Do you plan to reach out and attract customers who wouldn�t
otherwise find you? Or do you want to build a platform for your loyal
customers to express themselves and increase brand loyalty?
�I believe you should �talk� and establish an �exchange� to each segment differently� said John Lee �To me, too many attempts to create a dialogue with consumers is too generic, too board in scope. If the brand has a goal of retaining its best customers � then the format for that content should revolve around what�s most important to that target - points and subject matter that resonates with them � a narrow-cast effort if you will� Traditionally, retention and acquisition marketing efforts are two separate disciplines, and Lee emphasized that the same must be true of social media marketing. John Lee will be discussing the difference between a UGC retention and acquisition strategy in detail at EyeforTravel�s Social Media Strategies for Travel conference. (5-6 March, San Francisco). For more details: www.eyefortravel.com/ugc A customer-driven platform for brand advocates is ideal if you aim is
to retain customers. By setting up a dialogue between your customers
and your brand it gives them a place to reflect what they like about the
brand. �From a brand perspective you need to provide an organizational
framework to manage, facilitate and amplify relevant communications among
influential online customers� said Lee.
By speaking to John Lee it became clear that Embassy Suites are taking an innovative approach to engaging customers in a web 2.0 environment. In November 2006 Embassy Suites launched an unusual campaign by asking their guests to re-design their �do not disturb signs�, demonstrating their desire to engage customers with their product and brand.
To find about more about Embassy Suites social media efforts attend EyeforTravel�s Social Media Strategies for Travel conference (5-6 March, San Francisco) and hear from speakers such as John Lee, VP Brand Marketing and Communications for Embassy Suites. Visit www.eyefortravel.com/ugc or email [email protected] for more information. |
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recently Embassy Suites kicked off their online social media strategy by
sending an email survey out to 80,000 of their loyal customers and asking
them what they liked about the brand. An extremely high response
rate of 76% promoted them to create the �embassadors� � a group of people
who are vocally loyal to the brand. They now have an exclusive
website and they are testing �embassadors� floors in their property.
By monitoring this online community Embassy Suites hopes to gain an insight
into stay patterns and activities and shown itself to be a market leader
in the travel 2.0 arena. With innovative marketing tactics and
a strong base of brand loyalists, Embassy Suites is perfectly poised to
take advantage of the social media phenomenon.