| If you're talking about effective bed and breakfast | | | | outside advertising either. Styling is often a bit limited |
| marketing you have to be talking about a website, | | | | and I have that ongoing problem with who has |
| right? In today's world doing business without a | | | | control. Who says how many pages you can have? |
| website is like waving at someone in a dark room. | | | | How much it's going to cost each month? Do you |
| You know you're doing it but nobody else does! | | | | really get all you need for your monthly fee or is |
| Regardless of your personal skill level in this area, you | | | | there a need to add extras... at extra cost? |
| absolutely must have a presence on the world wide | | | | So we come to the pros. The guys and gals who are |
| web. If you don't then your potential guests are | | | | supposed to be the best at this stuff - but who will |
| simply going somewhere else. Initially the impact | | | | inevitably make the biggest hole in your bed and |
| might be low. Eventually it will be huge. People will | | | | breakfast marketing budget! If you can afford it |
| book their accommodation via their laptop, their ipad, | | | | there are lots of good reasons for finding a |
| their phone... if they can't find you among your | | | | professional b & b website designer. If you can |
| competition you're going to have a lot of empty | | | | find someone who knows the market, rather than |
| beds! | | | | someone who builds sites for all and sundry, even |
| So a website is a given. The challenge is, what sort | | | | better. If there's a drawback it's that every time you |
| of website? There are dozens of "free" options for a | | | | want something changed it's going to cost you. Then |
| start. Then there are the "just $19.99 a month" type. | | | | there's still that question of control. |
| Then there are professional web designers where | | | | Are you sensing a bit of a theme here? So am I |
| the fees start to get considerably higher but you | | | | saying that the only sensible solution is to build your |
| would hope the skill level does too. | | | | own website? I know many people are less than |
| Before you blow your bed and breakfast marketing | | | | thrilled by that idea! |
| budget let's have a quick look at those options. | | | | Which is quite understandable. We've all seen DIY |
| The "free" site. The advantage is the cost, the | | | | websites that look, shall we say, less than |
| disadvantages? I really don't have the space here to | | | | professional. It's not really the fault of the bed and |
| list them all. Now you might consider that a flippant | | | | breakfast owners who put them together. The |
| answer but I'm quite serious. Free sites are a waste | | | | cheap software is next to useless and the really |
| of time. They provide insufficient services, frequently | | | | good software is both expensive and difficult to get |
| the support is near non-existent, the search engines | | | | to grips with. Most people have better things to do |
| don't like them so nobody will see your site... but | | | | with their time... like running their guest house? |
| that's not the worst of it. You have absolutely no | | | | Fortunately in recent years a new solution has |
| control. The owners can impose advertising which will | | | | emerged. The ease of use and simplicity of a blog |
| generate the most income for them... but might be | | | | combined with the power, flexibility and control of |
| entirely inappropriate for you. | | | | content management systems. A true do-it-yourself |
| For the good of your accommodation business, do | | | | method which, frankly, most web designers would |
| not get a free website. | | | | rather you didn't know about. It's now possible to |
| The "pay x-amount a month" type of offer is usually | | | | build a web presence that can be the equal of what |
| better supported and some of them are run by really | | | | the pros do, whilst keeping the vast majority of your |
| friendly folks. You don't get the interference of | | | | bed and breakfast marketing cash in your pocket! |