Google understands the power of great social networking sites like FaceBook and MySpace. In the past, Google has attempted to create its own rival social networking site with Google Profiles. Google even endevored to purchase a portion of FaceBook to no avail. Now there’s talk that a "Google Me" project (that for all we know is well underway) that might give FaceBook and MySpace a run for their money.

Current Google social networking elements:

1. Google Profile: This is a public page where you can share your information with the world. It allows you to…

If you run a business, having exposure in Google Places is a great way to generate additional business. The Google map function appears when searchers type certain keyword searches. Using the map feature is advantageous as it is located at the top of the page on Google. This free listing can have an incredible impact on increasing your sales volume. Beginning on April 20, 2010, Google changed their Google Local Business Center to Google Places

What is new on Google Places?

Google Places now has additional features that will be beneficial for businesses. Some of the new…

When it comes to Internet marketing, it is important to be familiar with the various channels that result in bookings, which in turn, make you more money. For those travelers who still prefer to call and speak to a live person to book a reservation, you can now precisely track where they found you online. How many of your guests say they found you on “the Internet?” Knowing which channels actually produce reservations can help you maximize your incoming revenue.

1. Know where calls come from that result in a booking: pay per click, Google, Yahoo…

Do you know how to effectively measure your online and offline marketing efforts to correctly determine your return on investment?  If you are unsure of the best way to achieve this measurement, call tracking is an extremely effective tool to monitor whether or not your marketing campaigns are delivering a sound return on investment (ROI).  

We all know that one of the benefits of ecommerce is the ability to have customers purchase directly from your website.  However, there is still a large population of web users that will research a product on the Internet, but prefers to call…

Breaking News: ITA is the name for what most people call GDS, the abbreviation for Global Distribution Services. ITA's are resources like Orbitz and Expedia.com that aid travelers in searching, reserving, and purchasing travel products. Google is in private negotiations to acquire ITA Software Inc., which would enable Google to showcase available flight information, hotels and more travel services in their search engine. This ITA acquisition would allow Google to compete with similar travel search features that Microsoft currently offers. According to Henry Hartevelds, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc., “Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information…

Bill Mitchell, Chief Operating Officer at RezStream, will be a featured speaker on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at a networking event held in San Francisco and hosted by the California Association of Bed and Breakfast Inns.  This gathering will bring together innkeepers and industry experts for a day of informative workshops and all participants are invited to attend Bill’s presentation. 

Bill’s topic on “How to Select and Monitor an Internet Marketing Company” will provide innkeepers with helpful hints about the best way an Internet marketing customer can select and monitor a good Internet marketing company.  Bill Mitchell’s vast knowledge…

View the video in USA Today about Kathy Standage and her challenges with starting a new business in today’s difficult economy.  Kathy opened Exclusive Vail Rentals, a property management company in the Vail Valley, which offers high-end luxury vacation homes and condominiums rentals.  She chose RezStream as a solution provider for her property management software, online reservation booking engine, and Internet marketing services.

Exclusive Vail Rentals offers one to more than five bedroom Vail vacation rentals, many of which are…

In a blog we posted on February 10, 2010, RezStream provided five practical ways to boost online reservations, with the promise to follow up in March by sharing five more helpful tips.  We hope you enjoyed part one of this two-part article last month and that you find equally as useful our tips six through ten!

6. Search Engine Optimization: Are you aware of the EXACT keywords people are searching in relation to the product you are selling?  Choosing keywords incorrectly can equal incredible losses in online revenue.  A well optimized website yields more revenue than…

Video marketing is quickly becoming one of the most effective ways to promote your hospitality website.  This form of advertising engages the online visitors with enticing video, which sets off emotion triggers by allowing the viewer to examine the property, rooms, amenities, area events and attractions without physically being at your property’s location.

From the graph below, you can see the number of people watching online videos increases with each year. 

To grasp how important video is becoming in marketing strategies, it is useful to understand how universal search works.  Universal search…

The importance of making a good “first impression” may be over emphasized, but its concept rings true, especially within the hospitality industry, where positive first impressions of your property can turn viewers into visitors.  Utilizing professional photographs, along with a well designed website, is the perfect combination to entice your viewers to spend more time on your site and convert lookers into bookers.  Photography gives you the opportunity to help your guests visualize their stay at your property.  With the plethora of information made available online these day to potential guests, it is rare that a booking is made without…