Social Media Marketing Example #2: Best Western
September 24, 2008
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To continue the series, “26 Social Media Marketing Examples In Detail“, I’m moving on to Best Western.
What are they doing?
- Widgets
- After poking around on their site, I got curious about the sub navigation that said, “Knock, Knock“. After clicking on the tab, I discovered that Knock Knock is actually a desktop application that delivers package offers for Best Western, as well as weather, and links to travel tips and tools. Unfortunately, this useful little application is not available as a web application (like Google Desktop), and it’s location within an interior page makes it more difficult for people to grab. (Best Western of France has a version of this, but it doesn’t have the functionality of Knock Knock, and has less than 100 users).
- You must be Trippin’ is the name of one of their blogs, and no I’m not trippin - it really is its name. This blog is a multi-user blog, with 2 real people and the rest character names (in my opinion they should pick one or the other, but I digress…) My initial reaction of this blog is that it is a good concept, but the content on it needs to have focus. One minute it talks about deep fried foods, and the other it is talking about spools of twine. I’d prefer this blog to be centered on how to plan road trips on the cheap, or when the best time to book hotel accommodations, but that’s just me.
- On the Go with Amy is the name of another one of their blogs, which has a single contributor, Amy Graff. The site is transparent in that it discloses that Amy is working on behalf of Best Western, and it does a good job tailoring to the audience of “traveling with kids” (which is a great target audience for Best Western).
- Facebook: Currently the US Best Western doesn’t have an official presence, but I did find that the UK version created a Fan Page to commemorate Best Western’s 30th anniversary. The page contained really cool pictures of a life-size cake the shape of a Best Western bed and interesting videos I showed to my colleagues. It seems they have content that could become popular, but the centric nature of this fan page around the 30th anniversary means that the page is likely to remain at a stand-still.
- Video
- BestWesternTV is the name of their branded You Tube channel, which is supposed to be used to hold fan contests and showcase hotels. From taking a look at the videos posted to these contests, it looks like chances are looking good for winning (The most popular video contest garnered only 13 videos). Here’s also a glimpse of the type of content Best Western is placing on You Tube, and it may explain why:
- Google Maps
- I added this because I think Best Western needs to train its Best Western managers to observe and claim their Google Map listings. Since I typically choose my hotels on proximity, affordability, and user reviews, I rely heavily on Google Map listings because they include this information as I map out my travel. The downfall to overlooking these listings is that Google will pull pictures from other sources on the web (leading to out-dated, generic, or misleading photos), and the local hotel itself misses out on important marketing opportunities (like the ability to add Google coupons for free).
Do you know of other things Best Western is doing within the realm of social media marketing? If so, feel free to add it in the comments below!
Comments
3 Responses to “Social Media Marketing Example #2: Best Western”
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OMG, that video is HORRIBLE…
Well, you can’t fault them - they’re trying and attempting to gain some traction. Not all venues are going to work, but I commend them for giving it a shot.
Shailesh Ghimire’s last blog post..Where Exactly Does Social Media Belong?
@ Shailesh - I think it is more about the type of content on the venue itself. I think it is awesome they made the effort, but it seems they have tried similar approaches each time. What I find more appalling is the expense of this branded You Tube channel versus the amount of traffic it receives.