In the digital world, consumers own brand management. By posting positive (or negative) reviews and blog posts, consumers become a sales enabler (or preventer). Customer reviews are particularly critical influencers in the hospitality space. Hotels and restaurants can be made or broken by even a single review from a person of influence. While customers have a louder voice than ever, there is opportunity awaiting hospitality brands that embrace search engine and social media marketing to help manage their brand and reputation online. Kent Lewis, President and Founder of Anvil Media, will outline effective strategies, tactics and tools for online brand management. Learn how to turn positive (and negative) reviews into real revenue.

1. Best Practices for
Managing Your Online
Reputation in the
Hospitality Industry
Presented by:
Kent Lewis
(@KentLewis)
President & Founder
Anvil Media, Inc.
www.AnvilMediaInc.com

2. About Anvil Media
Anvil Media, Inc. is a digital marketing agency specializing in search
engine marketing (SEM) services including search engine
optimization, pay-per-click management, online reputation
management, mobile marketing, social media marketing, web
analytics and site conversion optimization.

3. About Anvil
Founded in 2000, currently 16 employees & 50+ clients
100% of account team Google AdWords & Analytics
certified
100% of account team published in industry
Founding member of SEMpdx trade association
2x winner of SoMe (Social Media) Awards
Search & social media training partner with OMI &
Wharton
Inc. & Portland Business Journal Fastest Growing
Company

4. Who We’ve Worked With

5. Agenda
Online Reputation Management Overview
ORM Strategies & Tactics
Platforms
Customer Reviews
Training
Tools
Resources

6. ORM Overview

7. Universal Search
 Incorporates a variety of media
 Pushes down organic listings
 Review sites rank well (50%)
 Changes the game for SEO

8. Reviews & Trust

9. The Impact of Reputation Management

10. Social Media & Reputation Management
Relevance
Value
Commitment
Honesty
Transparency
10

11. ORM Strategies & Tactics

12. ORM Fundamentals
Plug the leak!
Identify undesirable listings in search results
Create & optimize competitive content
Develop inbound links to boost rankings
Leverage existing opportunities
Utilize keyword-friendly domain names
Create profiles/content on trustworthy domains
Promote “friendly” content in target search results
12

13. ORM Strategies & Tactics
Optimize branded corporate content on site
Home, About, Contact, Legal, etc.
Optimize PR content (News Room)
FAQs, attractions, events, awards, etc.
Syndicate high value content
Releases, articles, blog posts, etc.
Integrate metrics & measurement
URLs, tracking strings, unique 800#, promo codes
13

14. Advanced ORM Techniques
Address the issue directly (offline)
Create & optimize multimedia assets
Develop subdomain content
Build free site/pages (Google Sites)
Leverage pay-per-post blogs
Create viral/linkbait content
Leverage charitable donations/sponsorships
Participate in indexable forums
*Special thanks to Rand Fishkin, Andy Beal, Chris Bennett and Jaan Kanellis
14

15. Search Engine Ranking Factors 2011
15

16. Future Ranking Factors

17. Local SEO: Place Pages
 Based on city or IP address
 Claim your listing
 Ensure info is correct
 Rank by citations/reviews

18. Local SEO: Places Pages
 Add images & videos
 Add coupons & updates
 Request reviews

19. Local SEO: Ranking Factors
 Location, Location, Location
 Verification, Verification
 Association & Citations

20. Paid Search: PPC Advertising
 Target by keyword & location
 Develop custom landing pages
 Enhance listings
 Leverage affiliate program for ORM

21. SEM PR: Fundamentals
SEM Public Relations
 Build out a News Room
 Create, optimize & syndicate release
 Augment with paid search & social
 Measure visibility, clicks & conversion
21

22. Platforms

23. Google+: Engagement & Customer Service
Google+ for ORM
 Create & join Circles & Hangouts
 Better filtering of network than FB
 Likely to surpass FB for business
 Will trump FB in search results (ORM)

24. Facebook: Engagement & Customer Service
Facebook for ORM
 Monitor wall for customer service
 Post questions to illicit insights
 Host contests to generate testimonial
 Optimize profile to rank in search

25. Twitter: Awareness & Testimonials
Twitter for ORM
 Monitor stream for customer service
 Monitor keywords for sales & marketing
 Leverage fans for testimonials & reviews
 Optimize profile to rank in search

26. Flickr: Awareness & Image Search
Flickr for ORM
 Monitor image search for potential issues
 Optimize & post quality images
 Optimize profile to rank in search

27. Blog: Awareness & Credibility
Blog for ORM
 Create posts based on topical need
 Syndicate posts for maximum reach
 Utilize to address timely ORM issues
 Optimize profile to rank in search

28. Mobile: The Emerging ORM Platform
Personal
Targeted
Scalable
Immediate
Actionable
Portable
Interactive
Measurable

29. Location-based Services
Virtual Loyalty/Couponing Programs
Utilize cellular, GPS, Bluetooth & NFC
technology
Popular: Google & Facebook Places,
Foursquare
Majority of platforms offer reviews & tips

30. Foursquare
Local SEO: Foursquare
 Claim & manage tips
 Create special offers & reward Mayor
 Monitor analytics & use via admin
 Also consider GoWalla & Loopt

31. Customer Reviews

32. Reviews in Search
 Incorporates a variety of sources
 Stars impact perception & clicks
 Reviews can impact rankings
 What is your review strategy?

33. Holistic Approach is a Must

34. Where can you take action?
Type Free Basic Directly Aggregated Analytics* Can Offer
Listing Respond to Reviews Coupon/
Reviews Included Promotion *
Search Engine
Google Places
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
(Hotpot)
Yahoo Local ✓
Bing Local ✓ ✓
Service
Yelp ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
CitySearch ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
TripAdvisor ✓ ✓ ✓
LBS
Foursquare ✓ ✓ ✓
FB Places ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Gowalla ✓ ✓
Loopt ✓ ✓
*Some options are only available on paid listings

35. Review Sites: Yelp, Citysearch
 Monitor for negative reviews
 Respond to customer feedback
 Manage profile content

36. What to Do
Claim Optimize Monitor
Tips: Tips: Tips:
Claim ALL listings Consistency is key Monitor as much of
Use business email Use legal business the web as you can
name Use monitoring
Link to webpage with tools
address and phone Respond to
number negative and
positive reviews

37. Managing Customer Reviews
When to Respond
Your are in the wrong
A review is misstating
facts
The issue is common
How to Respond
Be honest
Be calm
Make amends

38. Training

39. Internal ORM Liability Issues
Slander, Defamation & Libel
Employers are liable for employee’s negative comments
Employee Actions
Wrongful termination or discrimination based on posts may
lead to a lawsuit
Harassment
Use of discriminatory, threatening or derogatory language
by employees
Security
Compromised by hackers phishing social platforms
39

40. Internal ORM: Solutions
Guidelines
Develop culture-appropriate guidelines
Adopt successful public strategies (see links)
Hiring & Training
Require training before allowing access to social
Revisit guidelines and training regularly
Restriction
If all else fails, block access to offending sites
40

41. Sample Employee Guidelines
Be transparent, judicious, humble, human, professional, smart
Talk about what you know and add value; know your audience
Make it interesting, unique, remarkable, informative, fun
Think before you post or reply
Respect the privacy and opinions of others (even competitors)
Don’t pick fights, and be the first to correct your mistakes
Honor confidentiality, proprietary information & IP
Respect copyright, fair use and financial disclosure laws
Gain approval and cite your sources, before posting
Understand terms of service of social platforms
Leverage social media to increase, not decrease productivity
Report any policy violations to management
41

42. Tools

43. Tool: Google Alerts
Monitoring: Google Alerts
Select keywords
Sent to inbox
Also available on Yahoo!

44. Tool: Google Me on the Web (New)
Monitoring: Google Me on the Web
 Monitor emails and keywords
 Offers limited custom alerts
 Can schedule update frequency
 Includes helpful ORM resources

45. Tool: Monitor This
Monitoring: Monitor This
Keyword-based alerts
META search: up to 25 engines as
sources
Provides more comprehensive
coverage

46. Tool: Social Mention
Monitoring: Social Mention
Robust on-site reports
Also monitors blogs and
comments
Can receive regular updates via
email

47. Tool: RSS Feeds
News Feeds: RSS
Monitor multiple outlets (feeds)
Use Google Read or Yahoo! Pipes to
manage
Complex to configure initially

48. Tool: Yext Rep
Local Review Management: Yext
Monitor multiple local listings
Easy to configure and manage
Good starting point with limited
investment

49. Tool: Revinate
Review Management: Revinate
Hotel-specific reviews
Monitor reviews from multiple
sites
See overall hotel ratings

50. Resources
Links
How Local Search Can Be Your Reputation Manager
http://www.anvilmediainc.com/blog/how-local-search-can-be-your-reputation-manager
Drive By Reviews & Online Reputation Terrorists Part 2
http://localmarketingmastery.com/drive-by-reviews-online-reputation-terrorists-part-2/
Recommendations – Who Gives Them and Why?
http://www.anvilmediainc.com/blog/business-recommendations
Google+ Follow-up: A Cheat Sheet
http://www.anvilmediainc.com/blog/google-plus-cheat-sheet
Why Google+ Business Profiles Will Trump Facebook Pages
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/235272/why_google_business_profiles_will_trump_facebook_page
s.html
Bing’s New Business Portal for Local Listings
http://www.anvilmediainc.com/blog/bing-local-listing
What’s Going on with the Hotels & Accommodations Industry in Search?
http://www.anvilmediainc.com/blog/hotels-accommodations-industry

51. Resources Cont.
Articles
Online Reputation Management: The New PR
http://www.anvilmediainc.com/search-engine-marketing-resources/search-engine-marketing-articles/online-
reputation-management-article
SEO PR Efforts Boost Visibility and Sales
http://www.anvilmediainc.com/search-engine-marketing-resources/search-engine-marketing-articles/seo-pr-article
5 Reasons for Brands not to Outsource Social Media Marketing
http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/blog/2011/03/14/outsourcing-social-media-management/
6 Social Media Platforms At-a-Glance
http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/24165.asp
Whitepapers
The Marketer’s Guide to Location-Based Social Networking
http://www.anvilmediainc.com/search-engine-marketing-resources/free-white-papers/location-based-social-
networking-whitepaper
The Marketer’s Guide to Getting Started with Social Media Marketing
http://www.anvilmediainc.com/search-engine-marketing-resources/free-white-papers/social-media-marketing-
white-paper

52. Q&A & Next Steps
Read Anvil’s blog, articles & white papers
Subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on
Twitter
Contact us with questions about hospitality ORM
Kent Lewis President
Anvil Media, Inc.
310 NE Failing Street
Portland, OR 97212
O: 503.595.6050 x223
M: 503.260.6700
kent@anvilmediainc.com
Twitter & Skype: @kentjlewis
LinkedIn: kentlewis