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Marketing for your bed and breakfast can be much more effective if done properly the first time!

Do you own a bed and breakfast and you want the inside scoop on how to market it?

If you are just opening up a new bed and breakfast or you have a seasoned business that is currently experiencing a lull, then this article is especially for you!

When marketing/advertising a bed and breakfast, you must keep in mind that your mission is to sell the experience that vacationers and tourists may have when staying in your home.  With this in mind, you have to focus on branding your bed and breakfast from the standpoint of how it is different from the thousands of other bed and breakfast's out there.  How is this done you may ask?  Well... It starts with creating content and collecting imagery that truly embodies your bed and breakfast.  

A well devised marketing plan always starts with a strategy and as such, you should start by focusing on your strengths.  If there is a scenic view, a surrounding forest, or a waterfront, you should include associated imagery when creating your marketing materials.   If you are trying to instill the feeling of peacefulness, then perhaps meandering local rivers, forests, and landscapes should be properly photographed and cropped so that there is underlying imagery that evokes this emotion.

The next step is to pick a great name.  This is a little tricky because it seems that everyone has an opinion and even if a poor choice in name is suggested, typically it will be defended adamantly by the one that suggested it.  Once you have a decent name, my suggestion is to Google search if the name already exists.  Once you have one that works, submit it to a focus group and see if it really works properly or it does not work at all.  An example of a bad choice might be picking "Shady Pines,"  which has been used in every cartoon out there for and is in the back of our minds as being a name for retirement homes.  With the wrong name, you can throw tons of money at marketing your bed and breakfast but it will never work as planned.  The right name will serve well for years to come and may even outlive owners as the building exchanges hands.

The step that follows is to create the copy that entices visitors to stay with you instead of your competition.  If you do not have the "gift of the gab," then it is best to hire a great copywriter that specializes in tourism, or that has a background in sales and marketing.  These days, it is best to hire a travel blogger, or an seo expert that may be able to help you direct search traffic to your site by just writing great articles.

Once the content and the phtography is completed, you should start to look at a website, an association listing, a chamber of commerce listing, a tripadvisor account, and other forms of online advertising.  It is best to approach all of these with one thing in mind; Streamlining the sales process.

To explain a streamlined process, one has to get into the mindset of those looking for a bed and breakfast.  If I am travelling from far away and I am looking to book a stay, how will I look up your business?  Will I read reviews?  Will I want to see pictures?  Is there a discount?  What are the benefits to me staying there?  What extras are provided?

When these answers are provided, your business information, a link to purchase, and a link to call should be provided.  There is no second chances to sell when there are so many options out there.

• Does your website rank well in search engines? 
• Does your content appeal to the right audience? 
• Is it providing imagery that helps to make the sale and easy one?  
• Is there a video?  

These should all be considered when advertising a bed and breakfast online.

The next questions that you should ask are:

• Is your website search friendly?
• Have you applied SEO strategies to your content across all elements of advertising?
• Are your photos optimized for the web?
• Is your website friendly for mobile phones?
• Are you collecting the analytics information(statistics on viewer traffic)?
• Have you linked to regional directories?
• have you submitted your site to search engines properly?
• Is it working?  How are sales?