As to why – each OTA website has its own sorting algorithm which also means that there really is no one magic formula. Expedia may place higher the hotels that spend more money on PPC ads while Orbitz may position better those who convert well. There are very few articles and info posted by OTAs on the “rules of play”, but here are some useful tips that work:

• Befriend OTAs Market Managers (They can provide you with the insider knowledge, which is priceless! Stay engaged with them and keep them posted on your deals.)
• Participate in the OTA promotions
• Keep your hotel photos and information on OTA sites up-to-date
• Reply to guests’ comments in timely manner (Both good and bad reviews should be replied to in a way that shows care, not simple copying & pasting a standard answer.)
• Encourage your guests to leave reviews (Send a follow-up email, have guest cards encouraging guests to leave review.)
• Consider running PPC campaigns on OTAs (Paid placement will get you on the visible spots on the first page fast. Run A/B testing.)

Other factors that play a role in your ranking on OTAs include rate parity, inventory availability, last reservation made, and reservation conversion rate.

Do you have other tips that worked for you? Please share!

Because social media benefits include vague concepts like brand awareness and brand loyalty, figuring out the social media ROI can be tough. Yes, your company can certainly run a social media special and track sales with a special social media code for instance; however, increase in sales is only a fracture of the social media ROI.

How do you then recognize that your company has a good Facebook presence?

             ·  Check your Facebook page’s Edgerank!

Facebook Feed works on the basis of an algorithm that decides whether your   Facebook  fans see your Facebook update or not. Yes, you read it right. Not all your Facebook fans can see your firm’s Facebook post, even if they are all logged in the day you post it! The better the job your company is doing on Facebook, the better its Edgerank. The Edgerank will also reveal which days your posts are more and less likely to be seen by the users and which days your page tends to get most Facebook fans. To increase your Edgerank and thus the chance to get your post seen, create the posts that encourage the interaction (questions, invites to like the post, pictures and videos).

                               · Pay attention to Facebook Insights

Admins of the Facebook pages have access to Facebook Insights. Go to your Facebook page (make sure you are an admin), and click on “View insights” on right-hand side of your Facebook page. You will see a whole lot of analytics data about who your fans are and how they interact with your page. First look at the graphs, as it is easy to find out from them how you are doing at the present moment comparing to the past. Upside downs are normal in most cases except for the total likes! Facebook analytics also provide you with a great insight about whether or not you are reaching your target market. Without a doubt, your company needs to have a monthly social media report and Facebook Insights should be a big part of it. We will look at Facebook Insights in a separate article, so be sure to sign for the e-newsletter to learn more about it.                                          

                                          · KPI extends beyond quantity

When clients’ ask us about how well they are doing on Facebook and what needs to be improved, we look beyond the quantity factor. Many people mistakenly believe that greater number of fans means better Facebook page or even better company. The quantity in social media world is definitely a powerful factor; however, quality is as important, which is something most firms fail to realize. There are Facebook pages with thousands of fans but low fan interaction, which simply means that the fans are not really interested in the brand.

Still having trouble figuring out if your company is on the right track with Facebook marketing? Let us take a look for free.