Monday, November 25, 2013

Easy Customer Tracking; 1 - 2 - 3

Geocoding Bears Fans from Database
Have you ever wondered why they ask you for you zip code when you make a purchase at your favorite store? Unlike loyalty programs where a customer submits a profile and is identified with every visit to the checkout by scanning a card to compile a history of purchased items, geographical tracking is a way of seeing where your customers come from.

Geographical tracking, or geocoding is the process of turning an address, city, state, zip or postcode into mappable coordinates. This enables you to find trends, hot spots and cold zones in your marketing efforts. Where should you target next? What items are popular in a certain area. These questions are easy to answer when you visualize your sales data using a database mapping software.

Batchgeo is a free online mapping service that can create pinpoint maps based on your customer database; whether is includes full addresses, just city/state or even if it is only zip codes. You can even use databases you probably already have; attractions can use visitor sign in sheets, businesses can use customer databases and inquiry requests.

The Kankakee County CVB uses geotracking to measure ad results, see trends for a particular publication or track visitors to a specific event. Try it today to see how geotracking can help your business!


Monday, November 11, 2013

4 Social Media Strategies for the Holiday Season

As the holiday season quickly approaches, you may be asking yourself, how do I promote my hotel during the holidays? Using social media, of course! The opportunities to capture the holiday traveler's attention are nearly unlimited. In this video, explore four strategies to engage and convert your social media audience this season, including design tips, promotion suggestions, and video concepts. 
  1. Holiday-ify your profiles' designs. Add a little flare to your profile icons and cover images to stay fresh for your audience.
  2. Create a holiday focused promotion or contest. Take advantage of Facebook's recent relaxation of the promotion guidelines, or go all out and create an interactive custom application to build engagement and increase your social reach.
  3. Leverage repeat-posts with holiday themes. The holidays are a time for fun and impatience. Help build excitement (and repeat engagement) with a countdown of your own, rewarding users and encouraging them to share.
  4. Create holiday themed videos. Let your employees share their excitement and voice by shooting short clips of them giving thanks this season, and upload them to Vine or Instagram. 
Whatever you decide to do, don't be afraid to have fun. You can entertain and engage while building a qualified fan-base that will help your business will into the new year. For more ideas, contact the Kankakee County CVB.