Work hacks

We often say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but how often do we actually use the right photos to convey key points? 

Most businesses have something they need to tell their visitors or need to stand out somehow. A single photo might do the trick. 

Have you thought about the key messages you're trying to convey and then made sure you're using photos that tell that story? 

Years ago I advised a hotelier, Dave, who ran a small hotel in an area that was notorious for dirty and run-down …

Social media is an essential part of tourism marketing. It’s free and can be incredibly effective.

It can also feel overwhelming and stressful. Here are a few ideas to help:

1. Create, then consume. Social media is useful when you use it to post, not just to scroll. So stop scrolling, think what you want to post, post it, and then if you have time, take a peak at the rest of your timeline. Being deliberate about how you use social media definitely helps.

2. Decide why you want to be on social…

Do you sometimes have days when you faff about or lack focus? When you find it hard to settle and get things done? 

Pomodoro is the answer!

The Pomodoro technique was created by a man called Francesco Cirillo and named after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he first used (Pomodoro = tomato)

It's a really simple idea. You set a timer for a short period of time, typically 25 minutes. Focus on one task and stop when the timer goes off. Then you have a five minute break before re-setting. I find u…

Have you tried letting your visitors do your marketing for you? 

The 'normal' ways to do this is through word of mouth recommendations. I'm suggesting going a step further with four different ways to encourage your visitors to help promote your business - without being pushy.

First of all, you can encourage word of mouth recommendations through social media, simply by suggesting people follow you or asking happy customers to post photos of their visit. 

The second way is to think about offeri…

This is something you can quickly do to raise the profile of your business.

It's easier and quicker than you think so if you're been putting it off... do it now!

It's important. It's free. It's optimising your Google Business Profile - the new name for Google My Business. Don't worry about the 'optimise bit' - I'll explain. 

92% of search engine searches are on Google so it's incredibly powerful. You want your business to show up as high in the results pages as possible. You don't need any te…

People often tell me they're too busy to do any marketing. They just 'don't have time'. 

Is this really what they're saying?  Do we mean we don't have any time for any marketing or just certain aspects of it? Responding to bookings, sending emails, talking to visitors are all marketing activities but we don't always 'count' them because they're everyday business essentials.

For some people 'marketing' means anything that seems a bit more effortful - posting regularly on social media, writing b…

There's a Japanese expression and approach that many Western business leaders have started to use: Kaizen*. I think it's also invaluable for small tourism business, especially those with tiny marketing budgets and no time.

The Kaizen approach is based on the idea that small continuous steps and tweaks build up to more substantial improvements over time.

Kaizen is good news for all of us for three reasons:

1. Small steps are easier, especially when you don't have a lot of time;

2. It costs practicall…

I don't think I remember a time when so many people were so exhausted. Almost everyone I meet or see on screen say they're just so tired, either because of stress, hard work or illness. I had a lot of messages when I wrote this blog about getting over difficult humps. There's clearly something in the air. 

I've been thinking about how we can somehow ease the strain and make life easier.

There's an answer: it's simple.

Or rather simplifying is the answer. 

I've started to simplify all kinds o…