Owner: xSite Marketing Internet Marketing Blog URL:http://www.xsitemarketing.com/blog/ Join Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:54:13 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: xSite Marketing Internet Marketing Blog discusses the latest trends and tips related to e-marketing, SEO, and web design. Site statistics:Click here
Banff Refreshing - Banff Gets a Facelift 2007-07-01 20:25:00 Jay Hay explains a bit of what's going on in Banff these days. It's a little unpleasant but when is construction NOT? When it's all said and done in a few months, I think it will be a welcome change...(there's a couple nasty comments on YouTube about this. Wonder where he lives?? I guess they don't have any construction there?!!! right)
New Website Launched - Banff Custom Jewelry 2007-07-01 17:52:00 xSite Marketing is pleased to announce the recent launch of the new Banff Custom Jewelry
website.The site was developed to showcase custom gold jewelry and hand-carved rings created by custom goldsmith, Douglas Bell."We wanted a rich, classy and elegant look and from the comments we've received, I think xSite Marketing has acheived that." said Sharon Doupe, Doug's partner and business manager.The site was developed with search engine friendly urls/page names to capitalize on specific keywords and phrases related to the product offerings. As time goes on, pages will be added featuring jewellery on topics including wildlife, mountains, nature, pets and more.The custom jewelry Doug offers is very unique and xSite wishes him the best of luck in his new business. Read more:Launched
Online Revealed 2007 - Online Travel Marketing Conference 2007-06-12 20:10:00 Online Revealed 2007 took place May 27-28 at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto, Ontario. It was nice to return 'home' and I was happy to tie in a visit with my family.Monday morning opened up with a lively debate titled "Selling Complex Travel
Products Online". Speakers included Sean Shannon, Managing Director of Expedia Canada, Amber Hayes, CEO of Adventure Engine, Krista La Riviere from Hot Banana, and Eric Barber, Senior Director of Operations at Realstar Hospitality (Starwood Resorts). They debated a topic I am very interested in with my new position at Brewster Inc. since many of our vacation packages are comprised of more than 30 components.Eric, who was a lively and intelligent speaker and had us laughing at times, pointed out that OTA's (Online Travel Agencies) will need to put a great deal more effort into keeping customers (providing more value and better service). As soon as the intermediary's customer walks into that hotel lobby, it's obvious that the hotel (and suppliers Read more:Marketing
Canadian Online Travel Marketing Conference 2007-05-19 20:38:00 In just over a week, I'll be heading to the Online Revealed Conference in Toronto. This is the second annual event, and my first time attending the conference.There are some great keynote speakers attending including Hunter Madsen, the Head of Marketing
and Martin Byrne, National Director of Search Marketing Operations from Yahoo, Canada. John Bray, a senior consultant from PhoCusWright will surely provide some great insight. Ron Andruff, president and founder of the Tralliance Corporation will give us an update on the global use and direction of the .travel initiative.I'm especially interested in some of the workshops from HSMAI (Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International). I've opted to attend some of their workshops related to online travel booking and distribution. I'm certain social media content and sites will be a hot topic and of course SEO.I'm looking forward to connecting with new faces and catching up with others with whom I've spoken but not yet met, li Read more:Canadian
, Travel
Google PR Troubles 2007-05-01 19:37:00 Well, the past two months have been interesting to say the least. I feel I work hard and read a great deal on E-marketing topics and Search Engine Optimization (SEO), participate in SEO forums, and read SEO related books and blogs, and so much more.So while I completely understand that Google
PageRank (that little green bar on the Google toolbar) is definitely not a good measurement of your efforts or value of a web page, it is an 'indicator'. It indicates how Google feels about that specific web page based on certain criteria, which Google will change from time to time making an SEO's job that much tougher. As soon as we think we've figured out the equation, it changes.So with that said, I try not to pay too much attention to it. However I still find myself glancing at that little green bar every so often. If nothing else, it tells me Google is aware of the web page in question. If it's a zero, then I can be pretty sure I've got some work to do.A couple months ago, a past client Read more:Troubles
Exciting News - Brewster Inc. New Acquisition 2007-04-13 17:19:00 Wow - I have to say, the few months I have been at Brewster
now have not been boring. (okay it's been 5 mths but it has gone by QUICK!)Today we announced a new acquisition: Lake Minnewanka Boat Tours. It will definitely be a nice addition to our Attractions division which currently includes the renowned Banff Gondola and the Columbia Icefield Glacier Experience.Pretty nice way to end the week and begin the weekend! Another website to work on (phew!) - oh well, loving it so far and looking forward to the challenge. Read more:Acquisition
My first blog 2007-04-09 18:55:00 Well here it goes - after all the fuss and months and months of reading blogs, about blogs, why blog, how to blog, where to blog, etc, etc... I've created my first blog...The only thing that provides comfort is that it's highly unlikely anyone will read this ... and so let the fun begin!
Marketing Strategy versus Tactics 2007-08-05 17:03:00 Here are some very basic points small businesses should consider before they begin marketing on the web. Similar to developing an initial business plan or marketing plan, start thinking big picture and then drill down to specific activities. Careful planning in the beginning will save you a great deal of time and money - and provide a greater return on investment in the end.1.) GOALS and OBJECTIVES - What do you want to accomplish? Build traffic? Increase sales? Or perhaps you simply want to generate inquiries from your website?2.) STRATEGY - Next you'll need to develop an overall strategy or plan that will allow you to accomplish these objectives. Focus your plan of action around your target audience.3.) and finally, define several effective TACTICS to support your strategy. These are the nuts and bolts of your action plan. These are the activities that you can test, track and measure to determine their effectiveness related to your overall strategy. Tim Berry does a great job of exp Read more:Marketing
, Strategy
, versus
Travel 2.0 and the new Rocky Mountaineer Guest Lounge 2007-08-10 10:25:00 This week, Rocky
Mountaineer launched their new online Guest
Lounge. Rocky Mountaineer's venture into Web 2.0 looks to be a perfect fit.The new guest area includes the usual; a blog, features that allow guests to post and see photos, comments, and travel experiences. A loyalty program that periodically features a returning customers with stories and a map of their travels. The Trip of a Lifetime book provides a few short stories from the people who were integral to the company's beginning and growth.A simple but cool Map feature; "Voices from Around the World" allows viewers to click on a particular country and read guest comments from the corresponding country.It seems there are several contests which include a smart referral feature allowing previous guests to recommend a trip to friends and family in return for a chance to win a train vacation. Also, the "Best Idea" contest encourages customer suggestions and recommendations in return for a chance to win.It's a simple, clean area Read more:Travel
Canada-e-Connect e-Tourism Strategy Conference 2007-08-15 09:56:00 If you haven't registered yet, make sure to do so - you won't want to miss this upcoming event. Presented by the Canadian Tourism
Commission (CTC), the Canada
-e-Connect
Conference relates to individuals within Canada's Tourism industry who look to enhance e-Marketing and online strategies. This premier event will allow travel industry professionals from various tourism sectors, the chance to share and develop new ideas related to online strategies, emerging technologies, and much more! Check out the interview below with Jens Thraenhart, Excecutive Director of Marketing Strategy
and CRM for the CTC...To date, keynote speakers include Anthony D. Williams (co-author of Wikinomics) and Jeremy Gutsche (CEO of Trend Hunter Publications). I will provide updates as more distinguished keynotes are added.In addition, I am honoured to be part of the first-ever Canada e-Tourism Council representing marketing professionals from various sectors and regions of Canada. The council will convene to
New Features in Google Earth & Google Maps 2007-08-23 09:48:00 Google has just released some cool new features. The new version of Google Earth
includes the new Sky feature which allows you to explore the stars and distant galaxies. Zoom in on constellations and even see the movement of planets! The new addition utilizes images from NASA and will provide a great learning tool for kids.Perhaps more interesting to you e-marketers, Google Maps
has just made it easier to add an interactive map to your website. Webmasters no longer require a Google API or even knowledge of javascript to embed a map. Maps can be embedded quickly and easily much like sharing a YouTube video. Way to go G! Read more:Google
, Google Earth
Share your Canada Travel Stories and Photos! 2007-08-28 19:26:00 Did you or someone you know capture a fantastic photo on vacation in Canada
? Perhaps you posted an amusing story in your blog? Or maybe caught it on video? The point is you got it, you posted it. Now Canada wants to recognize you!For the first time ever, a national travel and tourism industry organization will recognize individuals for telling their travel stories online. The Canadian e-Tourism Awards, hosted by the Canadian Tourism Commission and Yahoo!Canada, is looking to recognize the best Canadian travel experiences being told online through words or images. They are looking for links to travel photos, stories, and videos that show the most moving and thrilling moments of Canadian travel adventures.Apply now through midnight PDT, August 31, 2007 at www.canadianetourismawards.com at no cost to individual travellers from all over the world and Canadian residents. The C$95 submission fee is waived for individual travellers and non-marketing agency travel and tourism businesses. Entry Read more:Share
, Stories
, Travel
SEO: Domain Authority vs. Keywords in your URL 2007-09-27 09:53:00 I just finished reading this great post from Rand of SEO
moz where he explains the 4 most significant factors for search engine rankings. (actually the comments and discussion are very amusing as well) SEO/SEM's are aware of these and various combinations of other factors that contribute to a website's page ranking, but this made me recall a little test I launched about 3-4 months ago.The question I wanted to answer is, which is more effective; a domain/URL that includes the keywords to which I'm targeting OR a domain/URL that's been online for 5-10 years. There are many other factors of course (relevant links, etc, etc) but I wanted to try a little test of my own. I spent a grand total of about 1-2 hrs putting up a one-page site (if 'content is king' - this site is a peon for sure). The URL is www.traveldealscanada.com. I put a bit of text in, title and metatags, and mostly it's quite 'spammy' in my opinion. All it really contains is Google Adsense and some links to a few o Read more:Authority
, Keywords
Canadian E-Tourism Awards - Vote now! 2007-10-14 18:38:00 Industry category finalists for the prestigious new Canadian
e-TourismAwards
have been determined!The Industry Awards recognize excellence in website design, online campaigns and innovation for three sectors: public, private and small and medium-sized enterprises.Consumers from around the world can now view the submissions from 18 finalists within the Website Design and Online Campaigns categories.Help determine who will receive the Yahoo! Canada "Big Ideas Chair Award". Yahoo! Canada's "Big Ideas Chair Award" is the Industry category's best-in-show accolade. YOUR votes will help decide which organization will WIN.Cast your vote now at www.CanadianEtourismAwards.com - until October 21st.It's so easy to vote. What are YOU waiting for?
Winners Announced - Canadian E-Tourism Awards 2007 2007-11-26 20:11:00 What a fantastic inaugural event! The Canadian
e-TourismAwards
ceremony took place on November 8th at the Telus World of Science in Vancouver, BC. Category finalists were announced and Miss Canada was there to help present the awards.In the spirit of Web 2.0, a Travellers category was appropriately introduced and Mike Earle won the top prize from finalists entered in video, storytelling and photo categories. His video of a collapsing iceberg off the coast of Labrador was awe-inspiring and reactions from passengers put viewers right along side him in the boat.From the Industry category, Nahanni River Adventures took Best in Show and the Yahoo! Big Idea Chair award (and a real comfy Yahoo! purple chair) for their new website which boasts some great content and some really neat features. They were up against some stiff competition from several industry categories.Visit the Canadian e-Tourism Awards website to see all the winners! Read more:Winners
Dot Travel - Future Uncertain for Travel Domains 2008-02-10 14:19:00 Following recent news surrounding dot travel domains, travel marketers are questioning the value of adopting a proposed common domain extension for the travel industry. Ironically these questions have likely contributed to the slow adoption and changes occuring.The dot Travel
(.travel) domain was launched globally to the travel and tourism industry to create a trusted standard by which consumers could rely on. In order to secure a dot travel domain, travel and tourism companies were required to pass an authentication process. This ensured that consumers could rely on the fact that once they reached a dot travel domain, they would be dealing with an offical and authentic travel provider or destination company.About a year ago, I was surprised when a representative contacted me (YES they cal Read more:Domains
, Future
, Uncertain
Vacations Canada TV - Coming Soon 2008-01-09 18:57:00 Check out the new teaser on VacationsCanada
TV. This new Canadian travel web tv will featured hosted shows providing users with travel tips, vacation destinations and unique holiday experiences in Canada. Exclusive vacation package ideas will also be available during upcoming themed travel spots (derived entirely from high-definition footage). Make sure to subscribe to be notified when new shows go live and stay tuned to have a chance to WIN prizes and much more! Read more:Coming Soon
Enter to WIN - Lake Minnewanka's Name that Boat Contest 2008-03-13 11:59:00 This spring Lake Minnewanka Boat Tours in Banff National Park will launch a brand new Lake Cruiser. This new tour vessel seats 65 passengers and will be a welcome addition to the fleet in the Canadian Rockies.Lake Minnewanka needs your help naming the new boat - Enter your three boat name ideas and you'll have a chance to WIN prizes.Click here to enter now! Read more:Contest
2007 Canada E-Connect Conference Video 2008-04-06 18:04:00 If you missed the Canada
E-Connect
Conference this past November in Vancouver, you can check it out here. It was a fantastic event and I'm already looking forward to the 2008 conference...
Vacations Canada - New Package Website LIVE 2008-04-26 13:31:00 Vacations Canada
is now LIVE! This new Canada vacation package website features the best of Canada including train vacations, motorcoach tours, self-drive holidays, golf packages, and much more!Canada travel planners can now view enhanced planning content including pricing, itineraries, pictures, videos, dynamic maps, and even traveler reviews and photos. Vacations Canada TV episodes have also been integrated into relevant packages so users can get a real feel for their vacation experience in Canada BEFORE they travel.Click here to visit the new Canada Vacation Package website. Read more:Vacations
Vacations Canada TV - Canada Travel Videos 2008-05-14 20:43:00 Vacations Canada
TV is now LIVE providing viewers with unique holiday ideas and vacation experiences in Canada.Now you can hop aboard a VIA Rail train in the Canadian Rockies, or relax to soothing massage on a spa vacation in Banff Canada. Immerse yourself in vacation experiences in Canada before you book! Exclusive vacation packages are available below each episode. Check it out now - click her Read more:Travel
, Vacations
Design by Committee 2008-09-04 21:54:00 For all the designers out there and heck, for those of you who've managed large projects - you'll get a laugh out of this! Read more:Committee
Brewster Receives Best Travel Site Award 2008-10-28 15:52:00 At a recent user conference in Boston, MA, Brewster
Vacations Canada was recognized by leading content managment solution provider Ektron. Brewster's new website providing vacations and tours in Canada, was awarded the 2008 Ektron All-Star award for Best Travel
Site.Ektron provides a complete platform with all of the functionality necessary to create, deploy, and manage modern business websites. E Read more:Award
Mac vs PC 2008-12-28 01:15:59 I recently purchased my first Mac and so far, I’m loving it… but this video brings the war of Mac vs PC to new heights - check it out!
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Social Media and the Travel Industry 2008-12-21 14:46:57 Check out this slideshow from Stephane Bouchez! It provides some good insight and stats related to social media and social networks and how they affect the travel industry and marketing tourism online.
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