Repost of 2010 topic that continues to be relevant
The Landscape of Perception

Brand recognition is a vital concern in our ever changing global market. Social networking is now completely interwoven with any serious marketing effort. In 2010 a company does not have a competitive marketing campaign unless they are adhering to SEO and social media ‘best practices’.

SEO is touted as being the end all of customer attraction. An SEO consultant will say your ability to generate a buzz around your brand is moot, that the path to enlightenment requires you establish a strong foundation of search directory submissions and a thick enterprise level Pay Per Click budget so you can watch your pennies tick away with a daily Dashboard report of tangible results. Find one of the countless companies ready to set your marketing budget ablaze with promises of landing your website on the prized first page of Google. This is the nature of perception: an ever changing environment of claims and promises.

Yet SEO is a status quo, not a saving grace. The time a web developer spends optimizing website code and creating social media profiles like Twitter and Facebook is unfortunately just the first tier of your efforts. These actions will not guarantee you land the top of Google, Yahoo or Bing. In most cases your keyword saturation alone won’t produce enough visibility to display in the second or even third page of search results. This is just the cold hard reality.

Realities

With no uncertainty all of the above is the bare minimum a company must do to stay relevant and searchable to potential customers. To put it simply, SEO will not takeover, supersede, or replace your traditional marketing efforts. Taking these steps will not be the panacea your company needs; however not adhering to basic SEO readiness could have disastrous affects on your brand’s searchability.

But what is effective? How can this be done correctly? What is an efficient use of campaign time? There are many excellent tutorials for learning about social media and SEO that can get any fledgling optimization guru started on the right foot. The next step centers on understanding, engaging, and knowing what preparations and interaction a brand needs in order to create a climate of interest and appeal. This new era of marketing focuses on the web and is dubbed “Pull” marketing.

As the term eludes, this rich media driven paradigm is about generating a buzz that willingly engages your audience and in turn lures them closer to viewing your services. This does not mean that your customers are wandering open arms through your front door with a signed order form in hand. What you are working to achieve is the opportunity. This engagement shapes the platform that your new business relationships are built on.

Tug, Don’t Pull

Your marketing team’s creative energy should go into creating the circumstances of success – a comfortable environment for customers who want to go looking for your services. Pull marketing is like throwing a party at your house. Are people going to show up because you’ve given them a personal interest in what you are doing? Is it well publicized with users making positive comments about your brand? Or maybe you’re just popular and get lucky. This can be the case for large companies with iconic brand names, but to most businesses a lot of public relations work is necessary and nobody likes being begged through the doorway.

The marketing team must know the value of your benefits. If they do not know, your customers may be stretching their imaginations to realize them for you. The buzz around your brand should do everything to accent your benefits. Each one of your products and services is a billboard waiting to bolster the selling power of your brand. A bullet point list of features is no better than a textbook with all its facts and principles locked away amidst 500 pages of text. The real life advantages of your products are more than the features you offer, they are ideals that reflect you benefits.

There is no solution written in gold to win the social network relay race. It is not a step by step (though you will find many claims) method to building your campaign. There are generalities that should be adhered and where this seems an aimless one sided effort, it also leaves room for plenty of flexible innovation. We are seeing advertising campaigns with more creativity and engagement with users. “User-centric” is the stance of your marketing materials because people are the goal.

Like a Neighbor…

Your brand should be viewed as a good friend your customers can count on and turn to both when pleased and dissatisfied. Your company should be personable, always by the phone answering questions or concerns. If the scale of your company is too big to fully support this ideal it should still be a goal and a perspective the company puts effort into maintaining. These are the expectations customers have and now more than ever by applying buying power and the “viral” opinion base users are able to voice their cheers and jeers easier than ever with far reaching impact toward the perception countless other customers will develop toward your brand. It is not what you have done, or what you do, or what clients think you do – it is all of these things.

Rich media is what people are looking for. Whether booking on a travel site, seeking humor on Youtube or artistic photography on Flickr. Your ability to engage may be most limited to your ability to attract. Where the advertising workhorse of old was signage and loud attention grabbing commercials touting deals of a lifetime; buyers today coil up and hide from these tactics. Customers are exhausted from decades of being shouted at and more resistant than ever to the wall of noise advertising has created.

How much time should be spent on your social networking and rich media? Once setup these profiles or campaigns will exist and continue to serve a purpose without interaction and engagement. But you can also let a car drive down the highway without someone behind the wheel and equally stay on the road for a while. But are you being effective? Are you making use of the foundation you have built? These principles are vital to your company, but just like any trend in marketing it is not going to glaze over and fix all of your problems. Without factoring regular updates into your marketing campaign much of your effort may be in vain. Just as with any relationship, without attention it will soon coast to a stop.

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A Photo is Worth a Thousand Words, but a 360 Virtual Tour is Twice as Much
Using Rich Media to Combat Negative C2C reviews

As hoteliers well know, the rise of the Online Travel Agency (OTA) has drastically changed the marketing and distribution arena of the Travel and Tourism industry. The transition from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 saw the beginning of a new ball game that delivered consumers all the information they needed to comfortably make their travel purchases.  The human element was stripped, so high quality visual content displayed over the web spoke for them; consumers knew what to expect on their upcoming trip.

Many of us may remember, as it does not seem so long ago when this sales network looked considerably different (ahhh the 1990’s when pay phones roamed the earth and Sony Walkman ruled supreme). This market was dominated by the travel agent who provided in depth, professional advice and personal reviews on destinations and lodging; a stark contrast to an interactive mash up website. This model was supported more by the advice of the travel agent and less by any marketing material they had to share with their clients. This advice is back and it is in the form of consumer to consumer reviews (C2C) popping up all over the web.

HD Photography of the ME Cancun Resort

As we say in our business today, “Content is King.” This couldn’t be truer as C2C reviews become an integral part of an increasing number OTAs, it is clear that displaying your property in the best light possible should be at the forefront of your marketing strategy. The numbers show that reviews from fellow travelers are influencing the decisions they make on travel arrangements. In a recent study by Deloitte, 82% of online consumers say their purchase decisions have been directly affected by consumer reviews. One negative review claiming a bad experience or even unfolded guestroom sheets can really hurt future conversions.

Hoteliers must do all they can to hedge this, so what is the answer? Rich Media.

HD360 Virtual Tour of the ME Cancun Resort

What better way to trump a negative review of your property than to give the consumer a complete 360 tour of your establishment? I can’t think of many, except for a fantastic video! The truth is, consumers today want all the information they can get and are expecting that with the capabilities of today’s technology, they will find it when making arrangements for their next stint of fun in the sun.

High quality still images continue to be an important element of marketing your property, but consumers are expecting more. In addition to beautiful photo galleries consumers are seeking an interactive experience that will “Virtually” take them on their next vacation. This will allow them to make decisions on their own rather than making decisions based on reviews of the disgruntled patron.

Think about setting yourself apart from the rest by defending your property with Rich Media and enjoy more consistent occupancy rates.

Leading luxury travel agency network, Virtuoso®, and ICE Portal have entered into an exclusive arrangement allowing photo and video content as well as 360-degree virtual tours to be added to Virtuoso’s industry-leading technology platform, Virtuoso Composer®. Virtuoso’s membership will now have access to a library of rich visual content provided by the network’s more than 1,250 preferred suppliers, providing a robust visual reference for client materials and proposals. This latest Composer enhancement comes at no additional cost to the network’s members or preferred suppliers.

ICE Portal, which specializes in the distribution of rich content to more than 30,000 Internet travel websites and more than 11 million global consumers monthly, will power these visual brochures for Virtuoso’s preferred suppliers and its membership. ICE Portal currently maintains brochures for approximately one-quarter of Virtuoso’s preferred supplier portfolio. Both existing suppliers as well as those new to working with ICE will have the opportunity to upload content that can be tagged for the exclusive use of Virtuoso’s membership.

23TouchPoints, the innovative, solution-based technology firm behind Virtuoso Composer, was tasked with finding a company that could meet Virtuoso’s requirement for searchable visual content to accommodate its membership in 20 countries and a supplier network that spans 98 countries.

“ICE Portal has a stellar reputation within the industry based on its innovation, flexibility and commitment to high service levels,” says Matthew D. Upchurch, CTC, CEO and Chairman of Virtuoso. “We received strong endorsements from our preferred suppliers that work with ICE, and we’re gratified with the immediate support from our suppliers who are eager to share their visual content with our membership. Through Composer our members have one unified source for supplier content from contact details to the best offers, promotions and add-ons through one standardized search. This search now includes stunning visuals to share with their clients. Every quarter Virtuoso Composer announces enhancements integrated into this platform. It is this integration that makes Composer unlike any other system. Stay tuned for our next break-through.”

“ICE technology was designed to allow suppliers to manage and deliver all types of visual content to a network of travel sites with varying needs, and we are honored and pleased to be working with Virtuoso to help each supplier get relevant and richer content to the Virtuoso network of travel advisors,” said Henry Woodman, president of ICE Portal.

Virtuoso will begin rolling out supplier brochures on Composer in mid-March. For more information on Virtuoso Membership, contact Susan Spain, Director of Business Development, at sspain@virtuoso.com.
 

Sample hotel brochure from ICE Portal on Virtuoso Composer

About Virtuoso
Virtuoso® is the industry’s leading luxury travel network.  This by-invitation-only organization comprises over 330 agencies with more than 7,200 elite travel specialists in 20 countries in North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, as well as over 1,250 of the world’s best travel providers and premier destinations.  The network’s member agencies generate over $9.6 billion annually in travel sales, making the group the most powerful in the luxury travel segment.  Their relationships with the finest travel companies provide the network’s affluent clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. For more information, visit www.virtuoso.com. To view Virtuoso’s latest videos, go to http://www.youtube.com/user/VirtuosoTraveler.

Post originally featured on Black Star Photography Agency, written by Tatianne Lugo, Director of Photography – ICE Portal

For some industries, 360-degree panoramic images have gone from novelty to virtual necessity. Travel websites can increase hotel bookings, and real estate listings can increase traffic, just by featuring 360 tours.

But beyond hotels and houses, panoramic photos can be used in a wide range of applications — from online editorial features to highlighting corporate facilities. Local healthcare facilities, sports fields and parks can promote their sites with virtual tours. Even wedding photographers are starting to offer 360 photos of the ceremony and reception venues.

There are several ways to create 360s, from simple right-out-of-the-box, one-shot solutions to more laborious and higher-quality production and post-production techniques. For those serious about 360 imaging, let’s explore some of the practices that create higher-quality results.

A 360-degree image essentially is a full-circle view of a location that allows the viewer to virtually turn left and right as well as “look” all around (in a cylindrical image) and even up and down (in spherical image). A realistic 360-degree image gives users a more encompassing and immersive view of a location. And the production process can be completed in 10 minutes.

Let’s start with the hardware. What do you need?
• A wide-angle lens (preferably 17mm or wider)
• A rotating head. I recommend the Nodal Ninja, as it’s lightweight and easy to maintain.
• A sturdy tripod
• A leveling head/hot shoe camera level
• A shutter remote. This will help avoid camera movement when the shutter is released.

Shooting a High-Quality 360

Now to the production: First, place your camera in an interesting spot, and remember that it does not have to be in the center. You are not framing a still shot; you have to think three dimensionally. Stand in a position and rotate in place to give yourself an idea of every angle. Frame every angle as if it were a still. It is good to have some foreground elements to help the show depth.

Make sure your camera is leveled. This is where your leveling head comes in handy. If you don’t level your tripod and camera correctly, you will end up with a crooked horizon and may also have issues stitching images together.

I highly recommend bracketing. Since it would be time consuming and challenging to properly light all 360 degrees around, shoot multiple exposures to capture the varying light levels. One bracket of three with a plus-2 exposure value and a minus-2 exposure value should give you good color and light values in an indoor/outdoor space with even lighting. If you have multiple light sources, such as a window in a room, remember to bracket for each light source.

Overlap your images. For a successful stitching, you need to overlap at least 20 percent to 30 percent on each image depending on your lens focal length. If you don’t have enough overlap, you may see seams or even missing fragments in the image when in post-production. I shoot with an overlap of 30 percent on each side with a Nikon 10.5 mm lens, which allows me to take six angles at 60 degrees each for a full 360-degree turn.

How 360s Are Put Together

Part of creating a good-quality image is bracketing. But to acquire all the ranges of light and shadow, you need software that helps blend the images together. Photomatix Pro has done it for me for years; their interface is easy to understand and helps manage all the options. There is also “Merge to HDR” in Photoshop. Use the software you have available. The result you are looking for is an image that is evenly exposed all around.

Once you have all images blended, it’s time to stitch them together. There are several types of software that allow stitching of images. The one I have used for the past eight years, PTGui, has a great interface, produces the best results as far as seams and such, and a batch stitcher that makes life a little easier on big jobs. Find the option that fits your budget and needs. It’s better to have your images stitch to an equirectangular image as a TIF or PSD. This way you can Photoshop your image to perfection and then deliver it to the client as is.

Presenting a 360-Degree Image

If your client doesn’t have a player (and most do not), it’s up to you to deliver. There are several options, such as those from Java, Flash and QuickTime, as well as HTML5.

The Java player is still used by many sites and is usually the only format they will display. Flash Player allows you to do some interesting things implementing some flash interactivity, but sadly, it does not play on the iOS devices that are growing in popularity. The QuickTime player is used less than in the early days, and at ICE Portal, we have never had a client request we display in QuickTime. HTML5 offers a solution if you want to a broader reach (i.e. mobile devices including iOS and Android and most desktop browsers). I suspect this will become more of ubiquitous in the future as more developers create “Flash-like” features and functionality.

Original Article by Henry Woodman, President of ICE Portal

When someone asks if they should create video or virtual tours (VTs), I immediately think of Gilligan’s Island, and the old question still debated today: “Ginger or Mary Ann?” There’s no right or wrong.  Let’s imagine Ginger, the movie star, relates to our video category and Mary Ann, our girl next door, aligns with our virtual tour bucket.

Ginger is sexy, alluring and pricy. On the other hand, Mary Ann is honest, friendly and affordable.  Imagine you’re the new marketing manager of a resort on a tropical island and the boss asks if we should create a promotional video or create virtual tours (also referred to as 360s, 360-degree virtual tours, panoramic images, and virtual reality to name a few).

The first question you would ask yourself: “How’s the photography!?” Great still images should be your foundation – that’s the starting point for prospects that may be motivated to “see” and “learn” more If they like the photos. This is where videos and 360-degree virtual tours play a role. The second question to ask the boss: What’s the budget?

A respectable video will cost $10K and up! This is not a place to skimp on cost and look for the cheapest production you can find – even when they brag about creating videos in HD (High Definition). My 6 year old can shoot 1080p HD video using my iPhone, but she lacks composition and lighting skills. Good video requires some thought. You should expect a 2-3 man production crew with a respectable production package (camera, lens(es), tripod, light kit, etc.).

Additional monies should be considered for production “toys” like a jib arm, dolly, steadicam, etc. – things that help create fluid movement (otherwise you’re shooting postcards).  Other budgetary inflating elements to think about: scripting, voice over talent, music, aerials, on-camera talent (do you get paid models or wrangle hotel staff and guests), hair and make-up, wardrobe, art direction, graphics and special effects in post-production, etc.  You get the idea.

Video can get pricey, but an effective video generates higher conversions and increases the average daily rate because the consumer perceives greater value. A property with no video, or even worse a crappy video or a poorly created photo slide show, may devalue your offering.

Video should be a visual a teaser of the property highlights and your Unique Selling Proposition (USP).  Video, especially a video viewed online, should be short – no longer than 1 to 1½ minutes. The average viewer abandonment rate is 45% after the first minute (higher if the video lacks appeal). If you feel you can’t showcase the entire property in a minute or less, try breaking it into sub videos – an overview video, and sub videos to focus on specific areas: meeting spaces, golf course, spa, dining, activities, accommodations, and local area (highlights nearby).

Back to our dilemma — Ginger may be very appealing, but Mary Ann comes with far less baggage (literally and figuratively). From a production and post-production perspective, Marry Ann is lower maintenance and she is more affordable.

The cost to create good looking 360-degree virtual tours ranges from $250 to $500 per image (location). The crew would consist of one photographer with a camera, wide angle lens and tripod (with rotating head).  Also, the production process is much faster and less intrusive and the return on investment can exceed video. Like video costs, you can also find VT photographers who produce 360-degree virtual tours for less – but the old adage generally applies: you get what you pay for.

360-degree virtual tours have improved dramatically over the last decade – visuals that rival any high quality photo can now be displayed with full screen panoramic imaging that allow consumers to virtually look all around. It gives consumers an honest and accurate representation of the room, lobby, meeting space, restaurant, pool, etc. Simply put, what you see is what you get.

Consumers interact with 360-degree virtual tours more with by clicking or selecting what they want to see and spend as much time as they want viewing them, whereas video is a linear presentation. Many of the newer 360 virtual tour players provide additional elements such as detailed text descriptions, interactive property maps, supporting photos, and weather forecast.

Look at the booking cycle from the consumer’s perspective, the first elemental component would be good photography. If your property comes up when a consumer is searching for you and they see appealing photos they will stop and look. If they like what they see (and it’s in their budget), they will go to rich media and reviews to vet and validate their selection. In the final stage of selecting a room type, a 360 image is a tremendous help.

If the budget Gods have descended upon you and you can afford to do both, do it – they will both be used in the booking funnel. Make sure your visuals are in as many touch points with the prospective consumers as possible. Don’t create a great content (video or VTs) and only show it on your website expecting prospects to flock – your job, as a marketer is to get your best visuals in front of as many prospects as you can within your budgetary constraints – distribute your content everywhere!

To summarize, if you’re stuck on an island — you have to choose between Ginger (video), who is glitzy, glamorous and expensive, or Mary Ann (VTs) who is down to earth, simple and honest. We’ll also assume you’re not Thurston Howell III and can’t afford them both. There’s no right or wrong answer, but historically, Mary Ann has been the chosen one 3 to 1 over ginger.

 
NB: This is a guest article by Henry Woodman, president of ICE Portal featured on Tnooz.
 
Travel suppliers are constantly looking for better ways to effectively market themselves on the internet and inevitably I get asked the question: “Video or virtual tours?”
 
It is just not that black and white, just varying shade of gray. Imagine you’re the new marketing manager of a resort hotel and the boss asks if you think they should create a promotional video or create virtual tours.
 
The first question you would ask yourself:

“How’s the photography!?”

Great, still images should be your foundation – that’s the starting point for prospects that may be motivated to see and learn more if they like the photos.
 
This is where videos and 360-degree virtual tours play a role.
 
The second question to ask the boss:

What’s the budget?”

A respectable video will cost $10,000 and up! This is not a place to skimp on cost and look for the cheapest production you can find – even when they brag about creating videos in HD (High Definition).
 

 
Video options
 
My six year old can shoot 1080p HD video using my iPhone, but she lacks composition and lighting skills. Good video requires some thought. You should expect a two to three-man production crew with a respectable production package (camera, lens(es), tripod, light kit, etc.).
 
Additional funds should be considered for production toys like a jib arm, dolly, steadicam, etc – things that help create fluid movement (otherwise you’re shooting postcards).
 
Other budgetary inflating elements to think about: scripting, voice over talent, music, aerials, on-camera talent (do you get paid models or wrangle hotel staff and guests), hair and make-up, wardrobe, art direction, graphics and special effects in post-production, etc.
 
You get the idea.
 
Video can get pricey, but an effective video generates higher conversions and increases the average daily rate because the consumer perceives greater value. A property with no video, or even worse a crappy video or a poorly created photo slide show, may devalue your offering.
 
Video should be a visual a teaser of the property highlights and your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Video, especially a video viewed online, should be short – no longer than one to one and a half minutes.
 
The average viewer abandonment rate is 45% after the first minute (higher if the video lacks appeal). If you feel you can’t showcase the entire property in a minute or less, try breaking it into sub videos – an overview video, and sub videos to focus on specific areas: meeting spaces, golf course, spa, dining, activities, accommodations, and local area (highlights nearby).
 

 
360-degree tours
 
Back to our dilemma – video can be sexy and pricy (done correctly), but virtual tours (also referred to as 360s, 360-degree virtual tours, panoramic images, and virtual reality to name a few) are more affordable, provide a slightly different function in the sales cycle and in may deliver greater value or return on investment (ROI).
 
The investment to create good looking 360-degree virtual tours ranges from $250 to $500 per image (location). The crew would consist of one photographer with a camera, wide angle lens and tripod (with rotating head).
 
The production process is much faster and less intrusive to the property’s guests and staff. Like video costing, you can find VT photographers who produce “cheap” 360-degree virtual tours – but the old adage generally applies: you get what you pay for.
 
360-degree virtual tours have improved dramatically over the last decade – visuals that rival any high quality photo can now be displayed with full screen panoramic imaging that allow consumers to virtually look all around. It gives consumers an honest and accurate representation of the room, lobby, meeting space, restaurant, pool, etc.
 
Simply put, what you see is what you get.
 
Consumers interact with 360-degree virtual tours more with by clicking or selecting what they want to see and spend as much time as they want viewing them, whereas video is a linear presentation.
 
Many of the newer 360 virtual tour players provide additional interactive elements such as detailed text descriptions, interactive property maps, supporting photos, and weather forecast.
 
Look at the booking cycle from the consumer’s perspective, the first elemental component would be good photography. If your property comes up when a consumer is searching for you and they see appealing photos they will stop and look.
 
If they like what they see (and it’s in their budget), they will go to rich media and reviews to vet and validate their selection. In the final stage of selecting a room type, a 360 image is a tremendous help.
 
Luxurious position
 
If the budget Gods have descended upon you and you can afford to do both, do it – they will both be used in the booking funnel and there’s something for everyone.
 
Make sure your visuals are in as many touch points with the prospective consumers as possible.
 
Don’t create a great content (video or VTs) and only show it on your website expecting prospects to flock – your job, as a marketer is to get your best visuals in front of as many prospects as you can within your budgetary constraints – distribute your content everywhere!
 
NB: This is a guest article by Henry Woodman, president of ICE Portal.
 
NB2: Hotel filming image via Shutterstock.
 
NB3: 360-degree tour image from The Raviz Hotel.