TripAdvisor and Google Maps

• Visit Thanet Business
• Shared Story
• Telling Our Story
• Digital
• Social Media
• TripAdvisor and Google Maps

• Social Media
• Facebook
• TripAdvisor and Google Maps
• Youtube
• Flickr, Instagram & Pinterest
• Monitoring your social media sucess

TripAdvisor

Business Time commitment: Medium – initial set-up and then check reviews every week.

TripAdvisor is the leading travel review website. It provides information on destinations, hotels, restaurants and attractions, supplemented with contributions from users. There is no charge for a listing.

• Check the site – your business may already be listed with reviews.
• If you are not listed, then register.
• Claim your listing and improve the content by adding pictures and more detailed copy.
• Tailor content to your target audiences.
• Measure yourself against your direct competitors – look at their profiles and see what they are doing.
• Always respond to reviews, good or bad – show you value customer feedback.

Apologise to customers who may not have enjoyed themselves.  Feedback is a valuable tool that may result in improvements to your business. Most TripAdvisor users know that comments are subjective and guided by personal opinion, and are more likely to ignore a few bad reviews than a rude business owner.

And thank customers for positive reviews; use your reply to sell what you want to sell by endorsing a comment or explaining your approach. Ask to use good reviews on your website – always get permission first and credit the person.

• Make it easy for customers to write a review, e.g. order customer review cards from TripAdvisor, but don’t hound customers as that can have an adverse effect.
• Use TripAdvisor’s analytics tool to measure your activity: www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TripAdvisorInsights/n714/introducing-property-dashboard-and-snapshot-unleash-power-analytics

Google Maps

Time commitment: Low – initial set-up and then add content and check reviews every few weeks.

Visitors are using Google Maps to plan a trip because it is easy to use and contains lots of relevant information, and many smartphones have Google Maps built into the phone. The site is not only used to provide directions but also offers suggestions on local attractions, and includes photos, video and reviews of the place. Google also prominently displays names, addresses, phone numbers, and any user reviews of businesses in the area.

• Try a Google Maps search for your area and see what’s displayed.
• Register your business on Google Places – include photos and video, and contact details if you’re happy to be contacted by the general public.
• Encourage loyal customers to write a review.
• Review impressions and actions taken by users when viewing your listing.