I am going to describe how well we at Nantahala Cabins utilize electronic marketing strategies. We own Nantahala Cabins in Western North Carolina in the Great Smoky Mountains. Our website is www.nantahalacabins.com . In 1998 we bought property in Bryson City in the Nantahala Gorge. We began to build cabins. We now have a total of eight rental cabins. We have 4 studio cabins, a one bedroom cabin, a three bedroom cabin, two 2 bedroom 2 bath luxury log cabins. We are located 2 miles from the take out of the Nantahala River. Our property has frontage on the main highway thru the area; Hwy 19/74. This is a two lane highway running thru the Nantahala Gorge from Bryson City to Murphy, NC. I set up our website in 2000 and it has evolved over the years.
I have used addressability by naming the website after the business name; Nantahala Cabins has the URL of www.nantahalacabins.com. I have used digitalization by incorporating on the website interior and exterior pictures of all of the cabins, pictures of the area, and digitalization of our logo/sign. This website accessibility includes information about many of the area attractions and activities. My target market is people wishing to vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains and enjoy the outdoor amenities. Most of my guests come to this area to whitewater raft, horseback ride, mountain bike, hike, fish, and for the train excursions.
My website is linked on the local chamber of commerce website as well as other local attractions websites. I have also used interactivity within my website; I have just set of online reservations. Now guests can completed book their reservation online thru a secured site and they can even selection attractions; whitewater rafting, horseback riding, train excursions, chocolate or flowers in the room, etc. If guest prefer they can fill out a form and I will contact they about making a reservation. I am now connected to several travel sites like Travelocity through a GDS system. I think that advantage of interactivity is that people can book a cabin 24 hours a day; they do not have to speak with a reservationist. I have even offered a discount if they book online.
The guests at my website also have the ability to control the information they receive. They can click on specific cabins, on specific attractions, on maps, and on the rates. They can control the sort of information that is provided to them.
I do not do mass e-mailings. I do not feel that sending out mass emails of spam is the reputation that I want Nantahala Cabins to have. I think by not spamming, I have an advantage. If someone was spammed by Nantahala Cabins then I believe that they would be more likely to stay somewhere else instead of at Nantahala Cabins. Spamming and mass e-mailing give companies bad reputations.
Additional e-marketing efforts are Google ad words. When someone searches for my area or for cabins in my areas then Nantahala Cabins would be shown as a sponsored website. We began using Google ad words two years ago and will increase this advertising this season.
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