Prevu Limited, 3 Prosford Street, Ponsonby (2026)

28/11/2013

Lets take a look at the media activity through Prevu in past 12 months to set the scene;

21.4 million media views in the past 12 months
1.08 million unique users in the past 12 months
452% increase in video views In the past 5 months
917% increase In unique viewers in the past 5 months
In summary, more video and content is being viewed by more consumers every month.

Contnet is King! Perhaps it’s a cliché that’s been around for years so over the past few weeks I’ve been looking at its relativity for business today in the online space. Keeping in mind the growth in activity Prevu is witnessing.

For the purpose of my research I’ve established content as being visual not written. This covers three products;

Video
Still Images
Virtual Tours
Virtual Tours to a lesser degree as they are becoming less popular whilst video becomes more popular. So is this content really king, why, and by describing it as king, what, do we mean?

Todays business environment is all about engagement and trust. To engage one must establish trust. Before any purchase a consumer, no matter what they are purchasing will need to be confident in the product they are purchasing and have established a level of trust. Sort of makes sense as years ago consumers had no choice but to physically see a product before purchasing, BUT they did see it! Now consumers view online or through mobile devices - view being the key word. The reason why visual content (and in particular video) has become a necessity is that it establishes trust which has a positive flow on effect to purchase.

Images, to a degree have a similar effect but not to the same extent as video. Whilst they are visual, they do not engage the consumer like video. The reason why we, as consumers, are gravitating towards video is simple. Everything we do, from the moment we are born is driven around a visual experience. We watch, we see and we experience. Be it a physical or virtual experience.

So it’s no surprise that in todays business environment as internet speeds allow the presentation of video and other visual tools to be viewed easily, we as consumers gravitate towards it with gusto.

Content is King refers to the power of content. Content is King because,

of its ability to influence a purchase.
of its ability to establish trust.
of its ability to inform
of its ability to deliver a message to the market with speed
of its ability to create brand awareness
of its ability to increase sales
The terminology is also used when determining scalability of content. By that I mean content libraries. Places where content is held and managed on a large scale. Organisations like Prevu have large scale libraries of content. This creates a simple system of access, integration and use, the power of which is not lost on organisations with marketing strategies designed to sell product and properties wishing to reach as many consumers as possible without huge costs.

Content is King because in todays high tech environment and fast pass consumer market, content delivers a message quickly, with motivation and drives sales.

So with more consumers watching more video and content driving sales, it’s easy to understand how Content is King!

If you have video, or still images then Prevu are the Content Kings for delivering it to consumers through travel sites. With an established content library and network of partners your content can be dispersed with ease.

31/10/2013

Last week we discussed Mobile optimised websites and the need to invest in having an optimised mobile presence. Not going mobile means missed revenue opportunities.

In keeping with this topic, we delve further into mobile sites to give a brief insight into going mobile.

Abbreviate your website.

I mentioned the need to abbreviate an existing ‘desktop’ website for mobile. What does this mean?

By abbreviating a website, we mean reducing the amount of information (text) presented. Keep in mind your mobile consumer is more impatient than a customer searching for information on a desktop computer. Mobile sites need to be light, presenting enough information to capture the attention but not enough to clutter. Cluttered mobile sites will see potential customers walking.

That’s why its not enough to just have your desktop website replicated or as many channel managers do, just make the pages size for mobile.

You may think this is ok but it isn’t. The only way to ensure you are mobile ready is to have a designated mobile optimised site.

Stripping down your website:

This is often a difficult process. It’s natural to want to provide as much information as possible but by doing the risk of losing customers is high. I think the saying is ‘less is more’. No more relevant than when creating a mobile optimised website. As an example, a paragraph needs to be a sentence.

The need to strip back information means the site needs to be rich with visual content. Video and images attract consumers and deliver more information than a sentence will ever do. Use them, it will deliver a visual experience of your site that captures the attention of the audience.

Using PrevuMobile technology for mobile websites means the ability to change information immediately. Use this technology to your advantage. Don’t be afraid to have a mobile optimised website that changes. It doesn’t need to stay static, in fact the opposite. Think moving, changing, visual and brief and now mobile consumers are interested.

With a 14 day free trial PrevuMobile offers a no risk opportunity to see what a mobile optimised website would look like. No risk! Try it and see for yourself.

17/10/2013

For those of us just getting used to the internet and social media, we are now faced with yet another technological advance in the form of hand held devices or mobiles. The simplistic days of a phone being used to talk to someone are well and truly gone. Over the years mobile technology has developed to a point where smart phones are now used for almost everything. Whether it be to make a phone call or manage the electrics and lighting in your home.

Smart phones are now a part of everyday life and the technology will continue to develop. The growth in use of mobile devices vs desktop is significant and there are plenty of case studies available online to show this. Suffice to say the growth will only continue so it is critical for any business to focus attention on a mobile strategy.

What does this mean?

It’s a monumental mind shift by consumers as mobile devices become the tool used to conduct transactions, search and research opportunities and gather information. The user trends are quite different though to that of desktop users with mobile consumers wanting the information even quicker.

My desktop website can be viewed on a mobile so what's the issue?

Yes, desktop websites can be viewed on mobile devices. However there’s a catch. Without being optimised the desktop website page just resizes. But it remains too small to read unless enlarged. This process is simple – and it is, but it does take time but critically, once enlarged the navigation around the site becomes inefficient.

Remember mobile consumers want the information quickly and without hassle. So having to enlarge the screen and lose navigation is a negative. The result is approximately 33% of mobile users will tire and walking to competition sites no matter how much they like your product.

My Channel Manager has optimised my page for mobile.

Perhaps, but in most cases all this means is making sure the desktop website page resizes for a mobile screen. This is not enough as it still means users have to enlarge the page resulting in the loss of navigation which of course brings us to the issues advised above.

What is a mobile optimised website then?

A mobile optimised website is fully optimised for mobile delivery, viewing and interacting. Mobile sites need to be an abbreviation of a desktop site. The key attributes being,

Reduced information
Very visual
Easily read and navigated
Viewable / readable without enlarging the screen
All content displayed within a mobile website must be optimsed for viewing. That goes for images, video, virtual tours and text.

Special code is provided for insertion into the desktop HTML home page. It means when a customer goes to a ‘normal’ website, the code will auto detect the device being used and deliver the appropriate website version. So a desktop viewer will receive the desktop ‘normal’ website. A mobile viewer will receive the mobile optimised website.

Sounds expensive!

This all depends. A web developer or organisation may well charge a fair amount, but as with the case with PrevuMobile, optimised mobile websites can be achieved for less that $1500. Given consumer trends towards mobile this investment is very much worthwhile and a fraction of the cost of the development costs of desktop websites!

What about technological developments?

It’s important to ensure mobile optimised websites remain up to date with technical developments.This is often where costs can escalate. However, they don’t need to. As an example PrevuMobile delivers the very latest technology platform, continually, as part of its mobile package. It means clients receive the benefit of continual development but without the cost.

If you think mobile optimised websites are just another cost then think again. The consumer is/has migrated to smart phones as the device of choice so being mobile optimised is not a cost but an investment and very much a need for any business.

If not already, then any business wanting to maximise exposure through mobile phones simply must have a mobile optimised website.

Contact us if you have questions or would like further information.

04/10/2013

Most property’s understand the need to be in the online space. So most properties have a website. However whilst having a website is necessary is it enough and what else can be done? Remember properties are competing in an online space with millions of others.

Keep in mind that consumers are visual so it is critical to deliver a visual experience! Images are needed but so too is video. For consumers today you simply have to use video in order to get them to delve deeper into your website, look at your rates and ultimately make a booking.

So imagery and video. Two absolute ‘must haves’. Why? They engage the consumer in your product giving them a virtual experience and it is this that drives them to purchase. Consumers are more and more driven online by video!

So what more? Exposure.

Simply put you need as many potential consumers to view your property as possible. The more the better so how? To gain exposure you need to either have large budgets or market smarter. The latter is probably the answer for most. One way is by exposing your property on as many websites as possible (third party sites). This is what is known as distribution and distribution delivers exposure, exposure delivers potential consumers and the use of visual tools converts the consumers to purchase.

The visual experience for your consumer does not need to be limited to your website. Where the property has a listing on third party travel sites (your distribution), it is important to touch the consumer with a visual experience. Take a look at the above image and you can see how the visual experience is extremely rich, combining both still images and video - why? To convert sales!

For all the reasons why using video and visual content is important for your own website, it is equally so for third party websites.

Remember properties are competing for each consumer on third party sites too so it is imperative and makes common sense to utilise as many tools as possible to help convert sales.

Without exposure no one will see what you are offering.

26/09/2013

Video - Cost or Investment?

Marketing in any form is a cost and generally is required to deliver a return on investment (ROI). Usually marketing campaigns try to gauge success by matching sales to the campaign. This gives a conversion.

However ROI is often hit and miss at the best of times. Establishing an ROI for video or images (content) is complicated and I think such content should be viewed as ‘common sense’ marketing.

You see, the use of video is centered around show casing your product so consumers can have a virtual experience. It’s the first impression and its critical to ensure your potential customer gets engaged in your product. There is no better tool to do this than video.

Common sense would say such content simply must be used, yet many still choose not to. Why? Good question.

I am convinced that most hotels are so entrenched in their day to day business they fail to see the bigger picture. Thousands of dollars of marketing funds are allocated towards listings in print magazines, brochures or other such tools that have been around for decades. It’s what always been done – right?

Yet, surely if the bottom line is so incredibly important and budgets are constantly squeezed, wouldn’t it make sense to invest in something that for a fraction of the cost, delivers significantly more value and reach?

More and more organisations are using video to deliver their message, not just in the travel and hospitality sectors but across a broad industry base. The numbers are rising with demand being driven by the consumer. The equation is simple. Online consumers want to watch video of your product. Ignore them at your peril!

So, cost or investment? In my book, it’s definitely an investment. It’s a must have that will lead to sales generation. It simply allows your consumer to see what you offer and I think that makes common sense!

19/09/2013

Social Media: it’s a generalisation but there are many that run away from anything to do with Social Media. Fact is, it’s a powerful distribution channel and it’s here to stay, so should be embraced.

However it requires a slightly different mind set to traditional channels and understanding this mindset is key to its successful deployment.

Think about how you would tell a group of friends about a party, and you're someway to understanding how you need to think. Successful Social Media campaigns are driven by the personal approach and this in turns escalates interest in your product.

The younger generation seem to be driven by Social Media so now advance a few years and that same generation has discretionary dollars to spend. The medium they will use is Social Media.

However there’s a warning here - managing social media is an art, so much so that we now have Social Media experts to help us through the process. Never the less once there, you need to expect to have to dedicate time to it.

Another point to consider - think ethically about how you manage your Social Media page. Some would argue that having as many followers as possible is the key. But ask yourself if this is right. It is if your followers are all interested in your product. But having followers that aren't interested doesn't deliver any value. Your product simply isn't relevant to them.

Having people who are genuinely interested in your product will allow you to reap the rewards of their interest. Your followers will grow and yes, it may take time but at least your efforts will be rewarded.

Secondly, don't ignore negative feedback. Doing so will only damage your product so be proactive in responding. Having negative comments can provide an opportunity to improve but also how you deal with negativity will be viewed by all!

Social Media is important and managing your exposure on social sites is critical. Don't ignore the use of visual tools, like video and images as they provide an emotional experience for your followers.

To learn more, contact us.

12/09/2013

Can I distribute my own content?

How much time and patience do you have? If you’re even thinking about entertaining this then you will need plenty of both. Almost all clients who have tried, fail or eventually give up. Whilst it appears simple to achieve, as with most things there are complications and brick walls.

As indicated in our Week 4 article, OTA’s do not have the resource to manage thousands of independent hotels providing varying file types. Converting, uploading, hosting and so on becomes a time consuming and resource intensive exercise and simply too hard. Accessing a database where content is available in bulk, in a uniform and consistent manner, ready for integration, means a smooth and speedy process and clearly an attractive solution or as many would say, 'a turn key solution'.

Of course capturing your own video and using tools to upload it to your own site can be done. However, even this has its traps and often results in mixed outcomes from having to download players/videos to videos that don’t work. Plus, some video players come with advertising and inappropriate content. As already discussed getting your product seen by as many customers as possible will entail more than just a focus on your own website. Your website is just one piece of the puzzle and if you are moving with the times and wanting to have video on your website then it needs to be done right.

Another consideration is time. The time to manage the content is significant and doesn’t get any less as your consumer demands more rich content to view.

When most managers are busy with their day to day work loads, entertaining such processes becomes arduous, ultimately resulting in errors or nothing ever eventuating. It means the property doesn’t maximise its investment in having the content produced, exposure is lacking and everything points to less sales and loss of business to competitors.

Although I admit, I am probably bias, having worked in this field of content delivery for many years, it seems logical to me to opt for a proven solution and process.

I am always happy to answer questions. Do contact me.

05/09/2013

The Power of Distribution.

Last week I spoke about Distribution and asked a question of its importance. If you’ve read the article I am sure you will quickly understand my position on the importance of having an effective distribution channel(s) for your product. Simply, the more eye balls that see your product the better.

This weeks article differs a bit from what was planned and is again focused on distribution.

34,000 thousand views a month grows to over 300,000 views a month!

During the course of the week, upon analysing our own viewing data, some significant numbers presented themselves that warranted discussion.

I think most would agree, exposing your product to consumers is important. It’s how consumers purchase what is being offered and so to that end it makes sense to achieve as much exposure as possible with the most effective tools as possible. I come back then to the power of third party sites and this is no better displayed than in some recent viewing results of a key distribution partner of Prevu’s.

Most reading this letter will know of Prevu’s travel distribution network where we integrate video and other content of hotels and resorts. Many of the leading travel brands utilise Prevu content and have done so for many years. Each year the growth in views across the board has increased resulting in the delivery, last year, of over 2.5 million views.

This year the business is on track to achieve over 3.5 million views. But in the past two months the impact of views from one of the most influential third party sites in the region has staggered even our own analysts.

Leading up to June this year monthly views for this operator were around 30,000. A significant figure and one that positioned the operator in the top echelon for viewing volumes. However by the end of August monthly views for this operator grew to over 300,000!

WHY? Two reasons.

Consumer demand, yes, that's right I've said it before but consumer demand for video content of hotels prior to making a purchase decision is ravenous. Remember, the meat for the carnivores? Well the carnivores are hungry!
Repositioning. Unbelievable, but by simply repositioning access to the video so its more prominent has a positive impact.
So what’s the result? More views equals more sales. Direct and indirect. Keep in mind that approximately 30% of consumers searching hotels through third party sites will book direct with the hotel. So in its most simplistic form the volume of direct sales opportunities from this distribution partner grew in 2 months from 9,000 to 90,000. Not bad at a time when most hotels are searching for ways to increase revenue and reduce cost.

To reflect this growth into individual properties, the results are as dramatic. Across the board, those properties that feature on the third party site with Prevu video have witnessed massive growth. The impact again is $$! We know and all results point to a high percentage (approximately 67%) of those consumers who view the video will proceed to make a booking.

The message? If you thought engaging a distribution network was a waste of time, too costly or something that could wait, then think again. If you think third party sites are just a cost of sale, then think again and if you think having a video available for viewing by consumers, on third party sites or your own, is just a ‘nice to have’ then think again.

The danger of not thinking again about this is too great.

These results reach out to you as blatantly as someone shouting in your ear or sending a text in caps. What you do with it is of course up to you. But remember, doing nothing will inevitably achieve the same result!

Want to do something about it? Contact me.

29/08/2013

Is Distribution Important?

Distribution – is it important? I’ve spent money on developing a property for which I intend to sell room nights receive revenue. I don’t have an endless budget for marketing, what do I do?

Spend your marketing money on a quarter page advert in a magazine that runs for 2 months? Albeit expensive and limited, isn’t that distribution? Wanting to expose your product to more people?

How about a radio campaign, using the radio to distribute information on your product to multiple listeners! Isn’t that distribution?

Ok, get the idea? Yes distribution is important. No matter the medium, one way or another the need to disseminate information to potential clients is distribution and it's critical to getting more eye balls viewing your product. The real challenge is matching a budget to a tool to achieve maximum ‘bang for your buck!’

We speak about channels of distribution and really all we are talking about is the choices available to distribute your product. As an example,

Online
Your own website
OTA’s (online travel agents)
Magazine
T.V.
Radio
Newspaper
Email
Social Media
Reach is then the next question. What reach can these distribution channels provide? Clearly in today’s market online, OTA’s, social media and email bridge any previous international boundaries and a global reach is subsequently achieved at very little cost.

T.V., radio, newspaper, magazines are viewed as more traditional channels of distribution and tend to be limited in their reach to local markets and generally costly.

Distribution then is critical and the choice, depending on your budget, is varied, with no doubt the widest reach and exposure for the least cost achieved through online, OTA’s, email and Social media channels. The digital space as we say.

If you are thinking about the distribution you have in place for your own product and have questions, then let me know and I might be able to give some clarity and simplify things.

28/08/2013

Here’s some key facts about online video and how it relates to the travel industry….interesting and I'll post some more extracts from the case study shortly.

1. Online Video has grown over time (beginning in 2009) as a source for planning travel, as have the number of travelers who view travel video content online

2. Business and Affluent Travelers are consistently likely to engage with or choose a destination based on Online Video content

3. Online Video has prompted Business and Affluent Travelers to plan and book a trip

4. Professionally generated content and reviews are the most popular types of Online Video content. However, user-generated content is still popular with Business Travelers

5. Online Video viewing on mobile devices will continue to be popular among Business and Leisure Travelers

Source: Google/Ipsos OTX MediaCT U.S., July 2012

22/08/2013

This is perhaps one of the most controversial of subjects causing debate between managers, sales and marketing teams. The debate is relatively simple, direct business vs indirect or the cost of sale for indirect business – business via Online Travel Agencies (OTA’s)!

Most hoteliers view OTA’s as a high cost of sale (and they can be) and many, whilst acknowledging a need to have a presence on an OTA site, do all they can to minimise the revenue generated through OTA’s. Just think about this for a minute, Isn't it like displaying an item in a shop and hoping no one buys it.

So lets consider another view point. OTA’s spend large sums of money (millions) marketing their brand online. This marketing attracts online consumers to view and book hotels with them. Unless part of a multi national hotel brand it’s inconceivable to even contemplate competing with this expenditure. Certainly for the majority of main stream hotels the cost is prohibitive and I’d suggest for multi national hotels, an element of their fee structure will go towards this cost within their groups, and it won’t be insignificant.

So why not work with them…consider the OTA’s as a marketing tool providing a reach that could not be achieved on your own. Viewed in this way, although still a cost, it’s exposure and reach that your marketing budget would not otherwise be able to afford and therefore arguably an investment.

Don’t forget payment for the investment is not realised until a booking is made! So using OTA’s as a marketing tool is an effective way to market yourself online to a global audience.

If your product is listed with an OTA, then I’d suggest to do all in your power to increase the sales generated from that OTA. You're there anyway so make the most of it. We know, on average, approximately 30% of customers searching hotels on an OTA site will book direct with the hotel. It means that doing all you can with your listings on an OTA site will also help to improve your direct sales.

I’m always amazed at how hotels on one hand see OTA’s as a high cost of sale and do all they can to reduce sales generated through them, even though they acknowledge they need a presence, whilst on the other, don’t think twice about investing huge sums of money in print or similar advertising strategies, all of which tend to deliver limited distribution and longevity. Sort of doesn’t make sense?

What To Do?

Your product is competing with thousands of others for a sale, so make the most of your listing. Up scaling your listing through adding video is one such way to improve the listing performance.

As we know OTA’s list thousands of hotels and simply do not have the resource to manage independent video and media files from each property. This is where Prevu’s technology is utilised and why so many OTA’s integrate content from Prevu’s database.

There’s been plenty of case studies and articles written about OTA’s, but one thing for sure is that they are here to stay so once this is accepted then the next best thing is to use them for all they have and offer. It doesn’t mean negating your own direct sales strategy, but simply recognises OTA’s can deliver much more than just a cost and perhaps should be seen as a cheap marketing investment rather than a high cost of sale or no sale at all!

12/08/2013

Welcome to our third article. How important is imagery? To answer this, ask yourself, how motivated are you looking at a website where only text can be read. Needless to say most websites have imagery. The importance of imagery cannot be underestimated. Good imagery helps to sell your product as being visual, consumers are able to quickly understand your product and be motivated to purchase.

In today’s crowded online market place, consumers are the carnivores and imagery is their food! Imagery does not only mean still imagery. Imagery in an online sense and for the purpose of this article, combines Still Images, Video and 360° Virtual Tours. Collectively they represent some of the most powerful online visual tools to help generate sales.

Good imagery reflects on your brand and its position in the market place and delivers consumer experience, expectations and confidence in your product. Imagery helps you to differentiate your product on brand not just pricing. So imagery is critical, remember it’s the food to feed the carnivores!

If you’re not convinced, think about how publishing houses get you to buy magazines, their front covers are plastered full of imagery. Think about watching T.V. Think about everything you see during the day, billboards, online, newspapers and so on. Imagery is used to capture attention, provide a dream, inspire, motivate and ultimately, sell!

Why then is your product or your website any different? It isn’t. To capture those sales, imagery has to be used. The more engaging the imagery the better. Using a combination of Images, Videos and Virtual Tours, your product can come alive providing a virtual experience.

Having good imagery is an investment, not a cost. That’s a statement that no doubt many hotel managers would debate. Mainly because there is no way of knowing the volume of people who viewed imagery proceeded to book. A terminology known as R.O.I (return on investment).

However, consider what I said at the beginning about having a website without imagery, just text. If imagery is just a cost, then delete all imagery from your website and see what happens to your sales.

I doubt if many properties would have a plan to update imagery on a regular basis which is why many continue to present content that is years old and out of date.

Good imagery is an investment. Use it wisely and don’t just stop at still images. Video delivers more of an experience than still images and magnifies consumer interest in your product.

‘Like’ Us on Facebook to receive more tips and hints and look out for next weeks article on, “OTA’s, Cost of Sale or Cost Effective Marketing!”

Prevu Limited

28/11/2013

31/10/2013

17/10/2013

04/10/2013

26/09/2013

19/09/2013

12/09/2013

05/09/2013

29/08/2013

28/08/2013

22/08/2013

12/08/2013

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