AirBnB vs. HomeAway

I'm sure all of you have heard of AirBnB and some of you may know HomeAway/VRBO. These websites offer options to booking a hotel room that are generally cheaper, more unique and more personal. You can rent a spot on a couch or a chateau.

Overall, AirBnB seems the better option for solo or coupled travelers to big cities who are on a budget and don't mind sharing a condo or townhouse with the homeowner or other travelers. There are many options for private accommodations on AirBnB, but the savings are not as significant. A million years ago I shared a "flat" in London with 3 other travelers and saved a bunch of money. I pretty much just slept and showered there so "the others" didn't bug me.

AirBnB gets a lot of press (good and bad) and they have done a great job creating awareness of the whole vacation rental industry. In reaction to the bad press, they have developed a whole battery of safeguards that protect both the guest and the homeowner. Reservations and online payments are easy and the review system works both ways – both the homeowner and guest get reviewed.

HomeAway is geared more to families or groups of friends looking to rent a single-family home in a resort area, although there are great number of condos and homes available in big cities. Guests and homeowners are usually older than AirBnB users and the accommodations are generally more expensive. But for the money, you get a lot more space (multiple bedrooms/baths, plus kitchen and living areas) and privacy. Online reservations and payments are also easy and there are reviews for each property (homeowners don't review guests). HomeAway also has safeguards for both the guest and homeowner and they are constantly improving the guest experience.

There is a lot of debate in the comments sections of articles about AirBnB and HomeAway and which one is better. The bigger differences are on the owner-side about things like fee percentages and payment timing. A slight difference for the guests on HomeAway is that you can be put in direct contact with the homeowner before you actually book, allowing you to ask more questions and get a better read on the homeowner. AirBnB's system allows for anonymous e-mailing between both parties. Both sites have lovers and haters that boil down personal experiences and preferences. And just like Yelp reviews, you have to use your best judgement to determine if the property is right for you.

There are a few other sites that do vacation rentals, but these are the two biggest for their respective categories. Here is a link to an article that gives a nice comparison.

Oh, and if you need a weekend out of the city before, during or after the holidays, I happen to know of two:

The Hollywoods, South Haven, MI
The Prairie Wood, South Haven, MI

Social Media Psychology Lessons for Smarter Marketing

 
Social Media Week took place September 22nd – 26th in 11 different cities around the world. The conference attracted over 30,000 people across five continents. While reading various reviews and highlight posts, I came across an article that really intrigued me. “These 7 Social Media Lessons Will Make Your Marketing Smarter” discusses the seven key studies that contribute to enhancing your social media marketing skills. Below I listed the 7 lessons and some key highlights pertaining to each.

1. Change of Mind Before Publishing Post
Studies show that users often censor their posts prior to posting. A study conducted by Facebook researchers found close to 71% of users have typed a post or comment but decided not to post it. Self-censorship effects the content and content value shared on social media sites. Users are often hesitant to share certain information on social media due to fear of spamming their fellow users. This challenges marketers to ensure the information they share on social networking sites is interesting enough to be shared by its consumers.

2. Emotions Spread Contagiously Online
Similar to how emotions spread from person to person, emotions are also easily spread online via social media networks. Researchers from the University of California evaluated the frequency of negative posts on Facebook to more deeply understand the spread of emotions online. Researchers compared the total number of negative posts shared by Facebook users on a rainy day to Facebook users in other cities. They found that the negative emotions posted on Facebook due to the weather were impacting other users regardless of if their city was also experiencing rainy weather. This demonstrates how effective social media networks are in communicating thoughts and information in a short amount of time. Marketers can use this to their advantage and efficiently communicate their brands value to various consumers.

3. Impression Is Made Within Seconds With Profile Photo
To successfully gain users interest it is crucial for a business to have an “attractive” profile photo. Businesses should display a clear picture of their logo or something else that is closely related to your business and/or industry.

4. Selective Sharing Is Preferred More
The percentage of users that choose to share “everything” varies among countries. 15% of users in the U.S. share everything or most things online versus the world average of 24%. Africa, Asia and Latin America have high rates of oversharing which directly correlates to the amount of Internet penetration and oversharing also present.

5. Social Feedback Presents A Better Sense Of Belonging
Active social media users connect with others through posts, but also by giving and receiving feedback. Users that share information as well as provide feedback to other users feel more connected online. This is important for businesses and companies to consider when they are posting and interacting with consumers online.

6. Inspiring Content Improves Social Sharing
Businesses looking to promote themselves on social media networks should focus on posting content that inspires users. A study conducted by Jonah Berger found users were more likely to share content that positively impacted them. 

7. Oversharing Our Thoughts Is Best Way For Social Media Promotion
Social media users want to share their opinions, thoughts and experiences. With 80% of social media posts relating to a person’s own thoughts and experiences, businesses can benefit and use this to promote themselves.

Social media use continues to grow exponentially and has surpassed traditional media outlets. Although TV, radio and newspapers are still accounting for majority of the media time, consumers are spending more time online. These tips can help any business or company more successfully market themselves on social media sites.

*Image from Brain Box Lab.

The IoT – The customer is always engaged.

Lately I’ve heard the term “Internet of Things” in conversations with friends from varying backgrounds including healthcare, high-speed rail, chemistry, engineering, technology, and social media.  It peaked my interest that people from such diverse backgrounds were all excited about the same idea. I conducted some research and came across an article on Forbes about “The Internet of Things/IoT”. From what I’ve learned I believe there are some pretty cool things we as marketers and consumers can look forward to stemming from developments in technology and the increased interconnectivity it will enable.

The IoT is the interconnectivity between things using wireless technology (each with its own unique identifiers) to connect objects, locations, animals or people to the internet, thus allowing for direct transmission of seamless sharing of data.  In essence the IoT refers to everyday devices that are able to automatically exchange information over a network.  It describes how the objects in our world will help us manage our environment, provide useful information and savings.  The IoT will also allow marketers to better tell their stories and connect with consumers. I found the idea of the IoT particularly interesting given that Eire’s client ComEd is working on a major initiative focused on improvements to the Smart Grid which powers the IoT.  The smart grid allows new technologies to tap into the grid such as smart homes and the smart devices.

The Forbes article focusses on how the IoT will also help improve marketing ROI in the future. The key takeaway for me is that as a marketer, the IoT will provide me with access to better tools to stay connected with consumers in real time. I believe we’ve evolved from “The customer is always right” to “The customer is always engaged” and the IoT will facilitate that engagement.

Forbes Article Highlights:

5 Ways the IoT Will Make Marketing Smarter

1. Easy Exchange of Sales Data: Smart devices can gather data and supply it back to brands in real time allowing business to create informed marketing strategies and improve ROI on future sales.

2. Smarter CRM – Instantaneous Customer Analysis: When used in conjunction with CRM tools IoT will be able to efficiently and accurately analyze data providing actionable results regarding a brand’s customer base.

3. Devices that know they are dying: The IoT will enable devices to perform self-diagnostics, self-maintenance and self-upgrades. This will ensure device issues are proactively addressed, that consumers have the latest upgrades and facilitate ordering new devices.

4. Predictive Social Media: The IoT will allow marketers to predict the development of social communities and target their efforts toward these communities. IoT devices when coupled with social media will allow marketers to identify and take advantage of new trends.

5. Imagine 100% CTR (Click through Rate): The age of interruptive commercial will end for consumers as advertising will evolve to be completely relevant.  The prospect consumer will be served relevant ads as brands will have detailed understanding of their consumer’s behaviors and needs via information provided by connected devices.  It provides brands the opportunity to stop being seen as marketers as start being valued as business resources.