Events and celebrations in March include American Red Cross Month, St Patrick’s Day, National Reading Day, Save a Spider Day, the beginning of daylight savings and most importantly the first day of spring.
The first two months of 2010 have been very conversational in terms of the weather with record snowfalls in central and southern Utah and spring-like days in the northern areas. And though we love to play in the snow we look forward to easier commutes, warmer days and spring.
We would love to showcase the start of spring in Utah in next month’s newsletter and ask for you to send us photographs that showcase that spring has sprung in your area! Email them to hello@2thepoint.com before March 26th.
The 2010 Winter Olympics have now drawn to a close but what a spectacular event with the U.S bringing back ? medals. 60 Olympic athletes competing in the games have strong ties to Utah and were born here or now make it their home. Salt Lake City, Utah and the 2002 Winter Olympics were mentioned numerous times throughout the game’s broadcasts and news reports and this publicity is very positive for our state.
The summer season is soon to be upon us and now is the ideal time to begin preparation and make sure everything is in place and ready to welcome the millions of visitors to our state!
Getting the Point Across
How often do we hear ourselves say, “I’ll get around to it?” When it comes to making sure your business is ready for customers you can’t wait to get round to it you have to get it done as soon as possible. A key component in marketing your business is the Internet and your website but do you have a website that works for you?
Imagine a prospective customer has made it to your website home page – does your home page guarantee you will make the booking or sale? After looking at many partner/travel-related websites in Utah it is easy to tell that some are better than others. Making the site easy to use and including accurate information is important but what key components should you include on your home page to help drive revenue?
Pointing You in the Right Direction
Information – what you say on your home page is vital. The information you include has to inform the customer and make them interested enough to book a room or complete a sale. The information should be structured so that it is easy to read and useful. If it takes more than three clicks to get what they need chances are they will leave your site.
Keyword usage – this is the ratio of keywords to all the other words on your home page and should be around 3% - 5%. Some search engines do not like websites that overuse keywords. Make sure you have the right ones!
Call to Action – this is ultimately getting the customer to book a room or to make contact with your business. Make sure your call to action is easy to find and remember the three-click rule.
Minimize Clutter – imagine you are looking at your website for the first time – what do you really think about it? Are the images you use relevant, is there too much information and is the website using too much flash, animation or moving files that are slow and hard to load. You should not include images and information on your website that will distract or dilute your image, you want the customer to be able to retrieve information as quickly as possible and make a decision.
Keep up to date – your website should be kept up-to-date and the easier it is to do this the more often it will be done. As the website owner consider this when developing your website and how easy your access will be.
Using these tips should help ensure the performance of your website and increase your bottom line. Unfortunately there are many website developers that are happy to sell you a website for thousands of dollars that doesn’t perform the way you need it to. We can help with any concerns that you may have. Our website development starts at $400 with hosting from $13 per month and includes domain name, unlimited email accounts, recommendations, performance analysis and monthly updates to your website so you stay on top of the competition. The difference between us and the rest …we really care about your business!
Take a minute to look at the websites we have developed or our web templates at www.2thepoint.com or call us at (801) 392 7778 and we would be more than happy to talk to you about your website and provide a free consultation.
Remember right now is the time to get your website performing perfectly.
Pointing It Out - Tourism Updates
Tourism Marketing Performance Fund
The Joint Economic Development and Revenue Appropriations Subcommittee has approved $6.9 Million for the Tourism Marketing Performance Fund. The Governor’s Budget Recommendation was $7 Million. All Appropriation Committees’ recommendations now go to the Executive Appropriations Committee for final budget recommendations, then approved by the House and Senate.
HB 48
This bill was intended to alter the current TRCC tax, by eliminating the 1% Restaurant Tax, and replacing it with a .1% sales tax. The bill was replaced with Substitute HB48 that eliminated the Restaurant Tax all together (with on-going bonding allowances). The bill was defeated in House Revenue and Taxation Committee, 9-6.
S.B. 15 Utah Scenic Byways Amendments
S.B. 15 was approved unanimously by the Senate Transportation and Public Utilities and Technology Committee on Friday, February 19 and is progressing through the full Senate.
TRAVEL PROMOTION ACT
Friday 26th February was a historic day for the U.S Travel Industry with Congress passing the Travel Promotion Act legislation that will create economic growth and thousands of new jobs as millions of more international visitors are welcomed to the U.S. The bill is expected to become law with 10 days.
“This is a historic victory for the U.S. economy and the one in eight American workers whose jobs depend on travel,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “The United States Congress has sent a clear message that travel is a high priority to our nation and that tangible steps must be taken to increase travel to and within the United States. We are extremely grateful to the bill’s champions: Senators Reid, Dorgan, Ensign and Klobuchar in the Senate and Representatives Delahunt, Blunt and Farr in the House.”
The Travel Promotion Act establishes a public-private partnership to promote the United States as a premier international travel destination and communicate U.S. security and entry policies. According to analysis by Oxford Economics, the bill is estimated to drive $4 billion in new consumer spending annually, provide $321 million in new federal tax revenue each year and create 40,000 U.S. jobs nationwide. Further, it is expected to reduce the federal budget deficit by $425 million over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Overseas visitors spend an average of more than $4,000 when they visit the United States.
The Travel Promotion Act is modeled after successful state-level initiatives and is funded through a matching program featuring up to $100 million in private sector contributions and a $10 fee on foreign travelers who do not pay $131 for a visa to enter the United States. The fee is collected once every two years in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security’s Electronic System for Travel Authorization. No money is provided by U.S. taxpayers.
Important dates to remember:
Utah Tourism Industry Coalition Membership Meeting – Wednesday 17th March, Provo www.utahtourism.org
Utah Tourism Industry Coalition Tourism Conference - 12th – 14th May – Logan www.utahtourism.org
