EMail Past Visitors to the B&B
Having an email list for any business now is important. With your email list you can reach out to past happy customers and say Hi and tell them what has been happening with you, the business and the locality. With bed and breakfasts there is a more intimate feel and sharing the new puppies, the extension or even the change of linen gives a touch that hotels cannot achieve.
Of course tell them what is going on in the area to tempt them to visit but you shouldn't sell, sell , sell all the time with an email newsletter as this turns people off.
With a tool like MailChimp (an online tool for managing email newsletters) you can mange a small list for free and easily create one with pre made templates.
We are often asked how often you should send an email newsletter. Our advices is once or twice a month is more than enough. If you have more information to share of course send it more regularly.
Learn About Social Media
Social media is here to stay and in these months reserve 30 minutes per day to learn how to use tools like Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter. Build up your friends and network over time and interact with people in the business and potential visitors.
Again don't be hard sell just be yourself. IT is during these quieter months that you can become more expert and use them more naturally.
Spruce up Your Business Website
Make sure all your offers and prices are up to date and all the information on your business is relevant and not stale. If there are summer festivals coming put some details there so visitors can use your website not just for the accommodation information but also for useful tourist information.
Don't cut and paste from other websites as this is lazy and more often than not will not fit in with your own website style. Write simple and with a local feel as that is the case you know the area best.
