By Sara Bader, Festiva Hospitality Group

The B-word
Professional blogger Heather Armstrong was fired for blogging in 2002 and last year was honored by Forbes Magazine as one of the Most Influential Women in Media. Also in 2002, Senator Trent Lott’s reputation was irreparably damaged after bloggers picked up on remarks that were barely published by traditional media. In the eight years since, blogs have evolved into credible sources for news and information and a way for businesses to connect with their customers.

Blogs have become so ubiquitous that universities offer graduate-level courses on writing for digital media, and it’s rare to come across a website for a business that doesn’t have a prominently-placed link to its blog, where the information is often more up to date than the website itself.

As a resort or vacation ownership brand, why blog?
A quick Google blog Search for the simple keyword ‘vacation’ returned 3,470 results from the past hour. Bloggers love to write about vacations, whether they write for a publication, do freelance work or just like to share their experiences with their friends and family. The New York Times is just one major publication that features blogs dedicated to travel like In Transit and Frugal Traveler. Bloggers might write about the resort where they stayed, an event or attraction at the destination or an incident that happened at the airport while they were traveling. Your owners and guests are already reading or writing blogs, and it’s up to you to join that conversation. Here are a few more reasons why you should blog:

- It’s free
- Build brand recognition & loyalty
- Give an informal face and voice to the company
- Build credibility with customers, and in the industry
- Provide customer service
- Use for crisis management
- Generate positive content

First things First – Who should blog?
Self-portrait of a company blogger
I do not have to be the CEO, communications director or general manager (though I could be). I am familiar with many aspects of the organization or property, and I am a very strong writer and an independent worker. I’m very comfortable with using the internet to find information.

I may have some blogging experience, and I do read blogs regularly. I may have a basic technical knowledge of keywording and SEO. I should not be micromanaged. As long as there is a policy in place and I am a trusted employee, then you should allow me to take charge of the blog. I would encourage my manager or a communications director to read my posts daily and send occasional feedback, but please don’t require approval for every single post prior to publication.

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Tags: blog, Festiva Hospitality Group, Sara Bader, travel, vacation