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Table of Contents
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INTRODUCTION: The future of digital is visual storytelling Why visual storytelling matters: The psychology of visual storytelling Putting on a show: How the web has responded to the visual shift Keeping it fresh: How to source content that keeps your site up-to-date Putting the package together: Turning good visuals into great stories Go forth and publish: Adhering to best practices when publishing online Get the word out: How, when and where to tell the world your story Today’s the day to go visual The web is moving in a visual direction about vfm leonardo
01 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience vfmleonardo.com
Thanks for downloading! This eBook takes a look at how and why visually-driven websites are becoming the norm today and discusses the best practices your hotel can leverage to build and publish your visual story on your website, providing a compelling and engaging experience for your visitors. Our contributing author, Greg Oates, has included many great suggestions and real examples gained through his work helping hotel professionals reach guests through content marketing and visual storytelling strategies.
About Greg Oates Greg Oates is a travel editor and publisher of 200rooms. com, profiling innovative small hotels and their role in local tourism development. Greg also works closely with hotel professionals to help them reach guests through content marketing strategies, visual storytelling and media relations.
We hope this eBook will help you better understand how to successfully present your hotel in its best light online. John McAuliffe President VFM Leonardo, Inc.
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02 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Introduction The future of digital is visual storytelling
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Pictures. Videos. Photo filters. Infographics. Instagram. Pinterest. Vine. YouTube. Tumblr. Slideshows. Animated GIFs.
welcome to the world wide web, circa 2013 The future of digital is visual storytelling The future is now
The text-only websites of the early 2000’s have—slowly but surely—been replaced by graphicallyand visually-driven web interfaces. Faster broadband speeds, cellular networks, and highresolution screens have increased demand for attractive visuals to drive content, to the point that roughly one third of pixel real estate on the web is image content.a
03 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Introduction The future of digital is visual storytelling
The trend is certainly obvious on the most popular social media networks. Websites like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are driven by visuals. Twitter, the domain of 140-character text bursts, recently added Vine, a video service showcasing 6-second visual bursts. And of course, you can’t mention video without mentioning YouTube and its one billion monthly visitors. Visually-driven websites aren’t strictly for social sharing, though. The trend is stretching across the web and touching traditional web design as well, from retailers, manufacturers, service providers and more. The travel industry is no exception; more and more hotels, airlines, online travel agencies, tour
companies and others are enhancing their websites with exciting, engaging visuals that tell the story of what it’s like to use their service or visit them in person.
“90 percent of all information that gets transmitted to our brains is visual.”b The best websites don’t just throw some pictures and video on the home page. They use those pictures and videos to tell stories— stories that allow the audience to experience whatever it is the website is selling.
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why visual storytelling matters the psychology of visual storytelling
05 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 1 Why visual storytelling matters: The psychology of visual storytelling AirBnB.com
“Humans process visuals 60,000 times faster than text.”c It’s not just that our computer and phone screens are better and our download speeds faster. Studies show that people prefer—even on a subconscious level—to interact with visuals over plain text. And marketers are learning to take advantage.
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06 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 1 Why visual storytelling matters: The psychology of visual storytelling
According to William C. Bradford, author of Reaching the Visual Learner: Teaching Property Through Art, 65 percent of the population are visual learners.d And according to Carol Jeffers, professor at California State University, our brains are wired to respond to, interact with, imitate and mirror behavior that we see. She argues that our brains’ visual
“Video now appears in 70% of the top 100 search results.”f systems allow us to “experience our own actions and those of others at an abstract level of representation.”e
In other words, the act of simply seeing something can allow us to experience it in our own minds. Is it any wonder, then, that marketers looking to tell engaging stories on their websites are moving away from blocks of text towards big, beautiful images and compelling video? When it comes to your property, visual storytelling with engaging imagery is the perfect way to share your hotel’s atmosphere and your guests’ experiences. By sharing a story, you’re showcasing what staying at your hotel is like, and giving your website visitors the opportunity to imagine themselves staying with you!
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putting on a show how the web has responded to the visual shift
Loreal.com
08 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 2 Putting on a show: How the web has responded to the visual shift FourSeasons.com
From consumer goods to the travel industry, big and bold visuals rule the day. Virgin-Atlantic.com
Nike.com
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09 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 2 Putting on a show: How the web has responded to the visual shift
Taking a closer look at the samples on the previous pages, we can see that Nike, unsurprisingly, uses a lot of real estate on a large photo of a pair of running shoes. Taking a closer look, we can see the photo is actually interactive—we can adjust the color of the shoes and even the pattern of the fabric. They quickly become not just a pair of shoes, but your pair of shoes.
And Virgin Airlines is careful to include all the information and interactivity travelers expect and need—such as booking and check-in options—but surrounds it in an attractive, encompassing background image. Strong visuals are critical in the travel and hospitality industry. As a hotel marketer, what you’re selling is the experience of staying at your property. Your photos and videos can convey that in a much stronger way than a text description or list of amenities. Virtual tours, 360-degree panoramas, and photos that show guests at your hotel can demonstrate to website visitors just what they can expect when they book a stay at your property.
“Using video on landing pages can increase conversion by 80%.”g L’Oreal uses a carousel structure common to today’s web design, but it’s large and the fonts and photo choices call back to fashion magazine advertising, creating a visual connection to a more traditional experience. Apple’s homepage design, which we saw earlier, is almost minimalistic, with a toolbar at the top, a product in the middle with a link to a video and large visual buttons along the bottom of the page.
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Loreal.com
10 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 2 Putting on a show: How the web has responded to the visual shift Singita.com
ALThotels.ca
StandardHotels.com
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“The end goal is direct bookings. So there should be an immediate visceral impact when potential clients arrive at your website, and clear direction toward more photos and videos to extend that emotional connection. Travel is an emotional experience. The best hotel websites are too. Just a few great examples are Singita Resorts, Standard Hotels, ALT Hotels and Four Seasons Hotels. All of them tell a visual story about their properties and destinations to provide a high-impact experience that draws viewers into the site, never lets them go, and increases direct sales.”
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keeping it fresh how and where to get the content that keeps your site up-to-date
TheFreehand.com
12 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 3 Keeping it fresh: How to source content that keeps your site up-to-date
From pro photo shoots to social media, find the images that showcase your hotel experience.
directly. This way, you show your visitors that your hotel experience isn’t just on the grounds of your property—it extends to the local area as well.
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authenticity that appeals to travelers. With new filters and better cameras available today, amateur photos are better than ever before. They show real people enjoying your hotel in a real way. A good mix of professional and amateur photos and videos can really bring your property’s story to life!
At this point it should be clear: To take your hotel’s website to the next level, you need to reinforce it with strong visuals.
Next, consider “non-professional” media. This can include photos that you and your staff can take yourself of the property and area, as well as photos sourced from guests, including any they’ve tagged of your property on social media. (These can be linked to freely, but always get
The next logical step is acquiring those visuals! You probably already have a collection of professional media: Photos of the property, including rooms, business center, pool and so on. You may also have virtual tours and videos. That’s a great start.
What to look for in a web publishing solution: Find a solution that easily allows you to store a variety of media in a centralized location.
You can round out your existing media by sourcing photos and videos from the surrounding area. Your local tourism board is a great place to start, but don’t hesitate to reach out to restaurants and attractions
permission if you intend to use them in other ways). While these sorts of photos may not have the “shine and polish” of a pro photographer, they offer an
13 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 3 Keeping it fresh: How to source content that keeps your site up-to-date
tips for sourcing content
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Look beyond your door: Connect with the local tourism board and nearby attractions, restaurants and other vendors and suppliers for photos that showcase the experience of staying in your area.
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Most hotels have a budding photographer on staff seeking exposure and feedback. Find out who they are and work out a barter. Or hold an employee contest for new photos, with prizes for the best entries.
04
Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest contests are very popular for a number of reasons. They help promote the hotel and engage potential guests, both local and out of town. They can provide exceptional imagery that hotels can use on their websites, and they encourage online sharing.
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Create a photography lesson package with a local professional photographer throughout the year. Then let guests know that the best photos of the hotel and destination will be used on the website.
Be authentic: Staged photos have their place, and using them isn’t a bad thing. Just make sure it’s not all you use. Guests also want to see a story! One way of showing it is by including photos of real people enjoying your property. All you have to do is ask online or in-house. Many hotel websites have a dedicated email address where guests can submit their images.
Most importantly, when you do have a collection of new photos, showcase them prominently on the website and promote them extensively on social media.
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putting the package together turning good visuals into great stories Broadmoor.com
15 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 4 Putting the package together: Turning good visuals into great stories HoxtonHotels.com
PreferredHotelGroup.com
LittlePalmIsland.com
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16 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 4 Putting the package together: Turning good visuals into great stories
Mixed media that doesn’t tell a story is a pretty boring thing. Once you’ve arranged an effective method of sourcing content and keeping it fresh, how do you actually curate it in a way that makes sense? Visually representing your hotel’s story requires more than just adding a massive gallery of property photos to your site. The way you present your photos and multimedia should accurately represent what a guest will experience when they stay with you. Transforming your content into great stories can be a challenge, but the best way to start is to keep it simple. Consider the season, local attractions, or special events. If it’s summertime, you can show off your pool, outdoor recreational activities, the local amusement park, beach or zoo—basically any local summertime hotspot.
If you do a lot of weddings, consider a natural flow of photos and videos: happy newlywed couples, your ballroom—empty, decorated, and then filled with guests, a romantic nearby garden at sunset, and so on.
“One of the easiest ways to get started is by creating a dedicated page with special upcoming events in your destination. Update it once a week with interesting content and photos sourced from the event creators.” Showcasing distinct stories can give your website visitors the opportunity to see themselves in your stories, giving them a true feeling of what their vacation at your hotel will be like.
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17 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 4 Putting the package together: Turning good visuals into great stories
tips for curating content
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Be relevant: Keep your photos videos grouped and presented in logical manner. Always remember it’s the guests’ experience that you want to showcase.
02
Maximize your search engine optimization: Tagging your multiple, linked pieces of content with common search terms and keywords can help boost your organic search rankings, making your hotel easier to find.
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DesignHotels.com
HotelMissoni.com
What to look for in a web publishing solution: Managing all of your content can be tricky. Consider a solution that lets you organize your media into groups, or tag and categorize it, so that it can be easily sorted and published together.
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go forth and publish adhering to best practices when publishing on the web
19 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 5 Go forth and publish: Adhering to best practices when publishing online
Images draw attention; visual storytelling can trigger an emotional reaction and results in conversion. Once your content is mapped out in a way that tells your hotel’s story, the next step is actually publishing it online. Multimedia galleries are a common and logical step. Dividing them into sub-sections that each tells part of your story is an easy and straightforward way to publish your content in an engaging and interesting manner. Think beyond your homepage and find opportunities within other sections of your website to publish these stories. If you have a page about your restaurant, publish a gallery there that features your top menu items, guests enjoying their meals and a video of the head chef or bartender crafting their signature dish or cocktail.
Considering the platform is also part of the publishing step. Beyond your own standard website, you also need to consider your tablet- and smartphone-optimized sites, and the different needs of those platforms. At this stage you can also consider publishing your story on social media and online travel sites.
FourSeasons.com
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HolidayInn.com
20 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 5 Go forth and publish: Adhering to best practices when publishing online
Hyatt Andaz Liverpool on YouTube
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Barnsley Gardens Resort on Facebook
“Restaurant, spa, golf, tour desk and other amenity landing pages are good sections to place specific, related photos and videos. Create a video with your chef, spa director or golf pro. Anyone interested in those amenities will stay much longer on those pages if that type of visual storytelling exists. And be creative! Hyatt Andaz Liverpool created a video with its chef while he was walking through a garden, fresh market and cattle farm, showing where he sources his food.”
“Images can trigger emotions and memories, which makes them engaging.”h
21 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 5 Go forth and publish: Adhering to best practices when publishing online
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tips for publishing your content
01
Stay current: Refreshing your content is key, especially if your property or the local attractions go through changes. You want your guests to see what your hotel is really like, not what it used to look like.
02
Start telling your story “above the fold”—the space of your web page that’s visible on initial view without any scrolling. That is your website’s most valuable real estate. Start telling your hotel’s story right away, and give your visitors a reason to keep scrolling!
Triptease.com
StandardHotels.com
What to look for in a web publishing solution: This stage is where a web publishing solution can really shine. If your system has helped curate your content, it should also include the ability to publish it in categorized groups and galleries directly to a variety of platforms.
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get the word out how, when and where to tell the world your story
23 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 6 Get the word out: How, when and where to tell the world your story
Make use of multiple channels to tell your story in a compelling, engaging manner. Good stories aren’t just told once—they’re re-told, over and over, often in different mediums. Your hotel’s story, and your digital marketing plan, should follow the same idea. After all, if you’re not telling your story, you’re not going to benefit from all the resources you put into sourcing, curating and publishing your content! Sharing, or amplifying your story, can encompass several different means. You can tweet about your latest gallery or multimedia presentation, share links on Facebook, add photos to Instagram or create a board on Pinterest. You can also share your stories on travel websites, review sites and OTAs, include links in your e-mail signatures and even add them to sales proposals.
Ultimately, your goal should be to tell your story to as many potential visitors as possible, using all of the channels available to you. Modern travellers do their research on a variety of platforms (desktop, mobile) and channels (website, social, travel sites). By ensuring a consistent, visually rich and engaging presence across these platforms and channels, you can be confident you’re always putting your hotel’s best face forward, regardless of how a prospect finds you!
“St. Regis Punta Mita sends out its own and crowd-sourced Instagram photos multiple times weekly. Marriott Hotels launched its new “Travel Brilliantly” rebranding campaign on YouTube. Hotel groups like Fairmont, Ritz-Carlton and Kimpton were early adopters of Twitter, with legions of loyal fans to show for it. And everyone is on Facebook, but many hotels and hotel groups don’t update their pages on a regular basis.”
vfmleonardo.com St. Regis Punta Mita on Instagram
Marriott Hotels “Travel Brilliantly”
24 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 6 Get the word out: How, when and where to tell the world your story
What to look for in a web publishing solution: Look for a solution that lets you publish directly to all channels including social media, either through galleries or scheduled regular postings, to get the word out consistently.
ALT Hotels on Pinterest
tips for amplifying content
01
Be consistent: While the specific details of the stories you tell may differ —and you’ll want to play to the strengths of each channel and platform— it’s important to keep your tone and branding elements consistent so that no matter where a visitor finds your story, they know it’s you telling it.
02
Keep it fresh: We’ve discussed keeping your content current in previous sections, but it’s an important aspect of amplifying your website as well. You don’t want to just tweet out the same photo gallery over and over. People will be more apt to click and share your links if your content is refreshed and current!
“There are over 220 billion photos on Facebook.”i
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today’s the day to go visual the web is moving in a visual direction
26 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience Chapter 7 Today’s the day to go visual
The best brands worldwide are leading the way, and chances are, your competitors will follow suit—if they haven’t already. You can’t afford to be left behind. It’s time to get serious about visual storytelling on your hotel website and beyond.
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Begin sourcing your content, considering the stories you want to tell with that content, and start thinking about how to publish and amplify those stories:
SOURCE
CURATE
Use professional and amateur sources
Focus on what visitors to your property will experience
Leverage all of your media - photos, videos, virtual tours
Find “real” photos photos that show actual visitors enjoying your property
Sort your media into stories
PUBLISH
Publish your curated content as individual distinct stories Refresh your content often Maximize the space on your website
AMPLiFY
Find multiple ways to tell your story online Make the most of social media and travel sites Keep your branding and tone consistent
Expanding your visual storytelling efforts with rich, engaging media will make your hotel stand out from the competition and give web visitors a “you-are-there” feeling when they find your property online.
27 / Anatomy of a Visual-First Website Experience vfmleonardo.com
About VFM Leonardo VFM Leonardo is a leading technology and online media company for the global hospitality industry that blends online marketing strategies with cutting edge technology to empower hotel brands, management companies and hotel properties to amplify their unique stories visually and consistently online. VFM Leonardo’s products, including VBrochure Online Merchandising System and the VScape Digital Management System and, help hotel e-marketers bring simplicity to managing their visual media and fully leverage the power of the VNetwork, the largest media syndication network in the industry, to reach and engage travelers. Beyond major travel websites, VFM Leonardo’s social media, web marketing and mobile solutions ensure that hotels are further amplifying their stories across all channels and devices travelers use to research, compare and book hotels today. For more information about VFM Leonardo, and how we can help you reach millions of travel shoppers with the ultimate visual storytelling solution, visit www.vfmleonardo.com.
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SOURCES a Wall Street Journal: Publishers’ Next Ad Challenge: Photos (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443720204578004501832637108.html) b Customermagnetism.com: What is an infographic? (http://www.customermagnetism.com/infographics/what-is-an-infographic/) c 3M: Polishing your Presentation (http://web.archive.org/web/20001102203936/http://3m.com/meetingnetwork/files/ meetingguide_pres.pdf) d Reaching the Visual Learner: Teaching Property Through Art (http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=587201) e International Journal of Education & the Arts: On empathy: The mirror neuron system and art education. (http://www.ijea.org/v10n15/) f Kissmetrics: Can Product Videos Increase Conversion Rates (http://blog.kissmetrics.com/product-videos-conversion/) eyeviewdigital: Making video accountable (http://www.eyeviewdigital.com/documents/EyeView-White-Paper-Making-Video-Accountable.pdf) h Usabilla: 10 Things to know about images in web design (http:// blog.usabilla.com/10-things-to-know-about-images-in-web-design/) ci Visual.ly: A Snapshot of Digital Photography in the U.S. (http://visual.ly/snapshot-digital-photography-us) VFML_eBook_webmarketing_0131
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