Hi Everyone,
I am new to the forum, also new to running a B & B.
Unfortunately due to lots of things (mailny no money) we opened after the end of the Summer holiday season, we have only had 3 bookings and are beginning to despair, we are on various websites including visitfrance, which is the only one that has sent us enquiries and 2 of the bookings came from them.
We are in the Dordogne S.W. France and Winter is not the best time of year.
We also want to run residential courses in the art of Stained Glass but haven't had any enquiries yet, we have two websites which have been designed by Richard's Son but I don't know if they are working I am a bit ignorant about workings of the internet.
It is nice to be on a Forum where people have properties in different countries and not just in France, we lived in the Canary Islands for 4 years before moving to France, I must say I miss the warm winters.
Anyway I must stop rattling on, any help would be appreciated.
Ann
http://www.stainedglassinfrance.net
http://www.bed-and-breakfast-in-the-dordogne.com
Winter Bookings
Winter Bookings
You must learn from the mistakes of others.
You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.
You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.
Hello Ann
I've had a (very) quick look at your sites. They look professionally done and are presented well, but I imagine they are letting you down from a promotion perspective.
The http://www.stainedglassinfrance.net/ site has no Google PageRank which means Google doesn't think it's so important. That's something you can easily rectify by getting quality inbound links.
As for the other site, that has a PR4 but I am not sure that the first page with the language options helps you. There is very little text on that page for search engines to spider. Since the index page is often the one most used, I would actually make your index page go straight to http://www.bed-and-breakfast-in-the-dor ... /index.php instead (ie. use that page as your new homepage) and have the German version of the site accessible from there, in much the same way as you do already (I noticed the flag in the top right corner).
I could go on more but those are my quick, initial comments.
Aaron
I've had a (very) quick look at your sites. They look professionally done and are presented well, but I imagine they are letting you down from a promotion perspective.
The http://www.stainedglassinfrance.net/ site has no Google PageRank which means Google doesn't think it's so important. That's something you can easily rectify by getting quality inbound links.
As for the other site, that has a PR4 but I am not sure that the first page with the language options helps you. There is very little text on that page for search engines to spider. Since the index page is often the one most used, I would actually make your index page go straight to http://www.bed-and-breakfast-in-the-dor ... /index.php instead (ie. use that page as your new homepage) and have the German version of the site accessible from there, in much the same way as you do already (I noticed the flag in the top right corner).
I could go on more but those are my quick, initial comments.
Aaron
Hi Ann,
I have had a whizz round your sites. They are well designed, professional looking, and I will just give you my negative impressions, where I think you may be losing bookings.
- I think the stained glass thing is a problem. On your gite site's English homepage there is more being communicated about stained glass than there is about a B&B. If someone who does not happen to be a stained glass afficionado should arrive at your site, I think they may be put off.
- What they want to see on your homepage is the message "The Dordogne is a wonderful place to visit and this is where you should stay". It should say that in pictures and words. Pictures are more important than words, and headlines are more important than any other piece of text.
The picture you are using of your house on the homepage is not inspiring enough. You can't 'fall' for it.
You mention in the text that each room has fabulous views. You need to show a view straight away. You can’t rely on people reading it and believing it. And they won’t start reading anyway unless they like what they see.
On your homepage I would use these pictures: the view; a bedroom (they are very well furnished); perhaps the living room with fireplace; and a better external one of the house. I think this is the right combination of pictures to deliver your message.
- You have very strong colour schemes in your house, interestingly they are very similar to the colour scheme of a stained glass window. I think they are well done and the house looks beautifully furnished, but those are strong colours, and that could put people off if they don't love the colour pink for example.
- Another way you may put people off is your intelligence! This house seems to be aimed at a market of highly educated, cultured people. This comes across in the high-brow theming of your rooms, and in the historical description of the Dordogne, for instance. That is excellent if you get those people to your site, because they will be pre-disposed to staying there. The difficulty is marketing yourself to that niche market - will it be cost-effective to reach them?
One way to do this is to tailor the headline on your ads – for example ‘The Dordogne for cultured couples’. It sounds naff but it would catch the attention of people who consider themselves cultured, especially if every other ad is saying something along the lines of ‘B&B in the heart of the Dordogne’. I have tried marketing my house using the phrase ‘for romantic fools’, and it has worked very well, and I think that’s because it is eye-catching and arouses a sniff of curiosity. You just need a sniff, enough to get them clicking to your site or through to your internal pages.
- The Art & Atelier page. This is supposed to attract people to a stained glass course, but it doesn’t really mention that fact. The only way I know about the course is because it says ‘this is the artist who will be teaching you’. You need to say exactly what is being offered and why people should book it – not just to those who want to make stained glass windows, but to those who will do and don’t know it yet.
You also need a shorthand way of saying at the top that this artist knows what he is doing. The best way to do that is to bring over that picture of him and Prince Philip from your other site. Minor artists do not get royal visits.
Sorry about the length of this post! I could go on about the marketing of the property, but I think that’s enough for now.
I have had a whizz round your sites. They are well designed, professional looking, and I will just give you my negative impressions, where I think you may be losing bookings.
- I think the stained glass thing is a problem. On your gite site's English homepage there is more being communicated about stained glass than there is about a B&B. If someone who does not happen to be a stained glass afficionado should arrive at your site, I think they may be put off.
- What they want to see on your homepage is the message "The Dordogne is a wonderful place to visit and this is where you should stay". It should say that in pictures and words. Pictures are more important than words, and headlines are more important than any other piece of text.
The picture you are using of your house on the homepage is not inspiring enough. You can't 'fall' for it.
You mention in the text that each room has fabulous views. You need to show a view straight away. You can’t rely on people reading it and believing it. And they won’t start reading anyway unless they like what they see.
On your homepage I would use these pictures: the view; a bedroom (they are very well furnished); perhaps the living room with fireplace; and a better external one of the house. I think this is the right combination of pictures to deliver your message.
- You have very strong colour schemes in your house, interestingly they are very similar to the colour scheme of a stained glass window. I think they are well done and the house looks beautifully furnished, but those are strong colours, and that could put people off if they don't love the colour pink for example.
- Another way you may put people off is your intelligence! This house seems to be aimed at a market of highly educated, cultured people. This comes across in the high-brow theming of your rooms, and in the historical description of the Dordogne, for instance. That is excellent if you get those people to your site, because they will be pre-disposed to staying there. The difficulty is marketing yourself to that niche market - will it be cost-effective to reach them?
One way to do this is to tailor the headline on your ads – for example ‘The Dordogne for cultured couples’. It sounds naff but it would catch the attention of people who consider themselves cultured, especially if every other ad is saying something along the lines of ‘B&B in the heart of the Dordogne’. I have tried marketing my house using the phrase ‘for romantic fools’, and it has worked very well, and I think that’s because it is eye-catching and arouses a sniff of curiosity. You just need a sniff, enough to get them clicking to your site or through to your internal pages.
- The Art & Atelier page. This is supposed to attract people to a stained glass course, but it doesn’t really mention that fact. The only way I know about the course is because it says ‘this is the artist who will be teaching you’. You need to say exactly what is being offered and why people should book it – not just to those who want to make stained glass windows, but to those who will do and don’t know it yet.
You also need a shorthand way of saying at the top that this artist knows what he is doing. The best way to do that is to bring over that picture of him and Prince Philip from your other site. Minor artists do not get royal visits.
Sorry about the length of this post! I could go on about the marketing of the property, but I think that’s enough for now.
Paolo
Lay My Hat
Lay My Hat
We recently stayed in the Dordogne, and I spent a long time looking for a B&B that appealed to us. We eventually found a small chateau, where we had a four poster bed in an en-suite room in the tower for 65 euros per night. This is the sort of market with which you will be competing.
I think that your decor is lovely, and I do like strong colours, but when holidaying in France we tend to choose rooms decorated in the French style. (I don't mean flock wallpaper on the ceiling and a bidet at the end of the bed!) I wonder whether your rooms aren't 'French' enough? I can see the relevance of Charles Rennie Mackintosh to your stained glass, but not to a B&B in the Dordogne. Theming rooms might not be the best way to attract guests, and could possibly limit your market.
I think that Paolo's suggestion re improving your photos is excellent. I think that most of us, on entering a hotel room, head for the window to check out the view - you need to show these on your site. Similarly, one can't go anywhere in France without seeing pots of geraniums in front of houses and on the walls. I know it's a cliche, but they look 'French' and make the house look cared for and jolly. There is no way that I would want loads of geraniums at my home in the UK, but I love to see them in France. Presumably, your target market will be similarly fickle and inconsistent!
Have you considered advertising on Pour les Vacances? I wondered whether a quirky English style might appeal more to French visitors, as a novelty?
Good luck with your future bookings.
Maggie
I think that your decor is lovely, and I do like strong colours, but when holidaying in France we tend to choose rooms decorated in the French style. (I don't mean flock wallpaper on the ceiling and a bidet at the end of the bed!) I wonder whether your rooms aren't 'French' enough? I can see the relevance of Charles Rennie Mackintosh to your stained glass, but not to a B&B in the Dordogne. Theming rooms might not be the best way to attract guests, and could possibly limit your market.
I think that Paolo's suggestion re improving your photos is excellent. I think that most of us, on entering a hotel room, head for the window to check out the view - you need to show these on your site. Similarly, one can't go anywhere in France without seeing pots of geraniums in front of houses and on the walls. I know it's a cliche, but they look 'French' and make the house look cared for and jolly. There is no way that I would want loads of geraniums at my home in the UK, but I love to see them in France. Presumably, your target market will be similarly fickle and inconsistent!
Have you considered advertising on Pour les Vacances? I wondered whether a quirky English style might appeal more to French visitors, as a novelty?
Good luck with your future bookings.
Maggie