Monday, April 30, 2007

Microsoft Ad Network Changes Terms

Microsoft adCenter Terms and Conditions have been updated with changes taking effect today. Microsoft had the unsavoury business strategy of informing advertisers on the same day the changes are to take effect.

Some of the key adjustments to your Terms and Conditions if you are an MSN Advertiser include:

  • Microsoft may use matching criteria other than keyword searches to display your advertisements.
  • Microsoft may display your advertisements on its network of advertising channels operated by the Microsoft network of participating websites and other distribution outlets.
Both of these new changes in terms is likely to result in an increase in advertising exposure across the MSN network and a concurrent increase in online advertising spending by adverisers across the network.

If you are an MSN advertiser, keep a keen eye on your account. As for me, I'm putting my account on pause until I am fully aware of how these changes will affect the average advertiser.
Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 4:45 PM   2 comments

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Get that Phone Ringing ! - some email newsletter resources for tourism businesses

Why send email newsletters? Only one reason, especially at this time of the year for tourism businesses .... done well, it will make the phone ring.

Here are a few ENewsletter resources for tips on email newsletters.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 9:30 AM   0 comments

Friday, April 20, 2007

Top 10 Travel Destinations (Week ending March 25, 2007 US, Home and Work)

Brand or Channel
Active Reach (%)

1. MapQuest
11.16

2. Google Maps
6.78

3. Expedia
4.16

8. Google Earth
2.12
10. Trip Advisor
1.73

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings NetView

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings NetViewTodd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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Wednesday, April 18, 2007

20% increase in cccupancy due to Tourism Keys Strategy - a story

I have been exchanging email with Maureen Way - General Manager of Stonegate Inn in Orillia today. I'm back on the road tonight for a visit to Lindsay for a Tourism Keys event tomorrow which wraps up quite a busy spring. Stonegate Inn is the oft-sited example in my workshop presentations of an organization that is consciously fostering positive comments on the Web site TripAdvisor.com

Maureen reports, "We've had a 20% increase in business volume" due to this strategy learned at a workshop presented by Todd.

If you are not yet fostering positive reports from happy clients on TripAdvisor.com, what are you waiting for?

Too Busy? Ha. Give Maureen a call and ask her what her return on investment has been on this simple tactic.

Look up hotel accommodations on to see why this strategy is paying off!


Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 2:33 PM   1 comments

Monday, April 16, 2007

Let 'em know what country you are in!


Many people travelling regionally use well known place names and local tourism icons when using search engines. When attracting local guests, tourism businesses need to optimize for these search terms. For international or long distance travellers, your local place name is often irrelevant. Be sure that international visitors to your Web site know what country you are in!

The Canadian Tourism Commission gives permission to tourism businesses to use their well recognized logos as a means of building the Canada brand. Use of Country logos can enhance your credibility and build your brand too.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 11:41 AM   0 comments

Thursday, April 12, 2007



I'm so excited by the potential of Google Maps to enhance your Web site that I created a short show and tell video. Communities have great opportunity to create their own maps showing the highlights of people, places and things to do. Have a gander at how easy it is to do, then get started at > and click on My Maps. Of course with all things Google, you need a Google account to get started.


I also shot a short video, showing how maps can be imported into an even more dynamic environment: Google Earth. from Toronto to Algonquin Park. The actual experience is much more smooth and movie like than can be shown in this presentation, but you'll get the idea of the possibilities.

And of course, the best part, this is all FREE!!

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @   3 comments

Thursday, April 05, 2007


Google, has opened up mapping tools to its customers, giving away tools that let users customize Google Maps. This means pinpointing tourism locations like restaurants or hotels, drawing routes, attaching photos and video to existing online maps. For some, it means an opportunity to make sure our locations are correctly shown on Google Maps. Users can easily get directions or plan travel using the tool.

> has long been open to professional programmers to tinker as I noted in yesterdays post, but the new tools, called MyMaps, make the process much simpler for anyone. "Who better to create maps than local tourism experts?" Jessica Lee, product manager for Google Maps. "MyMaps makes map-making universally accessible to anyone."

Users can also publish their custom maps so others can find them when they search Google Maps. Users or Google Local will see relevant user-generated MyMaps show up in a special section along with traditional results. If they know hypertext, users can easily publish maps to a social-network profile or blog.

> we used to show our canoe trip routes. Detailed itineraries and video coming soon.

Also check out how Nova Scotia uses Google Earth to showcase tourism experiences.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @   1 comments

Wednesday, April 04, 2007


Got a bit of adventure in your Internet Marketing soul? Try making your own custom google map.
You can add directions to your location even if Google gets it wrong.
First you'll need a .
Then, make your way over to: MapBuilder. It's a neat little site that you can use to create your own custom map with details and links to your heart's desire. I made a quick map in about an hour and linked it up at our site at:
http://www.northernedgealgonquin.com/testmap.htm

Really, I'm no geek, just having fun playing with these neat free tools to enhance our Web site. See how we link to our new maps on http://www.northernedgealgonquin.com/travel.html

Send along a link to your new map and I'll feature it here.

Happy Mapping!

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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Forrester Research: Email Marketing Works!

A recent email news article reports 97% of consumers have an email address and that those receiving offers by email spend more than those who don't. . . actually more than double!
Open rates are on the rise too - up 5% over previous year. Visitors to Web sites through email links are much more likely to make an online purchase according to the researchers.

More people are getting comfortable with email and hence it's importance as a marketing channel cannot be underestimated.
Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 8:00 AM   0 comments

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Email Research Highlights value of Sender Name

Email users are becoming more comfortable and more responsive to invasive email according to a recent report. 80% of email recipients labelled email as spam if the sender address was unrecognizable. Also, 90% of recipients desire an unsubscribe button within the body of the email.

As we've been teaching for over three years, be sure your email campaign always uses the same sender email address - ie. Your business name.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 8:33 AM   0 comments

Monday, April 02, 2007

People Subscribe to People not newsletters

Find your voice and your newsletter and blog readers will want to visit often to learn what you are up to. One of the first things to consider when publishing content for subscribers is that the true essence of subscriber-friendly Web content is that it contains a unique voice.

Subscribers want to connect to the people. So, don't worry about writing your newsletter or blog as promotional content, just tell it like it is in a personal voice. It's all about the voice of the people who make the newsletter or blog special.

Want a sampling of a pretty darned good read . . . consider subscribing to the White Squall Hoot and Blat, I look forward to hearing from Tim each month because his voice is so unique . . . and his newsletter is full of information, entertainment and educational elements.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 6:37 PM   0 comments

Nurturing the best in your Guest

A few bullets in a recent newsletter from our local tourism association are particularly important in an age when the Ants have Megaphones!
the average business never hears from 96% of its unhappy customers
a dissatisfied customer may tell up to 20 people about their experience..... if they blog, they may tell 2000.
For every complaint received the average company has 26 dissatisfied customers.
Of those with a complaint, up to 95% will do business with you again, if you quickly resolve their issue.
Customers who have complaints satisfied will tell others about their positive treatment.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

posted by Toddles @ 1:46 PM   0 comments

Build your Web site yourself - for free

For those who are interested in learning.... a free Web Design tool at http://www.nvu.com/index.php may be just what you are looking for. Thanks to Chris Sheridan of the Sheridan Band for suggesting the link for Tourism Businesses looking to get online in a cost effective manner. The software is open source, so download it and get your Tourism Web site online.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 11:13 AM   0 comments

Sunday, April 01, 2007

SEO with Adobe Contribute

Adobe Contribute is a simple way for anyone to edit Web content. The one limitation is that users cannot easily make changes to the underlying html code. Although users can add alt tags to images and title tags to the page, it is not possible to change the header meta tags for 'description" and "keywords". Nevertheless, tourism businesses that are new to Web site editing and who want some control over their content can go quite far with Contribute.

Incidentally, Google appears to have reverted to showing the most relevant page content associated with searches in lieu of the description meta tag. The Page Title is still the most important meta tag. Be sure your page title contains your keywords as well as a message that inspires a Web searcher to click on your search result.

Thank you to D. Jewell for requesting this information on Tourism Web site editing.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 1:48 PM   0 comments