We recently got a disturbing email from one of our clients about her disdain of blogs. She expressed her frustration with the “stupid story that never ends”, and that they are often mindless bits of news that are not important for anyone’s real life.

She makes some good points. The vast majority of blogs have a readership of one, the writer. That is because their blog is filled with dribble about mundane aspects of daily life. This is not the content you want in your blog. However, I would like to highlight some real-life examples where blogging with relevant content has been beneficial for our clients.

If you are writing blog posts about what people really want to do when they come to your region, than you are going to get good feedback from your posts. Think more about your guests and less about yourself, at least in your blog.

Example #1: Applegate Inn in Lee, MA

A post was written in August 2008 about a great place to kayak in the Berkshires. It was found almost exactly a year later by someone who was planning a trip to the area and debating on whether or not to bring his kayak. His comment:

I stumbled onto your blog entry while trying to decide if we would bother to bring our kayaks on a long weekend trip to Tanglewood and visiting friends in Mass.

I’m certainly happy that we not only brought the boats, we followed your advice on Goose Pond, and it was truly the magical day that you describe. Although the island had already been claimed, we found a tiny “beach” on the far shore of Upper Goose Pond that could not have been more perfect for a sunny picnic and swim.

Thanks for leading us to it.

This blog post not only turned out to be useful for someone at large, but resulted in a great exposure for Applegate Inn.

Example #2: Blue Mountain B&B in Missoula MT

On October 25, a post was published discussing the Great Russian Nutcracker coming to Missoula. The post talked about what makes it different from the traditional ballet, as well additional information on the performance in Missoula and photos. This has been their #8 top landing page since it was posted. They are now receiving traffic from searches such as “Missoula Nutcracker Tickets” and “Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker”. There is no way the static pages of their site could have generated this traffic. Now Blue Mountain B&B has relevant content for searchers, and has presented them with a lodging option for their night on the town.

Example #3: Blisswood Bed and Breakfast in Cat Spring, TX

Blisswood is a very unique ranch about an hour outside of Houston. Because of this, they are definitely a destination. With many homes scattered about a large property, Blisswood likes to present themselves as a great romantic escape. They have written several posts about what makes Blisswood perfect for a “Romantic Getaway in Texas”. The blogs tagged with this phrase are now in the top 10 landing pages for the site. They have had in the last month alone over 300 visits to this page in the blog, from phrases like “Romantic Getaways in Texas” (of course), “Texas Getaways”, “Weekend Getaways in Texas on Water”.  The blog accounts for 79% of visits from these terms. None of  these searches would have found Blisswood without these relevant posts about dining options and romantic lodging with swimming pools and orchid houses.

These is a small sample of blogging success stories. The benefits or writing a blog with relevant content can be as plentiful as your clientele’s interests. Make your blog less of a story and more of a resource. Think of it as your gateway to meet new clients, and capture a segment of the population that may not have been thinking about staying in a B&B, but will once they find your compelling content. Make it about your destination, not your daily life.

To talk about putting a blog on your site, please contact us.