This afternoon I was searching Google Trends and was delighted to find a Hersonissos, Crete resort listed as a “breakout” search. I dug a little deeper into Google. Even though I know this resort is stunning, it’s not every day for hotels in Greece to rise to the top of the search trends. Here are some observations that may help those paying attention out there.
It turns out excellent media coverage does, indeed, make a big difference for brands. So, a story by Vanity Fair about this fabulous resort a week ago reverberates this week. What’s more, whoever runs PR and marketing for this hotel has their thinking cap screwed on correctly. Digging still deeper, I found another story in Forbes about the resort a few weeks ago. We’ve counseled ongoing PR since Web 2.0 began evolving 20 years ago.
You’d be surprised how few businesses latch onto the idea of internet billboards, amplified word of mouth, and the principle of reciprocity. Look at the most successful ones, and there’s the proof. As for the Vanity Fair piece online, the magazine has about ten million monthly readers. Add one hundred and two million more from Forbes and scattered mentions from outlets like Luxury London and a picture of branding and engagement emerges. By the way, if you can afford to operate one of the most luxurious hotels in Greece, you should be able to launch your own magazine too, right?
As a former public relations and media analyst, it’s a bit of sweet revenge when the long tail of PR and publicity proves out. Since moving to Crete about five years ago, I’ve beat my head against a wall of disbelief and ignorance concerning the value of media and mentions. And not only in the hospitality industry. Not long ago, I was helping this ambitious lady with publicity and media when the quintessential question arose. “Do we need stories about everything we do, Phil?” This was the response I got when I questioned how a newsworthy effort was posted on Facebook before I even saw it. My answer was the affirmative since there is no such thing as too much publicity in today’s overloaded marketing mad world. Multiply this by every business person on Crete I’ve ever talked to (save one), and you’ll understand why the glee on my part concerning this Crete resort.
A few out there are already thinking, “So, where is all that interest coming from, Mr. Smarty Pants?” Wales. Mostly Wales. In the UK, that is. In Germany, people in Hamburg are hunting for this hotel, which makes me wonder if the marketing people are localizing media. Hmm. United States search metrics are too scattered to be correlated, in case you wondered. Forbes and Vanity Fair do reach a wide swatch across the country. What I call “normal” media coverage (outreach?) translates into short-term sales and marketing funnel metrics I am sure Abaton Island Resort & Spa is aware of. Woo Hoo! I told you so.
Now that I’ve piqued your interest or hurt your little feelings, would you like to know what I learned about the resort’s Instagram efforts? Okay, I’m in the mood for a freebie. Run #abatonisland through your search bar on Instagram. I get 3,988 hits (shares) for this VERY narrow hashtag search. I know, I know. What does this mean? Influencer campaigns, perhaps? That’s part of it, but also look at the engagement on the resort’s Instagram shares (above).
I’ll leave off here. The point is well made for me by whoever did the media outreach for Abaton Island Beach & Spa to Vanity Fair. And NO, journalists don’t just peck away at their keyboards about beach getaways thousands of miles away on islands most Americans could not find on a globe. Good job Markos Pratsinakis. So whoever you have doing PR, they’re scoring for you.