TripAdvisor Action Plan PDF

TripAdvisor Action Plan
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THE TRIPADVISOR ACTION PLAN

The complete guide to ranking #1 on TripAdvisor in the
next 60 days!
The information contained in this guide is for informational purposes only. It is not associated
with TripAdvisor in anyway. The material in this guide may include information, products or
services by third parties. Third party materials comprise of the products and opinions
expressed by their owners. As such, we do not assume responsibility or liability for any third
party material or opinions.
The publication of such third party materials does not constitute the guarantee of any
information, instruction, opinion, products or services contained within the third party material.
The use of recommended third Party Material does not guarantee any success and or earnings
related to you or your business. Publication of such Third Party Material is simply a
recommendation and an expression of that material. No part of this publication shall be
reproduced, transmitted, or sold in whole or in part in any form, without the prior written
consent of the author.
Users of this guide are advised to do their own due diligence when it comes to making
business decisions and all information, products, services that have been provided should be
independently verified by your own qualified professionals. By reading this guide, you agree
that this e-program associated with TripKit Marketing is not responsible for the success or
failure of your business decisions relating to any information presented in this guide.
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Table of Contents
Part One: The secret of ranking #1 on TripAdvisor.
What will I learn in this Action Plan and how can I use it?
The 18 things youll learn in this Action Plan.
We know TripAdvisor is important, but how important is it?
The TripAdvisor Formula: How to Rank #1
So how can a tour operator achieve this?
What type of reviews will set me back?
Part Two: The top ranked tours on TripAdvisor and how they did it.
How did we pick the winners?
Tips on ranking #1 from the most highly ranked listings on TripAdvisor.
Part Three: Setting up your listing the right way on TripAdvisor

Getting Started: The 7 step starter plan
Step 1: Setting up your TripAdvisor Listing PROPERLY!
Step 2: Re-write your description so you can be found in Google.
TripAdvisor Tip! Building Instant Credibility:
Step 3: Focus on pictures! Pictures can make or break your TripAdvisor listing.
Step 4: Make a viral video FOR FREE using TripAdvisor!
Step 5: Get your listing on important maps!
Step 6: Adding Widgets to your site
Step 7: Start selling your products with TripAdvisor affiliates.
Three HUGE Advantages of GetYourGuide that could DOUBLE your bookings!
Part Four: How to get 90% of your guests to leave a review.

So, when and where should you ask for the review?
Some things to consider when asking for reviews:
Tracking your success rate
Responding to Customers the Right Way
Responding the Right Way to a Negative Review
How to remove a TripAdvisor Complaint
Part Five: The part of TripAdvisor no one knows about, and how to use it.
Become a Destination Expert in the TripAdvisor Forum

Writing TripAdvisor Articles for your Destination
Submit a Press Release for your TripAdvisor Ranking
Final Words from Us!
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Part One: The secret of ranking #1 on TripAdvisor.

What will I learn in this Action Plan and how can I use
it?
This is the first program of its kind that completely focuses on
TripAdvisor for tour operators. We have gone over every aspect of this
massive review site to show how businesses can maximize their potential
to get more positive reviews.
From a business owners perspective we know how important it is to
get those positive reviews and rankings up. Everyone has heard of
TripAdvisor, but many owners dont have a real understanding how
important it is. And sadly, a lot of companies are not taking advantage of
everything TripAdvisor has to offer.
TripKit Marketing has introduced the TripAdvisor Action Plan to
show travel companies the simple strategy of generating constant
streams of website traffic while promoting their products using
TripAdvisor. The best part about this strategy is its so easy to use that you
do not need any experience or a large marketing budget to take
advantage of this opportunity!
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The 18 things youll learn in this Action Plan.

Were excited you want to take action with our e-program. Here is
what youll learn throughout the 60 day TripAdvisor Action Plan:
1) The #1 reason why customers cant find your TripAdvisor page...
and how you can fix this in less than an hour. (Hint: Hotel companies
are so much better at this)
2) The proven way to build instant credibility that will turn
shoppers into buyers... guaranteed.
3) 43 percent of tour companies fail to do this one thing! Which
has cost the travel business a total of $10.3 billion worth of potential
sales worldwide.
4) The one thing that will get more eyeballs in front of your
TripAdvisor page FAST. This will increase your traveller engagement
by 150%!
5) The best way to promote your services online. Its free and only
takes a couple of hours!
6) How to get customers selling for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week with word of mouth advertising.
7) How to create a free promotional video. And the four critical
elements to making it!
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8) Simple and easy, step-by-step guidance to get your business

listed on TripAdvisors map. You can do this even if youve never used
TripAdvisor before.
9) How to radically increase sales by submitting your company to
this one crucial website (HINT: This site is directly affiliated with
TripAdvisor)
10) How to get your company on TripAdvisors exclusive City
Guides App FOR FREE.
11) How to get thousands of large travel agencies selling your
products around the world within a couple of hours. Travel agencies
like: Thomas Cook, STA Travel, Lufthansa Airlines and more!
12) How to get professional photos of your company on
TripAdvisor (for free!)
13) Three ways to literally TRIPLE the amount of positive reviews you
receive in 90 days or less.
14) 11 TripAdvisor widgets you can show on your website that will
showcase and encourage future reviews.
15) The simple step-by-step guide to adding TripAdvisor to your
Facebook Business Page. This is a social media power tool!
16) Five things you must include when responding to any negative
reviews on TripAdvisor (you can lose a lot of business if you dont
respond this way).
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17) Simple strategies to get 5-star reviews and tons of referrals in

less than 5 minutes a day.
18) Learn the 1 hour a week strategy on how you can take
advantage of TripAdvisor and leverage all those happy clients into
lucrative, no-cost referral sources.
We know TripAdvisor is important, but how important
is it?
Since TripAdvisor, a revolution has taken place in the way travel
companies do business. Millions of travellers (250 million to be exact)
visit TripAdvisor on a monthly basis to research, compare and write
reviews on travel companies around the world. Here are some other facts
we know:
81% of travellers who were surveyed said that guest-generated
reviews
are very important
46% of travellers write and publish hotel reviews

49% of travellers wont book a tour that does not have substantial reviews
A one star increase on your average rating online can increase your
revenue by up to 9%
According to Convergys, one negative review can cost your business up to

30 travellers which can equate to thousands of dollars in lost revenues per
year.
*The stats above were formulated by TripAdvisor and Convergys.
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After reading these stats we really hope no more convincing is

needed. TripAdvisor can help your business by bringing you more
guests... ultimately making you more money. OR it can lose you a lot of
guests and a lot more money.
However, your online reviews are only as good as your

quality of service. And if you are providing exceptional service and
you are still not getting as many reviews as some of your
competitors, then you need to work on giving the guests the
opportunity to write reviews.
The TripAdvisor Formula: How to Rank #1

After examining the top ranked businesses on TripAdvisor, it has
been established there are TWO main factors in determining how you are
ranked:
85%: Your review score PLUS
15%: How many reviews you have AND how recent they are
= More positive reviews you get + the more recent they are = then
the higher your overall rating is.
So how can a tour operator achieve this?
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Provide a UNIQUE experience & encourage ALL travellers to write a

review. There is no reason why asking for reviews should be a difficult or
an awkward process.
There are endless ways to approach your traveller however the
best thing that works for travel companies is a personal style. But as
always, its important to consider various factors before making such a
request. These include:
Their experience! First and foremost, its essential to be alert to the
kind of experience your travellers have had before considering whether
to ask for a review. If the guest has had a fantastic, trouble-free time then,
by all means, feel free to go right ahead! On the other hand, if a guest
has had a negative experience, ask yourself if management has done
everything within their power to rectify the issue before considering a
review request!
Guests may still maintain a positive impression (despite negative
experiences) if you have gone above and beyond the call of duty to
rectify problems! For these reasons, sometimes a negative guest
experience may even result favourably for your establishment because
you reacted in such a way that the guest left feeling satisfied or even
impressed with your teams problem-solving abilities!
Your audience! Who is your audience? If you attract a younger
crowd or your tour already has a strong focus on adventure and youth,
then your guest demographic is likely to be familiar with social media
outlets and review sites. As a result they will probably be open to the
possibility of using these.
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Its also quite possible that some people - such as groups or

business travellers or those over 65 - simply wont have the desire, time
or patience to leave an online review. In a 2013 survey by Quantcast,
guests over 65 made up less than 6% of total reviewers.
What type of reviews will set me back?
One HUGE setback that can significantly affect your ranking is the
integrity of your review. If you are pressuring guests to write a review or
fake reviews yourself this can put you at the bottom of your ranking.
TripAdvisor tells Revinate.com, We take content integrity very
seriously and screen every review. If you are caught breaking our
guidelines, it can take a big hit on your popularity ranking.
For this reason NEVER bribe or fake reviews. TripAdvisor has
advanced technology that tracks false or misleading reviews. There are a
number of sites online that will offer this, however 80% of them get
flagged which can potentially lead to your listing becoming blacklisted
by TripAdvisor. We have seen this with a number of our clients at TripKit
Marketing who have had to delete and re-build their TripAdvisor listing
from scratch.
Part Two: The top ranked tours on TripAdvisor

and how they did it.
Before we get started, we interviewed and examined the highest
ranked business listings in the top 10 travel destinations in the world (as
voted on TripAdvisor. We learned A LOT from them and have
collaborated the best tricks and tips for our readers.
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How did we pick the winners?
We picked 10 cities based off of TripAdvisors Top 25 Destinations.

We then picked the tour operators with the most positive reviews
and who were ranked #1 as a sightseeing tour in each of the areas. Weve
included their TripAdvisor page beside each listing. Here are the winners:
1) Istanbul, Turkey: Culinary Backstreets
2) Rome, Italy: Rome in Limo
3) London, England: Sandemans New

London Tours
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4) Beijing, China: Catherine Lu-Day Tour
5) Marrakech, Morocco: L'atelier Faim

dEpices
6) Siem Reap, Cambodia: Quad Adventure

Cambodia
7) Berlin, Germany: Insider Tour, Berlin
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8. New York, USA: Real New York Tours
9. Barcelona, Spain: Barcelona Segway

Guides
10. Sydney, Australia: Kangarrific Hunter

Valley Wine Tour
Tips on ranking #1 from the most highly ranked

listings on TripAdvisor.
We asked the above businesses a series of questions on how they
were able to rank #1 in their destination with so many reviews. We have
summarized their tips and tricks below:
How did you manage to get so many reviews? Do you follow up
with your clients after their service to ensure they leave a review?
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We do follow up with the clients after their service, ask them to put
their input and review about us and they usually do. One might think that
by simply asking for a review from a customer means they will do it. You
do of course have your Trip Advisor junkies that will write a review and
post in forums all the time about anything and everything. These are not
really the people we hope to get reviewed by. They write so many reviews
they almost seem to forget that there are living, breathing people behind
these company names and they review with a certain recklessness that can
be unfair. I've had people take away a star because the weather was bad
or because there was a lot of walking when they knew they had booked a
walking tour. I've even encountered people that have said, "I never give a
5 star review out of principal!" What? Crazy!
I've found that over the years that the majority of honest, well
thought out legitimate reviews come from people that use Trip Advisor as
a tool for only when they are traveling and or people who have never used
it at all. The folks who use it to socialize or to write in forums to try and
jump start a travel career can just be unfair.
The average person is busy and often has to play catch up after a
vacation. As they get settled back into their lives their vacation begins to
fade from their memory. I've always felt that giving people the space to
settle back in is important. We do send a friendly email out to all our
customers asking first and foremost whether they had a good experience
and if they have any feedback they would like to share with us. The goal of
the email for us is to let our customer know that just because they have
come and gone they have not faded from our minds.
So essentially it becomes a friendly follow up/ thank you for
booking letter. Only at the end as an afterthought do we say, "If you had a
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great time and feel like spreading the love about your experience on
TripAdvisor we would greatly appreciate it." You never want to seem
pushy or that you are emailing strictly for a review. It's just not cool.
Being subtle is always a good approach. In spite of all this if you
don't provide a great service people will not write a review or even worse
write a negative review because you have now reminded them. So if your
service is not perfected or perhaps you had a customer that day that
seemed difficult or that it might not have been their type of tour
experience, best to make a note and not mention the review to them. This
is not to say don't follow up with them because they may have some
helpful criticism but best to try and keep that off the record. That is
something you can't always control though. On ending i will say to trust
your service and your intuition and you will be alright. You won't be able
to please everyone but you'll find that 95% of the people just want a cool
informative experience with great customer service and they want to feel
safe and looked out after.
Who monitors your account and how often do they go on?
I personally deal with our Trip Advisor site and any management
responses although I do highly recommend encouraging ones staff to
also keep a close eye on it. Our guides do check Trip Advisor to see if
anyone wrote a nice review about them and often if i don't catch it first
they will call to tell me that there is a customer who left negative feedback.
The more hands on deck the better as far as i'm concerned.
Some people don't want to deal with confrontation and thats why i
make sure that my response is courteous and professional. I am truly
concerned when someone has not had a great time. I'd honestly rather
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just refund them and chalk it up that we were not a good match for them.
Often i find that if you sincerely show concern and respect for their time
and money people often will even be willing to take down a review. On
that note you CAN"T ever ask anyone do so. It is against TripAdvisor's
regulations and you can be removed from their site. So i just say kill them
with kindness. If you are lucky maybe they take their review down. If not
you know you did the right thing and they may even give your company a
chance again down the road.
How do you deal with negative feedback on TripAdvisor? Have you
ever requested this to be removed? How did you do this?
As the owner of the company only i or my wife deal with
management responses. You have to be very careful when writing
management responses. You can't let your personal feelings get in the
way. Often before i write a management response i send them a private
message first through Trip Advisor to express my concern with their issue.
I will often ask them who their guide was if they don't mention it and their
name just to make sure they are a legitimate customer and not a
competitor. Unfortunately we have had competitors try to sabotage us in
the past and Trip Advisor has been fair about taking down reviews that
seem suspicious. If someone does not respond to my private message i
often get suspicious.
If you have any other tips for how you have managed a 5 star
TripAdvisor listing please advise!
All I can say is treat Trip Advisor as your good friend. Pay attention
to it. Respond to it not just when you receive negative feedback but write
a management response when their is good feedback. Showing that you
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are active helps your ratings i believe. Nothing will help if you don't have a
good product and service. I also truly believe in keeping our side of the
street clean. Meaning i can only control my own company. Although i
know that there is a company in the top five that has hundred of fake
reviews I never have to stoop to such levels. My wife always say's, "Those
that cheat their way to the top will not stay their for long."
Unfortunately nowadays their are people that you can pay to write
reviews for you. It's horrible. I've watched companies come out of
nowhere with hundreds of 5 star reviews. Next thing you know their right
behind you. The NYC tour business is pretty tight knit. We know who has
been around doing tours for years, working Trip Advisor honestly and we
know whose not. The problem is the public doesn't know. Even worse Trip
Advisor can't monitor everything that's why you have to. I'm not sure if i
will ever understand how Trip Advisor's algorithms work. Even after we lost
our number one spot a few years ago the numbers didn't make sense to
me. Sometimes i feel they just try and keep the #1 spot in big cities fairly
active and revolving to keep things interesting. I don't know anything for
sure it's just my opinion. Either way Trip Advisor has been a great resource
and life saver for small business' that otherwise would not have the capital
to compete in a city like NYC. For this i am truly grateful.
Part Three: Setting up your listing the right

way on TripAdvisor
Getting Started: The 7 step starter plan
Whether already have a listing, just got started or have no idea how
to set one up, we have perfected a 7 step starter plan to ensure your
listing is set-up properly to gain as much attention as possible.
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Just like setting up your website, your TripAdvisor listing is just as

important (if not more important) to ensure potential guests can find
information and contact you.
Step 1: Setting up your TripAdvisor Listing PROPERLY!
This is the number one problem that travel companies using
TripAdvisor have. Hotels have taken advantage of this and guests use this
as one of their main forms of contact. This is something all travel
companies should be using to their advantage!
Did you know that 43 percent of all businesses have at least one
incorrect address on an online business listing or review profile page? In
total, about $10.3 billion worth of potential annual sales are lost because
of wrong or inaccurate local data. Which is senseless, because its an easy
fix. If you have changed your business address, website, or phone
number, then make sure you update it.
Below is a great example of the most updated listing possible.
There are THREE things to make sure you have on your listing:
Correct address: Ensure the map compass is correct with the most updated version
of of your address. Main intersections can also be added.
Email & Website: Make sure both a valid email AND website is added in here. Many
travellers try to use this contact form. If your email isnt listed or hard to find theyll
move onto the next listing (aka your competitor).
Hours: 85% of listings dont show your hours. This is is easy to add onto your listing
and shows potential clients when they can contact you and expect a response.
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EXAMPLE: This is a listing from Barcelona Segway Guides. Ranked #1 of 359 for sightseeing
tours in Barcelona with over 907 reviews.
What if Im not registered yet?

Very Simple! Copy and paste the link below to get right to the
signup page:
http://www.tripadvisor.ca/GetListedAttraction
It takes less than 5 minutes to register and they will only ask
straightforward basic questions about your company.
Once youve registered, double-check your business name,
address, phone number as well as the links to your website and e-mail.
Any edits can be made through the Update business details form in the
Quick Links section of the Management Center. This will allow you to
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update or add information, and as an official representative of the

business, your edits will override any existing content.
TO DO:
Claim your business listing on TripAdvisor or establish a listing.

Ensure all information is correct that is listed on TripAdvisor
(website link, phone number, email, address).
Instead stating your address try to be more descriptive and

mention any major attractions around location.
Check to make sure the phone number and email listed on

TripAdvisor work correctly.
Step 2: Re-write your description so you can be found in

Google.
After youve claimed your business listing, spend some time writing
a detailed description of your business. Avoid sales pitches and clich ad
copies; instead focus on highlighting the key features that distinguish you
from your competition.
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92 percent of travellers choose a business that includes detailed

attraction or tour descriptions over one thats missing information!
Sometimes travellers will add a description for your listing if you
havent provided one already. When you submit your own description,
the Traveller Description will be replaced by an Owner Description.
Here is a description for Real New York Tours that demonstrates a
great description of their tours.
The better your description is, the more likely youll be found on
Google!
TripAdvisor listings regularly appear on search engine result pages.
Do a bit of research to find your industrys most relevant keywords (use
the Google Keyword Tool or a similar service) and make sure you add
some of these to your description text, but dont overdo it!
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Keyword-stuffed descriptions dont read well and actually work

against you in Google rankings. Keep it simple and readable. By being
equally search-engine-friendly and visitor- friendly, you put yourself in a
good position to convert TripAdvisor users into customers. Bottom line,
the more detailed your page is the more likely potential customers are to
choose you!
For Real New York Tours (as shown as above), they have done such
a good job with their keywords that their TripAdvisor listing shows up as
#2 (right after their site). So when travellers are googling information they
can see they have a strong and positive presence on TripAdvisor.
TripAdvisor Tip! Building Instant Credibility:

Bottom line: people buy from people they trust. This is true for any
type of product or service. So how do you build instant credibility that will
turn shoppers into buyers? Here is the guaranteed formula you can add
into your TripAdvisor description:
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1. Add up the total number of years of personal and professional

experience within your company (include your staff or supplier
partners).
Example: If you have been in business for over 10 years, write this down.
2. Add up the total number of personal and professional clients

(include your staff or supplier partners) have served.
Example: Having served 150,000 guests, with suppliers serving 200,000 guests= 350,000.
3. Create a short summary statement, (the essence of what you do,

offer, or location). Include any special awards or recognition, especially
from any known media associations (TripAdvisor could be one!).
4. Combine the year you started your business (from step #1) with
total numbers of clients (from step #2) and create your first draft
credibility statement.
Example: 10 Years of Guiding Excellence Over 350,000 Happy Clients
5. Or if you have not been in business that long or have not served
a lot of customers, combine total number of years of personal and
professional experience (from step #1) with short summary statement
(from step #3).
Example: Since 1996, Quality Airport Transfers
Now, put this slogan on everything...especially your TripAdvisor

description! Business cards, flyers, your website or any other promotional
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marketing material your company has! This provides instant credibility

and experience customers need to know before making a decision.
TO DO: Update your Description
Type of Tour
Activities included in attraction
Fee or price range
Recommended length of visit
Owner description
Use Google Keywords relevant to your company in the
description. Use this space to add some rich details that will help
distinguish you from your competitors!
Step 3: Focus on pictures! Pictures can make or break

your TripAdvisor listing.
This is the one thing that will get you more attention on your
TripAdvisor page FAST. Travellers want to know what to expect at your
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attraction. The more photos and videos your listing has, the more
engaged theyll be.
How many pictures should I upload?
Recent studies have shown that businesses with 30 or more photos
have 41% more traveller engagement than those with 10 or fewer. And
travellers engage 150 percent more with pages that have 20 or more
photos.
What type of pictures should I upload?
Add authentic and high-quality images
that showcase your businesss location and
special features. DO NOT add corny shots of
popped champagne bottles and models suntanning on the beach. You should upload
photos to show potential visitors what they
can expect and impress them with all the fun
to be had with your company.
As an owner, you are entitled to upload
an unlimited number of images. Make sure
you let travellers see what they can look
forward to, whether its an adventurous
walking tour or an exciting fishing charter.
Once you have some photos, select one as
your primary photo to help you make a
strong first impression with travellers. You
can manage your attractions photos through
the Management Center.
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One of the reasons she has done so well is because of the

professional photos she has uploaded with descriptive captions. As
shown below the pictures are professional with relevant titles.
Professional photos added by management give customers a great
idea of what they can experience. The caption also helps with explaining
what potential customers what to expect.
TripAdvisor Tip: More ways to get found on Google!
You can also add an unlimited number of pictures to your
TripAdvisor listing, and tag each one with up to six keywords to optimize
them for search results. For example, when customers Google Paddleboarding in Bermuda the pictures you have tagged on TripAdvisor are
likely to come up in Google images.
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TO DO: Update and add 30 photos that show:
A fun group of the staff.

What the exterior of the office looks like.
Any equipment that is provided throughout the attraction.
Great shots of the customers in action and having fun.
Scenery or nature shots of where you will be taking your
customers.
Add keyword-rich captions to the photos so they show up on

Google images. description. Use this space to add some rich details
that will help distinguish you from your competitors!
Step 4: Make a viral video FOR FREE using TripAdvisor!
The best way to promote your tours on your website and

TripAdvisor is to create a viral video. This will create a flood of new
visitors; its free and only takes a couple of hours!
You can always pay thousands of dollars for someone to film your
attraction and create a budget. Well how about if theres a FREE option?
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You can use TripAdvisors tool to show off all of your features to the
public using TripWow. If you already have some pictures it literally takes
minutes to put a beautiful video together. Videos can make a big
difference: having at least one video can increase traveller engagement
with your listing by 34%.
They do the work for you all you do is choose the photos. The
result is a stunning, animated display of images that appear right on your
business TripAdvisor page.
How do I start?
1) Visit your Management Center.
2) Log in to your TripAdvisor account and head to your
Management Center, where under the Manage your TripAdvisor page
header you will see a note telling you that your slideshow is not yet
active. Click on Create one now and follow the instructions to quickly
upload your photos. You may add anywhere from 5 to 25 photos of your
business for inclusion in your slideshow (we recommend the latter!).
3) Choose and upload photos that truly represent your business
and the best you have to offer. There is no better feeling for a traveller
than to choose an attraction based in part on its attractive photos...and
then to arrive to find exactly what they were expecting (or more). Youll
find guidelines on photo size and acceptable file types in the instructions
4) Let TripWow create your slideshow!
5) Click Submit and youre all set! Your slideshow will be live on
the site within 12-24 hours, appearing directly on your business
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TripAdvisor page. Plus, your direct contact details and any Special Offers
you are running will appear at the bottom of the slideshow at all times,
providing further incentive for travellers to explore your business.
The best thing is, you can also upload the video to YouTube,
Facebook and keep it on your website. It really is one of the best tools to
interact with potential guests. If you want another look to your video,
check out some more free, online websites that will help you wow guests
with promotional videos:
http://www.powtoon.com/
http://viddyad.com/ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-ca/windowslive/movie-maker
How do I put my video up on TripAdvisor?
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In order to upload a video to TripAdvisor, please follow these steps:

1) Log into your TripAdvisor account
2) Go to tripadvisor.com/PostVideo (Currently this must be done
through English language sites so please log onto TripAdvisor.com to
upload your video).
3) Follow the on-screen instructions. If your video meets the
formatting and family friendly guidelines, it will appear online within 1-3
days!
TripAdvisor Tip: Get customers selling for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week with word of mouth advertising.
This is one of the most powerful secrets for travel operators; its
easy and customers love it. The majority of travel operators are not using
this, which gives YOU an advantage over the competition. This can
significantly increase your prospect inquiries and get you a lot more
sales!
How to get started:
1) Get a low cost audio recorder, video camera or use a simple
smartphone camera.
2) Provide a great service /experience for a client or friend in your
line of travel and hospitality (since service is the foundation of your
industry, you had better make sure you are doing well here.)
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3) Now here is where it gets exciting! Ask your client or associate to

share just one thing they remember or enjoyed about your tour or service
and record it. Tell them all you need is 1 minute of their time and what
they most loved about their experience with you. When you provide
great service and ask for a comment, most happy customers are glad to
share their good experience.
4) Now take your new short audio or video testimonials and post
them to your website, Facebook page, Instagram, twitter or blog
(preferably in a highly visible spot) using any of the free audio or video
players available online.
With over 94% of ALL travel being researched online, what youll
now have is your best clients selling for you on your website, 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week. This is automated Word of Mouth Advertising at its
very best. Testimonials and word of mouth advertising is getting your
best clients selling for you!
Step 5: Get your listing on important maps!
Maps help visitors place your attraction

within the area they are visiting and better
plan their trip! If your listing is not located on
the map, or your business is displayed in the
wrong location, you can update it through the
Management Center.
This is an easy, step-by-step guide to get your business listed on
TripAdvisors map. You can do this even if youve never used TripAdvisor
before!
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1) First you will need to find the exact latitude and longitude
decimal coordinates of your business. To do this, go to www.bing.com/
maps and:
o Type in your business location
o Zoom in as far as the map will allow.
o Right click on the location of your business.
o Your coordinates will automatically appear (for example: 45.498681,10.943272).
o Copy and paste those coordinates into a separate document.
2) Now you can go to the Manage your TripAdvisor page tab in

the Management Center and click on Change business location. This will
work both to correct a map location and to add a map on your listing.
3) Then:
o Fill in your business details.
o Put your business latitude and longitude decimal coordinates in the comments box.
o Click Submit.
4) It will take between 24 and 48 hours for the correct map to

appear on your listing.
Get on Google Places NOW!
This is crucial! Whenever someone Googles your business Google
Places help give potential customers even more information making the
buying decision easier. It provides customers with all the necessary
information they would need....and if you dont have it, they will probably
go to your competitor.
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So what is Google Places? When people search for your company,

Google generates a small informational box that shows your company on
a map, your address, phone number, hours of operation and any reviews
that are on Google already.
Fortunately, Google makes claiming your place a very simple and

straightforward process. It only takes a couple of minutes. Heres how to
do it:
1) Go to Google Places Navigate to the Google Places homepage
(http://www.google.com/places/) and choose Get Started under
Getting your business found on Google. Once there, you will need to
login with your Google Account.
2) Check For Your Business Google Places is organized like a
traditional phone directory would be, so the first thing Google will want
you to do is search for your phone number. It is possible that Google has
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already created a basic Google Places profile of your business. The

phone search will tell you if that is the case.
3) Add Your Basic Information The next page will allow you to
add or revise your official business details. Your basic information will
include your address, phone number, email address, company
description, and website. It is recommend to fill out all of these fields.
4) Add Your Hours of Operation For retail or customer service
locations, Google allows you to add a full listing of your office hours.
5) Add Photos & Videos You can add photos and videos about
your business to help potential customers understand what you do. You
will, at a minimum, want to add your logo to this area. If you have an
information video about your company, be sure to add that as well. You
dont need to go crazy, but giving potential leads a feel for who you are
can be a great advantage. The more you add, the more you will stand out.
6) Add Additional Details Google provides a great area to add
additional details about your business. This area can be full of great SEO
(search engine optimization) content that will help Google link you to
relevant searches. Again, the more information the better.
7) Submit For Review & Confirmation Once you have completed
your profile of information, you will need to enter the review and
confirmation process. In this process, Google will physically mail a card to
your location. This card will contain a confirmation code that you will
need to enter. While tedious, this process is in place to ensure that no
one but you can claim your Google Place.
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And thats it! Claiming your Google Place is a very simple, and an
important, step for any business. Once you have your place claimed, you
will be able to make adjustments and changes but you will always want to
stay within the official guidelines set-up by Google.
Step 6: Adding Widgets to your site
One great way to spread the news about your listing is to add a
TripAdvisor widget to your own website. Widgets can showcase your
reviews and encourage guests to write new ones.
What is a widget?
A widget is a small snippet of code provided by TripAdvisor that
can be installed within any HTML-based web page. It can display static
images that lets you show off your TripAdvisor status, or a widget can
bring in live content like TripAdvisor reviews without you ever having
to make updates.
There are two categories of widgets available to you for FREE
through TripAdvisor: widgets for businesses and widgets for destinations.
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TO DO: Create a TripAdvisor video for your company!
Create a video using TripWow.

Upload to TripAdvisor.
Create testimonial videos and upload to website and Facebook.
What content from TripAdvisor is available for websites?

Rated on TripAdvisor Badges: These badges come in three
varieties - Featured, Rated, or Recommended on TripAdvisor - depending
on traveller ratings and reviews. The widget will update daily to reflect
changes to your rating and review count.
Review Snippet Widget: display your TripAdvisor rating, recent
review snippets, and more on your own website in a variety of styles.
"Bravo!" Badges: Available for businesses that have received a
minimum number of excellent reviews.
What's Nearby? Widgets: Shows nearby businesses that may be of
interest to your customers, such as restaurants near your hotel, or places
to stay near your attraction.
Write-A-Review Widgets: Invite visitors to begin reviewing your
business right on your website.
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TripAdvisor App for Facebook Pages: Share your TripAdvisor

ratings and reviews with your Facebook fans.
Award Badges: If you have been awarded the Certificate of
Excellence or the Travellers Choice award, share your achievement on
your own website.
Logo Button Widget: Available in two sizes and colors, the Logo
Button allows your business or destination to easily link to its TripAdvisor
page.
Linking Widgets: One widget shows visitors where to read reviews
of your business or destination; the other invites them to write their own.
These widgets are smaller and can easily fit on most web pages.
Rave Review Widgets: Create a scrolling showcase for your most

recent excellent review. GreenLeader Widgets: Show the world you're a
TripAdvisor GreenLeader!
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How do you add Widgets to your website?

1) Head to the TripAdvisor Widget center: http://
www.tripadvisor.com/Widgetsenter and enter your business or
destination name to see what widgets you can choose.
2) If you are representing an attraction, you'll be directed to the

Free Marketing Tools page for your business. If you are looking for a
destination widget, you'll be directed to the Promote your destination
page.
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3) Choose the widget category you require and pick the design and
size from the available options.
4) Copy the code from the Your Code box and paste it in entirety
into the source code of your web page. The content will be updated
automatically once the widget is installed. Alternatively, use the Email
this code link to send the code to your website manager, who can add it
to your site.
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IMPORTANT: Please do not alter this code, as doing so will damage the functionality of the
widget.
What is the simplest step-by-step guide to adding TripAdvisor to your

Facebook Business Page?
Creating fresh, relevant content for your followers on social media
can be time consuming. Let TripAdvisor help by installing the
TripAdvisor App on your Facebook page, youre able to leverage existing
TripAdvisor content, like traveller reviews, ratings, and photos of your
attraction. Theres absolutely no HTML or coding ability required simply
follow our easy installation guide to begin sharing valuable guest
feedback with future customers!
TO DO: Get your company on as many maps as

possible!
Get on TripAdvisors map.

Get on Google Places map.
1) To get started, log into your Management Center homepage

and navigate to Free marketing tools. Then, select the TripAdvisor
Reviews for Facebook.
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2) You will be automatically redirected to Facebook, where you will

be prompted to login and then select the appropriate Page from the
dropdown menu. The dropdown menu will display any Pages connected
to your account.
3) Make sure that you are logged in as the administrator of your
businesss page, and, if you manage multiple Facebook Pages from a
single account, make sure that you select the desired Page.
What will my TripAdvisor App display?
Your TripAdvisor App is fully customizable, allowing you to choose
which elements to display to your fans on Facebook and which elements
to hide.
To modify the elements displayed in your TripAdvisor App, click the
Customize link in the top right corner of the page. Then click the
corresponding check boxes to select which of the following elements
youd like to display to your fans, and which youd like to hide:
Review Snippets
Candid Traveller Photos
Travellers Choice and Certificate of Excellence awards.
You may alter these display selections at any time in order to hide
or show particular sections. Thats it your TripAdvisor App is
immediately visible to the public. You are now successfully sharing all the
great things guests have said about you on TripAdvisor.
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TO DO: Add more TripAdvisor Widgets.
Pick the widget available for your site.

Step 7: Start selling your products with TripAdvisor
affiliates.
This step will radically increase your sales! In this step well show
you how to submit your company to GetYourGuide.com so you can start
making more sales fast!
TripAdvisor has partnered with some external companies that are
dedicated to tour companies and attractions. And a lot of companies
arent taking advantage of this! To maximize your TripAdvisor potential, it
is essential to get on their partner site GetYourGuide
(www.getyourguide.com).
Why should our company join GetYourGuide?
GetYourGuide is the world's leading online booking platform for
tours, attractions and activities. After you become a supplier with
GetYourGuide, you can expect increased sales and global marketing. The
vast distribution network creates additional revenues for each company.
How can I sell my products on GetYourGuide?
First you need to sign up as a supplier on GetYourGuide. After they
have checked your details, they will grant you access to the system so you
can start uploading your products online. Once your products are
approved, they will be put online and customers can start booking! You
can sign up as a supplier here:
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https://supplier.getyourguide.com/en/register.php
What happens after I sign up?
After you sign up, your profile will go through two stages before
being activated.
First, you will be assigned an Account Manager. They will check the
basic information you have provided to make sure your business and
type of products match their target market. If you are a local supplier of
tours and activities, your profile will be granted access.
Second, you will then have access to the various features of your
profile within the system and can start uploading products.
If your registration is not complete, your account will not be
activated and your products will not be displayed on the website.
How much does it cost to use GetYourGuide?
It's free to use GetYourGuide. There are no sign-up or subscription
fees. You only pay a commission on successful bookings that you decide
to accept. After sign-up, they will get in touch with you to discuss a
commission fee that fits your economic needs.
What kind of companies and products are suited for
GetYourGuide?
They are open to all kinds of suppliers of tours, attractions and
activities. The suppliers include end-activity operators, wholesalers and
niche aggregators, destination management companies, incoming
agencies, and business incentive companies. Their suppliers are usually
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direct operators and tend to offer products in the following categories:
Tours
Activities
Nightlife
Cooking Classes
City Cards
Ground Transportation / Transfers
Snow & Winter Sports
Attractions
Shows & Events
Rentals
Shore Excursions
Three HUGE Advantages of GetYourGuide that could

DOUBLE your bookings!
ADVANTAGE #1:
By registering with GetYourGuide, you can get your company on
the exclusive TripAdvisor City Guides App FOR FREE!
TripAdvisors City Guides App is a mobile opportunity that could
mean a serious advantage for your company. You can see one example
below and download the app here:
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https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tripadvisor-city-guides/id480066121?mt=8
This is an exclusive partnership. Only suppliers who are listed on

TripAdvisor AND registered with GetYourGuide will be featured in this
app.
This partnership is only with the TripAdvisor City Guides App and
independent of the partnership with the TripAdvisor website.
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This app only features the following destinations (for now):

North America:
Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Hawaii, Houston, Las Vegas, Mexico City,
Miami, Montreal, Nashville, New Orleans, New York City, Orlando, Panama, Philadelphia, Playa
del Carmen, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Petersburg, Toronto,
Vancouver, Washington DC.
South America:
Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro Santiago, Sao Paulo
Europe:
Aarhus, Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Birmingham, Brussels, Budapest,
Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Florence, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Istanbul, Lisbon, London,
Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Rome, Seville, Stockholm,
Venice, Vienna
Asia/Australia:
Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Kyoto, Melbourne, Mumbai (Bombay), New
Delhi, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo
Middle East/Africa:
Cape Town, Dubai, Marrakech, Tel Aviv
ADVANTAGE #2:
Get thousands of travel agents across the world selling your tours.
Through GetYourGuides extensive partner network they display travel
products to millions of potential customers worldwide. Leading travel
websites, destination websites, online travel agents, travel communities,
hotel websites and tourism boards are all among GetYourGuide's
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partners in the tourism industry who will help promote your products. If
you sell through GetYourGuide, your products are automatically sold
through some of the largest travel platforms on the web.
ADVANTAGE #3:
They will take professional photos of your attraction/tour for free.
You could increase your conversion rate twofold by displaying 10 or
more amazing, high quality photos on your tour page.
Customers will be drawn to your tours over others. Simultaneously,
your ranking on the homepage will be improved which makes it more
visible.
Free professional photos for your GetYourGuide site will give your
potential customers more transparency about the tour and a better
insight into what they can expect from it.
How can you start?
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Once you sign up on GetYourGuide you will receive an email

regarding this opportunity. Reply to the email and indicate on which days
the photographer can come (for instance: Every Tuesday and Saturday
10am; or Daily from 8am - 6pm) for the next few months and on which
tours he/she can join.
Also indicate (if necessary) if they need special permission to enter
a site and what equipment (e.g. Cameras) they are allowed to bring.
**Please note this is subject to destination. BUT they are constantly expanding their
destination base.
TO DO: Get your company on GetYourGuide.com
Register your company on GetYourGuide.com

After they have checked your details they will grant you access
to the system so you can start uploading your products online.
Get on TripAdvisors City Guides App.

Get thousands of travel agents across the world selling your
tours.
Get professional photos taken for free.
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Part Four: How to get 90% of your guests to leave a

review.
So, when and where should you ask for the review?
1) During the checkout process!

This is the best time to ask since positive memories from their
experience are still fresh. Your staff can ask if the guest had a positive
time after their tour. If they did, encourage them to share their thoughts
on a review site of their choice.
Leaving a sign in a prominent location will also serve to remind
guests that you value their opinion. Another way of reminding them to
leave a review is handing out small cards with a thank you and a
reminder to leave a good review if they enjoyed their time. This noninvasive option is particularly effective if asking directly isnt right for your
companys target group.
2) Business Card
On the back of your hotels business card let your guests know that
you would love to hear about their experience and stay. A
straightforward, Thank you for your patronage. We truly value your
opinion. Please take a moment to review us on TripAdvisor will suffice.
3) Staff Cards
There are things you can do to encourage your staff to deliver the
best service possible and empower them to proactively ask for reviews at
the same time. They look like your typical business cards, but at the back,
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theres a short, catchy blurb encouraging guests to spread the word

about them along with a list of the most popular online review sites. The
card also prompts the guest to mention the specific hotel staff who
catered to them during their stay. You can reward your staff monetary or
otherwise for every positive review he or she gets.
*Check out the Staff Social Business Cards in the toolkit for customizable templates.
4) Get involved in social media channels:

Engage with guests on social media channels. Pay attention to what
they are saying about you and ask if theyd mind repeating any positive
comments on a review site! Thats why Facebook and Twitter are so
important.
5) In follow-up emails:
Many attractions send an email to customers after they leave to
thank them for their stay. Consider placing a link to review sites within this
message.
Needs Improvement:
Subject Line: Thanks for choosing Mellys Tours!
Dear Mr. Smith,
Thank you for choosing Mellys Tours for your recent stay in Cape Town. We have read
your comments about the experience you had and we greatly appreciate that you took the time
to write them as our guests satisfaction is our main priority.
We invite you, please, to share your opinion on TripAdvisor using the following link:
www.tripadvisor.com
It is very important for us to share guest experiences. It was a pleasure to have you
as our guest. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your collaboration and
we hope to see you again in Cape Town.
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Improved:
Subject Line: Pictures of you from your experience with Mellys Tours!
Thank you for choosing Mellys Tour for your recent stay in Cape Town. I was
delighted to hear you had an enjoyable time with us!
As you saw, we were taking some great shots of the group while you experienced Cape
Town. Weve attached all of the shots and there are some great photos of you!
(Attach Photos)
We hope you enjoyed the photos as much as you did the tour! If you loved your
experience and want to share your love of Cape Town with others please share your
experience on TripAdvisor!
It takes less than 5 minutes and means the world of difference to us at Mellys
Tours.
You can write a review on our TripAdvisor page here: (Insert direct link to
TripAdvisor page) It was a pleasure to have you as our guest and we hope to welcome you
back soon!
Kind regards, - Melanie Walters Mellys Tour
444-444-4444 Melanie@mellystours.com
Ask for the review 3 times! Iteration is important because according

to experts, people need to hear the same message at least three times
before they take action.
TripAdvisor Tip! Follow up with them by giving them something
they want.
1) Take pictures of your customers while they are on your tour. Take
group shots, pictures with the guide, destinations, and other unique
encounters they will experience. This is easy as you can take these
pictures with smartphones or less expensive cameras.
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2) Find out everyones email! Its a good idea to ask for a couple of
emails from each person (one work and one personal) as there is a higher
chance they will respond.
3) Send an email out within 7 business days of them completing
the tour with attached photos. Mark the email with a subject line of
Pictures from your (company name) or Great pictures of you from
(company name or service). People LOVE pictures of
themselves...especially on vacation. If you want to go a step further you
can include a watermark logo at the bottom of the photos. If customers
then share pictures on Facebook, others will see your company name.
4) Now, ask for the review! By showing them pictures it will bring
back good experiences they had with your company. Make sure this is
clear. Examples of how you can ask for this are below.
5) If your travellers dont mind, upload some of these pictures on
TripAdvisor under Management photos, and ask your customers to do
the same.
Some things to consider when asking for reviews:
It comes from an individual person instead of a faceless entity.
Response rates typically increase when an e-mail comes from one person,
giving your brand a personal, human touch.
It is more focused on the customer, and less about the company.
A customer may not care what is important to the company, so position
this request as a way for them to share an experience with friends.
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It is a bit shorter, so the message intent is very clear. This shows

more consideration for the guest, who may be very busy.
Greet the guest accordingly: Hello and Hi are informal and
light, encouraging friendliness. Dear may be more appropriate, if the
guest demands a certain level of formality - when addressing an older or
VIP guest, for example.
Focus on you not I, or we. This highlights the fact that their
satisfaction is your number one priority and not yours!
Explain why their feedback is important. People like to feel useful.
Make it as easy for them as possible. Include links if you can.
If youre running a hotel, for example, it might be a good idea to
wait until guests check out before you hand out a Comment Card and ask
for a review. After all, if a review is submitted from your reception lobby, it
may appear to TripAdvisor to be written by your staff. Just be careful is all
were saying.
Tracking your success rate
If you try any of the approaches above for your hotel, or decide to
implement your own TripAdvisor review seeking method, remember to
track your success rate. Tracking success will allow you to have an
understanding of what works and what doesnt, which can help you to
tweak your call to action for best results.
Responding to Customers the Right Way
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A timely response is an essential part of maintaining your reputation

within TripAdvisor. It shows how attentive and receptive you are to
customers feedback.
Hotels and B&Bs that have responded to at least one review see 17%
more engagement from travellers compared to those with no responses.
Properties that respond to reviews at least 13% of the time see a 21% boost
in engagement, compared to those that never do. This increase in
engagement trends upward the more management responds.
It also shows how likely you are to handle specific complaints or

suggestions that guests have made. Weve outlined below the best way
to set this up:
To prevent slow responses or a lack of responses, make sure you
assign ONE employee in tracking and responding to TripAdvisor reviews.
Its recommended to pick someone with a supervisory role.
Reply to a negative review of three stars or less within 24 hours of it
being posted.
Determine the steps to follow for resolving issues, and always make
sure you have a way of documenting the incident (for records or for
future staff training).
Dont immediately give compensations as a means of appeasing. Its
fine if you realize and admit that you made a mistake. But there are
cases when you cant and shouldnt shoulder the blame for a negative
review.
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Responding the Right Way to a Negative Review

According to recent PhoCusWright research, 84% of users
agree that an appropriate management response to a bad review
improves their impression of the hotel.
We have included an example below on the best way to respond.

Stick to this template when handling complaints made through
TripAdvisor:
Complaint:
Response:
Trevor, I am disappointed to hear about your experience with us in Las Vegas and would
like to discuss it with you offline as soon as possible. We pride ourselves in customer service and
our 4 star rating so I apologize for your poor customer service experience. Please give us a chance
to resolve this and call me at 901-94-6683 when you have a moment. Ask for Tim. Thank you-Tim
Haynes (Customer Service Manager at Las Vegas 4 Star Resort).
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Format:
Include guests name
You are disappointed in hearing about their incident
Want to discuss it offline as soon as possible
Offer a chance to resolve
Include contact information, phone number, name, title and
company name
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Its important to ALWAYS respond to reviews...good or bad.

Following these seven guidelines when responding to TripAdvisor
reviews:
1. Respond quickly: A timely response is expected and appreciated.
It shows you are attentive and receptive to feedback, and it leaves a
lasting impression. Also, the more quickly you respond, the greater the
number of people who read your comments.
2. Keep the tone professional. Whether the review is critical or
glowing, your reply should always be polite and professional, just as you
would handle any other customer service reply. It can be tempting to
respond harshly to criticism, but it is best not to lose sight of the fact that
your audience is hundreds, if not thousands of potential customers, as
well as the individual reviewer. The vast majority of people recognize that
not all customers raise reasonable concerns, and not everything will
always be perfect. They will give you a lot of credit for offering a
courteous and thoughtful explanation, especially when the criticism is
unwarranted. This is your chance to set the record straight.
3. Avoid jargon. Dont be tempted into using online jargon. The use
of ALL CAPS, HTML tags or excessive typographic symbols, can appear
abrasive or result in miscommunication.
4. Highlight positive changes and updates. Use the opportunity to
communicate new improvements youve made to your business. If youve
addressed a situation that has generated comments from customers, its
important to state that youve taken their feedback seriously and made
positive changes.
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5. Be careful of individual privacy. Your responses should never

contain the personal information of any person, including names,
addresses, phone numbers or other information that may be used to
identify an individual.
6. Be original. Customers dont respond well to stock answers. They
appreciate an individually tailored response, because they will realize that
you are addressing their particular situation. It is tempting to post
material from other sources that support your point of view, but
customers prefer direct and unique comments from you. Its especially
important to avoid posting correspondence from another guest.
7. Show gratitude. Gratitude builds goodwill. Management
responses are great opportunities to tell guests and customers that you
are thankful for their positive comments, as well as their constructive
feedback. Dont hesitate to let people know you appreciate them. It goes
a long way. Wrap-up Following these steps can help you maintain a
positive reputation online. Remember that, while you may be responding
to one reviewer, thousands of others may read your comments and form
opinions about you and your brand. Make sure they know you run a
respectful, attentive and thoughtful business. Your customers will
appreciate your interest.
How to remove a TripAdvisor Complaint
The information below is from the article Climbing TripAdvisors
Rankings on ReviewPro.com written by Daniel Edward Craig. Reviews can
be disputed by completing a form in the Manage your reviews section
of TripAdvisors Management Center.
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What criteria does TripAdvisor use to decide whether or not to remove a

disputed review?
Said Payea, It all comes down to whether it is in keeping with our
guidelines. It must be a travel-related review of property. It cant be from a
neighbor who doesnt like the noise or the trash collection.
But, he added, It doesnt necessarily have to be [from] someone
who stayed there. If someone had a travel-related experience on the
phone and didnt like the reservations agents discussion, then the review
is valid. We would also allow it if someone walked into the lobby and
didnt stay because they had a negative experience. Or if the hotel was
overbooked.
However, he said, people cant review aspects they didnt
experience. If you believe someone has written review outside the
guidelines, about things they could not have experienced, dispute it and
provide as much info as possible to the investigators.
Keep in mind, however, that TripAdvisor often declines to remove
disputed reviews on the basis that travellers are entitled to their opinion.
If you dont agree, post a management response to respectfully provide
your side of the story.
What are the conditions for having all previous reviews erased?
Said Payea, The conditions for starting fresh or removing old
reviews are: a change in ownership, a change in brand, or a substantial
renovation. He cautioned that submitting a request based on a
renovation is a pretty high bar. You must provide a lot of documentation
to substantiate that the guest experience has entirely changed.
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He added, One condition that does not qualify is a change in

management. So if ownership and brand are the same but new
management comes in, it does not qualify.
Part Five: The part of TripAdvisor no one knows

about, and how to use it.
TripAdvisor doesnt just get traffic with their reviews, there are
dozens of extra features on the site that attract millions of viewers with
their content. Weve gone over them all to help boost your listings
exposure.
Become a Destination Expert in the TripAdvisor Forum
The TripAdvisor forum is one of the best ways to reach travellers
that are interested in heading to your destination. Each forum post is
seen by thousands of travellers around the world.
TripAdvisor prevents companies from promoting themselves
directly on the forum. However if you regularly comment and provide
expertise on the destination you are in, then you are providing value for
travellers. So when a traveller asks a question directly pertaining to your
business...you can respond with an educated answer.
For example, if you run a dive shop in Cozumel, Mexico then you
would participate in the Cozumel Travel Forum. Travellers headed to the
area will post questions like this:
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Now obviously, you dont want to directly sell them on your services
(or your forum and business listing will be flagged) but advise them of
your business establishment while seeming unbiased.
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When answering forums be sure to make sure of the following:

Rephrase the question and offer why you may be able to help.
Advise what the traveller should look into when considering an operator (example: price,
operator experience, size of group etc.).
What your recommendation is and why with a direct link.
Offer other advice on other operators and things to do in the area.
Never:
Pretend youre a past traveller.
Provide negative feedback on a competitor.
Use sales material or more than one direct link or email.
How to get started with Forum Advertising:

Assign someone to the TripAdvisor forum section (preferably the same person who
manages the complaints).
Post in your destination forum 2-3 times week even if it doesnt directly relate back to your
business. This is how you become a destination expert within TripAdvisor.
Sign up to receive updates on any responses or comments you get from the forums so you
can stay active within the conversation.
Writing TripAdvisor Articles for your Destination
TripAdvisor articles are just as popular as the forum, but very few
businesses know how they operate. Most articles are listed on the
destination page. However, for smaller destinations they may not have
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articles listed its recommended to write an article for the territory or state
you are listed in.
For example, the company Rome Top Driver wrote an article on the
private drives available within the Rome area. It was listed in
transportation under guided drives:
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In the article, Rome Trip Drive advises why its a popular activity,
what to expect and recommends the company by providing their contact
information. The TripAdvisor articles for Rome can be found here:
http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Travel-g187791-s1/Rome:Italy:Inside.html
*Template for the article above can be found in the TripAdvisor Toolkit Section.
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When answering forums be sure to make sure of the following:

Explain a description of the activity you are talking about.
Advise what the traveller should look into when considering an operator (example: price,
operator experience, size of group etc.).
What your recommendation is and why with a direct link.
Offer other advice on other operators and things to do in the area.
Never:
Pretend youre a past traveller
Provide negative feedback on a competitor
Use sales material or more than one direct link or email.
Submit a Press Release for your TripAdvisor Ranking

Distributing a press release to relevant media formally announcing
your new TripAdvisor awards is a great way of connecting social media
platforms with traditional ones. Make sure you target local media
publications, newswire services, and niche-specific papers, magazines,
channels, and radio stations. The increased media attention that youll get
from such a publicity campaign can attract more potential guests.
Weve included an example of a PR submission you can submit
below. Once you have the PR article finished submit it to www.travpr.com.
TravPR.com enables travel businesses around the world to get immediate
search exposure for their company news and announcements in the
major search engines, social media sites and news portals for free. In
most cases the releases are picked up and listed by search engines within
minutes of publication. The basic submission is free, however you can
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upgrade to get more coverage (generally not required for a TripAdvisor

press release).
After your submission, it can take up to 3 days before it gets
submitted to the following sites:
News Sites - Google News, Yahoo News etc.
Search Engines - Google Search, Yahoo Search, Bing Search etc. Social Networking Sites Twitter etc.
Social Bookmarking Sites - Yahoo Buzz, Digg, Technorati etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------News Sites - Google News, Yahoo News, NewsVine, Allvoices etc.
Search Engines - Google Search, Yahoo Search, Bing Search etc.
Social Networking Sites - Twitter, Facebook, Google + etc.
Social Bookmarking Sites - Yahoo Buzz, Digg, Technorati, StumbleUpon, Reddit etc.
Social Media Release Sites - PREngine etc.
RSS Feed Sites - Feedfury, Million RSS etc.
Video Portals - YouTube, HolidayRental.tv etc.
Travel Partner Sites - TripGuideDubai.com, TravelGuideAlgarve.com, Lateholidaybreaks.com
etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------News Sites - Google News, Yahoo News etc.
Search Engines - Google Search, Yahoo Search, Bing Search etc.
Social Networking Sites - Twitter, Facebook, Google + etc.
Social Bookmarking Sites - Yahoo Buzz, Digg, Technorati, StumbleUpon, Reddit etc.
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Social Media Release Sites - PREngine etc.

RSS Feed Sites - Feedfury, Million RSS etc.
Video Portals - YouTube, HolidayRental.tv etc.
Travel Partner Sites - TripGuideDubai.com, TravelGuideAlgarve.com, Lateholidaybreaks.com
etc.
Top 100 Newspaper Travel Sections - Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Sunday Times etc.
Top 500 Travel Magazines - National Geographic, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel Channel etc.
Top 100 Travel Trade Magazines - Hotel Management Magazine, Travel Weekly Magazine etc.
Leisure Magazines - Ski Magazine, Golf Magazine, Outdoor Channel Magazine etc.
Online Travel News Websites - TravelMole, TravelWeekly, TravelDailyNews etc.
Once everything is submitted, its up to the sites listed above to

continue with a news article on your travel service. This type of press
release is a great way to boost your brand visibility and improve your
search engine rankings.
Weve provided an example on the type of press release statement
you can submit for a TripAdvisor business listing:
Calabaza Sailing Cruises rank as a top attraction within Barbados.
Calabaza Sailing Cruises now rank as one of the top attractions within Barbados. Well known
for offering private and personalized cruising services within the Barbados area. Travellers
around the world love experiencing the real Barbados through an unforgettable, relaxing
cruise on their spacious Catamaran.
Calabaza consistently offers an exclusive experience to ensure everyone feels special and
pampered for the day at sea. Each traveller will experience an award winning service that
includes:
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Learn to sail with the Calabaza Captain who has more than 40 years of professional sailing
experience to share with you

Swim in the cool clear waters of secluded bays
Explore mysterious undersea caves
Laze about or walk along pristine golden beaches
Eat the freshest fish and other delectable Caribbean food.
Meet new friends, to share adventures and exciting experiences of a life time
Wander about in picturesque traditional villages
Have professional quality photos and underwater photos of your holiday as a gift from us to
you.
Ranked as the #1 activity within Bridgetown on TripAdvisor and awarded the Certificate of
Excellence in 2013. Travellers are ecstatic after their experience with Calabaza Cruises and
leave rave reviews like Far and away the best tour we have ever taken. They took what started
out as a stressful visit and turned it into the most enjoyable and memorable day of our
vacation! And Thank You Gina for the most memorable day. It was everything perfect from
the transfer, the food, which was really self cooked and amazing, to the great staff on board.
More reviews can be found at their TripAdvisor page:
http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g147263-d1217081-ReviewsCalabaza_Sailing_Cruises-Bridgetown_Saint_Michael_Parish_Barbados.html
Website: http://www.calabazasailingcruises.com/cruises.html
Email: sailcalabaza@gmail.com
Phone Number: 1-246-826-404
*Templates for the press release above can be found in the TripAdvisor Toolkit Section
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Final Words from Us!

Congratulations! I know weve provided you with a lot to think
about in this eBook, but you now have the knowledge to take the
information that you know and apply it to your TripAdvisor listing and
start ranking higher.
For a re-cap of everything youve learned please refer to the
TripAdvisor check-list to go over the essential steps in this program.
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