 I was reminded of something important this month: my voice matters when it comes to government. It’s easy to forget that in the business of life and running a B&B.
One of WBBG’s more important roles is government relations. On January 25, I drove to Olympia and met with state senators and representatives on behalf of WBBG as part of the “Hill Climb” event organized by the Washington Lodging and Restaurant Association (WBBG belongs as an association).
About 200 hotel and restaurant owners and managers attended from all around the state.
First there was a well-organized legislative briefing to help us with talking points, followed by various appointments with state senators and representatives. I met in small groups with 6 different legislators and had a chance to speak to each of them. In general, all were surprisingly oblivious to the fact that Washington has no state budget for tourism and the seemed receptive to hearing more about how funding it could benefit everyone. After meeting with them, I followed up with emails reminding them of how important this issue is to our B&Bs across the state, who are small businesses that may not be able to reach visitors who bring in tax dollars.
I encourage all of you to find out who your legislators are and to keep in touch on the issues that matter to you. Here is a handy website to find out who to contact: http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/
Periodically, WBBG will be contacting the membership when there is an important vote or issue being discussed. WBBG needs your help! If we work together as an organization to send a unified message on issues like tourism funding that are important to us, we have a greater chance of influencing the outcome.
Best,
Julie
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WBBG regional events include lunch and are $10 for non-members and free for members
Please visit WBBG.com to register or to RSVP even if the event is free.
Harrison House Suites, Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA
Wednesday, March 23, 12-2pm
Topic: How to Get Bookings without Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)
Description: Kent Schnepp, CEO of Odysys, will cover how to get found by travelers online; improve website conversions; and use OTA strategies to YOUR benefit. Handouts included.
Coupeville Library, Coupeville, Whidbey Island, WA
Thursday, March 24, 12-2pm
Topic: How to Get obokings without Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)
Description: Kent Schnepp, CEO of Odysys, will cover how to get found by travelers online; improve website conversions; and use OTA strategies to YOUR benefit. Handouts included.
Shelburne Inn, Seaview, WA
Monday, March 28
Networking wine tasting and dinner with the WBBG Board
Wine tasting 6 pm, Free but please RSVP
Dinner, 7 pm, ala carte from the menu, please RSVP
Shafer Baillie Mansion, Seattle, WA
Tuesday, April 19, 12-2pm
Topic: Innkeeper Problem Solving Panel Ask the Experts – Your Peers!
Description: At this session, moderated by our WBBG President, you get to pick the topics. A panel of fellow innkeepers will share their solutions to problems we all have. Come with questions on all things innkeeping: operations, marketing, staffing, renovations, finance, guest relations, technology, attitude adjustment, and more!
Mark your calendars for the WBBG 2016 Annual Meeting!
November 7 and 8 in Port Townsend, WA at the Northwest Maritime Center.
More details to come!
 Angela Elgee
VP of Membership, WBBG
Angelsong Retreat
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Building Reach and Awareness Through Facebook
We have been executing a strategy to increase traffic to the WBBG website and also our member Inns since December of last year. We hope to raise awareness of our brand and reach the traveling public before they make their getaway plans. We wish to influence them to visit Washington and stay at member inns when doing so.
 We placed Facebook Advertisements to increase our Facebook Likes thereby increasing our reach and engagement on the platform. Our page likes have increased from 356 to 1736 and are still climbing.
These first actions began growing our audience and brand awareness. We next set out to leverage this new asset. We advertised WBBG Gift Certificates on Facebook and linked the ad image to our WBBG Gift Certificate page. We were able to see increased traffic to our WBBG.com Gift Certificate page in Google Analytics. We saw an uptick in sales after the ads began.
We also began posting and promoting beautiful Washington state images on Facebook and mentioning member inns in the nearby area. These images have been widely commented upon and shared on Facebook. The idea is to make people want to come to Washington, or specific areas of Washington, and stay at our inns. This is a subtle change from promoting our member inns directly.
 We are currently promoting our March Magic Specials with Facebook Advertisements with ads linking to the WBBG Specials Page. The Specials page has become our most frequently used entry point to WBBG.com by far. We are also promoting individual March Magic specials listed on WBBG.com with Facebook posts. Please let me know if you convert any of these ads to March Magic sales at your inn!
We have proven that Facebook advertising can increase our reach and engagement on Facebook. It can send people to any part of our WBBG.com website and increase the number of eyes on our site. It can even help sell gift certificates.
 And now one last amazing statistic. Facebook is now responsible for 85% of the referral traffic to WBBG.com in February. Prior to these actions Facebook was not in the top 20 referrers. Wow!
We have found a very powerful brand building and cross marketing tool in Facebook and are beginning to manage it effectively. Please let me know if you have any great ideas. I would love to hear them. If you have any questions about our campaigns, please contact me at vpmarketing@wbbg.com. I’m happy to share details of what we have done. I encourage you to use any of these techniques for your own business.
 Dave Petro
VP of Marketing, WBBG
Ravenscroft Inn, Port Townsend
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There is still time to be included in the March Magic Promotion.
See info below and add specials to your WBBG listing today!
What kind of specials are included?
Any special created for your inn via our Specials page will be  featured in our March Magic Promotion. You choose the offer best suited to your business. Please begin your special title with March Magic.
How can I be included?
Just go to your innkeeper login at WBBG.com. Choose Specials at the top of the page and then choose Add a Special from the top left. You can add up to 3 specials. Please begin your special title with March Magic. That is all you need to do!
If you need assistance in loading your Specials info or have additional questions contact
Jill Britt at qa@wqbbg.com
or
Dave Petro at vpmarketing@wbbg.com
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There are two opportunities this spring for innkeepers. If you are interested in networking, discovering new vendors or exploring cutting edge marketing opportunities, consider attending one of these great conferences this spring.
AIHP Knowledge Sharing Summit and Marketplace
When: April 4-6, 2016
Where: Nashville, TN
Join the Association of Independent Hospitality Professionals (AIHP) for the can’t-miss event of 2016. Packing more information into three days than ever imagined, the AIHP Knowledge Sharing Summit and Marketplace gives you the tools to increase your business in the new year.
The featured headliners Steve McKee, Paula Miller, Jennifer Bilbro, and Vikram Singh alone are worth the price of admission.
The AIHP Knowledge Sharing Summit and Marketplace will feature over 50 learning opportunitiesincluding Think Tank problem busting round tables and workshops that span educational paths from everything from Future Innkeepers to Back of the House to Guest Experience to Heads in Beds, plus multiple pre-conference sessions including professionally facilitated state and local association leader event and more.
Learn more HERE
Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild Annual Meeting
When: March 14-15, 2016
Where: Seaside, OR
We have packed these two days with tons of opportunities to learn, connect and improve your business! Check out our schedule below and make plans now to join us at the coast to ready yourself for your BEST YEAR!
Learn more HERE
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Visit the WBBG Member Forum, our private group on Facebook. The Member Forum is a great place to ask questions and get support from other members. If you want to be a participate and did not receive your invitation, please contact Jill Britt at qa@wbbg.com, or Julie McAferty at vpmembership@wbbg.com.
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Bed Voyage
Eco-luxury bamboo bedding
Sharon Stuart and Val Thorkildsen
sharon@bedvoyage.com
425-949-8216
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Heart N Soul Innsitting
Interim Innkeeping
gizlar3@w-link.net
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