July 10, 2006 was an ordinary day for most of you but for Green Lodging News it was a very important day—the first day of publication. I am excited to celebrate Green Lodging News’ third birthday. It is hard to believe that so much time has gone by. Actually, Green Lodging News has been a four-year venture for me; it took a year of planning to get the publication up and running. Its success is the result of a lot of hard work and a lot of support from its readers and advertisers. Thank you to all of you for helping to make Green Lodging News a success!
At a time when our industry’s print trade publications are shrinking in size, Green Lodging News is growing. Last month (June), the website welcomed more than 36,000 total visitors and generated 126,861 page views. The weekly newsletter that you receive each Monday now reaches thousands of subscribers. The Green Supplier Spotlight that is distributed each Wednesday morning has been a great success. I take pride in generating the type of news content that you will not find anywhere else in our industry. I also take pride in making sure that those companies that advertise in Green Lodging News reach a very targeted audience—industry representatives interested in creating smart, green, well run establishments with a heart.
Google ranks websites by importance from one to 10, with 10 being the highest. Green Lodging News currently ranks a “6,” tied with three other publications for the top spot in our industry: Hotel Online, Hospitality Net, and Hotel News Now. The high ranking is due, in part, to the more than 100 websites that now link to the Green Lodging News site. I also have to thank partners such as Hotel News Resource and PlannerWire for distributing Green Lodging News content. And, thank you also to the many Green Lodging News cheerleaders out there who frequently direct new people to the site.
A ‘Go To’ Place for Green News
My goal for year four is to continue to work hard to make Green Lodging News a valuable resource—the “go to” place on the Web for green industry news, the No. 1 site to find green products and services, and the leading portal for social networking via guest columns, blogging, Twitter, and video. Here is how you can help to grow Green Lodging News in the coming year:
• Tell at least one colleague or industry contact about the publication and encourage that person to subscribe to the Green Lodging News newsletter. The subscription form is in the upper right corner of the website.
• Keep Green Lodging News apprised of environment-related news developments in your organization. Either call me at (440) 243-2055, or e-mail editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
• If you are a supplier of green products, be sure to send me your latest press releases. It is amazing how many companies do not do this. Also, has your company ever created a video to market its products or services? If you have, or even if you have not but would like to consider the idea, contact me. I would love to create a section on the Green Lodging News site for vendor videos.
• If your company sells green products or services but is not currently part of the Green Product & Service Directory, contact me. There are not many places where you can reach 36,000 visitors a month for just $20/month ($240/year). Also be sure to consider Green Lodging News’ other affordable advertising opportunities. (Be sure to plan months in advance; the most prominent ad spots sell fast.)
• If you feel passionate about a green issue or would like to help educate our industry about a particular topic, consider writing a guest column. Contact me first to discuss your ideas.
• Finally, if you have any suggestions whatsoever that you believe will help improve Green Lodging News, please let me know. Thank you again for all of your support. Have a great, green second half to 2009.
Green Lodging News Advertising
Green Lodging News ad spots are selling fast. Be sure to call me at (440) 243-2055 to discuss your advertising plans for the remainder of 2009. A 2009 media kit is now available by request or by clicking here. A 2010 kit will be available soon. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Green Lodging News Blog & Twitter
Be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. The address for the blog is http://greenlodgingnews.blogspot.com. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also now on Twitter. To follow my postings, go to http://twitter.com/greenlodging. Be sure to add Green Lodging News to those tweets that you follow. Green Lodging News now has 146 Twitter followers.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
