The Power of Now in Customer Reviews

User-generated content (UGC) is no enemy of good-quality website content. There are some potential pitfalls to keep in mind when enabling UGC, such as whether or not you manually moderate pending posts, but in general allowing UGC can be a good way to build relevant content on your website.

One big benefit of UGC is its diversity. You can receive comments, feedback and customer reviews from all ages and ethnicities, genders and socioeconomic groups. By comparing the features and characteristics of different comments, there's a lot you can learn.

And that's what a team led by Grant Packard, Associate Professor at the Schulich School of Business at York University, Toronto, have done. Their study in the Journal of Consumer Research looks at over half a million online reviews with one question in mind: Is it better to write in past or present tense?

Getting Hospitality Marketing Ready for Day One

James Mason, CEO of Welcome to Yorkshire, appeared across the BBC in the past few days to urge hospitality businesses in the north to prepare for 'Day One'.

In interviews on BBC Breakfast on May 17th and on BBC Radio Humberside's David Burns show on May 18th, he explained that different hospitality premises might be given permission to reopen at different times - but Day One is coming for all.

Speaking to Radio Humberside local legend Burnsy, he added that the two key words for hospitality marketing right now are 'confidence' and 'trust'.

'Day One is coming'

"We know that Day One is coming for everyone. If you're a bed & breakfast owner you can prepare your messaging, you can make sure that your marketing is right and say 'Listen, if you're concerned about having breakfast down in a common room, maybe we can deliver to your bedroom,' etc."

- James Mason, CEO Welcome to Yorkshire, BBC Radio Humberside, May 18th 2020

The date when lockdown is lifted may differ for different businesses - for instance, outdoor venues like campsites and caravan parks could find they are allowed to open ahead of more confined spaces like hotels and guest houses.

But the day is coming and it's important for hospitality marketing in Yorkshire and across the north of England to be ready to capitalise on any opportunities that lie ahead.