In the second part of our series on timeshare in 2010, we talk to Brooke Doucha, senior manager of corporate communications at Orange Lake Resorts in the US.

Alert! Alert! Positive timeshare positioning is just 5 steps away.

Brooke Doucha

When Sue McNicol, Head of Operations for RDO (Resort Development Organisation) in the United Kingdom visited our Orlando location in June, we mused over the term “timeshare.” We asked how we could positively educate today’s consumer media, and in turn, potential guests, to reverse the sometimes-negative perceptions our industry carries. Sue and I agreed that as one unified voice, there’s much that industry professionals can do to—excuse the tongue-twister—perpetuate positive perception. While she’s shared her view from the UK post, here’s my account.

As part of our media monitoring efforts here at Holiday Inn Club Vacations, we use trusty Google Alerts, which pings us via e-mail when our brand name appears online. A few months ago, to keep abreast of happenings within our industry, we added the word “timeshare” to these alerts.

What we discovered, in short, were negative posts regarding timeshare, much of the comments about perceptions rather than experiences. With an 86% product approval rating from timeshare owners, according to ARDA, and strength in our numbers as an industry, we can make a difference and overcome these impressions.

We know that it’s impossible for our industry to respond as one voice to each and every posting.

So, here’s 5 simple tactics to help foster positive impressions:

1. Continue to share your growth stories. Communicating your company’s growth and expansion with your key media contacts helps strengthen our industry’s image as one that’s resilient. Are you extending your resort network? Developing a new partnership that will benefit your owners and guests? Hiring in large numbers?  Welcoming an executive or creating an innovative team? That’s news worth sharing.
2. Be a place where people want to work. Use your mission and values statement and make it come alive by ensuring it’s active in your company through your employees. Also, empower your employees to be their best every day. Then, get creative about telling others why you’re a great place to work, whether through the recruitment pages of your website or via the social networks you use as a company. Once you’re there, apply for accolades as a “best place to work.” Owners and guests feel good when they know their vacation resort’s employees are happy and treated well.
3. Invite media to experience your property with their family or friends. There’s no better way to explain our product than to experience it. A great tactic to help consumers new to the timeshare concept understand it is to invite journalists to your resort for a visit with their family. They’ll make memories together that couldn’t be pitched by even the most savvy of PR professionals—and they’ll share it with their readers. And, if you offer a rental program, this will help media spread the word about it to consumers.
4. Stay true to your sales process. When your company decides on a standard sales tour experience for your customer, stick to it. The experience should be positive, personable but professional, and consistent with each guest from “hello” to “goodbye,” whether the guest decides to purchase or not.
5. Work on your network. Our industry is lucky enough to have a tight network of talented professionals. Connect with them via LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook—or even plain old e-mail or phone. The more we know each other, the more we can learn and better our industry together.

I should note that many of the Google Alerts that made our inbox featured positive information, like those from ARDA, studies about timeshare performance, or news from the voices of our industry, like Resort Trades, Jason Tremblay at The Timeshare Authority blog, Sharon Drechsler, AskMANDO.com and others. In addition to using the 5 steps here, when you see news like this, spread it; you’ll do a great service to our industry.

Until then, share with RCIVentures.com what you’re doing to spread positive “Alerts!” about your company and the industry.

Brooke Doucha manages corporate communications and media relations for Orange Lake Resorts, home to Holiday Inn Club Vacations.