As some of you may know, I am a Luxury Lifestyle Travel Agent. I concentrate specifically on high-end luxury properties ~ Four Seasons, Ritz, unique boutique hotels, cruises, tours, etc. In the past, on this site, I have highlighted some of the properties I have stayed at and people seem to have enjoyed seeing them.
Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Cabo San Lucas
I receive promotions for luxury properties that I have considered posting but I don’t know if that is something people want to see here. So here’s my dilemma, I have been wondering if I should start another blog (not that I need another social media site to manage) ~ Saratoga Travel ~ that would solely concentrate on highlighting luxury properties and promotions for hotels, cruises, tours, etc.
If I chose to start a new blog, it would not be as active as this one, it would be occasional property highlights, updates and offers. I am not a typical retail travel agent, so I would only be interested in booking whatever promotion is being highlighted at the time.
So I thought I would take a poll to get your opinion on this issue because I do not want anyone to be turned off by seeing promotions on this site…but then again, maybe you guys don’t care, in which case, it would save me the trouble of managing another blog. 
You guys would be doing me a huge favor if you could honestly vote below and let me know your thoughts about this.
Thanks so much for your continued support and input. (FYI ~ this poll is anonymous, so I do not see how someone votes.)
I didn’t know you were a travel agent! I’ve been a corporate travel agent 22 years. I love to see the properties on this blog.
Wow, 22 years – congrats. I am a home-based agent with a very select clientele so I am not your typical retail travel agent. I even still dabble a few days a week at a commercial interior design firm, which was my original career occupation out of college. I have been doing the travel for probably about 7 years now and it’s been very enjoyable.
I think it would be fine to include those on this blog. It would just add to the beautiful stuff you bring already!
That’s really nice, Michael. I just don’t want the promotions to turn anyone off, but I would definitely try to keep them to a minimum and tastefully done.
I think you can do it. I use 2010 theme on mine and I see features you have that I can not incorporate on it. I have had the same thought, but one feeds the other on my site (buss/photo & blog/web). Static sites are just that and very boring. I still have to fine tune my site and for what you pay, I am happy. patcoconsulting on google
Thanks for your input. I’ll have to give this all some thought.
I’d say use this current blog, having started several blogs myself it can be taxing to run them all and inevitably some will take a back seat. The occasional post here in a separate category will be welcome I’m sure.
Thanks for your comment and i appreciate the honesty on having several blogs, that is one of my concerns. Someone below suggested a new page on this blog and that might be an answer for now.
P.S. – FYI: SEO-I had a tip the other day from a client. do you have a LinkedIn account? Do you have a Facebook business account? Put links in each of these to connect to the other two and BAM! It will push your ratings SEO/spiders/search engines. Good for marketing.
yes, I do already have this blog linked with my other accounts. It is very convenient.
I have 2 blogs myself and one of which is dedicated to high end properties in Costa Rica. I personally prefer having 2 blogs because they are targeted to different people. Now, you can pretty much link everything: facebook, twitter, linkedin etc so you just make the blog post and it comes of all these social medias. It saves you a lot of time and it is directed to your target market especially if you are hoping to increase your business with the new blog. Good luck!
You have a really good point about the blogs having different targeted markets. Someone below suggested a page on this site which is a good idea but doesn’t solve the target market issue. Hmmm…..
I would suggest to have links from your current blog to your new one as much as you can, this way you can redirect traffic. Also, from time to time you can quote one blog to the other. That’s how I have been doing it and it was pretty successful. Good luck!
I just followed your blog so I can keep an eye on what you’re doing!
Thanks for all the input ~ greatly appreciated.
Maybe instead of creating another blog, you can add another page here?
I didn’t even think of this idea. It is a really good idea. The person above you made the comment about having different target markets which is why two blogs might find better followings for each category but I do really like the page idea. I might consider starting with the page idea and if it doesn’t find a following then switch to its own blog. Thanks for sharing.
Glad I helped in a way or another
I see advertising/promos in every tiny little spot on the Web, TV, radio… Ad-free is a good thing. Your site is always so interesting and not congested as is. But that’s the minimalist in me.
I sincerely appreciate your honesty! As someone suggested above, if i do keep it here, I may just make a new page and put the stuff there. That way you don’t have to see it unless you want to. A lot to think about.
Susan you have such a beautiful sense of style, I don’t think most people would realize it was a promotion and would simply enjoy sampling pictures of a fabulous resort. I know I will!
That’s really sweet Elisa, thank you. I have a lot to consider.
I think you could add to this blog…it would be interesting to see the properties…I always enjoy your photos and blog.
Thank you so much. Some people have made some good suggestions so I have some things to think about but I sincerely appreciate your support.
I do not mind the promotional postings and those postings always make me dream about living the millionaire/billonaire lifestyle:) Keep it up and do not add more to your plate than necessary; here to ENJOY LIFE not Fight It! Have a Wonderful Day:)
You’re funny! Yes, some of those resorts are just a dream for some of us but it is fun to dream.
If its occasional then I would say post it here… but the keyword is occasional
Yeah, that’s what I need to decide is how I’m going to follow through. I sincerely appreciate your honesty. Thank you.
I didin’t know you were a travel agent. I think it would be fun to see what you’re promoting. Love your blog!
Thank you so much. I am a home-based agent so I operate a little different than a standard retail agent. That’s why I need to decide how I want to get my information across…so much to think about!
If your promotion posts are anything like what we’re used to seeing here, there’s no doubt they’ll be classy and enjoyable – and being only occasional, even if they weren’t… we wouldn’t run away.
There goes my anonymity.
haha! After going through these comments, I’m thinking I will probably do a separate page here or a separate blog. That way it wouldn’t be a significant change to this blog. Thanks for your input.
Susan, my suggestion is to add a page to this blog to cover the travel. The best of both worlds. Though luxury places are good to dream about, I would miss your everyday photos which are always enchanting. Just my opinion….:D
I may be leaning this way. I honestly didn’t think of this option and it is a nice compromise. Thanks!
I would use the same blog. I know how time consuming it is to administer 2 blogs and it would take away from one to support the other
Thank you so much for your input. All these comments have really helped me process through this. What a wonderful, support community this is! Thank you so much!
I certainly enjoy your posts, your thoughts, and occasional promotions would be welcome. It’s great to see the variety you offer at this site – these would add to that variety.
Thanks for your input. I by no means want to turn this into a blatant advertising blog so the page option is sounding like a nice compromise.
If you’re looking for an example of a site that incorporates what you are talking about and a whole lot more, take a look at Bucket List Publications dot com. They/she, Lesley Carter, started out as a blog which quickly blossomed and has grown into so much more. She also owns her site, so I think that adding sales to your blog is fine. I’ve seen it done in so many other aspects, e.g. Adobe (it also has a training blog), Articulate (also has a blog). Basically, it’s an extension of you and what you do.
thank you so much for your great info. I am familiar with Lesley and her blog, she has done an amazing job. Her format is a little different, mine would be more “direct sales” but I’m liking the adding a page option some people have mentioned. I have to give this all some thought but thank you so much!
Why not? I would like to see this kind of information! You could always add it as a page to this blog. But if you want something completely separate, it actually isn’t that bad. I have three blogs and they all roll easily into the same WP account and personal yahoo email account. It really isn’t more work having three blogs (one is inactive now). So if you feel it should be a different space, I’d create a separate blog with links on your main blog and using the same email address for correspondence. Then recommend to your readers to subscribe to both, if they want.
Thanks for your comment. Good to know you manage several blogs. I do like the page idea as well. I will have to give this some thought. Thanks for your input!
The only problem I found with the page idea is when a new post is published no one knows. It isn’t sent out via email. Thus readers have to remember to go to your site and look at the pages. I don’t know if my pages really get a ton of traffic. This is why I started the second blog thethirdeyeworld to only do photo posts. Good luck! I’m sure whatever you do will be great as your blog definitely “dazzles!”
Nicole
Yeah, that is the pro and con to the page. The pro being the people who don’t want to see the ads won’t have to but the con being that people who might be interested won’t see it. I really appreciate your comments. I still have some thinking to do but after sleeping on it last night, I think I did shift a little and am now leaning towards a separate blog because I could do so much more with it that way. I wouldn’t update it daily like I do this one, it would probably be weekly so the maintenance shouldn’t be too bad.
I think a separate page might work also. Juggling a number of blogs becomes cumbersome and time-consuming. It also gives your readers the choice as to whether to view the listings or not. Interesting dilemma.
The page is looking like a good idea. I really appreciate your comment, thank you so much.
Susan…I’m late. I can hardly keep up with one blog! I can’t imagine two! Even though I’m not in the category of your clients….I love to see the properties. I say stick to one blog!
I love to see all your images. You have such a great sense of design and style. Bring it on!