Security Studies, Social Strategies, and Statistics
This week we’ll highlight three articles from around the web involving technology, travel and industry news to keep you informed and help your business. Have suggestions on specific topics on which you’d like the BusRates.com team to offer advice? Let us know in the comments on the left.
Can Bus Technology be Compromised?
WiFi has become an often requested amenity aboard charter buses in the past few years as passengers bring along smart phones, tablets and laptops to stay connected and entertained for long trips. However, the mobile access point that enables users to connect wirelessly isn’t the only computer network on-board your motorcoach.
Computerized sensors relay messages to your dashboard, but when hackers gain remote access, how much control can they impart to the vehicle?
University studies and defense grants from the Pentagon produced demonstrative evidence that computer hackers can not only gain access to a vehicle’s on-board computers, but also tamper with the vehicle’s systems. The implications of such a security breach have the potential to be devastating. Are we nearing a time in which we’ll need to firewall our vehicles? Find the full article with vehicle manufacturer replies and insight over at ShopBuses.com.
Google+ Tips and Tricks
The social network site Google+ continues to grow with its most recent set of updates, but figuring out the best ways to accomplish certain tasks such as saving, formatting and seeing who has shared your posts can be trial and error at first. The +1 system and its relation to Google’s organic placement metrics are reason enough to forge ahead for familiarity with Google+ (check out our own overview of Google+ and its importance for motorcoach operators), but if you need a helping hand, the personal productivity weblog LifeHacker.com has compiled fifteen Google+ “tricks” that can turn you from a novice into a pro. Click through to find all fifteen Google+ tips.
Link Tracking for Advertising Campaigns
Tracking visitors from online advertising ventures helps determine a return on investment and is an essential tool in making smart decisions on advertising (BusRates.com provides 24/7 tracking for members’ profiles). While many motorcoach companies are familiar with setting up custom phone numbers to determine how callers find their company, link tracking is often under-utilized in advertising campaigns despite its simplicity.
Tracking visitors from ad campaigns is a key component to a confident ROI.
Popular URL shortening services such as Bit.ly provide free, easy-to-use tracking statistics on links and can let you know exactly how many unique visitors you received through the exchange. These URL shorteners offer simple sufficient tracking. However, in printed materials such as newspapers or flyers, an URL that’s easy to remember and reinforces your brand is ideal for marketing. Most URL shorteners consist of a string of letters and numbers, which is insufficient to be memorable enough for customers. In addition, many print, radio or television campaigns demand more sophisticated methods of tracking.
If you’re looking for more in-depth demographics, turn to Google Analytics for campaign tracking. To implement an “offline” strategy like a newspaper ad, a redirect from a custom domain is your best choice. Take a look at Rand Group’s overview of tracking offline campaigns using Google Analytics for a rundown.
