services

Hi! I’m Keith.

Since launching the Velvet Escape travel blog in December 2008, I’ve gained a wealth of experience in creating travel content that reflect the experience, and utilising social media channels for marketing and networking purposes. Via Twitter, facebook and LinkedIn, I’ve built an extensive network of contacts in the travel and hospitality industry, travel writers and bloggers, editors, columnists and social media experts across the world. Velvet Escape is recognised as one of the most influential names in online travel with an extensive Twitter Reach.

Please scroll down to view Velvet Escape stats and facts, parties I’ve worked with, as well as the services I provide, or download the Velvet Escape Media Kit.

Velvet Escape stats* & facts

  • Google page rank: 4
  • Average monthly page views: 120,000+
  • Average monthly unique visitors: 32,000+
  • Alexa rankings (approximate): 60,000+ (worldwide). According to Alexa, VE visitors view an average of 8 unique pages per day. Visitors to the site spend approximately eight minutes per visit to the site and 70 seconds per pageview. The VE site enjoys a high traffic rank in, amongst others, the Netherlands, Canada, UK, Italy, USA, Australia, Malaysia, South Korea and India. For current info, visit Alexa.
  • Audience: The VE blog is read in more than 150 countries. 80% of the VE audience resides in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, India, Italy, Malaysia and Singapore whilst the readership base in Brazil, Russia, Indonesia and South Africa is expanding rapidly. About 60% of readers are female, highly-educated and belong to the middle- and upper income groups.
  • Velvet Escape is a Featured Lonely Planet and Visit Britain blogger.
  • Velvet Escape can be found in the Google US top-100 travel sites; Top-100 independent travel blogs; Best of 2010 Travel Blog Awards; Journeywoman’s Gold Star blogs.
  • Velvet Escape has collaborated with the tourism boards of Jordan, Catalonia, Finland, Valencia, Birmingham, Costa Brava, Asturias, Sabah (Malaysian Borneo) and Malaysia; and amongst others with Mandarin Oriental Hotels, Splendia Hotels, Thomas Cook Travel, bmi baby, Inner Sea Discoveries, British Post Office, Virgin Atlantic and Creative Tourist Manchester. These collaborations include sponsored blog trips, social media campaigns and/or sponsored posts.
  • Interviews, referrals, guest posts and other media mentions can be found on Media.

*Stats: sourced from Google Analytics unless otherwise stated – Q2 2012.

Velvet Escape Services

Marketing campaigns

iambassador © by Velvet Escape is an innovative marketing model which effectively harnesses the value that travel bloggers can deliver through their blogs and social networks. The iambassador model involves a collaboration between travel bloggers and tourism boards, tour operators, cruise companies, airlines and/or hotel chains to market a specific destination or travel theme (adventure, cruises, gastronomy, safaris, city trips or beach holidays to name a few). The model is designed to create a social media campaign centred on the destination/theme and increase brand visibility of the sponsors. Visit iambassador for more information.

Advertising

Readership and online influence continue to grow, making Velvet Escape an excellent advertising opportunity for travel-related businesses. A variety of advertising options are offered:

  • Sponsorship package – Become an official sponsor of Velvet Escape. The sponsorship package includes product endorsements both online and offline (as a brand ambassador), blog posts and banners
  • Features – place your brand on regular VE Features (themes include destinations, travel experiences & activities)
  • Banners – various sizes are accepted both site-wide or on individual pages
  • Sponsoring – become a sponsor of any upcoming VE post
  • Guest posts – sponsored guest posts are accepted subject to VE editorial guidelines
  • Product reviews – sponsored product reviews are accepted subject to VE editorial conditions
  • Please inquire for VE packages and rates

Blog trips

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Posing with the master chef Ferran Adría (image courtesy of Tripwolf)

I have extensive experience in successfully promoting destinations, hotels, tours and restaurants on sponsored blog trips. My contributions to these blog trips include ‘real-time’ marketing (utilising my social networks to gain coverage during the trip), blog posts and speaking about social media with local businesses. Blog trips I’ve been on include:

  • Catalonia, Spain (Dec. 2009)
  • Sabah, Malaysia (March 2010)
  • Valencia Formula One (June 2010)
  • Hong Kong (Jan. 2011)
  • Tuscany (March 2011)
  • Asturias, Spain (April, 2011)
  • Costa Brava, Spain (May 2011)
  • Alaska, USA (June 2011)
  • Innsbruck/Tyrol, Austria (Aug. 2011)
  • Alberta, Canada (Sept. 2011)
  • Jordan (Oct. 2011)
  • Lapland, Finland (Feb. 2012)
  • Abruzzo, Italy (April 2012)
  • Costa Brava, Spain (May 2012)
  • Nova Scotia, Canada (June 2012)

Public Speaking & Seminars

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Presenting my keynote at EIBTUR, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil (image courtesy of Alex Lop)

I am also available to speak at conferences or conduct seminars on utilising social media for branding, networking and marketing purposes; travel blogging (branding, monetising, working with travel bloggers); my experiences in promoting destinations via social media and blogging; and inspiration/empowerment and career change. Speaking engagements in 2012 include:

  • Keynote speaker at ITB Berlin (March 2012). View my keynote here.
  • Travel Bloggers Unite Umbria, Italy (March 2012)
  • GoMedia, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada (May 2012)
  • Foz International Tourism, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil (June 2012)
  • Emerce travel, Netherlands (June 2012)
  • Getaway travel bloggers conference, Cape Town (August 2012)
  • Travel Bloggers Exchange (TBEX), Girona, Spain (Sept. 2012)
  • World Travel Monitor Pisa Forum, Pisa (Oct. 2012)
  • TEDxSaxion, Netherlands (Nov. 2012)

Previous speaking engagements included:

  • Blue Badges tour guides, London (February 2011)
  • Travel Bloggers Unite, Manchester (March 2011)
  • Social Media, Girona (May 2011)
  • Travel Bloggers Unite, Innsbruck (August 2011)
  • Go Media Canada, Edmonton (September 2011)
  • World Travel Market, London (November, 2011)

Should you be interested in any of my Velvet Escape services, if you have a business or sponsorship proposal, or if you are interested in advertising possibilities, please get in touch with me via this contact form.

In addition to Velvet Escape, I also maintain a social media advisory site, Velvet Connect. Please visit my Velvet Connect Services page to find out more about my social media and blogging advisory services such as one-on-one tutorials, workshops and seminars.

I also co-founded the Global Bloggers Network which aims to help individual and corporate travel bloggers grow their blogs through webinars, expert advice and tips, marketing and coaching services.

Thank you!