Blog Submission Guidelines

Introduction

As a professional body, the HMA is very conscious of the fact that blog articles which are published on their website or blog, regardless of the author, need to follow certain guidelines, in order to protect the brand integrity and values of the organisation.

Articles will fall into 3 broad categories and as such there are slightly different guidelines for each. These categories are:

Articles written by members of the HMA committee & HMA / HOSPA support teams
Articles written by HMA or HOSPA sponsors
Articles submitted and written by 3rd parties.

Thus the reader will be aware if they are in essence reading content that has the ulterior motive of promoting a certain company or product, and as such would not count as being impartial, nor would any facts necessarily be substantiated except from the perspective and experiences of the particular company or third party. The purpose of doing this is two-fold. Firstly we want to make it easier for sponsors and third parties to submit blog content without having to follow the kind of strict guidelines that we previously had in place. Secondly we want students and other readers to be aware as to which content may come from a very particular perspective i.e. it wouldn’t necessarily withstand academic scrutiny.

Basic Guidelines

The article title must state the topic being covered i.e. clickbait titles will not be allowed. Include date, author’s name & organisation.
All articles must be a minimum of 500 words & a maximum of 1500 words , excluding the introductory paragraph, author biography and sponsor / third party description, plus tables/charts/data if relevant.
Articles should be written in good English and words /names spelled out in full the first time they are used e.g. Hotel Marketing Association (HMA), Property Management System (PMS)
Articles should be about the UK hotel industry and UK marketing. Marketing should be the main focus.
Only official HMA sponsors can mention their company name or products within the body of the article.
The article should make it clear up front if it is an opinion piece, in which case facts and figures will not necessarily be required to substantiate that view. Or covering a specific topic, in which case data and references should be included to substantiate the facts.
Articles should avoid generalisations, without substantiation e.g. saying ‘the UK hotel industry is booming’ would require some figures or sources to support this.
The article should be exclusive to the HMA i.e. not an article that is also published elsewhere. It is however acceptable for this to be a condensed version of a longer article that has been published elsewhere, so long as this is referenced.
External links to commercial websites will only be allowed in articles submitted by official HMA sponsors.
The preferred sections and content are as follows:
Introduction
In the case of a sponsor or third party the first thing this should say is one of the following:
This article has been written by XX as an employee of XX, a sponsor of the Hotel Marketing Association and as such does represent our specific views. It may make reference to our products and services, as relevant.
This article has been written by XX of XX (company or establishment). (Then explain your position and experience and how you are qualified to have written this piece for the HMA blog. Declare any commercial interests.
The Introduction should briefly explain what this piece is about and the conclusions reached.
Background
This section sets the scene and gives the context for what follows. It also helps to ensure that the rest of the article can’t be misunderstood or taken out of context. Typically a couple of paragraphs.
The Main Body of the piece
This should potentially have several headings and follow a logical thought process, to take the reader on a journey. Where relevant, please reference any facts and figures with a small number and then present a list of these references at the end.
The purpose of the blog may be to present the reader with a viewpoint that they may not have previously considered, or to enlighten them as to something new in marketing, or to discuss current and emerging trends in marketing.
NOTE: Only in the case of a sponsor can it explain how a certain product or services may help the reader with their Marketing.
Conclusion
This is where the author clarifies either what conclusions they reach from holding the opinions they do or the conclusions that evolve from the information they have presented.
NOTE: only in the case of a sponsor can it conclude the benefits of a certain product or service.
If the reader were to just read the Introduction, Background and Conclusion they would learn enough to make them want to know more!
Author
Details of the author will preferably include their current title and employee, as well as relevant qualifications and experience. The latter is especially important for articles from sponsors, so that the readers can appreciate that the article is still educational in its own right, regardless of a potential sponsorship bias.
Disclaimer
Please add: This article represents the views of the author, and may only be reproduced in part or in full so long as full credit is given to both the author and the Hotel Marketing Association.
Sponsors
At the end of the article an official HMA sponsor can then add a para describing their company and services plus a link to their website.

Submission of Blog Articles

Please email to emily.karim@hospa.org
Within 7 working days you will either receive feedback or confirmation that the article is being added to the HMA blog. At that point we will also ask you to email / Dropbox the featured image for the article plus others that you would like including. For sponsors, these may include their logos and branding, but this will not be permitted for other parties.
We will endeavour to review and publish articles as speedily as possible.
We will notify you when the article has been published, so that you can promote it on your Social Media channels and we will do likewise.