With the advent of technology, the landscape of the hospitality industry is fast changing. A hotel’s marketing plan holds utmost importance for greater online visibility. Now, modern travelers make booking decisions with quick swipes on mobile apps. How does a hotelier cope with the ever-changing scenario?
The trick is to keep technology at the heart of things and explore innovations. Forward-thinking brands with a sound global marketing strategy for hotels will constantly find themselves in the eye of the travelers.
6 Hotel Marketing Ideas to Connect with the Global Traveler
1) Weave a Compelling Story for your brand
While beginning with a global hotel marketing plan, you need to focus on what sets you apart. A compelling story is what will catch the attention of travelers doing online research to find hotels. Focus on innovative services and talk about them via your online channels. Project your hotel as one with a touch of a difference and market your message aggressively.
2) Build an attractive Website
A hotel’s marketing strategy cannot be complete without focus on the website. This is what gives users a glance of what’s in store for them. Your website must be designed to maximize user experience with all the right information they expect. A booking engine and payment gateway integration is a must to drive direct hotel bookings. Apart from being fast-loading, it must also be optimized for multiple devices. Here’s the rule of thumb- the fewer the clicks, the better it is for you!
3) Best SEO Practices
How would a customer sitting across the world, looking for a type of hotel, find you on the Internet? Search Engine Optimization is what gives a boost to your website to bring it in front of your global customer. With the right SEO practices, your hotel’s website will be highly visible on search engines. A strong focus on relevant keywords, meta descriptions, headings, tags, and more will bring the right audience on your site.
4) Social Media Marketing
It’s easy to dismiss the online buzz, but if you miss it, you run the risk of not being present where your prospective customers are. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other platforms are a great way to connect with the online users. Understand your target group to write your messages accordingly. Focus on visuals, content, videos and your followers to create a social media buzz. Hold contests and engage with the users. And be sure to respond to reviews, irrespective of what the review is.
5) Connect with Global Distribution Systems, OTAs
A Global Distribution System known as the GDS, is vital to your hotel’s marketing plan. It connects service providers with travel agencies. GDS gets your hotel connected with agencies in difficult-to-reach areas which you may not be able to target effectively otherwise. Besides, listings on online travel agencies should also be a part of your marketing plan. OTAs are popular with online users and expedite your room distribution process worldwide.
6) Mobile Marketing
Apart from websites, every hotelier must make the move towards mobile marketing. As more and more bookings happen via smartphones, targeting your audience on the right medium holds importance. Your site must be mobile-optimized and apps must also be a part of the plan. Mobile apps help to build loyalty programs, send updates, receive requests and upsell your services. Remember – as the screen size is smaller, your messages need to be precise and your online booking system must facilitate faster bookings.
Be it to bring in more sales or rebuilding your online branding, a sound global marketing strategy for hotels can make a big difference for every property.
The article was originally published in HotelNewsResource.
