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With all the hotels popping up in every popular vacation destination, it’s no surprise that many of them are competing for the same group of customers. Therefore, it’s increasingly important for hotels to differentiate themselves and make it clear to customers that they are the best choice.
Here are seven techniques your hotel should integrate into your marketing strategy to stay ahead of the curve:
Prioritize your website
It’s the digital age, after all. Consumers expect a functional, attractive website that is easy to navigate. If yours isn’t, they’ll move on to your competition. You should be able to tell the story of your hotel on your website. Include photos of the rooms and of the other amenities. List the prices. Of course, make sure that your booking engine is effective and easy to use.
Try to make the entire booking process as simple and pain-free as possible. Minimize the clicks it takes to book a room, and optimize your website so that the load speed is as low as possible. Make sure your website offers the same user experience to visitors regardless of what device they are using.
Use white-hat SEO tactics
Your website isn’t worth much if it isn’t visible. It’s crucial that you make SEO a part of your marketing strategy so that you can increase your website’s visibility and generate high-quality leads.
It’s important that you use white-hat SEO tactics. These practices may take longer to yield results, but those results will be much more lasting and beneficial.
Remember to frequently review your keywords to ensure that they are relevant and effective. Make sure your images have captions and your business listings are consistent. Set up your Google My Business page for local search results, and of course, regularly write and publish quality content.
Stand out with your Unique Selling Proposition
You want to be different, remember? Figure out what makes your hotel unique and use it to market.
Perhaps you have a spectacular view or a fascinating origin story. Maybe your customer service is superior or you’ve got a unique theme. Whatever it is, figure out what your USP is, then leverage it to your advantage. It should be something that will make potential guests choose you over your competitors.
Partner with third party travel agents
Online travel agents such as Booking.com and Expedia are extremely popular ways to book accommodation. Guests enjoy using them because they can view several potential hotels from a single site and easily compare prices. The booking and payment processes are made simple, as well. Most guests booking with mobile devices book through these online travel agents.
It would do you good to make sure your hotel is listed on the popular online travel agent sites. You get increased visibility and increased mobile sales. It’s a win-win!
Be intentional with your social media channels
Too many hotels create social media pages, upload a few photos, and just leave it there for weeks at a time. In this day and age, social media is one of the best inbound marketing tools out there. Several social media platforms have their own built-in advertising systems such as Facebook Ads or Instagram Ads. These are great ways to reach a highly targeted group of people without them even having to actively search for you.
In the hospitality industry, interaction is important and reputation is key. Social media is a great way to establish a good online reputation and interact with your guests and prospects.
It’s important to remember to be consistent with social media. Don’t just leave it there. Make a point of updating it frequently so people are reminded that you are out there creating great content just for them.
Have a content marketing strategy
Content is a big part of your entire digital marketing strategy. Whether you’re looking for results on your SEO or your social media, content will make a difference. Make sure you have a content marketing strategy that works for you. Whether you choose to create all the content yourself or outsource, you should always have content on-hand to keep your digital channels updated regularly.
Photos, videos, blogs, guest posts, and infographics are a few examples of the many types of content you can create. Just make sure that it is interesting, relevant, useful, and shareable and you’ll definitely see results!
In Conclusion
The business world is increasingly competitive, and the hotel industry is no different. To ensure that you can set yourself apart from the others, it’s important for you to use strong marketing techniques that will streamline the booking process, get you organically ranked on search engine results, be found on OTA, and stand out with your USP.
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