Delivering an effective hotel marketing strategy
by EKATERINA VLAD
THIS IS THE CONCLUDING PART OF A TWO-PART ARTICLE. CLICK HERE. FOR PART ONE.
Following part one of this series – in which we looked at understanding target audience and choosing the best strategy – here, we’ll explore the importance of branding and the role of digital marketing.
Branding is a critical aspect of hotel marketing. It helps to create a recognizable identity for the hotel and differentiate it from competitors. Hotels should strive to create a unique brand image that resonates with their target audience and represents the values of the company.
DEVELOPING A UNIQUE BRAND IDENTITY
Creating a unique brand identity is a key stepping stone for a successful hotel marketing. Hotels should develop a clear and consistent message that aligns with their values and engages their target audience. Hotels should strive to create appealing visual elements such as logos, color palettes, and fonts that are memorable and recognizable. This will help build a unique brand identity and make the hotel stand out from the competition while ensuring customers easily recognize and remember the brand.
CONSISTENCY ACROSS ALL TOUCHPOINTS
Hotels also should be consistent when it comes to branding across all touchpoints of interaction with their potential and current customers. This includes ensuring the same brand message, visuals, and tone of voice are used in all forms of communication, such as websites, social media, and email campaigns. Branding should be applied consistently to all materials such as stationery, packaging, and signage.
BUILDING BRAND RECOGNITION AND LOYALTY
Finally, hotels should strive to build brand recognition and loyalty through their marketing efforts. This can be done by providing exceptional customer service, offering unique experiences, and engaging with customers on a personal level. Additionally, hotels can leverage social media platforms to foster customer engagement, interact with customers, and help build a brand that people learn to recognize and trust.
According to Gartner, marketing budgets steadily decrease in all industries, and hospitality is not an exception. In this case, digital marketing becomes a particularly powerful tool that hotels can use to reach more potential customers and to keep their spendings under control. Hotels can use various digital channels to gain visibility, build brand awareness, and acquire more customers.
Here are five digital marketing strategies to consider.
Building a strong website
A strong website presence is essential for hotels. Websites should give users an intuitive and visually appealing experience that drives conversions. As well as considering a user’s desktop experience, hotels need mobile optimization, as 50% of accommodation searches and bookings are made on mobile devices (according to Booking.com). Websites should be updated regularly to ensure content is relevant, fresh, and engaging. This can be done through content marketing, for example, by adding new blog posts, images, or videos. Chatbots can be used to provide a more personalized experience and answer customer queries quickly. Booking engine systems should also be efficient and easy to use.
Using social media effectively
Social media platforms are great ways for hotels to engage with customers and create brand awareness. These platforms often are used to share engaging content and participate in conversations with customers. Hotels also can use social media to advertise their services and offers. It also could be effective to further leverage the power of social media by moving into influencer marketing. This involves partnering with social media influencers to increase visibility, build brand recognition, and attract new customers.
Leveraging email marketing
Email marketing is a great way for hotels to stay in touch with customers and build relationships. Hotels can use email campaigns to share informative content, provide discounts and other offers, and promote upcoming events. Hosting events and experiences can help hotels attract more customers and build relationships with local communities. Some examples of such events include music festivals, conferences, culinary events, or art exhibitions. These events can lead to memorable experiences for guests and boost hotel sales.
Building partnerships and collaborations
Hotels should seek to build relationships with local businesses and organizations to create mutually beneficial partnerships. This can include sponsorships, discounts, or promotions for both parties. A hotel could collaborate with businesses such as museums, theaters, restaurants, and tourist attractions. They also can create joint promotions and packages with other businesses to offer customers a unique experience. For example, partnering with a local restaurant to offer its guests a discounted meal. Or a hotel could create a package with local attractions such as theme parks or spas. This would benefit both businesses as it would drive more customers and increase brand recognition for both parties.
Utilizing search engine optimization (SEO)
SEO is an effective way for hotels to improve their visibility on search engine result pages. SEO involves optimizing content, website structure, and meta tags to ensure websites get ranked higher in search engine results. Hotels should use targeted keywords and local SEO requirements to ensure their website content is relevant and easily discovered by search engines and, as a result, their target audience.
Measuring the success of digital marketing efforts is essential to ensure the right people are being reached and a positive brand image is being created. Hotels should set marketing goals and KPIs to help track the success of their campaigns. This could include monitoring website visits, sign-ups, conversions, or social media engagement. Metrics such as website visits, page views, click-through rates, and conversions also can be tracked to understand how campaigns are performing. This data can help hotels identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions about their future strategies.
Ekaterina Vlad is a senior lecturer in marketing at Les Roches.
