The travel industry is very competitive, and hotels are no exception. That's the reason you need an effective and innovative hotel marketing strategy. Many proven hotel marketing ideas are generating tons of interest for the resorts utilizing them right now.
Incorporating several of these strategies into your hotel marketing will help your hotel succeed in the ever-growing travel market.
Virtual Tours and Social Media Hotel Marketing
For many travelers, the act of planning a vacation is almost as fun as taking it. They want to envision themselves relaxing by the pool, eating at trendy restaurants, and getting much-needed rest in their comfortable rooms.
Taking them on a virtual, 360-degree tour of your property is the best way to reach them in that process. When creating this video, be sure to prominently feature all of your best amenities, especially those that make your hotel appear unique compared to the competition.
Beyond the virtual tour is the other reality of sharing images and videos: no one can escape the importance of social media. It certainly involves the clever use of hotel SEO, but there's much more to it than that.
One of the most consistently effective social media strategies is encouraging guests' participation. Create an Instagram-worthy photo spot, and re-post users' content. However, make sure you don't post content just for the sake of posting it though; otherwise, your updates become white noise and end up annoying your followers rather than engaging them.
Appeal to Event Planners
You already know how lucrative booking events and conferences can be, so optimizing your appeal to event planners is a savvy hotel marketing strategy. One common way to do this that is gaining traction is to create a podcast made especially for event planners where your hosts talk about past events you've planned and hosted, what your city offers visitors, and more. A blog or vlog could also work similarly.
You can create easy-to-use templates and guides for event planners that make their job easier. In addition, make it easy for them to get their questions answered through email, phone calls, chatbots, and even text messaging.
Create a Loyalty Rewards Program
Especially if you have multiple properties in various locales, creating a loyalty program can be an incredibly effective way to generate repeat business. This loyalty program also gives you a direct line to your customers by gathering their contact information.
What is more, once you have enrolled someone in your program, there are many ways to engage them, like special offers, contests, affiliate programs, and much more. It can be a fabulous way to boost bookings during your off-season. Finally, make sure you offer loyalty programs for event planners and event attendees. It can help guarantee repeat business year after year.
Provide Local Guides and Cultivate a Local Following
Before booking accommodations, most potential guests will thoroughly research the city or town they're planning to visit. Offering an SEO (search engine optimized) guide is one way to direct more traffic to your website.
SEO for hotels can be tricky because you don't want to crowd your main pages, but you still need to incorporate the correct terms somewhere. Creating a guide to your city is one of the best ways to accomplish this.
Many hotels ignore the untapped potential in their backyards–locals. There are many ways to bring locals in your doors. Open a chic bar or a farm-to-table restaurant featuring locally-sourced cuisine. During your slower season, sell pool or amenities passes.
Also, offer local discounts on rooms. In the last couple of years, many people have been hesitant to travel, opting to take staycations in their cities instead. Once they have a fabulous experience, they will be more likely to refer their out-of-town guests and friends.
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