As a hotel owner, you undoubtedly did not have an easy year. Due to the pandemic, tourism was on hiatus and business travellers too were few and far between. Fortunately, we are currently heading in the right direction. People are eager to travel again and can't wait to book. So time to bang on with your marketing now, so that you stand head and shoulders above the rest and also leave the Airbnbs behind. How? We give you 10 tips for hotel marketing in 2021, which we also use ourselves and which have already proven themselves.
Tip 1. Don't depend on booking platforms
Of course, as a hotel, you can't avoid it: the big external booking platforms like Booking.com and Trivago. So make sure you are visible on these. But be careful not to make yourself dependent on these external platforms!
Firstly, of course, because of the commission you pay, which you would rather lose than get rid of. But also because it is smart not to bet on one horse. For instance, we have seen recently that a platform can suddenly lose its popularity, due to bad publicity.
Thereby, a trend is emerging where guests prefer to book through the hotel itself. They need contact with the hotel. This is good news, as it offers many opportunities. But it also means: work to do!
Tip 2. Dare to stand out
Compared to a booking platform, on your own website you can show much more about your hotel and why guests should book with you. The latter must then be crystal clear. One thing is very important here: dare to stand out.
Good service is not enough
After all, good service or a nice location won't get you there these days. A swimming pool or sauna is something that people filter on instead of making a difference. And a hotel 'for everyone' is not special to anyone. Unless, of course, you have a crane hotel or your rooms are located in an old aircraft, then your location can be called pretty unique.
Those who don't have this: make sure you stand out, stand out and dare to make choices in who you want to appeal to. Only then will you win from your competition. Make sure you know who your ideal target group is and what makes your hotel so unique: your Unique Selling Points.
Truly distinctive USPs
These could be your rooms decorated like an urban jungle and filled with plants, your special services for business trips or your family rooms with cabin beds for children. Your USPs can also lie in your special Syrian menu, your late check-out with breakfast hangover or the characteristic welcome package that comes standard with a night in your hotel (chain). As long as it is truly distinctive and fits a certain target group you want to focus on.
Tip 3. Ensure a converting website
Once you know why guests choose your hotel, it's time to shine! First of all, your website needs to stand like a house. This is not only your business card, but also where the money comes in. Your website should therefore have everything it takes to convince your visitors and get them to book. So make sure they end up in a well-spread bed.
Optimise website
To make this happen, a beautiful website alone is not enough. Your booking system must also be easy to navigate. Dive into your website statistics to optimise it. Measure which pages your visitors view, where they click through and where they drop out, for example with Google Analytics. Then you can optimise your website until it becomes a real conversion stunner.
Tip 4. Be found thanks to SEO
Once your website turns visitors into bookers, it's time to get found! Start with the low-hanging fruit: your organic online findability. In other words: being found in search engines. For this, search engine optimisation is essential. Use the right keywords in your texts (for example: book hotel Zwolle), write valuable content and also pay attention to the technical side, such as the loading speed of your website and a good link structure.
Tip 5. Social media
Social media is also indispensable for becoming and staying visible. In addition, social media is there to build a bond with your guests and to start the experience even before your guest arrives. It is like the digital signboard of your hotel where guests can taste the atmosphere, get inspired and get excited about a holiday or weekend away. So post regularly, preferably according to a content strategy with fixed formats. This is how you build your hotel brand.
Don't forget Pinterest
What is still sometimes forgotten, but can be very effective for hotels when used correctly is Pinterest. For example, users create a board with 'Weekend getaway Delft' and collect all their ideas on a board. If you post fun content on Pinterest about Delft getaways, your hotel will also be featured. An additional advantage: it generates links to your site, which in turn is good for your position in search results.
Tip 6. Create valuable content
Following on from this: create valuable content. Of course, you hint at your USPs in it, but that's not what it's all about. Your content is valuable if it fulfils the reader's need. And they are not waiting for sales pitches. What then? Tips and inspiration!
If we stick to the hotel in Delft: write a nice blog about outings in Delft, make a nice video or shoot an inspiring photo series. If this content SEO technical well put together, a potential guest looking for fun outings in Delft will land on this page. Of course, you also make a reference to your hotel and the first seed has been planted.
Tip 7. Deploy online ads smartly
Then you can really start popping with online ads. Think paid search engine views (SEA) and ads on Facebook and Instagram. With the former, you reach a target audience that is searching for a hotel and therefore has a high buying intention. Advertising via social media is a great way to build brand awareness, share your content more widely and deploy tactically when the booking probability is highest.
Remarketing
Remarketing is a smart move here. To go back to the example of the hotel in Delft: readers of the page about outings in Delft are registered as visitors to your website. With remarketing, you can set them up to 'accidentally' come across an ad from your hotel on Instagram a day later, with or without a great offer or the impression of scarcity. This increases the chances of a booking!
Tip 8. Collect reviews
Even after your guests have left again, it is smart to keep using online marketing. Even better: you can boost your bookings by actively asking for reviews. Indeed, more and more travellers are basing their choice of hotel on the reviews they read online. So make it as easy as possible for guests to leave one.
Afterwards, send them a nice email with a link to the location where you want the review. This can be your own website, but a review on an independent website like TripAdvisor is even better. To win over your guests, you can reward them for their review. For example, with a discount on their next stay.
Tip 9. Don't forget email marketing
Email marketing is also a great tool to keep guests coming back. But not only that, with email marketing you also create pre-holiday fun, by deploying it between booking and your guest's arrival. This contributes to a positive guest experience.
For example, send tips with good restaurants in the area or events he should not miss during his stay. Either in collaboration with the companies mentioned or not, which can also earn you a commission.
An important tip for e-mail marketing: don't send the same e-mail to everyone in your customer base. The more personalised your message, the more effective.
Tip 10. Collect data
Finally, a tip that you really shouldn't wait any longer as a hotel, if you haven't already started: collecting big data. In other words: data on bookings, length of stay, minibar orders, etc. Using artificial intelligence, this data can be used to make predictions, which in turn will help you increase bookings, turnover, target marketing or improve the guest experience.
Possibly it still sounds like future music to you, but the expectation is that in 10 years, there will be almost only data-driven businesses. So make sure only your guests are asleep and not you. Internal data you don't collect now will soon be untraceable.
To make it easy for you, there are various PMS systems, reservation systems and channel managers that make it possible to collect data. Of course, we can also give you a hand.
Bonus tip
Clearly state on your website what your hotel is doing to limit further spread of the coronavirus, what measures are in place and what may or may not be possible. People are risk-averse and like to know where they stand. Clarity creates trust. Thereby, for example, a dinner in the hotel room can actually be a unique experience.
Those were our top 10 hotel marketing tips
Now that measures are easing and we will soon be able to travel again, you can look forward to full hotel rooms again. But it won't happen overnight. With these 10 proven tips on hotel marketing, you will manage to stand out from your competitors and bring in more bookings.
Getting started with hotel marketing yourself?
At The Fully Bookers we would love to help you make your hotel marketing a success, so that your hotel is full of guests again. If you have any questions after reading this article or just want to spar with our professionals, please contact with us. We'd love to get to know you!
