The hospitality industry is one of the most competitive fields out there, and it’s no surprise that many hotel bosses are looking to digital marketing to help them stand out from the crowd.
But what exactly does this mean? How can you successfully use digital marketing methods to get more customers? And how do you know if your brand needs an overhaul or just a few tweaks? To answer these questions, we’ve outlined some essential tips to build a digital marketing strategy for your hospitality business.
Create Location-Specific Mobile Ads
One of the best ways to reach potential customers is by using location-based targeting. It can be done through Google AdWords and Facebook, both of which have tools that allow you to set up geofencing around your business and target people within that area. It would be best to hire a hospitality marketing agency for this purpose, as they have a team of professionals with the required skills.
If you don’t have time to create custom ads for each city or location where you own property, consider using Facebook’s call-to-action buttons instead. These give users an easy way to book rooms at hotels when they visit their website while also giving them access to local deals or discounts on things like food delivery services or cab rides home after a night out drinking at their favorite bar across town.
Make Your Website Interactive
According to The State of Interactive Content in 2022 by Mediafly, interactive content sees 52.6% more engagement than static content. It means you need to make your website interactive to move past the competition.
You know your website is the most important tool for engaging with customers and driving them to book with you. It should be a hub of activity, not just a place to post photos and past reviews. Make sure you maximize its potential by using interactive elements such as video, audio clips, or even chatbots on your site. If people can’t easily find what they need on the page and have to scroll down an endless scroll bar, they will get frustrated and leave without making a reservation, or worse yet, go somewhere else.
Your website should also be mobile-friendly, so it works well on any device. One strategy is to use responsive design so that when people come across a page on their phone or tablet, it automatically adjusts based on screen size.
You can also make sure that everything loads quickly so no one gets stuck waiting for information or images to show up before moving forward through the process of booking with your business.
Leverage User-Generated Content
One of the best ways to use user-generated content (UGC) is to put your brand in front of more people. There are many different ways you can do this, but one simple approach is creating a campaign that encourages customers to share pictures of themselves using your products or services, along with why they like them and what makes them unique.
According to Hearing the Voice of the Consumer: UGC and the Commerce Experience, 90% of consumers find user-generated content helpful. In the same report, 63% of consumers revealed that UGC creates a more authentic shopping experience and 73% believe that it increases their purchasing confidence.
Invest in Local SEO
According to ReviewTrackers, 42% of millennials performing a local search will surely visit a business most of the time. If you already have a Google My Business listing, make sure it’s updated, and if not, go to Google and click “Edit” under your business name. You can also find this information by searching for your business name on the search bar in the top right corner of Google and clicking on “More actions.”
Once you have created or updated your listing, you will want to optimize it with photos, reviews, hours of operation, and other important information about your business. When people search for businesses like yours on Google Maps or Search results pages like Local Pack listings or Knowledge Panels, they’ll see these details above all other listings if they’re added correctly.
If possible, use schema markup so that users can see images from Yelp reviews when looking at them without having to click through first. It helps make sure visitors know more about businesses before deciding where exactly they want to eat lunch today.
Get on TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor is a forum for travelers to share their experiences. It’s a great way to get feedback on your hotel and its facilities, as well as an opportunity to interact with your customers in real time. TripAdvisor is one of the most popular travel sites in the world, so it’s important to engage with customers there if you want them to give your business positive reviews.
TripAdvisor has become such an integral part of the online travel industry that it’s now considered one of the most influential sources of information for travelers looking for things like restaurants, hotels, and attractions within a particular city or region. And this influence extends beyond just those who use TripAdvisor directly.
Encourage Reviews
Encouraging customers to leave reviews is essential for hospitality businesses. Reviews provide an opportunity for you to convert potential customers into actual ones, as well as build trust among existing customers and prospective clients. The more reviews you have, the higher your profile will rank in search results, and the greater your visibility will be among potential guests.
To get started on encouraging reviews, begin by encouraging them on your website. You can do this by offering incentives such as discounts or coupons for those who submit a review. It is also a great way to build interest in new products or services that are about to launch at your business, and it provides another opportunity for you to capture valuable data right off the bat.
Engage With Travelers on Social Media
Social media is a great way to engage with travelers. Your social media presence should be used to promote your business, build relationships with travelers, and answer any questions they may have about your property.
To start, use social media to build relationships by posting photos of your hotel and its amenities. It will help potential guests get an idea of what it’ll be like staying at your place when they finally make the trip out there.
Once someone’s interested enough in booking a room through one of these posts on Facebook or Instagram, send them over to an online booking tool. Here they can put down their payment information securely without having to give out their credit card number through email as well as track their reservation history all within one platform.
Create a Content Calendar for Blogging
Blogging is an important part of digital marketing. Blogs are a great way to drive website traffic and generate leads, but they can also help you build your brand and improve the visibility of your business online.
To make this happen, though, you need to create a content calendar for blogging that includes topics for every month. This will ensure that you’re creating relevant content and getting it posted on schedule so people who visit your site know what to expect from one month to another.
Conclusion
It’s time to stop thinking about digital marketing as something that only big companies do and start working on your strategy. The hospitality industry is a great sector to get started in because it has so many potential customers. Just remember not to forget the basics of good content creation and solid SEO practices.
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