Digital Marketing for Hotel & Accommodation Industry: Inspiring Advertising Strategies
Most people love hotel experiences where they don’t think about what to cook in the evening, don’t bother with cleaning, and get service while resting. Some people choose a warmer destination while winter holiday lovers search for the best ski routes, and their top priority is the hotels they will stay in. On the other hand, companies may spend hours in search engines to find the most suitable hotel for their business travelers. For this reason, hotel advertising is of great importance. Even though people are becoming more and more careful about their spending, 50% of travelers say that spending money on vacation is still their top priority.
In this scenario, a fresh avenue emerges for digital marketers: hotel advertising.
Hotel advertising in the digital realm serves as a potent tool for digital marketers to accomplish several crucial objectives. It enables them to enhance brand awareness, entice prospective customers, and ultimately boost bookings in an increasingly competitive market. Now, let’s delve into the intricacies to gain a deeper understanding of its impact and significance.
Digital Marketing for Hotels: Hospitality Also Needs Promotion
Before delving into digital marketing strategies, it’s worth noting a significant statistic that speaks for itself in the hotel industry. In 2023, the global hotel and travel accommodation market is projected to generate an impressive revenue of $801.9 billion. Now, let’s move forward.
Digital marketing for hotels refers to the process of promoting and advertising hotels, resorts, or other lodging establishments to potential guests or customers.
This involves a range of activities, including identifying target audiences, developing branding and messaging, creating advertising campaigns with the marketing budget, managing online and offline channels, and measuring performance and ROI.
Digital marketing is a crucial strategy employed by hotels and resorts to elevate brand awareness, generate interest, and drive bookings. Its objective extends beyond mere promotion, encompassing the creation of positive guest experiences and fostering customer loyalty. Given the fierce competition within the hospitality industry, a well-rounded hotel marketing strategy necessitates a comprehensive grasp of the competitive landscape, consumer behavior, and market trends.
We also know through surveys that the increasing use of social media and widespread access to mass media have a profound impact on the tourism and hotel industries. As tourists share their travel information, photos, and videos on social media platforms, people are becoming increasingly aware of the diverse tourist destinations and recreational experiences available in different countries across the globe.
And yes, consulting with hospitality marketing agencies may be the best course of action to stay competitive.
How to Drive Bookings: Social Media
Social media platforms and strategies are the digital marketer’s equivalent of artillery. They are used without hesitation to achieve marketing goals, and this is especially true in the hotel industry.
In other words, social media has emerged as a potent tool for hotels, enabling them to forge connections with potential guests and drive bookings. Establishing a strong brand identity across your social media channels by providing consistency in terms of brand colors, fonts, and overall style helps create a unified and recognizable presence.
What’s more, when it comes to marketing efforts for hotels and the accommodation industry, engaging the audience by sharing high-quality content that resonates with them is crucial. This can encompass captivating visuals, such as photos and videos showcasing your hotel, the local surroundings, and satisfied guests. Additionally, providing informative blog posts, articles, or infographics on topics of interest to the target audience can foster engagement.
At this point, encouraging guests to share their experiences at your hotel by tagging the hotel in their posts and using your branded hashtags is a good idea. This will definitely help increase your reach and build social proof through user-generated content. (People love this more, too!)
Social media platforms provide a powerful avenue to showcase that a place is more than just a hotel; it is a destination offering distinctive and unforgettable experiences:
And allows marketers to create some funny contest resulted in organic growth:
Other advice? Keep reading.
Knock Knock! Consider Partnering with Influencers
Undoubtedly, influencers cover every aspect of the digital marketing world, including the realm of accommodation. By encouraging social media stars to promote the hotel and share their experiences, a new channel opens up to reach potential and existing customers, while enhancing the brand image.
Undoubtedly, influencers cover every aspect of the digital marketing world, including the realm of accommodation. By encouraging social media stars to promote the hotel and share their experiences, a new channel opens up to reach potential and existing customers, while enhancing the brand image.
Given that many people follow their favorite influencers to observe their lifestyles and gain inspiration from their preferences, offering paid trips to travel or lifestyle influencers is an excellent idea. This not only includes paid trips but also events and discounted stays as valuable partnerships with influencers.
To ensure the success of these influencer marketing efforts, it is crucial to understand the target audience and their preferences. Demographics and interests play a significant role in helping digital marketers in the hotel industry find the right influencers.
Knowing the audience also empowers the marketing team when implementing loyalty programs and exclusive discounts.
Four Seasons, a luxury hotel brand, has successfully used this strategy many times brilliantly. They partnered with social media influencers such as Jessica Stein of Tuula Vintage, who has 2M followers on its Instagram account, and Chris Burkard to showcase their properties and unique experiences to their followers.
Four Seasons, a luxury hotel brand, has successfully used this strategy many times brilliantly. They partnered with social media influencers such as Jessica Stein of Tuula Vintage, who has 2M followers on its Instagram account, and Chris Burkard to showcase their properties and unique experiences to their followers.
Be Time-Sensitive: Paid Marketing During Peak Seasons
Paid advertising during seasonal periods is absolutely crucial for hotel marketing in the digital realm. Seasons bring fluctuations in demand and heightened competition in the hospitality industry. Thus, implementing paid marketing strategies becomes paramount for hotels to effectively promote their offerings, maximize visibility, and capitalize on these seasonal opportunities.
In other words, paid marketing – Google ads, social media ads, display ads and sponsored content – allows hotels to reach a larger audience via digital channels. That increased visibility aids in raising awareness and recruiting potential guests who actively seek out lodging options during peak seasons.
And when it comes to time-sensitive promotions like time-limited discounts, flash sales, codes or additional incentives, paid ads on both social media and search engines play a crucial role effectively. This allows hotels to instill a sense of urgency, compelling potential guests to make swift booking decisions.
The Website Speaks Volumes
A well-crafted website is one of the best digital marketing tools for the tourism and hospitality area.
Not having a website or possessing an outdated or poorly designed one can result in missed opportunities to engage potential guests and secure bookings. Investing in a professionally designed website is an integral aspect of successful digital marketing efforts for any hotel.
In other words, a hotel’s website acts as a centralized resource where potential guests can find detailed information about the property. From location and amenities to rates and availability, the website should provide all essential details to help guests make informed decisions.
Plus, an optimized website enables direct bookings, empowering guests to reserve accommodations directly with the hotel. This eliminates the need for intermediaries, such as third-party booking platforms, and allows hotels to retain full control over the booking process. Direct bookings typically yield higher revenue and enhance the hotel’s profitability.
This tool also can serve as a lead generation platform by offering valuable resources or incentives to visitors. By including contact forms, subscription options, or gated content like free e-books or reports, hotels can collect visitor information and build a database of potential leads. This database can be leveraged for targeted marketing campaigns in the future.
As a great example, Marriott is a world-wide known hotel chain that has successfully used content marketing to attract customers. The company launched a travel content platform called Marriott Traveler, which features articles, guides, and travel tips for different destinations around the world. Supported with high-quality and engaging images and detailed guides, Marriott Traveler convinces potential customers to travel to these destinations and list for them the potential activities that they can experience throughout their vacation.
Let’s take a look at Massive Media’s project for Oak Bay Beach Hotel as well. Massive Media revitalized the Oak Bay Beach Hotel’s digital presence to match its real-world elegance. By refining the visual language, simplifying navigation, and enhancing the website’s manageability, they created a seamless online experience that mirrors the hotel’s luxurious offerings. This comprehensive approach resulted in a website that not only showcases the hotel’s beauty but also improves user engagement and operational efficiency. Check out the video below for more information:
Client Testimonial (Oak Bay) from Massive on Vimeo.
Keep Your Customers Engaged: Remarketing
Remarketing is critical for hotels looking to increase bookings and revenue. Hotels can use this method to target and advertise to those who have already expressed interest in their property or website. Remarketing raises brand awareness, keeps the hotel front of mind, and increases conversion rates by delivering targeted adverts to these potential visitors. It also allows for tailored messages, ad optimization, and differentiation from competitors. Finally, remarketing is a low-cost way for hotels to reconnect with potential visitors, improve bookings, and maximize profits.
For instance, a hotel could offer a “book 3 nights, get the 4th-night free” promotion for direct bookings. By offering similar types of promotions or packages, hotels can incentivize customers to book directly, rather than through third-party booking channels. This not only increases revenue for the hotel but also allows for a more direct relationship with the customer, which can lead to increased loyalty and repeat business if they’re satisfied with your service.
Invest in Local SEO
For properties that heavily rely on attracting guests from their near-me area, local SEO is like a magic wand.
The strategy involves optimizing a hotel’s online presence to ensure it appears prominently in local search results when potential guests search for accommodations in the specific location. By targeting a highly relevant audience actively looking for local options, hotels significantly increase their chances of attracting bookings.
In addition, improving visibility in local searches helps establish trust and credibility among potential guests. This is because constantly appearing in search results signals to potential guests that the hotel is reputable and well-established within the community. Additionally, optimizing for mobile searches is essential, as it allows hotels to capture bookings from on-the-go users who are looking for nearby accommodations.
In a nutshell: Investing in local SEO provides hotels with a significant competitive advantage over local rivals who may have neglected optimizing their online presence, resulting in increased bookings, revenue, and overall business success.
Use Online Travel Agencies (OTA’s)
Most hotels are now using online travel agencies to make sure they’re reaching out to the people who search for the location or the service they provide. Thus, hotels use OTAs to promote themselves by listing their properties on these websites.
But why is this an important factor in promoting your hotel? Because when a hotel lists its property on an OTA, it gains access to a wider audience of potential guests who may not have found the hotel through its own website or marketing efforts. Therefore, partnering with popular OTAs such as Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor is a great opportunity to increase your hotel’s exposure.
Create Free Booking Links
Another way for hotels to drive more bookings and increase revenue is creating free booking links!
Direct bookings mean that hotels keep more of the revenue from each booking, as they bypass third-party booking channels – some popular options include Booking.com, Expedia, or TripAdvisor.
Free booking links give hotels more control over the booking process, as they can set their own rates, policies, and availability. This allows them to customize the booking experience for their guests while generating valuable data about guests’ booking patterns, demographics, and preferences. This data can help hotels improve their marketing campaigns, revenue management strategies, and overall guest experience.
And… how to create free booking links:
1. Set up an account with one of the online booking platforms.
2. Fill in the necessary details about the hotel.
3. Generate free booking links.
4. Make the links reachable by sharing and pinning them on each platform.
5. Regularly monitor the performance.
Offer Special Promotions and Packages
Another important strategy is offering special promotions and packages to your beloved customers.
To best market the hotel, you can create attractive promotions and packages that provide added value for guests and encourage them to book directly with your hotel. You can offer your customers exclusive deals and discounts when they book directly through your website or reservation system.
For instance, a hotel could offer a “book 3 nights, get the 4th-night free” promotion for direct bookings. By offering similar types of promotions or packages, hotels can incentivize customers to book directly, rather than through third-party booking channels. This not only increases revenue for the hotel but also allows for a more direct relationship with the customer, which can lead to increased loyalty and repeat business if they’re satisfied with your service.
Host Events and Promotions
What is better than bringing people together? We say nothing. Events are one of the beneficial and informative options available to us as people, and we enjoy taking part in them. And without question, when a brand or business wants to host an event, hotels are the first places that come to mind.
Food and beverage festivals, or wellness retreats that appeal to your target audience are great ways to bring people to your hotel and give you the opportunity for your guests to experience your hotel.
You can host culinary events such as wine tastings,-yum-, cooking classes, or food festivals (yes!) These events can help hotels showcase their dining options and attract foodies and wine enthusiasts. You can also host yoga retreats or other wellness events. These can help hotels appeal to health-conscious travelers and attract guests who are looking for a relaxing and rejuvenating getaway.
Persuade Your Visitors that Your City Is Worth Visiting
Yeap! The location of the hotel can be a major selling point for potential guests, and it can help attract a wider range of guests.
At that point, it’s definitely a wise decision to consider creating a Google My Business listing for your hotel. This free listing will enable your hotel to appear in Google Maps and local search results, significantly improving its online visibility. By maximizing the details available, you can attract potential guests and increase their confidence in choosing your hotel.
Also, we know that targeting specific types of travelers becomes easier when you market the benefits and experiences available in the town & city. It opens doors for valuable partnerships with local businesses, enhancing the guest experience and generating referrals. By incorporating location-specific keywords and content into your online presence, you can improve your visibility, attract organic traffic, and capture the interest of travelers actively seeking accommodations in the area where the hotel is located.
Impress Potential Visitors with Professional Photography
A general truth: In any sector, professional photography works.
No need to say; professional photography can be a game-changer when it comes to impressing prospective visitors and enticing them to book a stay at the hotel. To maximize its impact, it’s advisable to enlist the services of a professional photographer who possesses the skills and equipment to capture the finest qualities of your property, resulting in visually stunning images that leave a lasting impression.
It is also possible to display the professional shots on the official website and social media platforms and provide the potential guests to stimulate their interest in experiencing the place.
Use Augmented Reality (AR) Technology
How about offering the potential visitors personalized visualizations through AR-enabled devices?
Augmented reality has become a game-changer in the field of hospitality management, revolutionizing how hotels and related businesses showcase their offerings. It’s all about taking their physical spaces, like hotel rooms, to the next level and supercharging the exploration of the surrounding areas.
According to the report Augmented Reality in Interior Design published by Gartner, we know that AR can help hotels increase bookings by up to 20% while improving guest satisfaction by up to 15% and reducing costs by up to 10%.
With augmented reality, hotels can transform their properties into captivating, immersive experiences that leave guests in awe. Imagine stepping into a room and witnessing a virtual world come alive, or embarking on a thrilling virtual tour of the neighborhood’s hotspots. The technology also unleashes the potential to create unforgettable moments, elevating the guest experience to new heights. It’s a dynamic, cutting-edge tool that allows hotels to showcase their offerings in a way that is simply mind-blowing.
Create a Loyalty Program
As customers, we appreciate loyalty programs the most! Because of this, as a hotel owner or manager, you should consider creating a loyalty program that rewards frequent visitors and encourages them to make direct reservations at your hotel. Hotels can use this marketing technique to thank loyal customers and persuade them to make further reservations. Typically, loyalty programs reward customers for their ongoing business with discounts, complimentary nights, and special benefits.
Build Trust and Credibility: Reviews
That’s an open secret: Positive customer reviews have a significant impact on consumer decision-making and play a crucial role in building trust, credibility, and reputation for leisure businesses. And, positive customer reviews are more than just social proof. They can also help marketers build trust, increase online visibility, provide user-generated content, offer valuable feedback, and stimulate word-of-mouth marketing.
In detail, reviews are a valuable tool for improving search engine optimization (SEO) – we all know that search engines like Google value fresh and user-generated content. When a leisure business receives consistently positive reviews, it signals to search engines that the business is reputable and trustworthy.
Similarly, when people see positive reviews for a business, they are more likely to visit the business’s website, social media platforms, and so on. This increased traffic can help to improve the business’s search engine ranking.
Long story short, encouraging satisfied guests to leave positive reviews on popular review sites such as TripAdvisor and Yelp is a good call.
Find the Right Hotel Marketing Agency
Establishing a hotel marketing strategy calls for expertise and effort. As a result, it might be important to collaborate with a digital marketing agency that is experienced in dominating the hotel marketing game.
UK-based digital marketing agency Propeller worked with hotels for over 20 years and are experts in digital marketing for hotels. Propeller works with a variety of hospitality companies, including independent hotels, international hotels, and pubs with rooms. Propeller can therefore assist you in creating a digital strategy to boost your direct bookings online.
Propeller has a skilled team of digital marketing specialists with experience establishing marketing strategies for hotels. They can handle anything from full website builds with PMS and CRS integrations to developing digital strategy and boosting your search rankings. Make sure to check out their website to read more about their case studies.
Check Out
So, there are various strategies that digital marketers can use to boost hotel’s online visibility, increase your bookings and attract visitors. Either way, hotels must adapt to the changing landscape to remain competitive in today’s digital marketing for the hospitality industry of digital marketing to stay competitive in today’s hospitality industry.
You should constantly evaluate your marketing and advertising strategies and adjust accordingly to stay relevant and most importantly appealing to your target audience. If all seems a bit overwhelming and you don’t know where to start your hotel marketing journey, you can consider consulting digital marketing companies in the USA to help you become successful in this journey. Ultimately, by staying on top of the latest trends and implementing effective marketing strategies, hotels can attract more guests, increase booking and drive revenue growth.
