Staying on top of the latest trends is important in just about every industry, especially the hospitality industry. It’s such a competitive niche that’s difficult to succeed in, so you have to ensure you’re using the right hospitality marketing strategies to reach your customers. The last thing you want to happen is for your customers to get the sense that you’re outdated and behind the times. Online hospitality marketing isn’t easy, but when you work with the right team, the process can be streamlined and much more effective. Here are some tips for effective hospitality marketing.

Research Your Customers And Competitors

Every company in every industry has to perform research to know how to shape its marketing efforts. When it comes to the hospitality industry, hotels have to research customers to see what they are looking for so they can cater to them and attract them. You can do this by engaging with previous guests to learn more about their stay, encouraging online reviews, and evaluating what’s working and what’s not working with your competitors. There’s not a single metric you need to focus on when researching customers and competitors, but the main idea is to get a big picture view of what’s good and what needs improvements with your hospitality marketing strategy.

Be Aware Of Your Brand

Your brand needs to be widely known and you can increase brand awareness in many ways. Start by ensuring your information is current on every website or social media platform you’re on. You can also use advertisements on related websites, like travel websites, to promote your brand to customers who might not know about you. Another thing you can do locally is to collaborate with non-hospitality establishments like restaurants and offer incentives to customers. Being connected to other reputable companies can boost your reputation in the eyes of customers and help them understand what your brand is all about.

Build Unique Relationships With Customers

Nowadays customers want to have customized experiences and get the sense that you care for them individually. You might get new customers through advertising, but it’s the relationships you build that will create repeat customers. Consider interacting with them via email or creating a hashtag for them to use on social media about their stay. Another popular hospitality marketing strategy is to have a customer loyalty program that will create a relationship with the customer and make them think about your hotel the next time they travel.

Strategize Your Promotions Throughout The Year

Offering promotions during the busy travel season can work at times, but you’ll likely be better off using promotions during slow times. A good hospitality writer can formulate enticing promotions to offer your customers. Some of them might include a free night’s stay, a discount to a local restaurant, entering into a drawing, and much more. Online competitions are valuable because if you can get a hashtag trending, then you’ll boost your brand awareness more during the slow months. And with an effective strategy, you might be able to slow your marketing efforts down during the busy months when you don’t have any problems getting customers.

Email Marketing Is Still Alive And Well

A solid strategy to keep your brand at the top of your customers’ minds is email marketing. However, there’s a balance you have to find with email marketing since too many emails can annoy customers and lead to them unsubscribing from them. A travel copywriter can put together clever and personalized emails to send to customers based on events that might be happening in the area. You can also use email marketing to promote a special offer or to provide updates on your hotel in general.

Drive Clients To Your Website With Online Marketing

No matter how much marketing you do through different channels, it won’t be as effective unless you have a solid website. A hospitality writer can ensure your SEO is optimized to maximize the chances of customers finding your website. A good SEO strategy can make your website more visible, but then you need to have content and information on it to keep them there and book a stay. An experienced hospitality writer is crucial in this regard since they know what keywords to use and what content to include to attract customers.

Your Content Can Give Your Company A Personality

Your website should be much more than just a place for customers to book their stay and maybe show a few pictures. When you work with a hospitality writer, they can create blog posts, unique videos, and the right balance of images to make your website attractive to anyone who visits it. The idea is to give your hotel a personality through the content on your website. Since customers today want a personalized experience, they can decide whether your hotel is a good fit for them based on what you have on your website. 

A solid hospitality marketing strategy has never been more important. When you work with the hospitality writers at iwebcontent, you’ll have effective content on your website that will attract new customers and keep them coming back to your hotel. We will work with you whether you’re a new hotel or simply want to improve your marketing efforts. Everything from redesigning your website to creating blog posts and anything in between will boost your brand awareness and we are here to help. Be sure to contact us to schedule a brief consultation to see how we can make your hotel shine.