In order to stay competitive in the hotel industry, it is important to have a strong digital marketing strategy. In this article, we will discuss some of the best ways to attract more customers and increase revenue for your hotel business. We will cover topics such as website design, SEO, social media marketing, and email marketing.
By following these tips, you can create a successful digital marketing campaign that will help your hotel stand out from the competition.
1. Website Design for Hotel Digital Marketing Success
When designing your hotel’s website, it is important to keep in mind the overall goal of attracting more customers and converting them into paying guests. You can do this by providing valuable information about your property, highlighting your amenities, and making sure that your site is accessible via PC and mobile devices.
There are seven key elements of a successful hotel website:
an appealing layout
- user-friendly interface
- easy navigation
- responsive design
- search engine optimization (SEO) tags on every page of your site
- original content added to every page
- an online booking tool.
More and more people are using mobile devices for internet browsing, so it’s incredibly important that your website is mobile-friendly. If you don’t have a mobile-optimized website, or if it takes too long to load, then potential customers will simply move on, resulting in lost sales. The homepage of your hotel website should feel welcoming to new visitors and it should stand out from the crowd thanks to engaging pictures and an attention-grabbing headline or two. Additionally, make sure that all calls to action are easy for users to find – this could include things like “Book Now” buttons on images of your rooms or package deals on the homepage of the.
2. SEO for Hotel Digital Marketing Success
Having a high rank on search engines not only helps customers find your website but also boosts credibility and brand visibility. An SEO specialist can help you increase your hotel’s search engine rankings by using strategic keywords throughout the site’s pages.
Once you have identified the appropriate keywords for your site, an expert digital marketer can help you implement them into different areas of the website design including page titles, headlines, body content, image captions, navigation menus, etc.
When creating original content for your hotel website, use descriptive HTML tags that include keywords optimized to target specific searches related to your business. You can also ask an SEO professional to submit articles or blog posts written by experts in the field who are writing about topics related to your hotel’s industry.
3. Social media marketing for Hotel Digital Marketing Success
Social media provides an opportunity for hotels to build relationships with their customers by providing them with up to date information about the hotel via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook updates. If you choose not to have a social media presence, then you are missing out on affordable marketing that has real benefits for small businesses.
Here are some best practices when using social media for your hotel business:
create profiles on major social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter and YouTube;
- post relevant content (i.e., links to blog posts, industry news, etc.);
- link back to your website;
- expand your social media efforts by creating Pinterest boards and Instagram hashtags that promote your hotel’s brand;
- engage with followers by responding to comments and including their Twitter handles in tweets so they are notified of new updates;
- monitor what competitors are doing on social networks (i.e., how often they post, links they share) and adjust accordingly;
- run targeted ads for specific customers. For example, if your hotel caters to families then you can target parents through Facebook and Instagram ads or create a promotion that is only visible via mobile devices for customers who are out-of-town looking for local attractions.
4. Email marketing for Hotel Digital Marketing Success
Hoteliers can use email marketing to reach out to their customers by providing them with timely offers and discounts. For example, you could create a short video highlighting the hotel’s amenities and send it via video email to your database of prospective guests at least once a month.
Email marketing is beneficial because it establishes the hotel as an authority figure that listens to guest needs and responds by offering special deals or promotions at certain times of the year—such as during off-peak seasons when business is slower. Email also allows hotels to provide resources by linking back to blog posts on their website or sending information about local restaurants or attractions which are featured in brochures available in the hotel lobby.
5. Affiliate marketing for Hotel Digital Marketing Success
Hotels can generate passive income by joining affiliate marketing programs that are associated with travel websites or popular brands. For example, when a customer books a hotel stay through an affiliate website—such as Expedia or Booking.com—a percentage of the sale will go to the hotel where the reservation originated. You can join more than one affiliate program to increase your potential exposure and boost overall revenue.
As you seek out professionals to help improve your hotel’s digital presence, keep in mind that hiring several vendors might be necessary due to each company’s specific areas of expertise. A web design agency will provide digital marketing strategies but won’t necessarily have experience in SEO or social media management. However, an SEO company is likely more familiar with digital marketing tools and can offer suggestions on how to improve your hotel’s search engine rankings as well as include links back to your website.
6. Utilize Mobile Coupons
Incentivizing potential guests with mobile coupons is also a great way for hotels to increase sales rapidly when the right tools are employed. While most coupons are distributed offline at actual locations, digital coupons have made it possible for people all over the world to receive deals even if they aren’t physically at a hotel or resort. By offering guests online coupons to use on your website, you can increase conversions across all of your websites channels in a timely manner.
7. Utilize Real-Time Analytics Tools To Improve Your Website
Another great way for hotels to maximize conversions is by using real-time analytics software that provides useful information about people who are visiting your site right now. This includes features like heat maps, where you can see what areas of your website users spend the most time on and what they immediately scroll past (this could provide insight into how to better market certain services or amenities). You can also use tools like hot spot trackers, which will let you know if there are certain images/videos on your site that users seem to gravitate toward more than others (in turn allowing you to distribute these items with more frequency). Overall, data analysis will tell you everything that you need to know about your target audience in order to deliver the most relevant content possible.
8. Make Payment As Easy As Possible
At the end of the day, you can have all of the best deals and offers in the world – but if people don’t feel like it would be convenient or safe to transact with your company, they won’t do business with you no matter what. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to make the payment process as straightforward and streamlined as possible by utilizing tools like PayPal and other third-party applications/gateways that already have a positive reputation (since this will ultimately remove any roadblocks that could prevent someone from booking a room). This also means offering multiple forms of payment (cash, credit card, etc.) so that you can develop a positive reputation with as many potential customers as possible.
So, what are you waiting for? Start putting these tips into action and see how your hotel business can benefit from increased hotel conversion rates. It will be easier than ever before to create a space where people not only want to book one or more rooms – but also become loyal customers who return time and time again. At Sotavento Medios, we’re always here to help with any questions or concerns you may have about digital marketing. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you take your hotel business to the next level.
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