Top Tier Marketing With A Hotel Marketing Company
The hotel industry has faced some serious challenges over the last few months. No, we’re not talking about the increasingly competitive prices. Nor are we referring to the influx of business being steered away from traditional hotels and towards companies, such as AirBnB, instead. But, of course, you already knew this. After reading the first sentence of this blog, you immediately knew we were referring to the current pandemic. How could you not?
Regardless of what you definitely know, it’s likely that there are some things you’re not too sure of. This may well include an appreciation of how important marketing is in the success of a hotel. As previously stated, this is a hugely competitive sector, but with good marketing you have a chance of survival. Whereas, poor marketing is almost guaranteed to result in the demise of your business; no matter how lucrative your hotel may be.
Here at VerriBerri, a leading hotel marketing company in Essex; we have a team of professionals who are eager to help your establishment stand out against the rest. Keep reading to find out what you can do to effectively market your hotel!
Who Are You Targeting?
You should ask yourself this question before any other. Any business needs to know who their target audience is. It may be easy to assume that your target audience is essentially anyone who needs a bed for the night. This is a lovely thought in theory, but in practice; when it comes to marketing – it’s essential to consider your USP.
In your mind, you may picture your hotel with its doors wide open for anyone who would like to stay. In truth, however, your hotel will fit into some sort of ‘category’ – and it is this that should inform your subsequent marketing choices. Most people find a hotel through booking platforms, and all booking platforms use filters. Is your hotel ‘budget’ or ‘luxury’, or perhaps somewhere in between? Do you cater towards a younger or older demographic? Do you offer spa treatments or city breaks?
There’s far too much competition out there to attempt to entice everyone. Instead, make it your priority to refine who you’re targeting in regards to the guests you’re seeking to attract. A lack of direction and focus is the most common problem we see as a hotel marketing company. Follow the above advice to mitigate this oversight.
Are You Using Social Media?
No matter what kind of marketing you’re doing, social media is always a key component. You’ll find yourself at an exceptional disadvantage if you fail to utilise the marketing tools that almost everyone has at their fingertips: social media platforms. A surprisingly common, and rather pretentious, misconception is that marketing a hotel through social media is tacky. On the contrary, it is the most effective way of reaching the largest possible audience – and a predominantly high-quality audience at that!
Reputation is of huge importance in the world of hotels. Not only with the public, but in industry circles as well. Here you will find that LinkedIn is your best friend. As an incredible networking resource, you will be able to get in touch with leading industry professionals with dignified ease.
When it comes to forging relationships between your hotel and potential customers, a platform like Instagram is the way to go. Utilising this type of social media platform will allow you to implement a content strategy that is tailored to your hotel, and will ultimately allow you to show off the best parts of your hotel to your target audience. You should always utilise a mixture of different social media platforms as they all serve different purposes and can help to market your hotel in multiple ways.
Using hashtags – one of the main features when it comes to sharing content across any social media platform – will help you target your intended audience. Your hashtags can be fairly all-inclusive or incredibly niche, it all depends on the audience you’re trying to reach. The multiple, sprawling, and oftentimes confusing avenues of social media may not be your strong suit.
This is where a hotel marketing company can help you achieve your best. We will appoint a social media account manager to… manage all of your accounts. This will mean providing (and regularly creating) high quality content for ALL your social media platforms. Not to mention regular engagement with your followers, ensuring you have an organic following and leaving you to focus on running your business.
Feature In Publications
Securing editorial coverage in a leading B2B or B2C publication was, and still is, one of the best ways of getting your hotel noticed. Despite the ever-changing way in which we, as a society, consume media, this still rings true. Potential customers are far more likely to take note of your hotel if they see an interview with you, or a feature which takes the reader around your hotel, in a renowned magazine.
This builds a considerable amount of trust between you and your audience. This is where a PR agency, like VerriBerri, will come in handy. Our PR team will be able to secure you a range of features across relevant publications. This is something you would normally have to pay a substantial amount for, but a good PR team can secure you editorial space at no extra cost.
Successful marketing will allow you to continuously build up your brand recognition. This is a gradual process and you won’t see results immediately. In fact, if a firm offers quick returns, they will undoubtedly charge you a hefty fee for non-organic marketing, such as pay-per-click advertising. Whilst this approach will work, it is a far less sustainable way of building brand recognition. The strong and stable foundations that can be ensured through organic growth are essential in the competitive world of the hotel industry.
If you would like assistance in taking a more coordinated approach to your hotel’s marketing, don’t hesitate to get in touch! There are plenty of marketing agencies in Essex, but none like VerriBerri! Contact us today on 01376 386 850.Essex Marketing Agency – Meet our MD!