Five Essential Components of Hospitality Marketing

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1 Five Essential Components of Hospitality Marketing You manage a hotel or resort and want people to stay there. Seems like a reasonable request. The question is, how do you make it happen? The world of hospitality marketing has never been more crowded. Your target audiences have messages coming at them from all different directions. The average attention span is 8.25 seconds, 17% of online page views last less than four seconds and we re all so busy that 7% of us have forgotten our own birthday 1. So, how can you break through the clutter and get your message across? Better yet, how can you convert your audience into true brand loyalists? That s where things change. While all conversations have to cut through more noise, those who know how to do it well can connect with audiences in exciting ways that get results. Ready to be one of those people? 8.25 SECONDS IS THE AVERAGE ATTENTION SPAN 1 17% OF ONLINE PAGE VIEWS LAST LESS THAN 4 SECONDS 1 7% OF PEOPLE ARE SO BUSY THAT THEY HAVE FORGOTTEN THEIR OWN BIRTHDAY 1 1 National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, The Associated Press (04/02/15)

2 Brand Strategy Set your property apart. While tactics like SEO, digital marketing, social media and marketing plans are all crucial to your strategy (you ll learn more about them shortly), those efforts will fall flat if you don t start with a strong brand. Your brand is what sets you and your property apart. It s your signature. It s what drives loyalty and a connection. It s based on both fact and emotion. It should offer guests a consistent feeling during every interaction with your hotel or resort. When done well, your brand strategy will create a strong platform that supports your marketing strategy. Carefully develop and manage this asset daily, if not hourly. So, what s involved in a brand? + PUBLIC RELATIONS A strong PR plan generates ongoing brand awareness and builds trust with your target demographics. + ADVERTISING Strategic media buys target people who will likely respond to your message through a variety of channels. + CREATIVE Consistent design and messaging familiarizes guests with your brand and builds recognition. + Interactive A well-designed and coded website puts you in front of prospective guests and converts them into customers. These are just a few of the many tactics that will take your vision, goals and brand in the right direction. Branding is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time and attention to convert potential guests, and it doesn t stop there. Retention keeping your customers is another important piece of your brand lifecycle. Effective branding and marketing will not only help you achieve your goals, but also allow you to see and measure your ROI.

3 Search Engine Optimization Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has to be a living, breathing part of your marketing plan. but what is it? SEO is a deliberate strategy that pushes your website to the top of the search engine results page when someone searches for your property or any like it. SEO isn t an online ad; it s all about organic search engine results that have no money behind them. So how important is it? There are approximately 11 billion web searches in the United States each month 2. In the last year, 80% of consumers have looked online for information about a product they might want to buy 3. The online world is constantly pushing and shoving for attention, and an effective SEO strategy will catch their eye. Search engines constantly look for new ways to deliver the most specific and relevant results by indexing pages (including yours). If your SEO isn t set up correctly and managed on an ongoing basis, your site could be buried deep within those avalanches of web searches. You can boost your bottom line by implementing an effective SEO strategy: Perform keyword research to identify high-volume search phrases with medium to low competition Develop onsite content that focuses on a specific search phrase, such as a blog article When possible, increase page and post word counts to 700 words or more without adding fluff Optimize page load times by utilizing image compression, upgraded hosting and browser caching Earn third-party links (backlinks) through guest blogging and outreach opportunities Develop a clear page content hierarchy with the most important information first SEO is about more than making friends with search engines. It s also about engaging visitors with your site. Creating a dynamic, attractive user experience with relevant content will take your digital presence to the top of search engine rankings. 11BILLION FOR WEB SEARCHES IN THE U.S. EACH MONTH 2 80% OF PEOPLE LOOK ONLINE INFORMATION ABOUT A PRODUCT BEFORE BUYING 3 2 Alexa, Gallup (07/11/13) 3 University of California, Berkeley (06/13/15)

4 Social Media Social media is one of the most influential and compelling ways to market your brand. Today s world views social media as more than a way to keep up with friends and family. It has become a resource that offers recommendations, reviews and honest opinions from real people. In fact, travelers spend 5x more time on Facebook than any other travel app 4. More importantly, 52% of travelers agree that providers like hotels and resorts can improve the way they communicate. To make that happen, use paid and organic strategies that complement one another. Organic social posts provide a rich catalog of messaging, video and user-generated content that resonates with your audience while humanizing your brand. Social efforts that have money behind them put your property in front of new customers, while keeping you top of mind among existing followers. Creating a sense of urgency with content like limited-time room rates or F&B specials can also increase conversions and drive revenue. Now that the digital population is more vast, diverse and demanding than ever, it s imperative that you treat each network with the respect it demands. Like any other marketing tactic, social media must be backed by a sound strategy and management plan to be effective: Set goals and determine your voice Emphasize quality over quantity for your posts Engage with followers and respond to them thoughtfully Encourage social sharing by asking questions Find your influencers and build relationships with them Create conversations instead of hard selling by focusing on people Be consistent, accessible and approachable Be a resource by providing valuable, relevant information Being social means that you re talking to people on their time, not yours. Evaluate your target demographic s appetite for social media content and engage with them accordingly. TRAVELERS SPEND 5X MORE TIME ON FACEBOOK THAN ANY OTHER TRAVEL APP 4 52% OF TRAVELERS AGREE THAT HOTELS & RESORTS CAN IMPROVE THE WAY THEY COMMUNICATE 4 4 Facebook (2016)

5 Marketing is one of the most effective ways to target, reach and convert prospects. By 2020, three billion people will be using . An effective marketing strategy can be one of the most profitable ways to connect with customers. In fact, you can expect to earn $38 for every $1 invested in growing your list 6. To take full advantage of this connection, it s important to approach methodically. Start by finding an effective way to capture the s of both prospective and current guests. It could be via a newsletter sign up on your website, during check-in at your property or community events and travel shows. Get to know your customers and what they re interested in to further refine your targeting. Segmented campaigns have an open rate that is 14.32% higher than non-segmented campaigns 7. Once you have a following, writing, designing and coding an that aligns with your brand is of the utmost importance. Ensure that each message is something people will actually want to see and engage with again. SEGMENTED CAMPAIGNS HAVE A 14.32% HIGHER OPEN RATE THAN NON-SEGMENTED CAMPAIGNS 7. Here are a few tips that will help you maximize your efforts: Use subject lines that entice people to open your Create content and design that keeps people engaged Ensure your is responsive so it looks good on every device, including mobile Drive conversions by using calls to action and linking to digital destinations that produce revenue Use ongoing content to stay top of mind and build customer retention Nearly 105 billion s are sent each day, and that number is expected to reach 246 billion before In a domain this crowded, it s important that your stands out and features compelling messaging that properly represents your brand. YOU CAN EXPECT TO EARN $38 FOR EVERY $1 INVESTED 6 IN GROWING YOUR LIST. 6 Data & Marketing Association, The Radicati Group, The Radicati Group, 2015

6 PPC & Display Using digital tactics to reach the people who care most about your message. You have a website, you have an SEO strategy, but you re not getting the number of visitors and conversions you d like. A digital marketing strategy can amplify your online presence and increase your bottom line. Display and remarketing ads (like digital banners) give audiences a feel for your brand while driving traffic and generating revenue. Pay-Per-Click advertising (like Google AdWords) allows you to pinpoint different segments of your audience and maximize the efficacy of your digital dollars. When looking for a place to stay or plan an event, consumers are 155% more likely to perform a search specifically for your property if they have been exposed to a display ad 9. Even if they didn t click the ad, building brand recognition and recall puts your property top of mind when it s time for consumers to make decisions. Search ads play a similar role in the consumer decisionmaking process. 81% of all purchases (both offline and online) are influenced by search 10. In fact, 73% of all consumers begin on a search engine 11. With that in mind, there s no reason your brand can t be front and center when guests begin their hunt. Here are a few ways that you can effectively deploy a display and PPC campaign: Ensure display ads align with your brand to create cohesiveness Use compelling messaging and design that drive clicks and conversions Invest in branded searches for competitors to siphon their traffic Purchase bids for your own brand to stave off competition Drive people to relevant pages on your website that generate revenue Use remarketing tactics to re-engage customers who abandoned the conversion process In a world driven by digital results, your property can t afford to get lost in the search engine shuffle. Bolstering those efforts with display ads on your audience s favorite sites will put the final touch on your digital efforts. 81% OF ALL PURCHASES ARE INFLUENCED BY SEARCH 10 73% OF CONSUMERS BEGIN ON A SEARCH ENGINE 11 9 Main Street RIO (05/21/17) 10 Thornley Fallis (2013) 11 PracticalEcommerce (07/01/16)

7 Tip 6: Call Us. We ve worked with some pretty amazing hospitality clients (and still do)! Do you have a team of experts invested in your property s success, ready to go to work for your brand while delivering quantifiable results? If you contact us, you will. We ll work with you to bring your brand to life and spread the word across every channel you can imagine and some that you can t. +P E info@thejamesagency.com thejamesagency.com Your one-stop + Public Relations + Advertising + Creative + Interactive shop