At the heart of a successful digital marketing strategy is a broad spectrum of tactics aimed at amplifying your hotel’s digital footprint and driving direct bookings.
NB: This is an article from GuestCentric
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From fine-tuning your website and booking process to leveraging the power of social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, each step is crucial for capturing guest interest right from the start and across each stage of their journey from search to post-stay.
Below is a deep dive into the customer’s mindset, broken down into five pivotal phases:
- Dreaming Stage: Guests daydream about their ideal getaway without a clear destination in mind.
- Planning Stage: With a vision in place, guests look for specific details like rooms, rates, and special offers.
- Booking Stage: Guests are ready to make their dream vacation a reality and proceed to book.
- Experiencing Stage: The journey begins on your website and, depending on how captivating their experience is, either concludes at the booking engine or extends to their actual stay.
- Sharing Stage: Post-stay, if guests are thrilled, they become your champions, spreading the word about their amazing stay through reviews, social media, and word-of-mouth.
Recognizing and nurturing these stages within your digital marketing approach is pivotal. By categorizing your strategy into three core areas – Guest Engagement Marketing, Guest Acquisition Marketing, and Guest Retention Marketing – you can rekindle the connection with tech-savvy travelers at every point of their journey, securing those all-important direct bookings, reducing reliance on OTAs, and ultimately, trimming down distribution costs.
Here are 5 digital marketing strategies for hotels to get more Direct Bookings
1. Ensure Your Hotel Website and Booking Engine seamlessly work together as a Direct Sales Machine
Your hotel’s website is often the first point of contact with potential guests. Therefore, you must ensure that it not only captures the attention of online visitors as soon as they land, but also that it’s straightforward to navigate and facilitates a seamless browsing and booking experience. Below is a checklist you should follow:
- Visual Appeal and Easy Navigation: Use high-quality images and a clean layout to make a strong first impression. Navigation should be intuitive, allowing visitors to find information quickly and easily.
- Comprehensive Information: Provide detailed descriptions of your amenities, services, and room options. Include information about local attractions and the unique benefits of staying at your hotel.
- Branding and Storytelling: Incorporate your brand’s voice and ethos throughout the site. Tell the story of your hotel and what makes it unique to create an emotional connection with visitors. This could include your hotel’s history, the inspiration behind its design, or stories about the staff. Strong branding and storytelling can differentiate your hotel from competitors and encourage direct bookings.
- Optimized Booking Engine: Ensure that the booking process is straightforward and user-friendly. Integrate features like real-time availability checks, quick loading times, and various payment options. Highlight exclusive offers and benefits available only to guests who book directly through your website.
By focusing on these areas, your hotel’s website will not only attract visitors but also convert them into bookings by offering a compelling, secure, and user-friendly experience that aligns with your brand’s story and values.
