Marketing Strategies for Driving More Bookings!

At a cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.9%, the market for hospitality services in the world increased from $3,952.87 billion in 2021 to $4,502.83 billion in 2022.

Hotel marketing strategies have also evolved as a result of the COVID pandemic. The success of a hotel depends on how well it markets itself. Good marketing builds a hotel's brand, sets it apart from the competition, and leaves a lasting impression on guests. This blog is a one-stop shop for the most important marketing techniques that will drive and capture more demand, reservations, and income. It is full of the latest trends, data points, and insights from experts in the field.

The marketing efforts of a hotel are crucial to its success in luring guests and maximizing earnings. Your marketing messages are the main way that guests will learn about your hotel and understand what your brand stands for and what makes it unique. The best way to promote your hotel in 2023 is to follow the current marketing trends in the industry.

We will present a comprehensive overview of hotel marketing, covering everything from its significance to the importance of adaptable planning and some of the most effective strategies.

What is Hotel Marketing?

The term "hotel marketing" covers a wide range of ways that hotels try to get new customers and keep the ones they already have coming back. It is important to make the hotel more attractive so it can accommodate a larger number of people.

In today's technological era, hotels also sell themselves online and through other digital mediums such as social media, email, hotel OTAs, and their own websites. "Hotel marketing" is an umbrella term for a wide range of ways that hotels promote their brands and try to get more people to stay there.

In order to differentiate themselves from their rivals, hotels can use a wide variety of marketing methods, from eye-catching visuals to strategic brand positioning and personalized messaging. Digital media are used in modern marketing and advertising strategies to get more people to know about your hotel, which in turn brings in more money.

Hotel chains need to adapt quickly to the ever-changing digital advertising landscape. Your brand should be the same and natural on your website, social media, search engines, and any other online marketing channels you use.

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Why is Hotel Marketing Important?

One of the most difficult things for hotels to deal with in the hotel and hospitality industry is competition. Marketing is crucial for hotels because it allows them to spread the word about their establishment, draw attention to its best qualities, set themselves apart from competitors, and explain why guests should choose to stay there.

Ultimately, hotel owners may increase the number of reservations they receive and the money they make by being abreast of the current trends in hotel marketing and actively engaging customers through marketing.

Data shows that optimism among vacationers is on the rise, and it's expected to remain that way through 2023. You should look for ways to make more money and plan for them, and your hotel should be set up to take advantage of them. Marketing plans that bring in new customers and keep existing ones coming back are still important despite changing demand. Hotels can reach out to potential guests, get them involved, and make them happy by getting their USP and brand values across.

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11 Hotel Marketing Strategies for 2023

Because there are so many moving parts in hotel marketing, it's easy to waste time and energy without seeing any real results. To reach their goals, hotels need to use a strategic plan that combines the basics with new ideas to meet the needs of modern guests. The following are some of the most effective hotel advertisement methods in 2023.

1. Create brand guidelines and establish the brand tone

All of your hotel's promotional materials should have the same tone and style. The content you produce encompasses not only your website and email campaigns but also your social media posts and everything else you put out there. Guests will remember your hotel's brand if all of your marketing materials have the same tone and style. Keep the same language, tone, and style consistent throughout your article.

2. Identify  your target audience

Focusing your efforts on a specific market segment is more productive than spreading them too thinly across a wide audience. It is essential to identify and define a target audience because it is impossible to reach everyone. As a result of the Internet and other forms of targeted advertising, small firms today may successfully compete with their larger counterparts. When a company creates a marketing plan with the present customer in mind, it saves time and money.

3. Be visible and easily searchable on Google

Search engine optimization (SEO) is one strategy for increasing your hotel's visibility in online search results. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, including the use of targeted keywords in website copy, blog articles, and social media updates. Google AdWords and other similar platforms let you create hyper-localized ads that only show up when potential guests search for phrases related to your hotel. SEO for hotels is important to keep your hotel website on top and to rank better. A good hotel SEO strategy can be very helpful for you to maintain your brand position.

4. Be visible on social media

In today's digital world, social media marketing for hotels is a powerful tool that lets people spread their message quickly and easily to a large number of people. You can get people to book a room at your hotel if you provide interesting content and interact with them on social media.

There are a lot of advertising companies that offer social media marketing services. They can be a great help if you want to grow your hotel's online presence. The agencies can help you make a good plan for marketing your hotel on the Internet and a nice-looking site for it. You can have a look at popular social media handles such as Shahpura Hotels, Larisa Resort, Conrad Pune, and many others that are dedicated to social media marketing for hotels.

5. Google Business Listing

Google is used for every imaginable search. Whether you're looking for a local grocery store or a hotel hundreds of miles away, Google delivers consistent results. With the help of "Google My Business" for hotels, many hotel owners have been able to build a strong online presence. In this way, a business profile is a great way for a hotel owner to keep track of information and connect with clients.

Listing on GMB became very popular since it gave companies a chance to distinguish themselves in the digital world. Google is the pinnacle of knowledge; with only one click, you may search all corners of the globe. It's the most convenient approach for vacationers to locate a high-quality hotel. Travelers can pick from a variety of accommodations based on their relative position in the rankings.

6. List on hotel OTAs (Online Travel Agencies)

Nearly 60 percent of all hotel reservations are made through the internet. You should list your hotel on as many hotel booking sites as possible to get the most exposure and reservations. If your hotel is on a platform for booking hotels, it will be seen by more potential guests and be more likely to be booked. To keep track of your hotel's OTA listings, you need a strong property management system (PMS). The system provides a central location for all of your booking and pricing operations.

Generally, online travel agencies now charge a commission of 15%-30% of the total cost of a reservation. These costs can go up even more if the person renting out the room is not registered for VAT, which is required by EU VAT rules.

7. Get Google reviews from your guests

One of the most effective strategies to get people to book a night at your hotel is to have a lot of great Google hotel reviews posted online. Unbiased accounts from previous guests can be found on hotel review websites, which can sway travelers to book their stay at your hotel. Promoting review sites in your email marketing for hotels and social media posts will help you get more hotel reviews online. Put information about review sites in the guest book to get people to review the hotel after they've stayed there. Hotel SEO benefits from this as well.

8. Send personalised Emails Campaigns

You can reach potential guests via email marketing using online email marketing software. First, you'll need to get potential clients' email addresses so you can start a targeted email marketing campaign. Guests who have stayed at your establishment before can be kept in the loop about what's happening there with email marketing for hotels. You can ease all these tasks with some great email marketing software.

In an ideal world, everyone in the hotel sector would actively seek out industry news and surf the web to learn about the most recent developments in the field. We know this isn't feasible. Customers can learn more about your company and its products through newsletters. So, you'll be able to build strong relationships with your current and future customers. Email marketing software likes Hubspot, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, MailerLite can help with successful marketing strayergies.

9. Build interactive website

On hotel websites with a lot of high-quality photos, conversion rates go up by 15%. One of the most crucial promotional resources for your hotel is its website. Visitors to your website are looking for information about your hotel before deciding whether or not to reserve a stay. If you want to attract and keep customers, it's important to keep your website up-to-date with the latest information about your hotel. Rates, room availability, hotel amenities, and contact details should all be listed here.

In a few easy steps, you can have your own website up and running with the help of property management software with website integration. There are some free platforms that can help you make a website for your hotel. Whereas several platforms can help you create attractive websites with paid subscriptions. Some of them are:

• Google Sites
• Wix.com
• Wordpress

10. Influencer marketing for hotels

Those with a huge online following, or "influencers," can spread the word about your hotel to their followers. Start working with influencers by reaching out to them and asking if they would be willing to promote your hotel on their social media pages. Offer to pay influencers to spread the word about your hotel if you have the marketing funds to do so. Influencer marketing for hotels is in style these days and can draw attention to your hotel business.

• Traackr
• NeoReach
• Klear
• TapInfluence
• Influencity
• Onalytica

are a few of the many online platforms and services made just for hotels' influencer marketing.

11. Use tools to improve hotel guest experience

When guests receive outstanding service before, during, and after their stay, they are more likely to return to the hotel. To do this, you have to go above and beyond what is needed to meet their needs and go above and beyond what they expect. Business travelers could be accommodated in a number of ways, including early check-in and late check-out. Guests who stay for multiple nights might appreciate a free breakfast. The quality of the service your customers get affects both how happy they are and how likely they are to stay at your hotel again. This enhances the hotel guest experience and, in return, builds brand loyalty.

To attract more guests, you can use a variety of hotel marketing strategies. Applying these methods will increase the number of potential guests at your hotel and the number of people who book a night there. Examine how putting even one of these hotel marketing strategies into practice might boost your establishment's bookings.

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How Does Marketing Create Hotel Brand Awareness?

As the travel industry adapts to new technology, it will get harder for older businesses to stand out, please customers, win their loyalty, and set themselves apart from the competition. Hotel guests are becoming increasingly accustomed to receiving personalized service. Also, some of the most well-known hotels in the world already offer similar services. This means that hotels need new ways to stand out from the crowd, build their own brand recognition, and create hotel brand awareness.

A recent example, we can see in the hotel industry is Google's free booking link.

Google launched a new feature. Started in March 2021, you are now able to find free hotel booking links on Google Search and Google Maps. The Google Free Booking Link is a great way for hotels to compete with OTAs in brand searches and boost direct bookings by attracting more visitors to their website.

Despite the obvious benefits, many hotels have yet to make use of the Google Free Booking Link, despite the fact that it has been available for over a year. Having said that, it is still not too late to become a Google FBL user.

Hotels can now meet the needs of their guests better with the help of technology. As a result, the hotel's brand recognition, hotel brand awareness, customer loyalty, occupancy rate, and income will all go up as guests become brand advocates and work with the hotel's staff. Hotel owners can maximize both brand recognition and revenue by implementing these practices and offering the best possible rate through their booking engine in order to encourage more guests to book their accommodations directly with them.

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To Sum Up

When it comes to assisting hotel businesses in maximizing bookings and income, hotel advertising plays an essential role. It is the primary means through which the hospitality sector can make contact with prospective clients and communicate their distinct selling proposition as well as the values associated with their brand. It's hard to say how important it is to have the right hotel marketing strategies. It's a key part of launching a hotel, getting the most bookings, building hotel brand awareness, and keeping your reputation in check.

Over the years, the most important marketing trends in the hospitality business have changed. And despite this, it seems that every day there is a new trend that emerges on the internet and becomes a tool for marketing. The key to standing out is creating smart, unique hotel marketing strategies and hotel marketing ideas. Selecting the right marketing strategy for your hotel business requires a lot of specificity and care.

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