Hotel marketing covers a huge number of topics, strategies, and skills that hoteliers need to know about. If you want to optimize your hotel’s success then the one thing you should be good at is attracting as many guests as you can. Doesn’t sound too hard now does it? 

In our last blog, we talked about how independent hotel brands can use SEO to save on OTA fees. We covered topics such as making your website SEO-friendly by using keywords, narrowing your target audience, etc. If you have already applied these strategies then you are halfway done. What remains now is to ensure that when a person visits your website to check out your accommodations, they sign up for the newsletter and you use their details to boost direct bookings.

One of the biggest benefits of hotel marketing is that guests impressed by your brand will always pick you whenever they choose to book their trip. With OTA in the middle, you stand to lose a lot. This doesn’t mean you should stop using their services but simply that you need to up your marketing game to encourage direct hotel bookings.

And how to do that? By coming up with a marketing plan that presents you with opportunities to spread your message across multiple platforms! Before we proceed any further, let’s go back to the basics. 

Understanding Your Target Audience Before Crafting a Brand Message

To make sure that your marketing plan creates a positive impact, you need to focus on two things:

1. Your Key Target Audience

2. Your Brand Message

If your brand does not have a specific voice that speaks to your potential guests then it’s unlikely that your business will boom. For example, let’s say that you are going for an innovative and trendy vibe for your hotel. Then your ideal target market includes your couples and travelers. Other factors that will impact the bookings are the size of your hotel and its location, your budget, and the traveler’s budget and their travel purpose. Following are the traveler categories that you can read through to find out which one lines up with your hotel:

Independent Travelers

These are the people who love traveling solo and plan their trips. They are looking for cultural experience and adventure in any weather. They are either high or low earners, young, and share reviews on social media.

Luxury Travelers

These are the people who are willing to spend as much as they can to enjoy their trip. They travel as a couple and fall in the age range between 25 and 49. They love cities that are coastal and hot and tend to pay extra attention to online reviews.

Value Seekers

These are the people who want the best from their trip. They are often traveling with children, belong to a middle-class family, and fall in the age range between 25 and 34. They rely on reviews when booking a hotel and prefer one near a beach. 

Social Travelers

These are the people who engage and share with others and usually travel in groups with family or friends. Since the group includes children, they look for hotels with babysitting services. Even though they have a high income, they rely on recommendations and word of mouth. They fall in the age range between 25 and 49.

Habitual Travelers

These are the people who look for convenience and simplicity as they travel to the same place repeatedly. They are more concerned about relaxation than activities. They fall in the age range between 35 and 64 and are low-income travelers.

Researchers

These are the people who have a specific approach when booking a trip. They want their experience to be as smooth and good as possible. Not only do they thoroughly research their accommodation and destination, but also activities and restaurants. All this is done on a laptop. They are high earners and fall in the age range between 25 and 49. They rely on TripAdvisor for reviews.

How Text Messaging Increases Direct Bookings

In today’s world, text messaging has gained popularity as a modern form of marketing. According to research, SMS open rates are 98%, while emails’ rate is 20%. It takes about 90 seconds for a person to reply to a text, which cannot be compared with an email’s 90-minute response time. Moreover, 75% of people say that they are happy with receiving an offer through SMS. 

This doesn’t mean that you ditch email marketing, as it was, is, and will always be the best form of traditional marketing. However, to touch base with the target audience that’s beyond your reach, SMS marketing is a much better option. With that being said, let’s look at how it can boost direct hotel bookings:

Welcome Your Guests

A guest is due to check-in in a couple of hours. To ensure that the reservation still stands, you can send a reminder text message to the guest saying that you can’t wait to welcome them. If the person visited your website and left the booking in the middle, send a reminder message saying that you are looking forward to serving them and they should complete their booking now.

Encourage Interaction on Message

One of the biggest benefits of direct bookings is that guests get to know about all the incentives, facilities, and discounts a hotel offers. You need to utilize this benefit in your text messaging to show guests how attentive you are. 

What’s the one thing guests love?

For their requests to be completed in record time!

Come up with an SMS program that asks guests about how you can be of service to them. List down your most asked requests and number them. The guests can then reply to the message with a number, and the staff will make sure the request is met pre-arrival or during check-in.

Focus on Customer Experience

When complaints are gone unheard or worst, no action is taken, guests become vengeful. You do not want someone like this to leave a review on TripAdvisor. Hotels get their fair share of complaints, but the winners among them are those that get reviews along the following lines:

“When we arrived, our bed looked like someone had slept on it. The sheet was mussed, and there was even a stain on it. I had heard great things about this hotel so imagine my surprise when this happened. But there’s a silver lining, folks. They had advertised on their website that complaints can be made via text. No need to go all the way down to the reception! After I had made my complaint, the supervisor came with a maid to my room in just 10 minutes. The sheets were changed, and they even offered me a complimentary night’s stay on my next reservation. That, in my book, is the BEST customer service ever.”

The friendlier and accommodating your attitude towards your guest, the more they are likely to call you and make a direct reservation.

Communicate the Benefits of Direct Bookings

Last but not least, why not hit the nail right on the head? If the bulk of your customers are going to OTAs for bookings, send them a direct message that outlines the benefits of booking directly. Do not make the message long or people won’t read it. 

Here’s how your message should be:

• Intro: A warm welcome with your hotel’s motto or slogan

• Body: Tell them about the discounts, special offers, additional facilities, loyalty points for future bookings, or packages (Valentine’s Day, Honeymoon, Anniversary, etc.)

• Conclusion: Call to action or link

Text messaging for hotel bookings is the ideal marketing method for increasing direct bookings with loyal customers as you can remind them about the exceptional experience they had and what more you have in store for them on their next visit.

How Email Marketing Increases Direct Bookings

When it comes to traditional marketing, an email blast is a great way to boost direct bookings. Now that you have an idea about the type of traveler you are accommodating, you can easily craft an email that speaks personally to them. An email has a single route and an endpoint: the inbox. Connecting directly with your target audience is a luxury that all hoteliers seek. This is why we want to further educate you about it and how it can help you increase direct bookings.

A Customer’s Journey

Remember ― it’s all about personalization.

Let’s take a look at the email journey you should go through:

During the inspiration stage, a visitor is browsing your website. They sign up for the newsletter, giving you access to their email. This is your 1st opportunity to impress them. 

The email you send at this point should be about your new offers, discounts, and any incentives you are offering. Make sure there are multiple visuals so that the person can see the luxury of your hotel.

If the visitor comes back to your website and decides to book a stay then you have successfully reached the reservation stage. The 2nd opportunity is a crucial one and therefore, your email should be to the point. Tell them about any additions they can make to their booking that might make the stay more comfortable.

The pre-arrival stage email should thank the guest for the booking and inform them about the facilities that are free on-site. Make sure to add in a line that says they can call you anytime for queries.

At the check-in and on-premise stage, you don’t need to send any emails. This is where text messaging is more appropriate such as reminding them about a free buffet or any event that might be taking place in the hotel.

At the checkout stage, a simple “Thank You” email will do the job. However, your post-visit stage email should be more elaborate. It not only needs to thank the guest for choosing you but also extends an invitation for future visits with a discount on their booking and something else to sweeten the deal such as a free meal in their restaurant of choice. Don’t forget to add a review link.

The emails sent at every stage will show the guest how much you care about them, and want to cater to their every need and want. A short text message will remind them that if they plan to take a trip soon for business or pleasure, you have great deals coming up, which they will love. Make sure that you have strong Wi-Fi so that if you send an email blast during their stay, they get it immediately.

Tips for Creating the Right Email That Guests Would Read

• The Sign Up Tab Should Be Everywhere: Make sure that that the sign up tab is located at the bottom of every page, and this includes blogs too. Always ask for permission to send them marketing communications.

• Divide Your Subscriber Base: Don’t just shoot one email to all your leads. Divide them into segments by past booking preferences, age, and location, and then send targeted emails.

• Use Automation: Your pre-arrival and post-visit emails should be the same and automated. 

• Gain Trust: Send emails that have proofs of your hospitality, such as glowing reviews from TripAdvisor.

• Focus on Loyalty: Create an exclusive program for loyal guests and let them know why they have been chosen for the list.

• Track Your Campaign: Make sure to know the click rates of your emails so that you can make changes accordingly if people are leaving them unopened in the inbox.

Final Thoughts

Both text messaging and email marketing have their benefits. You cannot just focus on one because then, a specific chunk of your target audience will be left unattended. Depending on your target audience’s age range and its preferences, these marketing methods will not just increase direct bookings but also boost your hotel’s image.