Online Marketing Tips for Hotels

5 online marketing tips for hotels that will help your hotel be more visible online

When you’re busy running your hotel, it can be hard to find the time to keep up with the latest marketing research. Internet marketing strategies are constantly evolving, though, so the marketing practice that served you so well yesterday may actually be harming your online visibility today. To help you keep your hotel marketing strategies up to date, we examined the insights provided by SiteMinder’s Social Playbook. The internet marketing report reveals the latest trends and best practices in the hotel marketing world, gleaned by incorporating survey results from VisitBritain, Blitz, and AMP for Hotels.  We’ve distilled this information into five powerful online marketing tips for hotels that will help make your website more visible to search engines and travelers alike. 

#1: Inspire travelers with creative content that helps with the planning process

Guests are searching for content that provides travel inspiration. Developing a content marketing strategy that helps guests through the trip planning process is a highly effective way to promote hotels online because it inspires guests to book a stay. Some of the ways you can deliver inspirational content include:

• Write a series of blogs on local events that happen nearby
• Shoot videos that show local attractions
• Use social media to highlight good places to eat locally
• Collaborate with local hot spots to run cross promotions

#2: Audit your website’s performance on several different devices

64% of travelers said they will leave a website if links don’t work correctly. And since the majority of guests use a variety of devices throughout the trip planning process, having your hotel website perform poorly on mobile could cost you customers. Audit your website’s performance on a variety of devices, and check all your content and social networks to make sure links work correctly. Check back at least once a week to make sure new content is formatted correctly.

#3: Provide incentives for guests to post on social media

Travelers are looking for honest input during the trip planning process, and prefer advice and reviews from recent travelers to that of travel experts. This tendency increases with younger travelers – 84% of millennials are likely to plan a trip based on someone else’s travel photos or social media updates. Provide incentives for your guests to post photos and videos on social media by sponsoring daily contests for the best photo posted on Facebook, the highest trending Tweets, or most appreciated Instagram Stories about their stay.

#4: Encourage spontaneity with great deals on last-minute bookings

This is one of our favorite sales ideas for hotels because it can be planned ahead of time or used at the last minute to fill unexpected vacancies. 30% of travelers surveyed admitted they were more of a planner but most would accept a nudge to be more impulsive.  Encourage travelers to give into the impulse to spontaneity by using email and social media to send out special last minute deals and limited time offers. Investing in paid PPC ads to promote these last minute deals can help you realize a big boost in bookings.

#5: Encourage hotel reviews

Most travelers research online and seek out reviews when planning a trip. In fact, 3 out of 5 US travelers say they have visited at least one review site to assess their options. Guests from overseas are even more likely to seek out reviews during the travel planning process. Encourage guests to leave an honest review with rewards such as a free dessert.

If you would like some help implementing these online marketing tips for hotels, give us a call at Travel Tech Strategies. As a dedicated hotel marketing agency, we can provide you with everything you need to develop an effective hotel internet marketing strategy, from a responsive hotel website design to expert SEO and email copywriting services, hotel social marketing services, and much more.

Contact Travel Tech Strategies today at 954-635-5169 for more internet marketing tips for hotels plus the expert hotel marketing support services that will ensure your online marketing success!