While many of us are excited for the Fall season, hoteliers are focused on another important season: Hotel Budget Season.
Now is the time for hoteliers to review their previous years’ budget and make any necessary changes for the upcoming year. While evaluating their hotel budget, hoteliers should also consider the latest digital marketing trends that may or may not benefit their hotel property. Below are some trends Vizergy recommends hoteliers to consider budgeting for in the upcoming calendar year.
Personalization
Personalization has proven to be a hot topic in the travel industry and today’s marketers have plenty of opportunity to personalize their users’ experience.
According to New Epsilon research, 87% of consumers say they are more likely to do business with travel websites and/or apps that offer personalized experiences but say only 64% of travel sites are doing it well. When it comes to winning business, it’s important for a customer to feel they’re being treated like a person, not a number.
Website personalization can also enhance brand loyalty. A recent consumer report by Harvard Business Review found that two-thirds of consumers remain loyal to a brand because they feel they share similar values. For more information about website personalization, you can download our guide here.
Remarketing
Google Ads retargeting is powerful online marketing technique because it allows you to stay connected with your target audience, even after they leave your site.
Remarketing allows you to re-engage with people who have spent time browsing pages on your website or engaged with your brand, but haven’t yet converted. Through Google Analytics, you can set up a strategy based on users demographics, interests, and other activities, to re-engage with these potential customers.
Use this technique to stay in front of potential customers while they browse other relevant sites online. According to WordStream, the Google Display Network reaches 92% of all Internet users.
Customer Experience Marketing via Email Marketing
The hospitality industry is a competitive space and customer experience is important in gaining new customers and keeping loyal ones. Understanding your customers, their needs, concerns and desires, is a crucial part of running and maintaining a successful hotel property.
Maintaining a regular email outreach to your database will help keep your customers engaged and encourage them to stay with you again. Sending out questionnaires and/or surveys via an email marketing program is also a great way to prompt feedback from your customers.
Displaying feedback from customers on your website with a tool like Vizergy’s Review Feed Application is also a great way to boost Search Engine Rankings.
Paid Search
This upcoming budget season, it is important to focus on the success of your previous search engine marketing and optimize your strategies, as necessary.
Paid search has proven to be a powerful tool when it comes to travel and hospitality marketing. Search continues to consistently deliver audiences, engagement and bookings. Vizergy recommends a multi-channel approach to paid search strategies, with a combination of display advertising and paid search ads.
- 48% of US Travelers say they begin planning a trip with a search engine
- 57% of travelers ages 18-34 go to a general search engine to check accommodation prices.
- 36% of consumers overall recall viewing a travel ad on a search engine
- 50% of consumers ages 18-34 recall viewing a travel ad on a search engine.
For more about making PPC search ads work for your hotel, visit this blog post. Or read more about hotel PPC and display advertising here.
Metasearch
The rise of metasearch sites introduces another area of focus for next year’s budget. In order to maintain and boost your share of direct bookings, metasearch needs to be a priority. Metasearch sites, such as Google, TripAdvisor, Kayak, and Trivago, allow online travelers to compare hotel rates and book, all in one place.
Advertising on these sites will drive more direct bookings, by providing a link to your property’s booking engine, rather than booking through an online travel agency (OTA). You can visit our recent blog, Metasearch Explained: What Hoteliers Need to Know, to learn more.
Looking for tips to prepare for budget season? Read our other blog here.
This article also seen here on Hotel News Resource.
