Change is no longer optional, but success is.

Let’s be honest, the last decade was good for us all. Maybe a bit too good?  

The typical salesperson enjoyed the luxury of a steady stream of inbound leads. Who had the time, much less the motivation to prospect for new opportunities?

If it ain’t broke, why fix it, right?

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When you’re evaluating your hotel marketing strategy and budgets, you’re likely facing a big decision: do you dedicate more funds to content creation or paid ads? Is there a right or wrong decision? Which serves hospitality businesses better?

Unfortunately, there’s not an easy answer to any of those questions. Deciding where to allot money for marketing is a personal decision based on your hotel brand identity and needs.

Although we can’t give you a black and white response, we can help you understand more about each type of marketing. Let’s talk about the differences between content marketing and paid advertising, then dive deeper into each one. 

Hopefully, this piece will help you understand what your hospitality business truly needs more - and where your spending should go when it comes to digital marketing for hotels.  (more…)

Ever heard the saying “strike while the iron is hot?” The old cliché couldn’t be truer when it comes to hotel group sales.

Booking more than a couple of rooms at once isn’t just a matter of luck - it’s a matter of precise sales timing. Hotel occupancy rates have already declined by more than 42 percent due to the coronavirus, which means expert timing and strategic marketing tactics are essential right now.

To increase your hotel group sales, you need to think about when to ramp up your marketing - and when to hold back. Going full throttle all of the time wastes your resources, but choosing select months to increase group advertising is smart.

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In this ongoing series on social selling, we cover topics designed to help you grow revenue through authentic connections, specifically using LinkedIn as your social platform.

In previous posts, we’ve talked about the importance of serving, understanding the concept of social selling, and how to grow your LinkedIn into a profit-generating machine. We took a deep dive into LinkedIn “Dos” and explored some LinkedIn Don'ts.

Today, we’re going to get to the point with some quick and actionable skills you'll want to succeed at social selling - best of all, and they're skills you already have! Score. Check them out!

Social Selling Tips Using LinkedIn

While our LinkedIn Do's & Don'ts covered a lot of essential information, there are some fundamental skills you likely learned in grade school that will keep your profile a lead-generating machine.

1. Use Your Manners - Just Like Mom Taught You!

Common sense and good manners will get you a long way. Show gratitude, say please and thank you, acknowledge folks who engage with your posts. In the era of online everything, it can be easy to forget that one fundamental rule. Remember, you want to treat people how you would in real life.

2. Step Slightly Out Of Your Comfort Zone

If you were at a work networking event, you'd likely be sure to connect with at least one person you don't know. You'll want to do the same on LinkedIn because communication is KEY to relationship-building. It's ok - and encouraged! - to send personalized messages and connection requests to potential clients.

3. It's Ok to Make Mistakes 

Have you let your profile sit dormant because you're scared of making a mistake in a post, messaging, or otherwise? Don't let fear hold you back from being active! If you make a mistake, learn the lesson and move on, but you'll never know unless you post, test, engage, repeat.

4. Request Connection Requests

In other words, ask for help. Is there a connection you'd like to make and noticed they're in your extended network? It's OK to request a connection.

5. Be Respectful

LinkedIn is not the place to get into a heated debate on a sensitive topic. If you do find yourself in such a situation, it's best to be professional, polite, and respectful and move on.

6. Have a "Collaborative" Mentality

A powerful business-building strategy is collaborating with folks with complementary products and services. Be mindful of potential collaborative opportunities and open to ways to work with the people in your network.

7. Be Helpful

Nothing makes a stronger and more genuine impression on somebody than when you give selflessly, generously, and (most importantly) without expecting anything in return. This can be as simple as sharing a great piece of content produced by someone in your network.

8. Ask Questions and Express Curiosity

Be curious. Be interested. Asking questions or commenting on the posts and comments of your connections is vital to starting a conversation. This is where real relationship-building begins.

9. Share Ideas

LinkedIn Publisher is a fantastic way to establish your authority and expand your reach on LinkedIn. The ability to share information in a way that is easily understood or relatable is crucial when creating content on LinkedIn Publisher.

When you write, you need to make sure that you write your post from the point of view and at your audience's technical level (and potential customers).

10. Tell Stories

While it might not be appropriate to share a lot of personal information on LinkedIn, it is an excellent place to share professional or work-related stories and experiences.

Engaging storytelling makes people more interested and emotionally invested in what you are sharing. So, draw your readers in (if appropriate) with a funny, poignant, or thoughtful post that humanizes you and makes you more relatable and likable.

This list of LinkedIn best practices will provide you with a solid foundation and increase trust throughout your social selling activities.

Need help with your social selling strategies? Reach out! 

Right now, what do you think of when the term “hospitality sales” comes to mind?

You likely envision social media promotions, television commercials, and of course, the classic salesperson with a convincing spiel. Although these are all tried-and-true methods, if you ask us, they don’t hold a candle to the power of social selling.

Inbound marketing delivers up to 53 percent more leads monthly than traditional outbound marketing tactics. Even though TikToks and social media posts are all the rage, up to 83 percent of consumers still prefer article and video content over trendier pieces like podcast episodes or infographics.

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In this ongoing series on social selling, we are covering topics designed to help you grow revenue through authentic connections, specifically using LinkedIn as your social platform.

In previous posts we’ve talked about the importance of serving, then understanding the concept of social selling, and how to grow your LinkedIn into a profit generating machine

Today, we’re going to focus on understanding the best business practices to follow when using LinkedIn to generate leads. You'll want to be sure to follow proper etiquette, otherwise you'll risk damaging your credibility, which could in turn drastically affect your social selling results.  (more…)

Personal branding starts with LinkedIn.

If there's ever been a time in your career to think about personal branding, that time is now. With the rules of business shifting on a daily basis and world uncertainties, it's the personal relationships that will sustain us, no matter what your industry or career path. Building a compelling professional profile on LinkedIn is a key step to personal branding, social selling and lead generation.

In previous posts we've talked about the importance of serving, then understanding the concept of social selling. Today, we're going to focus on how to actually turn your LinkedIn profile into a lead generating machine.

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It’s not easy being in the hospitality industry right now. Heck, it’s not easy being a human right now!  As a marketing agency specializing in the hospitality industry, we understand the fear and angst that is happening right now with our clients and industry peers. As fellow members of the human race, we also understand that these are scary times for everyone. 

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As we explore the idea of social selling, we’ll dig deep into some key concepts. In our first post on this series, we covered the idea of building relationships by serving. In today’s post, we’re going to explore how to identify your ideal client and attract them to you by “speaking their language” to make for even more impactful relationship building. We will also share the importance of setting goals for yourself. 

Let’s Dive In!

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