Is Your Tired Website Costing You a Fortune?
It’s time for some straight talk. An un-optimized website could be costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars when it comes to snagging vacationers on the lookout for great accommodations.
People expect big things from the hospitality industry today. With review platforms and large booking sites determining how most people pick their vacation lodgings, hospitality businesses need exemplary websites now more than ever before.
Could your hotel’s website be holding back your ability to maximize revenue?
Want To Connect With Your Prospects? Here’s How To Get Personal, Without Being Creepy
As a hospitality brand, you may have noticed that in today’s digital world, it’s harder than ever to catch a prospect’s attention. With information so easily available to anyone searching for it, you may be wondering how you can make your content stand apart. How you can give your prospects what they want and when. Well, we’ve got the answer. Content personalization.
The Future of B2B Content Marketing … Personalization!
Personalized content is a relatively new method of digital marketing that has proven super effective, for not only grabbing your prospect’s attention but also building a stronger bond. If you’ve ever used Amazon or Netflix, you’ve experienced automated, personalized content. These sites offer you content based on what you’ve purchased or watched before. They use data about you to provide further content based on your taste and past behavior.
What Amazon and Netflix do is just one simple example of personalized content. There is a whole range of options available now for organizations that want to personalize their content.
Personalized content refers to using information you have on your target audience to create content tailored to their interests, preferences, or needs.
Why Personalization is Essential
In today’s world of information overload, personalization is essential for a number of reasons. First, customer attention is increasingly harder to attract. Today’s customer is constantly bombarded with content, so content creators need to make theirs stand out. Personalization does this by speaking directly to the user’s preferences, problems, and needs.
Personalizing your content allows you to create a stronger bond with your audience. They feel that you know them and you’re speaking directly to them. While everyone follows any number of content outlets online, your audience will read your content first if they feel they have a strong relationship with you.
Content personalization is driven by the data you have about your target market and their needs and behaviors. The more data you have about your audience, the more you can personalize your content to meet their needs. The foundation of your personalization is a clearly identified customer persona.
Getting Started with Personalization
The first step in personalizing your content is to develop a clear message and goal for each piece of content you produce. If you don’t have a strategic reason for the content in the first place, personalization won’t help you reach your objective. It’s a matter of deciding where each piece fits into your overall strategy.
There are five degrees of personalization that you can consider, and some are easier than others. The five areas are:
Segment Specific. Personalize your content by target market segments. Segments might include industry, particular interests, demographic differences, geographical location, or psychographic factors such as a specific need or problem.
Persona Specific. Personalize content by buyer types. Examples of buyer types include first-time visitors to your website, regular blog readers, prospects who expressed interest in a certain product or service, leads from a specific tradeshow, and so on.
Stage-Specific. Persona specific content is personalized for a type of buyer. The difference with stage-specific is that it identifies a certain step in the buying process. You might create content personalized for a first-time cold prospect, or aim content at a repeat buyer who you know is likely to make a purchase based on an upsell or cross-sell.
Account Specific. You might personalize your content for a particular prospect or organization.
Lead Specific. This type of personalization is for one specific individual.
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:What if Darth Vader Was Your VIP Guest?
Automated Tools for Personalizing Content
Tools are often essential for personalizing content. You don’t have to do it all manually. There is a wide range of tools available and they include:
Quiz plugins – When a person visits your website, they’re presented with a short quiz asking about their interests. Based on their answers, it directs them to the content that would be most relevant to their stated interests.
Profiles plugins – Some sites now have a profile option for visitors. They ask the visitor to choose which profile most matches them. These profiles could be something like positions in a company, such as New Hire, Sales Staff, or Management. They choose the profile and then are taken to the most appropriate page.
Email autoresponders – An autoresponder is a program used for email marketing. It allows you to send messages to your subscribers and receive data about them. Autoresponders offer a wide range of personalization options. They can offer specific content based on the actions or preferences of subscribers.
Recommendination plugs – Another example is a WordPress plugin that presents specific posts or products based on where someone lands on your site or which content they consume.
Site visit plugins – Another example would be a plugin that uses the visitor’s name for a personalized message. When they land on the page, it says something like, “Hi, (name), welcome back! Here are the latest posts we think you’d like.”
Refining Content Personalization
Once you implement your content personalization strategy, you need to monitor it in order to understand what’s working and what’s not. You can then make any changes necessary and create a stronger personalization plan.
RELATED: Still Think Content Marketing is a Waste of Time? Here’s 5 Reasons to Change Your Mind
The Way of the Future for B2B Content Marketing
We predict that content personalization will be even more essential in the future. And, no matter if you’re marketing to the B2C segment or the B2B segment, personalization techniques will become increasingly important as people seek more personal experiences online. The more you can make a connection, the better your bottom line!
What You Can Do Today:Content personalization doesn’t have to be creepy. In fact, you probably have already gathered tons of data on your current and potential customers. Get started by segmenting your data into an Excel Workbook. Begin with the obvious differentiators, and add to the information as necessary. Next, determine how you can upgrade your email program to speak specifically to each of those segments. As you build and test your program you’ll be able to refine for even better results!
Boost Hotel Sales with These Hot Marketing Automation Tips
The demand for consumer attention is at an all-time high. The catch-phrase for this might be “if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.” Rather than “staying out,” let’s find a smarter way to withstand the heat.
You’re likely plagued by two main issues: you, or your team, spends exorbitant amounts of time dealing with routine menial hotel marketing tasks, and needs a more efficient way to send targeted message to various audiences.
Hotel marketing automation is the solution to both of those issues. Because of the constant battle to retain and increase your segment of the market, time is more important than ever. Without the aid of marketing tools it’ll be difficult to keep your head above water. Marketing automation will help you streamline the entire messaging process.
What is Hotel Marketing Automation?
Essentially what marketing automation does is allow you to send automated email campaigns – but not just any campaigns, these will be campaigns that your guests will be excited to get, they must be targeted. How? First develop your goals, and then automate different series of email follow-ups based on specific triggers. If a potential guest came close to purchasing a particular package offering, the automated system can send them a follow-up email with an alluring offer.
Around the holidays, for example, you can send an automated email to all those who’ve utilized the spa services before, offering a complimentary spa service along with their stay. For those readers that have never provided their email address to you, you’ll need a compelling offer or reason on your site to entice them to provide their email address.
Another opportunity for hotel marketing automation is with events and wedding planning. If a bride-to-be is researching venues and downloads a resource from your website, you can use the information provided to “drip” a series of nurturing emails that will entice them to consider your wedding destination and services.
You must save time, and you must stay targeted, both are possible with the utilization of marketing automation, here’s how:
Since We Don’t Have Personal Robots… Yet.
You can’t very well begin strategizing ways to attract new business when you spend every five minutes responding to one general lead after the next. Set up an automated email campaign that will track the data and respond for you. Because you didn’t have to hire an entire new team member to deal with email marketing, now you have more resources to devote to developing new strategies.
Remember all of those raving reviews, comments and complaints scattered across your social channels? Well now you’ve got time to respond to them and can continue to develop and nurture important relationships.
No need to reinvent the wheel, every few months you can simply repeat a campaign, or make quick and easy adjustments to it as you go. Since the automated program is tracking the data, you can see in real time which parts of your campaign are working, and which might need a few tweaks.
All it Takes is a Little Personalization.
Everyone wants to feel special. Nothing is less appealing to consumers than receiving a mass email targeted to no one in particular. You will lose retention if you lump everyone together and never look back. The simple act of segmenting your audiences and targeting campaigns that make sense depending on the viewers, will get you so much further than inefficient mass emails.
A devoted guests who has been to your property many times may not appreciate an introductory email meant for those who’ve never been. Tailor your messages to specific guest profiles and everyone wins. This is easily done with marketing automation.
Don’t forget! As your tailored messages are received, opened or not opened, you will be receiving the data and analytics, allowing further enhancements and changes to be made. By automating your marketing messages, your campaigns will drive much greater ROI, and increase retention.
Here’s the thing, you’re used to getting an overwhelming amount of “dirty” leads each day. You know, the ones sent to every hotel in the world. Hotel marketing automation will guide you to the “hot” leads, the people who have actually been on your site, and exhibited an actual interest in your event space(s). You will know who is interested because they’ve already “opted in” with their email due to your appealing offer. (should we link to a blog that explain about offers?) With your campaign already set up, those folks will receive the proper incentivized email, and eventually, an email to schedule a face-to-face, or phone meeting. Simply put, this technology will revolutionize your time, sales techniques, and mentality. Do yourself a favor and ring in the new year with a strategy that will not only work, but it will win.
Heal Your Hotel Sales Pipeline! The Secret To Relieving RFP Fatigue
The original concept of the RFP was created with good intentions. It was originally developed as a standardized process for submitting clear and consistent information between the planner and the property.
Boost Efforts With This Hotel Sales Technique
Most recently, online platforms hit the market in a big way enabling companies to distribute dozens of RFPs with ease. This shift if enablement has increased submissions. The volume has spiked and the managing the process has become overwhelming, decreasing response time and ultimately conversion rates.
Can’t we all agree? Responding to RFPs can a daunting, but necessary, task that requires time and resources to execute effectively. Question is, how do you separate the serious inquiries from the “lookie loos”? The answer could save you countless hours of work and resources, allowing you to focus on meaningful RFPs that lead to a higher percentage of conversions.
Enter Inbound Marketing for Hotels
The inbound marketing philosophy is about reaching the right person with the right content at the right time. As you attract prospects to your website through compelling content, you can create an opportunity to gather their information through a lead capture program, then automation sends those leads to a contact database.
Once prospects have opted in, all website activity is tracked by utilizing a system which scores leads. Lead scoring allows you to monitor prospects online activity so you can deliver content when and where it makes the most sense and allow you to make a personal connection at the precise time.
Content can take form by way of blog posts, informative videos, social media posts, through triggered automation (email) or direct-to-lead emails.
With your newly gathered intel, you’ll spend less time organizing tasks, and more time having lucrative conversations with potential customers.
Here are four key benefits that inbound marketing strategies can deliver:
Accelerate the Sales Cycle
Highly relevant content can help address specific questions and attributes about your property. By providing solutions to specific challenges through content, your sales team can minimize touch points and help move the prospect through the sales cycle much faster.
Example: Planning a Meeting Event For Your Company or Client? Be Familiar With The 5 Types of Meeting Spaces
Build Trust and Authority
A well-executed inbound marketing strategy can help position your team as experts and set them apart from the other “me too” options. Positioning your property team as problem solvers will help instill confidence, trust, and authority.
Example: 3 Beautifully Simple Tips to Ensure Your Holiday Party is a Success
Position on Value vs. Price
Creating “the story” through engaging content is key when triggering an emotional attachment for prospects. Providing a visualization of what their event could “feel” like, provides a much more meaningful and deeper connection that can transcend the tightest budgets.
Example: It’s Your Biggest Day. Make it Unforgettable.
Increase Conversion Rates
The numbers are undeniable. Inbound marketing will improve the quality of your sales pipeline, allowing you to focus on converting prospects with the highest potential. Lead scoring is critical when determining how a potential customer has been nurtured and when the time is right to engage. The right response at the right time is the key to success.
Technology is changing the way we sell, so we must adapt or suffer the consequences.
There’s no question we’re all feeling the effects of techno overload. With so many apps, platforms, and strategies, how can anyone keep up with it all?
Despite the newest shiny object, it’s important to focus first on the concept and objective. There are literally dozens of ways to solve the same problem, but the facts remain the same: technology has made it much easier for us to perform some of the most daunting tasks -including the submission of dozens of RFPs- with ease. In order to keep your sanity and improve your bottom line, one must work smarter, not harder.
What You Can Do Today: It’s time to fight fire with fire. Put Inbound marketing and technology to work for you. The easiest way to begin utilizing these strategies is by developing a property blog and start with a basic automation. Start small, but start doing. Measure results, make adjustments that will improve performance. Avoid frustration by taking on too much at once. Once you’ve mastered the basics, increase functionality and expectations. Inbound marketing takes time. It’s no (sales) silver bullet, but those who stay the course will reap the rewards!
MOFU or MOFO? Why Understanding Your Hotel Buyer’s Journey is Critical to Conversion
The used car salesman lurking in the lot like a rabid great white shark.
Or the fast-talking telemarketer, who tries to release their pitch before you call end button.
Examples of painful experience which most avoid like the plague. Most damaging is the reputation and opportunity to build any meaningful relationship with those prospects.
Buyer’s Journey for Hotels
Thanks to advancements in technology, the consumer is much better informed and can easily vet a Shyster a mile away with online searches. Thanks to online reviews and social media, it’s even more difficult for these evildoers to prey on unsuspecting victims.
Conversely, most successful hotel salespeople aren’t focused on short-term wins, but building meaningful relationships that will pay dividends over the long haul.
Additionally, understanding their buyer’s journey can help personalize your process in an effort to help solve their problem, making you a hero and not a villain.
I love the band Journey, but what is a buyer’s journey?
The buyer’s journey is the process buyers go through to become aware of, evaluate, and purchase a new product or service. The journey is a three-step process:
1. Awareness Phase: The prospect realizes they have a problem.
2. Consideration Phase: The prospect researches options to solve their problem.
Nearly 80% of this process starts online. And 72% of those will turn to Google.
3. Decision Stage: The buyer chooses a solution.
Seems logical, but how can I apply this?
very circumstance is different, so it’s important to first understand what your specific buyer’s journey looks like. Start by conducting a few interviews with customers, buyers, and other salespeople at your company.
Here are a few sample questions for kick things off for each phase:
Houston, we have a problem.
Awareness Phase:
Buyers define their problem or need they have and how important it is in the ever increasing, long list of tasks. To further refine the process, ask:
- How do buyers describe their problem or need?
- How do buyers educate themselves on these problems or need?
- What is the downside from the prospect if nothing is done?
- Are there any misconceptions about the process?
- How do buyers rank this event in priority?
Let the search begin.
Consideration Phase:
Once the commitment from the prospect has been established, they begin to search options and solutions to help them address their problem or meet their need.
Some specific questions could include:
- What types of product or service are buyers researching?
- How are buyers educating themselves on these options?
- How are buyers making decisions on which is best?
- When is the right time to make a purchase?
Make YOU the only choice.
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY: What if Darth Vader Was Your VIP Guest?
Decision Phase:
Once the prospect has made a decision to purchase, it’s game on.
The evaluation process kicks in while the buyers carefully weigh the positives and negatives for each viable options. To drill deeper into this process, ask
-
- What criteria do buyers use to evaluate the available options?
- When prospects consider your hotels’ options, what do they like or dislike?
- Are there any special circumstances or viable the prospect needs to consider if they book your hotel?
Defining or designing your hotel’s buyer’s journey can dramatically increase conversations and ultimately revenue across the board.
RELATED: Guest Persona Worksheet
Bringing it all home
The buyer’s journey can be frustrating, especially considering how emotional a prospect may be upon discovering a pain point or problem.
As a hotel sales professional, sticking by your prospect throughout the many stages of their journey, you’ll build a sense of trust within them that will ultimately transform into ambassadors for your hotel and beyond.
Inbound Sales For Your Hotel :: Be the Hero
Best practices reap best rewards. When it comes to sales, this is exponentially true. Except, for a hotel these days, what are the “best practices” in sales? With the constant evolution of technology and the overwhelming onslaught of tools, it can be challenging to discern what to use, when, where, why, and even how.
We have uncovered a sales technique that both uses best practices and can position you as a superhero. It’s called inbound sales and we are here to tell you more about it.
The Plot
More often that not so many of our sales tools are founded on the same principle – a vague assumption that the people we’re selling to want our product. We’ve approached prospecting like a numbers game – the more people we can pitch to, the more sales we can close.
That’s a dangerous technique these days, because buyers have an unprecedented amount of control over which messages they do and do not wish to hear. If your hotel sales team is pushing your product(s) on an audience that may not need or want it, then not only will leads not prove fruitful, your prospecting has the potential to completely backfire.
The Solution
Image credit: On Target | by viZZZual.com
What is the solution then? Stop assuming that the more people you can get in front of the higher your close rate. Why? Because now there are highly effective, modern tools available that can help you hyper-target who needs your product, and gives you super powers into how to convert them into a sale. It’s about identifying the right prospects and best understanding how to nurture them into leads and sales.
Pinpointing and attracting these authentic leads is commonly referred to as “inbound marketing,” and the special power to help close the sale is referred to as “inbound sales.”
Though it may be foreign to some hoteliers, the term inbound marketing has been making it’s way through the hospitality industry, becoming a familiar face. Inbound sales, on the other hand, is still the mystery guest at the party and we want to introduce you to this new and exciting concept.
So, what is inbound sales?
Essentially, inbound sales is an acute focus on individual buyers and their frustrations, pain points, needs, and goals. An inbound salesperson prioritizes the buyer’s needs before their own, every.single.time. When you approach the sales cycle from the place of being genuinely helpful, you will automatically be two steps closer than your pushy, non-relevant counterparts. Yet, it takes patience to develop your inbound sales system. Here’s how to get started.
First answer the why….
Inbound sales is answering the why before anything else. Think of yourself as the sales advisor, instead of the sales person. If you’ve done your inbound marketing homework, you’ll have your buyer personas, you’ll know exactly who your target audience is and what they need, want, and desire. Additionally, you understand the buyer’s journey – you know where your prospects are in the buying cycle and your goal is to provide solutions every step of the way.
Related: Boost Hotel Sales with These Hot Marketing Automation Tips
All that’s left is to tell your target audience the why behind your product or service, and then guide them to the realization that one of their frustrations, pain points, needs, or goals are alleviated or achieved through your product. They have a problem. You have a solution.
When you implement the inbound sales methodology, it helps your team:
- prioritize the right buyers
- understand the prospects’ real challenges
- make a lasting impression from the very first call
- write emails that convert
- create a compelling sales conversation
- and, makes every step of the process a long-lasting success
Next, no more cold calls!
No more assumptions. No more cold calls. No more leads gone to waste. Be the hero in the hospitality industry. Serve your guests as best as they can be served because you have already learned so much about them, have an understanding of their needs and how you can best provide a solution.
Inbound sales is your key to solid leads that have been nurtured from the beginning, which will then translate into happy and thankful reviews, which will then evolve into more of your target audience being reached.
Inbound sales is the good kind of domino effect, and who doesn’t need a little of that?
“Oh Snap” – Why the Hospitality Industry Needs to be on Snapchat
In the ever-changing world of social media there is a driving new force on the street that hoteliers shouldn’t ignore, and that platform is Snapchat. What began as the “picture disappearing app” in the summer of 2011 from three Stanford students, has quickly become one of the most unique forms of story-telling a brand can use. In fact, that funny little yellow ghost icon is captivating millions of people every day, and is showing no signs of stopping.
Should your hotel be utilizing Snapchat? If you’ve been searching for methods to reach the millennials (and the growing demographics beyond), then the answer is yes.
From a marketing standpoint, you need to be where the audience is, and the millennials are on Snapchat, watching a whopping eight billion photos and videos a day.
Source: AdamPrzezdziek | Flickr
There are many reasons why a hotel should use Snapchat, here are a few compelling ones:
- Your hotel can be an “early adopter” of this new platform, thus helping the hotel assert itself as trendy, young and vibrant.
- Snapchat as a marketing tool offers the ability to stand out from the “noise” some of the other social media platforms have.
- Creativity and authenticity are highly valued by the younger generations, and Snapchat is best used creatively.
Deciding whether or not to use Snapchat is the first step. Once you’ve decided to use it, you’re left to determine how to use it well.
How Does it Work For Hospitality?
Just like the average user, a hotel has the ability to create a profile. After the profile is set up, the hotel can send out “snaps,” add snaps to their stories, and all of the other fun stuff Snapchat does. So ultimately Snapchat works the same for brands as it does everybody else, but how brands should use it is the key to success.
Keep the Snapchat Tone, or Else.
Source: Snapchat.com
One of the reasons Snapchat users love to use Snapchat is because it’s different than the other channels. It’s more authentic, it’s in the moment, it’s not as edited, not as staged. Snapchat is personal, it’s private, and it’s compelling. Use it to tell your story, show off your city, take your followers on an adventure. Show them a day in the life at your hotel, the luxury they can experience, the sights they can see. If you’ve taken the time and resources to set up a Snapchat account, the last thing you want is to drive away followers by breaking the unspoken Snapchat rules!
Partner With Influencers
Partnering with influences is rapidly becoming a huge part of hotel marketing on all platforms, and it’s no different where Snapchat is concerned. Hotels have an advantage when it comes to Snapchat – travel. Many people love to travel and see new places, this provides you with the perfect opportunity to show off your property and surrounding landscape or city! Send out a proposal to social media influencers inviting them to come stay on the basis that they tell their story on Snapchat. Thousands, or more, individuals – millennials – can see your property through the lens and creativity of the influencer.
Add a Personalized Touch
One of the most fun and downright useful aspects of Snapchat are its Geofilters. Essentially, you can create your very own Snapchat filter. The filter will pop up with a Snapchatter is within range, and they can use it on their Snap. It’s sort of like a tag or postage stamp – showing their Snapchat friends where they are. Since you’re able to design it, you can use the hotel’s logo or anything else that works in line with your hotel’s brand. Even here there is an opportunity to create a geofilter that stands out – a filter that will “brand” its image in the viewer’s mind. You can also set up a “Geofence” for exact targeting of users, making it simple to engage views with promotional opportunities.
Snapchat is still trendy. It’s still new, exciting, and not yet crowded. Do your hotel a favor by helping it to be trendy and asserting it as welcoming and encouraging of millennials. This is a way to stand out among the crowd. Snapchat also provides an opportunity for your hotel to build strong and long-lasting relationships. Encourage guests to Snap while staying at the property. Build a community around your story, and use Snapchat as the headquarters.
Lookin’ for Love? Maybe It’s Time to Explore Loyalty Programs
If there’s one thing we marketers love it’s, well, love. A way to find that secret sauce of connecting with people and keeping them coming back for more. We wordsmith articles for websites, create fun tidbits for social media channels, crunch open rates and, oh, so much more. That magic we’re hoping to create all comes down to love. A love between a person and your brand that’s so deep and special there is nothing that can take it away.
For anyone in the hospitality industry, there’s one sure-fire way we’ve discovered to create a spark, and it’s through a well thought-out loyalty program. If you’re also looking for that love connection, we think this could be the answer.
Loyalty Programs for Hotels
A guest loyalty program is a rewards program offered by a hotels – and other companies – as a way to reward purchasing behavior. A loyalty program may give a customer advanced access special offers, promotions, and perks. And, believe it or not, is not exclusive to big brand hotels.
Seeking unique stay experiences, millennial travelers are leading a hospitality revolution. Millennials and Gen Xer’s alike are armed with more information than ever and bring an online savviness not seen in travel generations of the past. These travelers are rejecting stiff, big-box loyalty programs in favor of the dynamic and agile programs independent properties can offer.
Why It’s Time to Implement a Loyalty Program for Your Hotel
The Center for Hospitality Research at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration published a study in 2014 showing that loyalty programs encourage frequent guests to stay even more frequently and with an average 50-percent increase in revenue for independent hotels. Even the elusive millennial is showing brand loyalty and increased spend when offered a loyalty program.
The best part? They’re not just great for your hotel business either. Guests like loyalty programs, too. According to Hubspot, “76% of consumers think that loyalty programs are a part of their relationship with brands — and 83% said loyalty programs make them more likely to continue doing business with certain companies.”
The fact of the matter is, loyalty programs work for both guest and brand. Now that’s what we call a win-win!
RELATED: Is Your Hotel Marketing Strategy More Like Tinder or Match.com?
How to Get a Loyalty Program Started
The good news is, as an independent property, you have more flexibility and freedom than a chain property program may be able to offer, and guests happen to love that. But, how do you get started? These tips may help:
Sign Everyone Up
There’s no better way to start building that relationship than by simply signing up your guests. This will give you the opportunity for regular communication, gives them a chance to promote your brand, and prompts the guest to go directly to your website for information and potential bookings.
Rethink Rewards
If you think travelers these days are excited about the same old point-based reward programs, think again. Organizations are finding they have to differentiate by offering personalized experiences. Rather than free rooms, consider free upgrades. Offer VIP, behind-the-scenes, or exclusive experiences. Experiential travel is trending, and you can be ahead of the curve by incorporating that concept into your rewards program.
Listen to Your Guests
Like, really listen. Administer polls, engage on social media, follow up stays with a survey – and be sure to offer them the option to fill in their own answer. Discover ways in which to set your property apart, then consider that feedback when setting up your loyalty program.
Pick Partners
Partner up with local businesses to offer gift bags or local experiences. This will really give your guest a local experience and highlight the unique offerings of your property.
Don’t Forget the Business Traveler
Business traveler trends are showing an increase in “bleisure” travel bookings. So, even though on-the-whole corporate travelers tend to be loyal to the point programs of chain hotels, independent hotels are starting to win over this typically hard-won segment as they can appeal to both ends of their travel needs more efficiently.
Brand love doesn’t come easy. But, once you’ve won over your guest they can be your greatest advocates. Robust and unique loyalty programs could be the key to your success! ~Click to Tweet
Is your independent hotel looking for an out-of-the-box way to connect with guests and make them raving fans? Contact us to learn more about our effective programs for properties just like yours!
Susan Tucker, Director of Digital Strategy
Susan brings her experience and enthusiasm as Director of Digital Strategy. A certified Inbound Marketing professional, she believes consumers should not be “sold to” but that they should find value in brands that are providing the products and services they are seeking. Outside of work, you can find her chasing her boys on the ski slopes or watching them on the sidelines of the soccer field.
Have a pressing digital marketing question for Susan? Contact her here.
What if Darth Vader Was Your VIP Guest?
Our Team consisting of Cory Falter, Michael Duffy and myself recently offered the following content as a presentation at a conference. Want the slides? Let me know!
In a galaxy not so far, far, far away… a brave leader is trying to grow the outpost he and his followers believe so deeply in. But their methods, although historic and heroic, are no match for the new world. All of a sudden, inbound out of the sky, comes a prophet in white – who promises a connection that could grow their outpost beyond their wildest imaginations. But, before he can share his secrets, a test will prove the worthiness of the outposters…
The Force of Inbound Marketing for Hotels
Darth Vader is our VIP guest, and we know that we need to learn a little more in order to attract, convert and delight him. Here are some questions (and answers) we’d ask in order to better understand the needs, goals and desires of this targeted potential guest. Let’s get started.
Q: Darth Vader is a semi-fictional character based on a representation of an ideal customer. What is Darth Vader?
A: A Guest Persona
A guest persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on real data about your existing customers and market research. While it helps marketers like you define a target audience, it can also help sales teams qualify leads. When you have a defined set of guest personas, you can then create content to attract them, through blogging, email, and social media channels. Basically, understanding who you are targeting can help you “speak their language” (even if it is dark and disturbing).
So, What is the Guest Persona for Darth Vader, anyway? What are his…
- Demographics – Age, Gender, Married? 45-5400, Male, Married to his job
- Values? Power and family legacy
- Goals & Challenges? Balancing the dark side with the light side
- Fears? Objections to purchase? Time away from work, appropriate business/leisure attire
HOMEWORK: How many Guest Personas would your property appeal to? Can you put a personality and name to each? Ex., Engaged Eva, Business Bill.
Q: Darth has been invited to speak at a conference on the Death Star, and he has decided to turn his business trip into a “bleisure” trip. He knows it’s time to book, but hasn’t decided where to stay just yet. What would a marketer call where he is in his process?
A: Lifecycle Stage or Buyer’s Journey
The stages a prospect goes through from thought to purchase are called Lifestyle Stages and can generally be broken down into three stages: awareness, evaluation, and purchase. What’s important to understand about each of these stages is that not every piece of content you create is appropriate, depending on what stage your audience might fall in at that moment.
Examples of Content Ideas for each phase of Darth Vader’s Buyer’s Journey.
AWARENESS: The buyer realizes they have a problem.
Blog Post – Three Easy Reasons Why the Death Star Will Seamlessly Turn Your Business Trip Into a Bleisure Trip
CONSIDERATION: The buyer defines their problem and researches options to solve it.
Blog Post – Hotel Rooms Vs. Residential Suites – Which Will Best Fit Your Personal Clan of Storm Troopers
DECISION: The buyer chooses a solution.
Video – 10 Reasons Hotel Death Star Appeals to Your Dark Side (Plus an intro offer for you!)
HOMEWORK: Think about the three phases of the Buyer’s Journey. What type of content ideas can you come up with to fit into each bucket? Use this Buyer’s Journey Worksheet as a prompt.
Q: You’ve gathered that Darth has chosen to turn his “bleisure” trip into an opportunity to reconnect with his son and daughter. Your follow-up to provide drip emails that are relevant and timely based on this information is called what?
A: Contextual Marketing
Contextual Marketing is a set of best practices designed to amplify the value of your content to your prospects and customers. More specifically, it’s about using known qualities of your prospect to present your content in a natural, noteworthy and useful frame of reference.
Drip nurturing emails are one of the strongest – and earliest – examples of the strategy’s success.
Here are some examples of contextual follow-up email subject lines that Darth Vader may respond to:
- How was your bleisure trip, Darth?
- 5 Ways to re-live your bleisure trip with your family
- Darth, Need a “Real” Vacation After Your Family Trip?
Some additional examples of contextual marketing include triggering an email based on a page visited on your website (an email once the wedding page is visited for example), a Birthday or Anniversary email or an Abandoned Cart email.
RELATED: Stop the Madness: Is Your Hospitality Email Marketing a Complete Waste of Time?
Q: While staying at the Death Star Hotel with his family, Darth posted a picture of the pool on the social media site, FaceClone. His ‘friends’ commented, liked and shared the post. How does this benefit the brand?
A: Social Proof
Social Proof is the idea that consumers will adapt their behavior according to what other people are doing. In social media, Social Proof can be qualified by the number of interactions a piece of content receives or the number of followers you have. The idea is that if others are sharing something or following someone, it must be good.
Study after study show, consumer are 10x more likely to purchase from a third-party referral.
In addition to sharing their own content (UGC) in relation to a brand through their social media channels, examples of Social Proof also include:
-
- Customer reviews and testimonials
- Blog posts, quotes, or photographs by influencers, thought leaders, celebrities and/or experts
- – FOMO – Fear of Missing Out – When lots of people are using or buying a product, others want to follow suit.
HOMEWORK: Explore ways you can set up opportunities for guests to excitedly share the experiential nature the property. Some examples could be Snapchat filters, Share to Win, or Photo Booths (with logo, shareable directly from the booth to social channels).
Q: Still a-buzz from his amazing stay at the Death Star Hotel, Darth decides to visit the hotel website for a trip down memory lane. Before he realizes it, he’s spent nearly an hour browsing. His browsing behavior is contributing to what?
A: Lead Score
Lead scoring is a methodology used by sales and marketing departments to determine the worthiness of a potential customer, or lead, by attaching values to them based on their online behavior relating to their interest in products or services.
Scores can be set based on:
- Number of Web Pages Viewed and Duration
- The Types of Pages Viewed (Reservations, Meetings, Events, etc.)
- Number of Forms Completed (Content Downloaded or Inquiries Made)
- The Typical Sales Cycle (How long before a lead will never buy?)
HOMEWORK: Determine what score would make a lead sales-ready. Set a point value for each digital engagement and “keep score.”
Now, the Force (of Inbound Marketing!) saved the galaxy, once again.
You, our valiant leaders, in your hero’s journey, have gone through this right of passage and embraced the power of the force to connect with even your most challenging guest: Darth Vader, by creating communications and an experience relevant to his needs.
Darth Vader hosted an awesome presentation and was also able to reconnect with Luke and Leia. He chose the Death Star Hotel for eternity for his business and leisure trips….
Remember… DO or DO NOT, there is not try.
Is your independent hotel looking for an out-of-the-box way to connect with guests and make them raving fans? Contact us to learn more about our effective programs for properties just like yours!
Susan Tucker, Director of Digital Strategy
Susan brings her experience and enthusiasm as Director of Digital Strategy. A certified Inbound Marketing professional, she believes consumers should not be “sold to” but that they should find value in brands that are providing the products and services they are seeking. Outside of work, you can find her chasing her boys on the ski slopes or watching them on the sidelines of the soccer field.
Have a pressing digital marketing question for Susan? Contact her here.
The Hashed Email Can Skyrocket Your Hotel’s Revenue
The numbers don’t lie. The days of “mass marketing“ are past us, never to return. The one-too-many approach is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, replaced by one-to-one (micro) targeting. Thanks to Amazon and other savvy brands, the consumer is expecting more, and we better deliver a similar experience or face the consequences. Those who embrace this new strategy will reap the benefits.
Micro-targeting is the use of in-depth customer data to deliver highly-targeted and personalized messages across a multitude of channels. These campaigns are designed to appeal to specific people or small groups of guests. And the result will be transformative to your bottom line.
The key to unlocking your hotel’s untapped gold mine is hiding within the data of the email address, in the form of a “hash.”
What is a Hashed Email?
Hashing is a technique used to encrypt a piece of data into a hexadecimal string. With technological advancements, it’s not possible to perform that sort of cryptographic function in order to give each email its own unique string so that it remains consistent, no matter where the email is used.
Think about how you use your email. Nearly everywhere you go online requires an email to log in – from your favorite shopping platforms (I’m looking at you Amazon) to all your social media accounts. And, with half the planet now using email for an estimated total of 3.8 billion email addresses, they’re a lot of opportunities! Needless to say for hospitality marketers, accessing customers data by way of a hashed email could is like winning the lottery.
Hashed Email vs Cookies
Cookies are information stored on a user’s computer so preferences are remembered on future requests, they’re passed from a Web server to a Web browser by way of that user’s specific hard drive. When it comes to your computer “remembering” your information for speedier checkouts or personalized portals, cookies are great. But, for marketers, they are less than effective.
Not only are cookies are not universally used, but they can also be turned off or blocked. Additionally, cookies do not work across devices.
Hashed emails on the other hand offer hotel marketers access to data from tried-and-true technology that has been an effective form of communication for more than 20 years. In fact, it continues to grow! According to Radicati Group, the number of email accounts are expected to grow 20% by the end of 2018.
Opt-Ins More Important Than Ever
f you do not already have campaigns in place to invite website visitors to opt-in, it’s now more important than ever. It’s not about lumping the addresses into a database you’ll blast once a month, it’s about tying together available data so you can make smarter marketing decisions.
We work with our clients to capture this information by offering an incentive such as a downloadable guide, giving a discount or offering perks through a VIP program.
How You Can Use Hashed Emails
Utilizing hashed emails offers many exciting possibilities. Not only will you be able to more effectively personalize the subscriber’s experience, but you can also now truly do multi-channel marketing. Here are a few ways in which you can do that:
Social Ads
Customizing audiences on social channels lets you maximize the effectiveness of your marketing spend.
In-Store
Between digital kiosks and brand phone apps, in-store identification can now unlock sophisticated, real-time personalization that’s seamless with communication across other channels.
Direct Mail
Linking email addresses to home addresses opens up a wealth of opportunity. For example, triggered postcards can be mailed based on online behavior.
Who knew real-time insights from the trusty email address would be the future of marketing?
Here at Lure Agency, we’re taking technology of hashed emails to a whole new level through Identity Resolution. Learn more here >>