How Digital Marketing can help the “Hospitality” Industry

If you’re in the hospitality industry, you know it’s quite a broad field that consists of different areas such as lodging, food and drink service, theme parks, event planning, transportation, etc. If the hotels, restaurants and bars live up to par, the reputation will itself spread the word around. However, the problem starts when you notice too many competitors out there.  

If you don’t get the upper hand, you fall behind. So, if you were wondering how you can take your hospitality business to the next level by properly using digital marketing, branding, web design and search engine optimisation, this is exactly how.

Web design is key

Of course, the locals will know about your hotel/restaurant because they live in the area. But, when it comes to travellers all around the world, your website that follows proper web design elements is the first impression of your business. 

Did you know that visitors spend 6 minutes on hotel websites on an average? As a business owner, you should understand that this is your cue to start branding your services as much as possible. 

For instance, web design practices such as, displaying bold pictures, descriptions that are easy-to-read, and highlighting attractive offers that surpass your competition can be highly effective when they make a booking decision. If your offers are appealing and fair, there is no doubt that your hotel will have more guests.

According to Google research, 50% of mobile users plan, research, and book their entire trip to a new destination only with the help of their smartphones. What’s bad is, if your web design isn’t compatible for mobile devices, buyers are 62% less likely to purchase from you.

What’s more, you should display your contact information properly and use more contrasting colours and fonts to make sure the user can find information easily. 

Now you might have a clear idea, why should you use proper web design practices promoting your business? Because, if not, you’re losing a bigger chunk of clients from all across the globe.

On the other hand, displaying videos of your restaurant, ambience, food, service, bars, should be a part of your web design strategy to introduce your hotel to your guests. The videos are a representation of how your business caters to the hospitality industry. Don’t forget you can always hire a top-notch web design agency to help you with these areas.

Have a top-notch booking engine

Your booking engine should be up to standard with high optimisation. Simply put, your guests should be able to view the rates, book their rooms, and complete a booking seamlessly without any interruptions.

Your web design strategy should include the loading speed of your website. If your website takes forever to load, your guests will drop the booking halfway through.

Another web design strategy you should implement is, featuring enhanced unavailability messages in your booking engine. What this does is, when you own a chain of hotels, you encourage your guests to book on your neighbouring properties. 

On the other hand, you can partner up with local attractions, tours, restaurants, etc. to offer your customers other add-ons just after they have placed a booking with you. 

You can also use your booking engine to market different room packages to attract customers. 

To reap the maximum out of your web design and digital marketing practices you must update all your websites and booking engines. This way you’re 100% positive that you’re offering the best for your potential customers.

Focus more on Local SEO

Search engine optimisation plays a vital role in the travel booking journey. As a matter of fact, 31% of accommodation searches begin with a search engine. So, nowadays, it’s all about Google results. 

According to Google, “Near me” searches have augmented 150% faster than traditional, local-based searches. Thus, it is high time you think more about local search engine optimisation that gets your business up on the SERPs.

Along with the good old local keyword research, you should make time to revamp your Google My Business listing. This way the visitors will have a crystal clear idea of your hotel’s services and amenities.

Are you aware that Google uses Google reviews as one of the factors that determine how far up your website ranks?

So if you can encourage customers to review you on Google via social media, chances are your website will rank high on Google. 

If you’re not sure where to start search engine optimisation for your business, contact moneymarketer.co.uk to get professional help.

Social media marketing and E-mail marketing

Social media marketing and E-mail marketing are 2 parts of digital marketing that you should never overlook.

For instance, you can send pre-arrival Emails and information to your guests on how to choose the best amenities according to their budget. 

Social media, on the other hand, is a gold mine for hospitality-based businesses, especially for branding. For example, you can engage with the posts that are published on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube to generate more leads to your website. The more you engage with your audience the more clients will know about your business. 

A simple example is when a satisfied traveller who stayed at your hotel and posts a review on Instagram and mentions you. Then you go ahead and repost it on your feed. This is Instant digital marketing for your business. 

On the other hand, if you spend a decent time in branding your business, your online presence will be remembered. Some of the ideal branding ways are creating a unique logo design for your business, picking a catchy tagline, maintaining consistent colour code throughout your web design, and social media accounts.

Ads

Listing on metasearch engines such as Google Hotel Ads, TripAdvisor and Trivago is an excellent way to improve your brand value and visibility. These can give you direct bookings which will push you up in the hospitality industry.

Google Hotel Ads is becoming one of the main factors that hotels are increasing their revenue. 

Google Ads, Instagram, Facebook, etc., on the other hand, provide you with instant visibility. This way your hotel gets enough visitors, ultimately gaining you enough conversions that will help you boost your business.

Conclusion

The bottom line is, if you’re able to get your business online and establish a steady online presence through wise digital marketing, you’re all set. However, you need to understand how to properly brand your business.

Having practical web design principles on your website is another important area you should think about that will further enhance your search engine optimisation efforts. 

If you venture all of these facets of digital marketing, your business will be embedded in the hospitality industry for a long time.