If your hotel is to stand out from the crowd, you need to ensure your marketing campaign is effective. Having a dominant online presence is a necessity in the current day and age, as most people book accommodation via the Internet and they look for reviews online before making their booking. This shows why positive brand exposure is imperative. Keeping that in mind, in this post, we are going to take a look at some of the most effective hotel Internet marketing trends that businesses should be making the most of.

Successful online marketing for hotels 

When it comes to hotel Internet marketing, one thing we are going to see more and more of is personalisation. Hotels will be utilising their data in a sophisticated manner so they can send tailored marketing messages, content, and promotions to their customers to reap maximum results. Aside from this, the dominance of mobile bookings is set to grow and grow, which is why a lot of digital marketing for hotels is going to be focused on mobile advertising. 

Hospitality marketing companies have focused on social media marketing for several years now, and this is something that is unlikely to ever change, as social media presents a unique platform for hoteliers to take advantage of. The likes of Twitter and Facebook make it possible for customers to get close to your brand, and you need to take advantage of this by developing loyal relationships, which will lead to more bookings.

We can expect to see even more emphasis placed on shareable content, from interesting blog posts to competitions. Providing your readers with information on the local area and things to do is a great way to gain more interest. This encourages your customers to share your content for you, and the power of this is unbelievable. However, another change we will see in regards to social media is that hotels for couples and singletons will increasingly need to pay if their content is to be seen, as we can expect significant algorithm changes throughout the year that will impact the reach of content.

Email marketing and more

All companies should deploy email marketing tactics, as this is an effective way to keep your rate of repeat business high. You should consider sending voucher codes and special offers to customers to encourage them to book another stay at your hotel. After all, who doesn’t like a good deal? With email marketing, the difficult part is making sure that your emails actually get opened and that they do not end up being immediately dumped in the trash. Your subject line is so important here – it needs to be something that people cannot refuse.

Aside from this, hotel marketing companies will be placing a lot of emphasis on booking abandonment tools. This is imperative because statistics reveal that approximately 98 percent of hotel website visitors abandon the booking form before completing their purchase. 

A lot of business owners will also be taking advantage of video and photo hotel Internet marketing services, as research shows that people remember 80 percent of what they see and do while they only remember 20 percent of what they read and 10 percent of what they hear. 

Visual storytelling will be significant throughout the years ahead while sharing professional photographs via the likes of Instagram, Pinterest and other social media platforms can help to increase your company’s exposure and strengthen your brand image. 

Aside from the points that have already been mentioned, businesses will be focusing on enhancing their local presence and a lot of hotel owners will be placing great emphasis on hotel reviews. Encouraging customers to leave positive reviews about their experience is imperative, as most people look at an average of six to 12 reviews before they book a hotel.

It’s not all about online methods

Yes, we live in a digital world but it is not all about online approaches. The most successful hotel companies and brands today are those that mix online and offline methods. Integrating the two is the best way to be successful. The scale of your offline approach depends on the nature of your hotel. If you run a small B&B next to a wedding venue, target wedding guests. If you run a big chain of hotels, go big and look for sponsorship deals and different ways to align with businesses that can help move your company forward. 

You should also make sure you regularly attend trade show and exhibitions that are related to your industry. Events like this are a must for hotels because they enable you to move your business forward in so many different ways. Not only will you be able to find better suppliers and different ways to improve the look and feel of your hotel but you will gain inspiration on a marketing front too. 

As you can see, there is a lot that needs to be considered when it comes to marketing your hotel in an online world. Unfortunately, this is not something you can just address once and forget about either, as the online world is changing all of the time. There is always something new for you to consider, whether it is a Google change or a new trend has developed. Make sure you keep up to date with industry news, attend industry events, and continue to readdress your marketing strategy in order to achieve success.