Did you know that 2 out of 3 buyers are millennials who spend an average of 5 hours a day on social media? How can you as a hotel capture the attention of these potential guests? The answer lies in how well you can use digital marketing to create customer engagement.
Digital marketing is the process of managing the presence of your hotel in the digital space. This will lead to higher visibility, better engagement with potential guests and conversion of that engagement into repeat bookings.
Stages in a potential guest’s journey to your hotel
A customer first dreams, plans, books, experiences your property and then shares their experience with other potential customers.
Are you visible when a potential client is looking for a place to stay? At this stage, good images, compelling reviews and attractive features will be content that will grab the attention of a potential client. If your client has already stayed with you, just timely communication will automatically lead them to your property.
A client first thinks of travelling, looks for information on where to travel and then makes a booking. Here the client may think of your property based on past experience or use different searches to arrive at your website. So clear information around rooms, rates, packages should be available for the customer who is in the planning phase.
After this the experiential phase has to be spectacular enough for the customer to want to share it on social media. From the first touch point which is the website, to the booking and then the stay, personalizing their experience will convert a one-time customer into a client.
Target segment understanding and customization
When there are a wide range of people who are customers, the strategy to reach and retain them also has to be customized. Such details are critical while designing marketing campaigns. There are tools like Facebook’s targeting options which will ensure you define your audience to craft the right communication to the right person at the right time.
Partnerships and influencers can lead customers to your hotel
Visibility can also be gained through other sources like partnering with local related services or influencers. Such partnerships will help you understand what appeals to the target customers. This can also form a part of the expansion strategy for your property.
Digital marketing is a circle that feeds itself.
A good digital marketing strategy is a closed loop. The customer is gently nudged to record their experience online and leave great reviews that will make good online selling content. This user generated content has potential to get repeat business and entice new customers to want the same experience. The more sharing that happens, the more the chances of you being able to build a community of loyal customers.
Direct engagement to build relationships
Instead of trying to outbid OTA’s, rewarding direct engagement with incentives through customer loyalty programs have advantages in the long run. The most important advantage being loyal customers who will keep coming back. For example, based on past data of the customer, the booking can contain related deals. This creates a sense of urgency to avail the deals during the booking phase.
It pays to remember that engagement is a kind of intent that extends well beyond the duration of the customer’s stay. A good experience leads to great memories, positive feedback and a lifelong engagement with the client.
Ending Note
With every delightful experience that is recorded in the digital space, there is more and more content being created in favor of your business. This will create a buzz around your property that will make future customers not want to miss out on the experience. Over time, such content will lead to repeat clients and form a cycle of loyal customers. Loyal customers are after all the ultimate key to a property flourishing over many years successfully.
