A multi-channel campaign is a great way to boost your revenue during quiet seasons for your hotel. It allows you to target top customer segments and fulfill business needs, and if delivered efficiently can achieve brilliant levels of return on investment (ROI).
Successful multi-channel campaigns reach audiences at all stages of the planning process, delivering one message across all channels and capitalising on opportunities for all individual devices. Think about the customer journey when someone is planning to travel. There is no specific order of planning, but each customer will land on the same touchpoints to reach the end goal of booking their trip, so your hotel needs to be prepared at all stages to stand out as a brand no matter which point of the planning process the customer is at.
According to research conducted by Google, a travel booking takes on average 17 days to complete. It includes eight research sessions, 18 website visits and six clicks before the final booking is made. Further research by eMarketer shows that a person will go through 15.5 touch points within one week before they make a booking. 65 per cent of these consumers will begin their search on a smartphone, while nine out of ten people use multiple devices to continue their search.
To build an effective multi-channel campaign you need to ensure that it is continuously aimed at your specific target segment and that it reaches them at all points of their travel planning process.
Budget flexibility
It’s important to ensure that you have sufficient budget in place to achieve a successful multi-channel campaign. If you don’t, then the budget that you are spending could potentially be being wasted on a campaign that won’t achieve the desired results or a strong ROI. You won’t be able to determine exactly what the budget needs will be, but you’ll need to take into consideration a range of factors including search engine optimisation (SEO) costs, email marketing, the development of landing pages and social media advertising. This list could, however, be endless, so it’s important to determine when planning your campaign the different channels and strategies you plan to use.
What is your goal?
In order to create a successful multi-channel campaign it needs to have a goal to achieve. Perhaps it’s low season at the hotel so you’d like to increase bookings, or maybe you’re looking to target a specific high-value customer segment. This goal must be present across all channels that you’re using within your campaign. Each channel must be conveying the same message so that they are all working together to give strength to the campaign as a whole. Digging beyond the surface of your hotel brand’s business needs when building a multi-channel campaign will help you choose the most effective marketing initiatives and provide the foundation for your campaign goals and key performance indicators.
Utilise digital technology
Technology is a massive part of your consumers’ journey, and you need to be sure that you utilise the various digital tools available to boost your campaign. By including the right digital technology and applications you will much more successfully engage your target market and therefore increase booking probabilities. A full multi-channel campaign will include an app or landing page that uses high-quality images or illustrations, share functionality and dynamic content that will interest and engage users enough to encourage repeat visits, increase time spent, and ultimately drive bookings. This can act as a central hub for your campaign. It should be highly visual and fully responsive to your customers’ needs and the goal you’re trying to achieve.
Create ROI goals and KPIs
If you’re investing time and money into a campaign then you want to be sure that you achieve a strong ROI. Your marketing initiatives and key performance indicators (KPIs) will ultimately lead back to your number one goal: to drive bookings and increase revenue. This doesn’t mean though that your campaign should lose its edge. You can create enticing content, social media marketing and brand initiatives that focus on your KPIs, such as building engagement and a brand identity. You just need to ensure that these all tie together and direct customers to the necessary calls to action.
Deliver one message
To achieve a successful multi-channel campaign, you need to be delivering one message across all devices and platforms. The presence of your hotel brand must be consistent, and all digital aspects must be fully responsive. If a potential customer is looking at your website on a desktop but then later goes back on a mobile device, they will be put off if the site is then too complex to navigate and is not mobile-optimised. Make sure that the same branding and level of quality is clear across all platforms and devices, and that the message you are trying to deliver to the customer is strong.
