We’ve all heard about branding – it is one of those words that seems to appear over and over again and knowing how to market it is so important and can make all the difference when it comes to attracting customers and making your hotel a success.
Brands must be clear and stand out from the crowd – think of it almost as your ethos, your message. Knowing how to market your brand is so important and there are a number of things you must do to ensure it is a success.
Know what your brand is
It’s all well and good deciding what your brand is, but it needs to be true. Customers can see through the smokescreen windows and will know if your branding works or not. If you are an old establishment, don’t pretend to be modern and hip for you will just loose the trust of your potential guests. Be honest – both with yourself and your customers and you will soon have a clear view as to what your brand really is.
Involve creative and innovative people
When deciding on your brand and how to market it, it pays to have some really innovative and creative people involved in the process. How can you stand out from the crowd? The more creative you can be, the more attention you will attain and this, in turn, can only lead to further revenue in the long run.
Rather than just focusing on facts and figures, which are of course important to know when understanding your brand, make sure that those working with you feel free to be able to think outside the box. Work together collaboratively and on an informal basis and you will soon see the creative marketing juices flowing.
Know who your customers are
You can never be too prepared when it comes to creating a marketing strategy and a part of this can be attained from doing relevant analytical research. The most important factor within this is figuring out who your customers are.
Use the information you have to figure out the demographic of past guests and work out who you would like to also attract in the future. From this you can see what it is you have to offer and can spot areas in which you are strong, and others which you perhaps need to focus and build upon.
Know your product and what you can offer inside out while bearing in mind the financial aspects of any improvements you wish to make. Try and think of all the costs and challenges that the future may hold when thinking of your brand, as you certainly don’t want to fall short in the future when marketing it.
Know what your data means
There is no use in spending time and money analysing data and figuring out who your target markets are without actually knowing what it means.
Use the data to find out where you are going right and where you are going wrong and where your customers are spending money. Connect the dots and think how you can make this work in your favour to make your service more appealing and your brand even clearer.
Figure out what the behaviours of your customers are and from this, look to personalising their experience if you can. Use the data to really learn about what guests want and expect and show them that you really care by implementing it into your strategy.
Money, money, money
Ensure that you are really focused upon your pricing when it comes to marketing strategies for your brand. For example, if you are a high-end, luxury hotel, think before offering discounts as it can affect how clients view your brand.
Your prices must match your brand, otherwise customers may begin to question what you really are about. If you wish to attract a specific demographic, analyse how much money they would be expecting to spend and develop these prices into your strategy.
For more information on how to market your brand successfully, World Hotel Marketing can help.
