The development of online marketing in recent years has increasingly been focused on the whole area of content, based around the mantra that this form of marketing is a better and more effective way of reaching potential customers than so-called ‘interruption marketing’. However, the notion that there is simply a new template that can easily be followed and will be sure to bring the custom rolling in is, sadly, fallacious. As with any other form of marketing, there are ways of doing it well and ways of making a mess of it all.
The difference is that, in a relatively new genre of writing, using a medium in common usage less than two decades, tried-and-trusted methods are scarce. This point applies to the travel and hospitality sector as well as any other and has been emphasised by I&I Travel Media’s head of strategy Matthew Barker, writing a guest article for Tnooz.com.
What is it all about?
The key to getting content right is not to be found simply in the diversity it comes in, be that news articles, static pieces, ebooks or interaction with social media, even if these form the nuts and bolts of the implementation of a content strategy. Mr Barker noted that before getting down to the question of how to implement a strategy, the primary question is why? The answer, of course, is for the company to focus on the results in terms of impact on the bottom line. That, in turn, depends on the content fitting in with a wider digital marketing strategy. As a result, he listed three ways a digital strategy can be compiled in which content is integrated in an effective fashion, one that ultimately pays dividends where it matters most – occupancy rates and revenues.
Less paid search
Paid search, such as Google Adwords, can swallow up large chunks of any marketing budget. The cost of pay-per-click can be very high, so that means any content that is produced for this medium needs to be very well optimised. It is through having the keywords people are looking for in their searches that content producers can tempt more readers to click and check out what is on offer. Mr Barker suggested that “stand out content” needs to be provided in this area as this is vital in ensuring enough people are attracted to this to provide widespread exposure to opportunities to move onto attached clickable content. That way it will pay for itself more easily. A key point to bear in mind is that, once somebody has clicked through, it should be clear where and how they can progress with their search to find what they are looking for. Of course, you should certainly be writing something interesting and engaging about your hotel or chain, but also make sure pieces like this are short enough for the reader to be able to get through them quickly and move on to making a transaction.
Customer Lifetime Value
An oft-neglected area is that of customer lifetime value, or CLV. This is a concept that helps maintain a balance between the need to bring in new custom and the maintenance of a strong relationship with existing customers. In the case of a hotel this means ensuring they have a great ‘real life’ experience so they will come back, but also backing this up by growing the relationship with the customer. This can be achieved through social media – particularly if, for example, a guest takes up offers to follow your Twitter account or ‘like’ you on Facebook. But it also creates platforms via which you can turn the guest into an advocate for your brand. This is one of the most effective means of marketing because it comes from the word-of-mouth of someone genuinely enthused, not an advertiser whose job is to tell folk how good something is. This interaction can also be aided through well-targeted emails, particularly newsletters. However, it is critical to compile these from the point of view of what they might like to hear, not what you want to tell them.
Making PR count
Finally, there is the key skill of making the most of any positive press coverage you may get. This may be a good news story in the press, but also blog content, a social media presence and the advocacy of satisfied customers. The key is to produce content of interest that conveys a generally good impression, rather than look to convert these positive vibes into sales, Mr Barker notes. This means taking a longer term approach to conversion, by creating a good image that will reap dividends when customers eventually come round to making buying decisions.
While these approaches may all be coming from different directions, there are common threads: The standard of content must be high and engaging, and the final result must be more revenue. By applying these principles across the board, hotels will find their marketing becomes much more effective.
