15 POWERFUL Digital Marketing Strategies for Hotels

Digital Marketing Strategy for Hotels

Nearly 150 million travel bookings get completed online every year!

The internet has changed many people’s behavior towards how they plan and research trips. Around 80% of travelers will spend up to a month reading online reviews and studying destinations on platforms like TripAdvisor and Expedia.

It has turned the average traveler into a meticulous planner with very high standards. Success in this digital era means that you must not only be able to sell hotel rooms, but experiences through the internet.

You must capture the imagination through powerful imagery and videography that speaks to the soul. You must display credibility through your ratings and reviews. You must make your booking processes seamless and almost effortless. You must provide unparalleled online support services.

Every traveler only wants to stay in the best possible lodging available in their destination for their budget. The best way to stand out in such a crowded marketplace is by winning your battles online. This article will go over 15 effective online marketing strategies for hotels.

Interesting Travel Booking Statistics:

Travel-related searches on Google which include the words ‘tonight’ and ‘today’ have grown by more than 519%.
Up to 79% of travelers have completed a booking after researching their trip using a smartphone.
72% of mobile bookings happen within 48 hours of a last minute search.
Monday is the most popular day that travelers make bookings and Saturday is the least popular.
80% of all travelers spend up to a month researching destinations and reading other traveler reviews.
72% of travelers won’t book a trip until they’ve read online reviews.
80% of travelers will leave a review if asked to do so.
70% of travelers are more likely to book a hotel if it is eco-friendly.
Travel agents save travelers around $452 and 4 hours of planning for each trip.
80.8% of travelers abandon their booking on travel websites.

15 Effective Hotel Digital Marketing Strategies

1. Create an experiential website

This is the starting point of your digital marketing strategy. An experiential website is a digital representation of what it would be like to stay at your hotel. It’s an intuitive platform that provides answers to every question a guest might have, even before they think about them.

Every page must be designed to evoke emotions through powerful images, videos and carefully chosen words.

A website gives you total control over how to portray your story. You get the final say over its design, theme and functionality. Most modern website builders allow you to be as creative as you wish and eliminate any barriers when it comes to design.

A well designed website is likely to increase your online presence dramatically. Search engines like Google work by aggregating information from different sites on the internet, and then showing the most relevant results based on what a user is searching.

When people search for phrases like “best hotels in [insert your city]”, if your site is optimized and has a positive user experience, then it should appear in the results.

User experience, or UX, is simply how well designed and organized the site is, how easy is to navigate, how fast it loads, amongst other factors.

If you built your hotel website using innovative tools like Wix, then it should be optimized by default to provide an outstanding UX. Wix has dozens of ready-made hotel templates that you can add to your site with just a few clicks, and then just edit the content.

Alternatively, you can use services such as FreeWebDesign to get professional developers to build your entire site for free. An experiential website is perhaps the most important part of a hotel digital marketing strategy.

2. Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the practice of increasing a website’s authority to make it rank higher on search engines for relevant queries.

For example, if you have a boutique hotel in London, then you’d want your site to appear among the top Google results for queries such as:

“Cheap hotels in London”
“Best boutique hotels in London”
“3 star boutique hotels in London”
“Best places to stay in London”

A site with a good ranking is likely to get more traffic by simply being visible to more people searching. There’s nothing sweeter than traffic from search engines because you don’t have to pay for it.

SEO has two main components. The first is on-site SEO, which involves optimizing the individual website pages to make them user friendly. Some ways to optimize a page include increasing its loading speed and making it mobile responsive.

Responsive pages load seamlessly across all devices, from smartphones to tablets and computers. If you build your site using tools like Wix then the pages should be optimized by default.

The second part is off-site SEO, which mainly entails the process of link building. Every time another site links to your website, Google sees it as a referral, which is a sign of authority. Authoritative sites often get the highest ranking.

Since link building can be time consuming and tedious, you can outsource it to an SEO agency or freelancer. The advantage of investing in SEO is that you can eventually eliminate the need to spend money on paid ads once the site starts getting organic traffic. After building an experiential website, SEO should be the next step in your hotel digital marketing strategy.

3. Set up PPC ads

Pay per click, or PPC, is an advertising model where ads get shown to people as they browse the internet, however the advertisers only pay for the clicks.

For example, if 10,000 people see an ad promoting your hotel, however only 100 click them, you’ll only pay for the 100 clicks, despite the fact that you were able to get your branding in front of thousands of people.

PPC ads enable you to get in front of people right at the moment when they’re searching for hotels in your destination.

For example, if you have a boutique hotel in London, you can set up Google ads targeting people searching for the phrase “best boutique hotels in London”.

PPC campaigns have numerous advantages, however many hotels like to stay away from them due to stiff competition from OTAs and large chain hotels. Competition often drives the cost per click through the roof and makes it too expensive to run an effective digital marketing campaign.

One way to get around this is by running a campaign only targeting people searching for very specific long-tail keywords related to your hotel.

If you have a boutique hotel in London, you can target people who search for the specific phrase “cheap boutique hotels near the main station in London”. Such a long tail search query is very unlikely to have competition from OTAs and other hotels.

You can use keyword research using tools like SEMrush to find a variety of uncompetitive long-tail keywords that people are actually searching on Google. The more specific your target keywords, the less competition they will have, which will mean a lower cost per click. This is the best way to run a cost effective advertising campaign in the highly competitive hotel industry.

4. Set up retargeting ads

Retargeting is a popular advertising model where ads get shown to people who previously visited a website. It’s a great digital marketing strategy to implement simultaneously with a PPC campaign.

Whenever people land your website, it’s likely because something drew them to it. They may have been researching hotels for their upcoming trip when they stumbled upon it, or just saw some of your ads.

Your retargeting ads can be tailored specifically for them, since they already expressed interest by visiting your site.

Digital marketers often spend aggressively on retargeting because it has some of the highest conversion rates. People who have been retargeted have up to a 70% higher conversion rate than people seeing ads for the first time.

5. Dominate social media

Social media marketing is a key component in your digital marketing plan. Majority of the world’s population is now on social media. It’s one area which you absolutely need to dominate. According to Nielsen, more than 50% of people use social media for travel tips.

You can create accounts on all the major social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you don’t have the personnel in-house to run them, you can outsource the work to a social media manager.

Your social accounts should be a continuation of the experience created on your website. They should follow a similar theme by being a reliable source of information to people researching.

Make sure to consistently publish the highest quality content, including professional photos and videos of your hotel. You can also publish photos of popular attractions in your city.

The goal with every post should be to encourage engagement through likes, comments and shares. Your social media manager therefore must be hyperactive and engage back with any users who comment or send a message. You can also offer direct booking services right from your social accounts.

6. Get a GMB page

Google my Business, or GMB, is a platform that enables businesses to create and manage their online profiles. GMB pages often get priority ranking in the search results and on Google Maps.

Creating a GMB page for your hotel can help increase your visibility and positioning on Google. People who are searching for hotels in your location are likely to come across it even ahead of your own website.

Another reason to get a GMB page is that it enables you to easily collect online reviews. Google will automatically follow up with people who visit your hotel by requesting for a rating and review. The more positive reviews you have, the more you will stand out from competitors.

7. Partner with OTAs

Did you know that around 70% of hotel bookings come from Online Travel Agencies like Priceline, Expedia and Kayak?

Enlisting your hotel on such platforms is a surefire way to increase your online bookings. Many OTAs spend heftily on advertising to generate traffic, and your hotel could be a direct beneficiary of their marketing efforts.

Although you’ll have to pay the OTAs a small commission for bookings that they drive, the value of the business you’re likely to get will make it worth the cost.

8. Metasearch marketing

Hotel rates can vary significantly from one site to another. Metasearch sites like TripAdvisor and Google Hotel Ads give travelers the option to see all the different rates in one place and select the one that best fits their needs.

If a room is cheaper on Expedia than on it is on Priceline, then they can make the booking through Expedia to save some money.

Enlisting your hotel on metasearch platforms enables you to increase your direct bookings, and thereby avoid the fees charged by Online Travel Agencies.

Most metasearch platforms will redirect traffic to your website, where people can then complete their booking. You’ll still have to pay a small referral fee, however it will be much less than the fees charged by OTAs.

Another advantage of enlisting on a metasearch site is that you can bid for placements on the platform. You can run a small PPC campaign to have your site show up above other hotels in the search results. Some popular metasearch platforms include TripAdvisor, Google Hotel Ads, Kayak, Agoda and Trivago.

9. Get on Global Distribution Systems

A Global Distribution System, or GDS, is a network that enables travel agencies around the world to search for hotels and access the latest booking information and rates in real-time.

Many people still use traditional agencies to book their travels, particularly corporate travelers. When you add your hotel to a GDS, it becomes accessible to hundreds of travel agencies globally. Each agency has its own clientele to which it can recommend your hotel to. Some popular Global Distribution Systems include Amadeus, Pegasus, Galileo, and Sabre.

10. Chatbot integration

Chatbots are digital programs that can be integrated on websites and social media pages to help streamline customer relations by mimicking human interactions.

Whenever somebody sends a message with a specific query, the bot becomes the first respondent and provides personalized answers based on the questions asked.

For example, if a person asks about room availability, the bot scans through the hotel’s reservation systems and instantly sends the latest information and rates. They are very efficient and can pull up information a lot faster than a human could.

Modern chatbots use AI to understand questions and come up with the most appropriate answer by digging into the hotel’s resources.

They can be programmed to help with bookings, upsell different things, answer FAQs, harvest contact information for later follow ups, etc. They also enable you to provide 24/7 online support and reduce the burden on your guest relations staff.

11. Publish blog posts

Most people do thorough research about a destination before traveling. A blog is the perfect opportunity to get in front of their eyes and provide answers to their questions.

The more times they come across content originating from your site, the more familiarized they get with your name. It’s the perfect branding opportunity.

You can publish blogs that cover all sorts of questions that a traveler may have, including popular places to eat and drink, some of the attractions nearby, easy ways to commute, etc.

In addition to helping get your name in front of people, a blog will also help drive traffic to your site. And when you have traffic, you can divert attention to your hotel and promote any deals and offers you have.

The key to a successful blog is keyword research; that is the process of identifying phrases that get searched a lot on Google and other search engines. When you know what they are, then you can write posts directly addressing them.

For example, if you find that many people search for “things to do in London”, then you know it’s a topic you can cover that will get traffic from people looking to visit London.

SEMrush is a popular keyword research tool used by bloggers to find high-traffic keywords to write about. You can use it to find travel-related keywords and phrases to use as topics for your blog.

12. Influencer marketing and blogger outreach

Influencer marketing is a great digital marketing strategy for increasing brand awareness and social proof. A lot of people trust the opinions of popular personalities they follow, and getting them to endorse your hotel can go a long way. According to Forbes, influencer marketing is growing at a faster rate than most other digital marketing strategies.

Influencers can help generate hype and get people talking about your hotel. You can partner with them as part of your social media marketing strategy (especially around peak seasons). There’s no better way to stand out than by being the talk of the town.

You can also hire travel and food bloggers to write reviews and testimonials about your hotel. Unlike social media posts, blogs have a longer lifespan on the internet. Social media posts will get buried as a person keeps posting, however a blog will keep popping up whenever people research your hotel.

You can offer influencers and bloggers incentives such as free stays at your hotel in exchange for their endorsements and reviews.

13. Get a listing on online directories

Many people still use online directories like Yellow Pages to find business contacts. You can create a listing on the major listing platforms just to cater to the minorities that use them.

Creating directory listings is a small one-time effort that will have a long lifespan on the internet. You won’t need to actively manage your listings, perhaps only the occasional updates whenever there have been changes in your contacts.

Directory listings are not only a fantastic way to find potential customers, but also to increase the back link profile for your website. As mentioned earlier, back links are one of the most important SEO factors that determine how well a site ranks on Google. Most directory platforms will give you an option to add your website URL.

14. Cross promotion

Cross-promotion is a marketing approach where two or more companies in a similar industry, but not directly competing, join hands to refer each other to their prospective customers.

For example, you can form partnerships with popular tourist destinations, event organizers, and even restaurants to cross promote each other.

Majority of the cross promotion efforts will be done through your online platforms. You can refer them on your social media pages and on blog posts, and they can do the same on their platforms. You can even offer special discounts just for their clients.

Cross promotion is also a great way to increase your back link profile and SEO score by getting referrals from other websites.

15. Email marketing

A lot of people in the working class spend as much time on their emails as they do on social media. Email campaigns have an average open rate of 21.3%, which is a lot higher than other advertising formats such as PPC.

You can build up your email contact list by integrating an opt-in form on your website asking people to sign up for your monthly newsletters. The newsletters in this case will be your lead magnet, a free item that is offered in exchange for a website visitor’s contact information.

Publishing newsletters is a great way to keep people on the loop with the latest news about your hotel, special offers, upcoming events, etc. You can even repurpose some of your blog posts for the newsletter.