Three areas to consider for marketing ahead of July 15th opening
With the positive news about the possible July 15th opening, we can finally turn our minds towards creating a marketing plan. This is vital if you want to take advantage of the last remaining summer weeks and get some revenue in the door before Autumn and Winter.
We have put together a handy guide which highlights three key areas which you can focus your time and attention on as you prepare to reopen.
Messaging
Before you engage with your loyal guests and followers, you need to get the story straight.
Flexibility should be at the forefront of this with an easy to understand cancellation policy.
Be transparent with what changes you have made to your property and the measures you are taking to safeguard your guests’ health and wellbeing.
Content & Incentives
Lifestyles have changed since lockdown began so have a think about what content your customer needs and will engage with.
Socially-distanced activities and things to do around the hotel. This could be the new bikes you offer guests, the best walking routes etc. That can help them piece together a break at your property.
Review your website content and update as necessary based on a post COVID-19 life. Having more relevant up-to-date content across your site (not just the homepage) will ensure engagement levels will be higher
Promote things your guests have longed for since lockdown started. This could be a romantic night away from the kids, cocktails in the bar or having dinner cooked for them.
Consider offering a large discount for anyone living within 10 miles of the property. This is not typically a market that would have previously booked but lockdown has changed this.
Offer a special discount or an additional incentive such as a free meal for anyone that has missed their birthday during lockdown. Come celebrate with us…
Channels
Now you have your message refined and your content ready, you need to make sure you give yourself every chance of getting these in front of the right customers.
Google Ads offer high intent searches from customers looking for exactly what you offer and are most likely to convert
Social media advertising gives you the chance to extend your reach beyond your fanbase and showcase your USPs to a whole new audience. This is cheaper than Google and is a great platform to showcase your business with imagery and video. Just remember that these are people that are not actively searching for your business so don’t expect bookings to be as high as you would if advertising on Google.
You can bet third party websites will kick start their marketing campaigns again so make sure you protect your brand in Google. This helps drive direct bookings at a lower equivalent commission (around 7%) than you would typically pay to OTAs (15-25%).
Away from ad campaigns, make sure you share your offers and new content across social media and your newsletter to keep in touch with your loyal followers.
We hope this is a useful guide for your hotel and our fingers and toes are crossed that we see the entire sector reopen on July 15th, and stay open. If you would like any more information, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our team for a virtual coffee and chat.
This advice was supplied by Big Flavour
