Innovative Marketing
TTWWADI (That's the way we always do it) no longer works
Attention is the most valuable commodity in today's world and there is an ongoing battle to be "noticed". The marketing and especially the Social Media scenery is very dynamic and the marketing should equally adapt to new platforms, trends, algorithms etc. Whatever the hotel/resort does, should be in line with the values and needs of the potential guests and should be published/communicated where they are active, with easy options to interact.
Creating Relationships
The essence of marketing is not to reach everybody but to reach your potential guests/clients. Instead of shouting out loud to everybody and everywhere that you are the best, marketing is building relationships with those that matter or better; that
you matter to.
Relationships are build based on emotions, triggered by stories, which will determine the content of any marketing.
Targeted Marketing per Segment
Marketing should be done where specific relevant market segments are active and pay attention to. The message and marketing content has to be relevant for the particular target group. It is ineffective and a waste of resources to be "all over the place" most likely with the same message.
Marketing Channels
Traditional hospitality marketing in off-line-media continues to lose importance. Marketing has drastically changed in recent years and continues to evolve, almost on a daily basis. It is now possible to target specific demographics and market segments in a very (cost-)efficient way. The classical print-advertising or billboards etc. may reach hundreds of thousands, but only a few percent are relevant to the advertiser.
Younger generations, which are now the majority of guests, are often being ignored by “old-school” hotel owners (especially those who have other core-business) who often prefer a focus on off-line media (print/billboards/brochures) and “we should also have a website and do some Facebook”.
The cooperation with social media influencers is also very interesting but requires careful consideration and selection and has to be in line with the target group of the property.
Create engaging content
Views and followers (or readers & listeners) no longer matter, as the real bench mark for your (social media) marketing is engagement. Marketing content should be authentic, appeal to the target group and trigger emotions.
People will notice and approach the hotel/resort and interact, thus building a relationship, when they see the experience-value offered through interesting messages with captivating stories.
Social Media content can easily be produced in-house with limited resources and does NOT always need to be professional grade, as long as it is authentic and appeals to the audience.
Personalized marketing with CRM
Independent hotels can use CRM Customer Relation Management systems to communicate with (potential) guests in a personalized way and thus offering special benefits can -partially- make up for the loyalty programs of the large brands.
Strategic partnerships & Initiatives
Working together with companies with the same target group or organizations whose values and principles align with the hotel/resort can be beneficial for all. It will create mileage and credibility and will improve brand awareness but can also be used for targeted cross-promotions.
