5 Marketing Tips for Your Hospitality Business

January 8, 2021

Whether you run a boutique hotel, or a small bed and breakfast, a solid marketing strategy is key in order to stay ahead of the competition in the hospitality industry. Your potential customers will research your business online before booking, so your branding needs to catch their eye. Whereas the right location and amenities are important factors in choosing accommodation, marketing can help you have the edge above the rest. Here are five tips for your hospitality business.

Be consistent in your branding

One of the most common branding mistakes is inconsistency. In order to build brand recognition, you need to be consistent in your branding across all marketing channels. This includes your website, ads, social media, and email marketing campaigns. It all needs to link to the visual theme you’ve got going on in your hotel, and match the identity of your brand. 

Focus on your customers

In the Hospitality industry, a customer-centred approach is especially important. The customer experience is key to the success of your business. For this reason, it’s necessary to design any marketing campaign with your target niche in mind at all times. Take note of customer feedback as well, social media can be a great tool, for example. Really get to know your guests using analytical CRM software. This way you can make improvements based on customer preferences and other data you’ve collated. Here are some examples of the best CRM software for hospitality.

Link the theme to the location

In the majority of cases, people will be visiting your hotel to explore the location, so make the most of this. Link the theme of your decor and branding to the traditions, culture, and sights at your location. This will also help to enhance the customer experience and make their trip more memorable, hopefully resulting in better reviews for your business.

Keep up with the latest trends

In order to stay ahead of the competition, try to keep up with the latest trends. Find out what your competitors are doing and what works for them and what doesn’t. This will allow you to make improvements to your own marketing strategy. Here are some examples of hospitality trends for 2021. Recent focuses include safety, flexibility and improved guest communication options, such as self-service and automated responses.

Transparency

Now more than ever, consumers expect transparency, and you need to give it to them. Communicate with potential customers directly and in a timely manner. It’s also vital to be completely honest about pricing and avoid any hidden charges. If you’re upfront from the beginning, people are more likely to trust your business. Be clear about every aspect of the service you’re offering as well. Potential guests will look at your reviews online so any mistake here may lead to negative feedback which could be damaging to your business. 

Invest in your marketing strategy as it could be what sways potential customers to choose your hospitality business over others. With the right branding, you can beat the competition.

Mark Asquith

That British podcast guy, Mark is co-founder of Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast host. A Harvard, TEDx, Podcast Movement and Podfest speaker (amongst many more!), he's a wildly approachable Brit and Star Wars/DC Comics geek.

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