Old SEO strategies are dead, and digital marketing methods have undergone a sea change in recent years.
The internet revolution has opened up new media channels and branding opportunities for all brands, big and small, across local and global markets. Smart digital marketing tactics have made it just as easy to publicize a B&B tucked away into the corner of a remote mountainside as it has for an exclusive Manhattan hotel.
It's interesting to see what companies in the hospitality industry are doing to compete with each other in the face of such open and stiff competition. Brands are no longer pitted inside their own categories but across all segments, not to mention the OTAs. Then, there are the Airbnbs of the world that have completely disrupted the hospitality experience.
With millennials slowing easing out the baby boomers and Gen Xers in hospitality sales, hotels have to rethink their marketing strategies completely.
A recent Entrepreneur article threw an interesting light on how some big names in hotels are surfing high with smart marketing tactics for the new age. The key to connecting with 21st-century guests is not with promises but with experiences. A quick look.
Drive innovation
Innovative marketing strategies to create a good feel about brands are all focused at one thing — offer a slew of innovative experiences rather than just the room to sleep in.
The increasing number of millennial business travelers, who travel more frequently than their older counterparts, want their hotels to have social happy hours, meet-and-greets in the evenings, fun events and even options for yoga rather than just a generic gym. Some hotels have aggressively changed their stance to offer all these and more.
Brands like Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt have taken advantage of mobile technology and launched apps to connect with repeat customers. This way they can reward their loyalty and connect with them easily and more.
Deliver authenticity
Today's guests look for authentic, honest experiences. They want value for their money, but they also want instant digital convenience and high entertainment options.
The last comes from innovative ideas that can drive authenticity, like Marriott's new hotel brand Moxy has done. Instead of the cookie cutter experience, Moxy offers a communal gathering space, game options that invite guest intermingling and even room designs that keep in mind that most guests don't unpack anymore.
Hilton's Canopy brand of hotels is focused on delivering local flavor even if guests don't step out of the hotel. Aloft's robotic bellhop and emoji room-service menu, and even a hangover kit have been a great hit with the millennials.
Use content and social media
Digital marketing may sound intimidating, but the smart use of content and storytelling has made it easy for brands to reach out to their audience today.
SEO rules have changed from yesteryear. Google rewards the organic reach more, and what can be a better way to reach and engage than through stories? There are the ubiquitous blogs to start with, a great way to engage attention, especially on social media. One has to think outside the box while creating the content, though.
For starters, content doesn't mean just text. Brands could follow Marriott's example and create a plethora of content deliverables from TV shows and short films to blogs, videos and webisodes — all great for social media sharing.
Four Seasons offers its digital luxury magazine, which offers guests a glimpse of the luxury lifestyle and tacitly lures them into the aspiration club. Remember that video is big now, and with apps like Lively and Musical.ly, creating live videos is not just easy but also authentic. They can be easily shared via all platforms which means you can reach a larger number of audience, across age groups.
Create brand ambassadors
Another big shift in brand management is the moving away from celebrity endorsement to real-life endorsers. Social media has made it easy for the masses to interact and engage with each other. Hotels that offer a rich social media experience make it easy for guests to share their stories and experience.
This is by far the strongest word-of-mouth endorsement any brand can get, no matter which industry it is in. People like to post about good times and unique experiences online, take pictures of great views, what they are eating and even the quirky décor in the lobby.
Hotels should take full advantage of these opportunities and be featured in hundreds of vacation shots that grace the web. These lead to more bookings than ads, any given day. Hotels that make their employees their brand ambassadors and offer an insider's peek into the brand have a better chance of connecting with their existing and potential guests.
Make it personal
It's not business, it's personal. The age old mantra has undergone a volte-face change to incorporate emotions in what has always been considered a detached and strictly logical way to approach marketing.
The new generation of guests want their hearts to be touched, and they look forward to unique, customized experiences. Brands like Ritz-Carlton have been trail blazers in this regard. They have used big data to use their customers' preferences and create intensely personalized messages that seal customer loyalty for them.
More than anything, they generate feel-good stories that lure in potential customers as well. Other efforts include the free craft beer event for connoisseurs at the Marriott's Renaissance Hotels; Hilton@PLAY's concerts, which are part of the music-related loyalty program events; or the growing popularity of the concierge apps to order a burger and check in digitally.
