Some hotels seem to have no problem filling up their rooms the whole year without much marketing at all – or so it seems. This is also especially true during summer months for when most people take their vacations. The secret behind products or services that blow up without any blatant, in-your-face marketing is that it actually involves a lot of marketing; just not the normal outbound strategies that we typically see. Many times, the most effective forms of marketing are subtle and don’t draw attention to the campaigns themselves. These are incredibly natural forms of advertising that don’t break up the consumer journey. Rather, they draw attention to the brand’s image and what the brand contributes to the overall lifestyle of their consumers. The same concept applies to many forms of marketing, including hotel marketing.
Plenty of Lifestyle Visuals
One of the most effective marketing strategies for any product that we’ve seen is to sell the lifestyle, not the actual product. This is key, and we’ve seen a lot of brands and influencers tap into this strategy with the rise of social media over the past decade. Create provocative campaigns that help consumers envision the type of lifestyle they would have if they booked with your hotel. This strategy works best because it doesn’t just boast about the product itself; it also demonstrates to your target audience how they can benefit from booking with your hotel. For example, the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas caused a stir in the hotel community when it arrived on the scene because of its unique lifestyle visuals. Rather than including a lot of words or voiceovers in their commercials and advertisements, they opted to just show the ultra-modern, luxurious-yet-quirky lifestyle to appeal to the “sophisticated experience-seekers;” a group they identified as the “curious class.” This strategy worked, as the Cosmo has repeatedly landed itself in the top three in US News’ Best Hotels in Las Vegas year after year.
Easy Contact Methods
Another common marketing strategy that’s often used in high-performing campaigns is the strategic placement of contact methods. Even if the advertisement performs well, the temporary success will most likely not translate into long-term success if these companies aren’t sure how to replicate it. Acall tracking softwarenot only provides businesses with optimized phone numbers to boost their brand image and contact memorability, it also helps brands stay on track with their ongoing campaigns. This is especially true if they are utilizing vanity phone numbers. One of the many benefits of vanity phone numbers is that they can be unforgettable and seamlessly associate your business with a relevant name. This is only the surface level of what call tracking can do to boost your hotel bookings.
Customer Service
Alas, even with superb marketing strategies and an easy contact method, all of the strategies we’ve mentioned would go to waste if your customer service doesn’t live up to your excellent brand image. Customer service is one of the most important aspects of any business. The advertisements might make people come, but your customer service will encourage them to stay. We’re not just talking about in-person customer service; we’re talking about the first point of contact that your customers make with your hotel. While online bookings are popular, many people still prefer to call in because of the convenience that calls provide. They can also get many of their questions answered in a single phone conversation. Enhance their call experience by using an IVR that’s equipped with call tracking. Call tracking can work with the IVR to gather data and service your customers according to their native tongue, purchase history, etc. You have full control over the filters and get set up custom routing so calls are directly to the most appropriate agent. In other words, instead of calls being distributed to random agents, you can ensure that specific calls (based on demographics or other filters) are sent to the agents best equipped to take the calls. This enhances the customer journey in more ways than one, resulting in a pleasant experience for the customer.
