To participants on the Online Marketing Award; Next week is module 8 (just 3 more remain), the peak summer period is over, and now we are back to using all the Online Marketing tools at our disposal to increase the hotel profile and sell rooms.
In addition to getting back into the rhythm of distributing SMS Messages and E Zines, we will also be looking more closely at web statistics ie Hits, visits and Google Analytics, and the creation of Online Marketing Plans
Online Marketing - Easier than it looks?
Like all things in life, Online Marketing appears more difficult than it really is at the start. We often witness hotels tearing their hair out to think of SMS or E Zine schemes, in reality, if a Yearly Online Marketing Plan takes more than 1 hour to set down on paper, it is probably being over-complicated. Most Online Marketing Schemes do NOT necessarily sell rooms, but rather build brand awareness, which is a worthy target but the lack of direct rooms sales means that it should not be complex to handle, otherwise the results just simply aren’t worth the effort.
An Online Marketing Plan, like any form of plan (ie a Business Plan, or even a plan to build a house) probably consists of 2 main elements;
Targets/Goals/Objectives, call them what you will, but something measurable you want to reach. For hotels the targets are most likely to be Website Traffic and Room Revenue. Remember the old saying; 'if you want to improve something measure it'.
However, having targets is well and good, but what do you have to do to ENABLE your targets to be reached, ie 'ENABLERS', How many E Zines or SMS Messages do you have to send out to reach your targets.
It is of course possible to make this more complex and more sophisticated, but below are the bones of an average hotels online Marketing Plan.
Targets
Enablers
- Qty of Articles on website
- Qty of E Zines Distributed
- Qty of SMS Messages Distributed
- Qty of Entertainment and Events on website
- Qty of Customers in the database
- Set up of Online Loyalty Scheme
- Google Adwords Campaigns
As previously mentioned, defining an Online Marketing Plan becomes much easier with time, but the ability to define a good plan for a 12 month period has several objectives.
A, The hotel knows what it is trying to achieve
B. The hotel can use statistics to verify if it is reaching its targets OBJECTIVELY (Not by feeling)
C. A clear plan can be executed verify quickly each month. (ie Vast amounts of time do not need to be spent devising the content of the next e zine).
D. If a clear plan exists it can be executed by anyone, it could even be outsourced to a 3rd party.
During the 9th module of the Online Marketing Award we will be using fictitional case studies to construct an Online Marketing Plan, and then will construct one for the participant’s hotels in 2009
Other Matters
The AccuBook Forum has seen some interesting articles posted over the summer
Hotel Oversupply Around the World
If you are in the hotel industry you will no doubt be releived to know that your occupancy problems are shared around the world.
Hotel marketers bank on value-added perks
An interesting insight into how hard hotels are trying to avoid cutting rates by offering perks. In our experience many hotels have not thought enough about what they have to offer BEFORE they start to cut their rates. An example;
One hotel was horrified at the idea of offering free airport transfers. For a car of 4 people this could cost them 90£, yet if they reduced there room prices by 15% for 4 people over a 3 night break it would cost them 120£
Carlson Hotels enhances online experience
This is an interesting insight that addresses a major flaw in many Hotel websites - Most Hotels will sweat buckets to get the lighting just right on that photograph of a plate of lamb chops, yet viewers are probably much more interested in what’s going on in and around the hotel and other guests experiences. The article suggests for example that hotels should
A Make sure their website is promoting the region.
B Make the sure the website has good guest feedback ie Videos, comments and images
Note last line comment; 'consumers who viewed rich media (virtual tours and videos) were ‘67% more likely to book’
Accubook Bulletin No 13 - Why are Internet Rates So Often Wrong?
Accubook Bulletin No 12 - I keep sending out E Zines, but i am getting no results!!!!
AccuBook Bulletin No 11 - Simplifying Google Adwords
AccuBook Ltd
Tel + 353 74 97 23411
info@accubook.net