Why no Cuustomer Database?
Why cant hotels generate Customer Databases?
After many years of trying, we have noticed that this is one of the most difficult things for a hotel to do, yet without a customer database most, if not all forms of marketing ie Text, E Mail and the Post etc are useless. Why employ a Sales and Marketing person if you have no database? Should they pick random names from a phone book to market to?
We tend to find that hotels DO dilligently, and sometimes at great expense. collect a customer database.......for about 6 months, then either the effort runs out of steam, or the person driving the database generation moves to another job and the database is forgotten or lost.
We posted this question on the forum to seek wisdom from our readers. VIEW THREAD HERE.
Something Intangible (an anecdote)
We often talk about specific/obvious areas that hotels could or should be looking at to generate business online, but increasingly we see that it is the 'intangibles' that are just as important. Lets try an example. Several years ago we had a unhappy relationship with one particular hotel. They were dissatisfied with the level of bookings they were receiving, and we moaned about their lack of effort . Today we would describe this hotel as being one of the most advanced online with a 230% increase in traffic and 240% increase in bookings (yes, double your traffic and double your bookings!).
So what was the 'Cunning Master Strategy' of this particular hotel?.........Well,....one of receptionists became pregnant!!!!!and asked the hotel owner if she could manage the website and booking engines during maternity leave from home. We know that owner agreed, and we imagine his thinking went along the lines of - 'please do, i am fed up listening to AccuBook moaning about what we are not doing'.
Now this receptionist was enthusiastic and computer literate, and whilst not initially knowing too much about Online Marketing was at least open-minded. A habit was formed of dropping in to the office once a month, and during these meetings a consistent pattern developed;
- Add Press Releases to the Website
- Update the Google Adwords Campaign
- Update Entertainment and Events
- Send out an SMS Message
- Send out an E Zine
- Check Google Search Engine Ranking
Of course these meetings provided an opportunity to talk and explore other issues, and eventuallly this hotel was able to ORGANISE THEMSELVES, and display on their website, a Twitter and Skype Account and have fully integrated TripAdvisor Comments.
Lessons Learnt.
- Hotels Owners need to make a dedicated resource available for Online Marketing.
- That resource needs to be given the TIME to do the job.
- That resource needs to be computer literate, open minded and ideally with a reception background.
- Hotels must engage with Web Companies that will consistently train/support this resource.
- Hotels Owners need to set targets (Double Online Bookings) but set flexible parameters (Use 1% of our unsold rooms per month in online promotions) AND THEN STAND BACK.
Text Messaging Dangers
We still advocate that SMS/Text Messaging is a very strong tool for marketing. BUT BE CAREFUL, we received this warning from a Text Messaging company (NOT OURS) that one of their customers had behaved irresponsibly. In short DO NOT SEND UNSOLIICTED TEXT MESSAGES.
I have just had a call from the Data Protection Commissioner’s office after one of my customers used Bulktext irresponsibly. The upshot of it all is that if any of your customers breach the law, you can be held liable. I suggest that you inform your customers of their obligations in terms of the law.
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